Ergonomics
The 77D is quite comfortable to hold and operate with a deep rubberised grip and a nice contoured thumb rest.
The viewfinder appeared slightly less bright to our liking, but we cannot really complain. Images in the LCD appeared crisp. On those occasions when you need to disable exposure simulation, the 77D does not allow it, like most D-SLRs. A lock button prevents accidental rotation of mode dial, which is a good feature. The vertical command dial is slightly underdamped for our liking. But our major grouse pertains to the power switch. The power switch has three positions— Off, On and Movie. If you are in a hurry and try to switch on the camera, you are most likely to yank the power switch all the way to the Movie position even if you intended to activate the still mode. It is as inconvenient as adding a reverse gear to a motorcycle’s sequential transmission and hoping that everything goes well.
Performance
We received the 77D with the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens. Autofocus was fast and precise. The system hesitated a little in low light, but we wouldn’t worry too much about it. Touch focussing worked very well. We could verify the frame rate of 6 frames per second. AI Servo performed very well and the camera tracked the subject without any problem.
This EOS reproduced colours very well. Auto White Balance produced colours true to the original and the camera did not produce any cast except in incandescent light, which is predictable. Noise control was good, compared to other APS-C D-SLRs. Images appeared absolutely noise-free up to ISO 3200 at low display sizes and the images were usable up to ISO 12,800. Even with higher enlargements, the images appeared noise-free up to ISO 400 and remained usable up to ISO 1600. JPEG images were sharp out of the box.
Value for Money
The EOS 77D body retails at an MRP of Rs.59,995. In kit form, it carries a price tag of Rs.89,995 along with 18-135mm IS USM lens and Rs.65,995 bundled with the 18-55mm IS STM lens. This looks quite reasonable. |SP
FINAL SCORE 78
Design and Build Quality 17/20
Key Features 17/20
Ergonomics 14/20
Performance
Autofocus 4/5
Metering 4/5
Noise Control 4/5
Sharpness 4/5
LCD/EVF 3/5
Auto WB 4/5
Sub-Total 23/30
Value for Money 6/10
PLUS
• Dual Pixel CMOS AF
• Fully Articulated LCD
• Well-designed
• Wi-Fi and NFC
MINUS
• Movie mode via power switch
• Lacks finesse in controls
VERDICT
The EOS 77D is a mid-level D-SLR that brings the advanced features of 80D within a more affordable range, mainly Dual Pixel AF. Surely, it does not break any records but the camera is certainly worth a look if you are an enthusiast and the 80D is beyond your grasp. A big plus is the fully articulated LCD. We do have some grouses regarding the power button and viewfinder, but don’t let it deter you from checking it out since opinions can change from person to person.
Sujith Gopinath
