Canon EOS 550D (Kiss X4) Review

The Canon Greek deity 550D could be a tough product to categorise. on the face of it designed to charm to first-time DSLR patrons and enthusiasts, it offers lots additional technology, and at a better value, than we would expect for a camera aimed squarely at this sector. though it'd appear logical for the 550D to exchange the Greek deity 500D, the older camera is about to continue in Canon's lineup, that leaves the 550D pinched between its entry-level (represented by the still-current Greek deity 1000D and also the 500D) and nominally enthusiast (the Greek deity 50D) peers. bewilderingly but, aside from build quality (which is almost a dead ringer for the Greek deity 500D), the 550D has additional in common with the prosumer Greek deity 7D, and - maybe even additional bewilderingly - it out-specifies the Greek deity 50D in several areas.

Central to the spectacular specification of the Greek deity 550D could be a high-spec picture mode that offers full HD capture at up to thirty Federal Protective Service, manual management over exposure, and also the choice to use Associate in Nursing external stereo electro-acoustic transducer. The new camera conjointly inherits the Greek deity 7D's subtle metering system (which brings it lots nearer to equally positioned Nikon SLRs).

So why has Canon apparently risked cannibalizing 7D sales by emotional such a similarly-specced, lower-end model? Well, Canon might need fabricated the 'entry-level' DSLR approach back in 2003 with the beautifully priced (for the time) Greek deity 300D, however currently, this sector of the marketplace is pretty packed. faraway from enjoying a monopoly, Canon, like all makers, faces a stiff battle to form its merchandise stand out amongst their varied peers. to the current finish, Canon has force out all the stops with the Greek deity 550D and made the foremost highly-specced Rebel we've ever seen. currently that a production sample has arrived in dpreview's offices, we've had the possibility to subject it to our full in-depth take a look at procedure. browse on to seek out out however it performs.
A brief history; Canon entry level digital SLR series

20/08/03: Canon Greek deity 300D / Digital Rebel (6 mp)
17/02/05: Canon Greek deity 350D / Digital Rebel noise (8 mp)
24/08/06: Canon Greek deity 400D / Digital Rebel XTi (10 mp)
24/01/08: Canon Greek deity 450D / Digital Rebel XSi (12 mp)
10/06/08: Canon Greek deity 1000D / Digital Rebel XS (10 mp)*
25/03/09: Canon Greek deity 500D / Digital Rebel T1i (15.1 mp)
08/02/10: Canon Greek deity 550D / Rebel T2i (18 mp)
* The Canon Greek deity 1000D represents a sub-class of the Rebel series and therefore ought to be thought of a parallel series.

Headline options

18 Megapixel APS-C CMOS detector
DIGIC four processor with ISO 100-6400 (Expansion to 12800)
Continuous shooting at three.7fps
Full HD picture recording with manual management and selectable frame rates
7.7cm (3.0”) 3:2 Clear read liquid crystal display with one,040k dots
iFCL metering System with 63-zone Dual-layer Metering detector
Quick management screen to vary shooting settings
Exposure compensation +/-5 stops (although finder scale continues to be +/-2 stops)
Select most price for machine ISO
External electro-acoustic transducer socket
Movie crop operate
Eye-Fi connected functions compatibility
EOS 550D vs Greek deity 500D Key variations

Higher resolution 18MP CMOS with gapless small lenses
ISO 6400 not in 'expanded' vary (12,800 grievous bodily harm remains the same)
Redesigned buttons and new movie/live read button
Customizable machine ISO ranges
Improved sixty three zone metering (iFCL)
3:2 format screen with additional pixels
Improved picture practicality
Slightly higher burst shooting rate (though buffer holds fewer shots)
HDMI management (CEC)
SDHX Compatible