Canon EOS 550D (Rebel T2i) dSLR: specs and review [updated]

Canon has taken the wraps off its latest consumer digital SLR, the EOS 550D ( Rebel T2i) which packs a hefty 18MP sensor and full HD movie recording, tucked up in Canon’s familiar camera styling.

Sporting a newly developed 18MP APS-C CMOS sensor, backed by Canon’s advanced DIGIC 4 image processor plus enhanced in-camera noise reduction for low light shooting, Canon are hoping that this camera will make a splash in the highly competitive consumer dSLR market.

The specs look pretty good too, with standard ISO settings of 100 – 6400 (expandable to 12800), 3 inch 3:2 LCD with 1040k pixels resolution, 9-point AF system, high-speed continuous shooting at 3.7 frames per second (fps) with the 550D using the 63-point iFCL metering system first seen in the EOS 7D.

As well as manual controls, there’s the usual pile of scene modes including  Creative Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night portrait, Flash off, Auto Depth-of-field, backed by exposure compensation and bracketing, which can be set up to plus or minus five and two stops respectively. UI support for Eye-Fi cards has also been added.

Full HD video
The EOS 550D can knock out video in full 1920x1080p HD resolution, at 30, 25 and 24fps, or record 720p video at 60 and 50fps, with manual control over exposure settings, changing the depth of field and degree of motion blur.

There’s also a handy 3.5mm stereo microphone socket, enabling the use of an external microphone when capturing video, so you should be able to bag some decent movie footage with this fella.

UK pricing is set competitively at around £600 for the kit bundle that includes the S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens (see Amazon link below).

Update: Photography Blog  review (31st March 2010)

Praising the camera as a solid mid-range camera capable of capturing incredibly detailed photos, the reviewer declared the EOS 550D as being a camera to “definitely” check out if you’re in the market for a new dSLR.

Although the huge 18MP sensor grabs the headlines and pulls out some very high quality results, the reviewer commented that you’d need to shell out for something better than the 18-55mm kit lens to make the most of the camera.
Here’s the review conclusion:

As far as we are concerned, we have found the Canon EOS 550D / Rebel T2i to be a convincing, well-put-together product that easily earns a Highly Recommended rating.

[photographyblog.com]

Buy the Canon EOS 500D Digital SLR Camera (incl. EF-S 18-55 mm IS Lens Kit) on Amazon.

Feature list (with 18-15mm lens)

Dimensions 5.1 x 3.8 x 3.0 in. (130 x 97 x 76 mm)
Weight 18.7 oz (530 g)
Planned Price $900
Image Capture – Sensor Type Canon CMOS
APS-C (approx. 1.07 in. diagonal)
18.70 megapixels (total)
18.00 megapixels (effective)
Filter Type RGBG
Focal Length Multiplier 1.60
Aspect Ratio 16:9, 4:3
Image Dimensions 5184 x 3456 (17.9 megapixels)
3456 x 2304 (8.0 megapixels)
2592 x 1728 (4.5 megapixels)
Capture Speed Continuous: 3.7 frames per second for 34 frames
Image Quality 2 levels
Image Preview / Review
Viewfinder Yes, SLR type; eye-level pentamirror, 95% coverage, 0.87x mag., 19mm eyepoint, LCD 3.0 in. diagonal, 1,040,000 dots (approx. 347,000 pixels)
Playback Zoom 10.0x max
Lens
Lens Type Interchangeable Lens
3x optical zoom
58mm lens thread
Lens Mount Canon EF, EF-S
Image Stabilization Yes
Focal Length 18.0 – 55.0mm (actual)
29 – 88mm (35mm equivalent)
Aperture Range f/3.5 – 22 / f/ 5.6 – 38
Focusing System AF-dedicated CMOS Sensor, 9-point, center cross-type high-precision at f/2.8, light source detection
Has AF assist lamp
Manual focus possible
Focusing Range Normal: 10″ – infinity (25 cm – infinity)
Exposure
ISO Sensitivity Auto, 100 – 6400 in 1/3 or 1EV steps, H=12800
Shutter Speed 30 – 1/4000 second
Exposure Modes Aperture, Shutter, Manual
Metering Modes 63-zone Evaluative, Center-weighted, Partial (9%), Spot (4%)
Exposure Compensation +/- 5.0EV in 1/3EV increments
White Balance Image Sensor – Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, White Fluorescent, Flash, Custom
Internal Flash Guide Number: 13
Modes: E-TTL II
Range: Lens aperture dependent
Flash Exposure Compensation +/- 2.0EV in 0.3EV increments
Creative
Scene Modes Creative Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night portrait, Flash off, Auto Depth-of-field
Self Timer Yes, 10 or 2 seconds
Movie Format .MOV (H.264) with audio
Max. clip length: 720 seconds () / 1,440 seconds ()
Storage
Recording Medium SD/MMC including SDHC, SDXC
File System FAT16, FAT32, complies with Design Rule for Camera File System (DCF)
File Format .CR2 RAW (14-bit), JPEG

Connectivity
Video High definition: Yes (HDMI)
Standard definition: Yes, NTSC / PAL switchable
Computer USB 2.0 High Speed
Other Mini HDMI-CEC, External Microphone Jack, Wired Remote
Power
Battery Type Lithium-ion rechargeble
Battery Form Factor Proprietary LP-E8
Product Bundle
Software C non Solutions Disc (EOS Utility, ZoomBrowser EX/ImageBrowser, Digital Photo Professional.Picture Style Editor, Movie Edit Task, PhotoStitch)
Battery / Charger 1 x Proprietary LP-E8 Lithium-ion rechargeble battery and charger
Other
Digital Print Order Format (DPOF) compliant Yes
PictBridge Compliant Yes
Internal Microphone Yes
Internal Speaker Yes
Tripod Mount Yes, Metal
Remote Control Yes, Optional Wired or Wireless
Notes Flagship Rebel model. Full HD (1080p) Video, New Movie Crop Mode (640×480, 7x magnification), 9-point AF, 3-inch 3:2 LCD, EyeFi Card Status Display.

[Previewed with sample images at DPreview]