Canon EOS Rebel T6s / 760D

Known as the 760D as well as the Rebel T6s, this is an APS-C DSLR released in 2015. It uses Canon's EF-S mount, and an optical pentamirror viewfinder gives a direct view of the scene.

The body weighs 565 g, keeping it reasonably portable. The flip-out touchscreen makes framing from high or low angles straightforward, and it helps keep the camera approachable while you learn.

Owning one involves some planning. There is no stabilisation in the body, video stops at Full HD, and the single card slot means carrying enough storage for longer days out.

The 24.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor leaves room for large prints and crops, and the Digic 6 processor handles the processing. ISO runs from 100 to 12800, covering bright daylight through to dim interiors.

Autofocus uses 19 points, though the count alone does not establish tracking performance. The 5 fps figure is a maximum burst rate rather than a promise of sustained shooting.

Stabilisation is not built into the body, so sharp handheld work in low light depends on shutter speed, a stabilised lens or a support. The 1/4000 s maximum shutter can also force you to stop down when using wide apertures in strong sun.

A pentamirror viewfinder gives a direct, through-the-lens view of the scene. That mix of strengths and gaps puts the T6s around the middle of cameras in our database for Optics, with a modest score of 59.

Video tops out at Full HD, recorded as MOV files. That suits online sharing, family films and casual projects, and the modest Video score of 43 reflects the resolution and frame-rate ceilings together with the absent time-lapse mode.

The maximum frame rate is 30 fps, so slow motion is not part of the toolkit. There is no built-in timelapse mode either, which means interval projects need external gear or later assembly rather than a menu setting.

Framing is where video feels most flexible. The flip-out screen and live view let you compose from waist height or above a crowd. Because the body has no in-body stabilisation, smoothing footage relies on a tripod, steady handheld technique or a stabilised lens.

The 3-inch LCD carries 1.04 million dots, so playback and menus look crisp. It responds to touch and flips out, which speeds up changing settings and opens up waist-level or overhead framing.

WiFi is built in for wireless connectivity. There is no Bluetooth and no GPS, so the camera cannot tag images with location data on its own.

Lighting options are practical: a built-in flash covers quick fill light, and the camera also takes external flash units when you want more power.

The body has no weather sealing, so rain, spray and dust call for care or a cover. Those combinations and gaps add up to a modest Features score of 57.

Storage runs through a single SD, SDHC or SDXC slot, and UHS-I cards are supported. With no second slot, there is no way to duplicate files in camera or keep stills and video on separate cards.

The LP-E17 battery is rated at 440 shots. That rating is a useful planning figure, though actual endurance varies with how you shoot, so a spare battery is worth carrying on longer days.

There is no USB charging, so the battery cannot be topped up over a USB cable. That gap, the single card slot and the 440-shot rating sit behind the limited Storage and Battery score of 24.