The
much anticipated replacement of Canon's PowerShot Pro70 is the the Powershot
Pro90 IS.
In fact, the Pro90 is more than a replacement. It is equipped with a 10X
optical zoom, an image stabilizer (hence the "IS" designation),
and a 3.34 megapixel CCD that captures a 2.6 megapixel image.
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grip area, front and back.
The
upper part of the grip is angled towards the user and supports an status
display.
The display informs of camera settings, including such things as the shooting
mode; the aperture or shutter speed; the remaining number of photos; the
file format in use; exposure compensation setting; the flash mode; and
of course the battery state. A small button below the status display provides
quick access to the burst mode and the self-timer/remote control.
Two of the three buttons aligned on the left of the status display are
used only in Playback. The first is for jumping from one group of 9 photos
to another; the second to display thumbnails (9 at a time). The third
button, closest to the back of the camera, has a dual use: calling up
the spot meter in Recording mode and magnifying an image in Playback.
The
upper left side of the lens barrel presents the Mode Dial, which has no
less than 12 modes. Next to it is the On-Off switch for the image stabilizer,
a Manual Focus button and the Flash mode selector.
In
addition, an accessory shoe with synch terminals is provided, designed
to be compatible with Canon flash units Speedlite 220EX, 380EX, 420EX
and 550EX.
The Pro90
uses an electronic LCD viewfinder, much like those of video cameras, to
provide a TTL (through the lens) view.
The image the electronic viewfinder provides is less sharp than that of
an optical finder, but offers the advantage of being able to display the
current settings of the camera as an overlay, or the menus.
The
Pro90IS follows in the footsteps of the Pro70 and has an LCD screen
that can be opened, rotated and folded back onto the camera. The hinge
of the screen makes it easy to position it when the viewfinder is impractical,
and can even be rotated to face the front.
The back of the screen is covered in a metal shell, adding further protection
to the screen itself.
Other
controls are arranged on the right side of the LCD screen. A four-direction
control (called the Omni Selector) is fitted on the top rear of the grip
area, and is used to make selections in the menus, or choose apertures,
shutter speeds or exposure compensation settings.
Directly below are the Menu and Set buttons, which are to bring up the
menus and confirm selections, respectively.
Ergonomically,
the PowerShot Pro90 is well-designed, with the possible exception of the
Menu button placement which, while in the same location here as it is
on the G1, is a bit too easy to press accidentally because of the shape
of the grip and the way the hand fits on it.
Unlike the Pro70 which had a zoom control, like a rocker switch, built
into the side of the lens barrel, the Pro90IS has the zoom control
built into the lens ring. Turning the ring to the left increases the focal
length, to right decreases it. The system is similar to other electric
zoom controls and has a small time lag, but is very ergonomic, since the
hand naturally cradles the camera lens and the zoom is always within reach.
