Adventures & experiences in contemporary technology
Back at the end of 2019, I acquired a Canon EOS 90D, possibly the swansong for mid-range Canon SLR cameras. Much effort is going into mirrorless cameras, yet I retain affection for SLR cameras because of their optical viewfinders. That may have been part of the reason for the acquisition, when I already had an ageing Pentax K5 Mark II. Buying SLR cameras is one way to keep them in production.
Little did I know what lay ahead in 2020 at that stage. Until recently, this was not to be a camera that travelled widely, such were the restrictions. Nevertheless, battery life is superb and handling is good too. The only absence is not having a level in the viewfinder like the Pentax K3 Mark III or maybe any mirrorless camera.
The newer file type of CR3 caught me out at first until I adjusted my command line tooling to deal with that. File sizes were larger as well, which has an impact on storage. Otherwise, there was little to change in my workflow. That would take other technological changes, like the increasing amount of AI being built into Adobe software.
Outdoor photography is my mainstay, and it excelled at that. The autofocus works well on its 24 to 135 mm zoom lens, except perhaps from focussing on skyscapes at times. Metering produced acceptable results, though it differed from the Pentax output to which I had become accustomed. All in all, it slipped into a role like other cameras that I had.
Throughout 2020 and 2021, it provided the required service alongside other cameras that I had. The aforementioned Pentax remained in use, like an Olympus and another Canon. Overseas travel curtailed horizons, so it was around local counties like Cheshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire. In September 2020, it travelled to Llandudno in North Wales, an exception to the general trend of English hikes and cycles.
Since then, it has been superseded, though. A Pentax K3 Mark III made it into my possession to become my main camera, returning me near enough to my pre-2020 practice. Curiosity about Canon mirrorless options added a Canon EOS RP and a 24 to 240 mm zoom lens. That has shorter battery life than is ideal, and its level is not as helpful as that on the Pentax K3 Mark III or the aforementioned Olympus. If anything, it may get replaced while the EOS 90D remains. My getting a new base in Ireland means that it has gone there to save me carrying a camera there from England. That should give it a new lease of life.