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Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 | Posted by Editor - Blog News Service

DSLR Canon Camera EOS 550D (Rebel T2i / X4 Digital) Preview

Canon EOS 550D

Canon EOS 550D

Preview based on a pre-production DSLR Canon Camera EOS 550D

Less than a year after the launch of the EOS Rebel T1i DSLR Canon Camera EOS 550D comes the latest in Canon’s hugely popular consumer SLR range, the Rebel T2i (EOS 550D). With the 450D and 500D Canon appeared to be pulling away slightly from the real ‘entry level’ (a sector driven almost entirely by price), and the EOS 550D – on paper at least – is no exception, outgunning many of the ‘upper entry level’ and mid range SLRs on the market today in terms of spec. To ensure it doesn’t lose out at the price-sensitive DSLR entry point Canon is once again introducing its new flagship Rebel as a ’sister’ product to the camera it ostensibly replaces. The EOS 500D (Rebel T1i) will be staying in the range for the rest of 2010 (at, one presumes, a more attractive price point). We would assume that the new model finally spells the end of the line for the current ‘bargain’ Canon, the venerable Rebel XSi (EOS 450D).

In many respects the DSLR Canon Camera EOS 550D is a ‘baby EOS 7D’. As well as getting a resolution boost to a class-leading 18 megapixels and a significantly upgraded movie mode (which now offers full HD capture at up to 30 fps, has full manual control and the option to use an external stereo microphone), the EOS 550D gets the 7D’s sophisticated new metering system (bringing it a lot closer to similarly positioned Nikon SLRs). It also sports a new widescreen (3:2) LCD panel, has improved button design and finally offers the ability to customize the Auto ISO function.

It’s clear Canon has been feeling the heat from the aggressive competition it faces from the numerous feature-laden cameras offered by Nikon, Pentax, Sony and Olympus in this market sector, and has decided to throw down the gauntlet with the most highly-specced Rebel we’ve ever seen. We’ll reserve judgment on whether it’s destined to be a class-leader until we’ve got a final production sample in for review, and I’m sure there’s plenty of you interested to see how well it does too. As it stands we’ve managed to get hold of a pre production sample for a day in order to produce this brief hands-on preview to tide you over.
A brief history; Canon entry level digital SLR series

* 20/08/03: Canon EOS 300D / Digital Rebel (6 mp)
* 17/02/05: Canon EOS 350D / Digital Rebel XT (8 mp)
* 24/08/06: Canon EOS 400D / Digital Rebel XTi (10 mp)
* 24/01/08: Canon EOS 450D / Digital Rebel XSi (12 mp)
* 10/06/08: Canon EOS 1000D / Digital Rebel XS (10 mp)*
* 25/03/09: Canon EOS 500D / Digital Rebel T1i (15.1 mp)
* 08/02/10: Canon EOS 550D / Rebel T2i (18 mp)

* The Canon EOS 1000D represents a sub-class of the Rebel series and hence should be considered a parallel series
Headline features

* 18 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor
* DIGIC 4 processor with ISO 100-6400 (Expansion to 12800)
* Continuous shooting at 3.7fps
* Full HD movie recording with manual control and selectable frame rates
* 7.7cm (3.0”) 3:2 Clear View LCD with 1,040k dots
* iFCL metering System with 63-zone Dual-layer Metering Sensor
* Quick Control screen to change shooting settings
* Exposure compensation +/-5 stops (although viewfinder scale is still +/-2 stops)
* Select maximum value for Auto ISO
* External Microphone socket
* Movie crop function
* Eye-Fi connected functions compatibility

Canon EOS 550 vs EOS 500D: what’s changed

As before Canon isn’t officially ‘replacing’ the EOS 500D with the new 550D, and for the foreseeable future the EOS 550D will sit in the range between the EOS 500D and the EOS 7D (ignoring for the moment the additional confusion of the EOS 50D, which the new camera out-specs in some areas). The changes are partly cosmetic (a very slightly different body shell design, tweaks to the buttons and mode dial), but the real changes are under the hood.

As well as a boost from 15 to an EOS 7D-matching 18 megapixels (it’s not the same sensor, though it is apparently ‘very similar’), the EOS 550D gets a non-crippled full HD movie mode (1920 x 1080 at up to 30 fps, 720P at 60/50 fps, manual controls, external mic socket), upgraded metering and a smattering of smaller (but no less welcome) improvements.

Canon EOS 550D vs EOS 500D Key differences

* Higher resolution 18MP CMOS with gapless micro lenses
* ISO 6400 no longer in ‘expanded’ range (12,800 max remains the same)
* Redesigned buttons and new movie/live view button
* Customizable auto ISO ranges
* Improved 63 zone metering (iFCL)
* 3:2 format screen with more pixels
* Improved movie functionality
* Slightly higher burst shooting rate (though buffer holds fewer shots)
* HDMI control (CEC)
* SDXC compatible

What’s new / changed (key points)

18.7 megapixel CMOS sensor
The 550D uses a new, 18.7 (total) megapixel sensor that’s similar, but not exactly the same as (according to our sources at Canon) the one featured in the 7D. As before the sensor uses high frequency vibrations to remove dust.

Gapless micro lenses
First touted by Canon on the 50D, the EOS 550D’s sensor has what are effectively gapless micro lenses, which significantly increases the efficiency of each pixel. Click on the thumbnail above to see the EOS 550D compared to the EOS 500D.

Clear View 3:2 screen (3.0″)
With the increasing prevalence of live view and movie functionality it’s perhaps surprising that this is the first EOS to sport an LCD that’s the same shape (3:2 aspect ratio) as the sensor. The resolution is similar to the EOS 500D (720×480 / 1040k pixels) but the wider shape makes a lot more sense. Canon has removed the air-gap between the LCD’s protective cover and the liquid crystal to reduce glare. The screen has a viewing angle of 160 degrees.

63-point iFCL metering
The consumer EOS range gets a welcome metering boost with a new 63-zone dual layer iFCL metering sensor (first seen on the EOS 7D). The iFCL system uses focus, color and luminance information to determine consistently exposed shots. All focus points provide distance information to the metering system to determine proximity to the subject and allow the algorithm to weight the exposure accordingly. Typically, metering sensors are more sensitive to red subjects which can lead to overexposure. The EOS 550D combats this with the dual layer sensor, which has one layer sensitive to red and green light and one that is sensitive to blue and green light. The metering algorithm then compares the level of the two layers and adjusts the meter reading accordingly.

The wider aspect ratio means that the user interface has been tweaked slightly to allow preview (in Live View/Movie mode) and playback images to make use of the full area of the screen. Gone are the black lines at the top and bottom of the screen; the information is now overlaid.

Full HD movie mode
In keeping with the overall specification hike the EOS 550D gets full HD (1920 x 1080) movie capture at a range of frame rates (30, 25 and 20), bringing it in line with the EOS 7D. You also get full creative control (over apertures and shutter speeds), and you can set Highlight Tone Priority for movies independently of the setting used for stills. Another welcome addition is the inclusion of a stereo microphone jack.

Custom Auto ISO
You can now select the maximum setting for Auto ISO (from 400 to 6400). Canon is obviously confident its new sensor and noise reduction have improved; ISO 6400 is no longer an ‘expanded’ setting (which is now reserved for ISO 12,800 only).

+/- 5.0 EV compensation
Previous consumer EOS models were criticized for only offering a meager 2 stops exposure compensation either side. The EOS 550D finally catches up with most of its competitors by increasing that to +/- 5.0 EV, which can be combined with +/- 2.0 EV Bracketing.

Note that you can only see +/- 2.0EV indicated in the viewfinder (the scale hasn’t changed).

There are several minor changes to the user interface. You can now preview the color schemes available for the Quick Control Screen.

Button changes
The EOS 550D gains new button dedicated to Live View / movie mode; where it used to sit on the EOS 500D is now a new ‘Q’ button (for fast access to the Quick Control Screen). Most of the buttons have been redesigned, and they’re generally larger and flatter.

New Battery
The EOS 550D sees the introduction of yet another new battery, the BP-E8. The new battery apparently allows for more accurate ‘power remaining’ display, but as yet we’ve no other information on its specification.
New Grip BG-E8
The slightly different battery means a new grip, the BG-E8, which looks to be very similar indeed to the BG-E5 that preceded it.

Remote
Alongside the EOS 550D Canon launched a new slimline remote control, the RC-6, which can fire the shutter from up to five meters away (and allows you to choose immediate release or a 2 second delay, unlike the RC-5). The RC-6 is also compatible with the EOS 450D, 500D, 7D and 5D Mark II.

Copyright information
The new in-camera copyright information feature – another that’s trickled down from the latest professional models – allows copyright data to be entered directly into the camera, appending that information to each image file in the Exif metadata.

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