I decided to upgrade from my old 450D/Xsi to the 550D/T2i a couple of weeks ago. Most people will tell you that unless you're going after the video feature, then the upgrade between those two bodies isn't really all that worth it, but I beg to differ. Don't get me wrong, my 450D was a great camera and it will always be my first DSLR, but I'm loving the newer 550D. I'd considered upgrading to the T3i, but for the price difference between the two, those few extra features just weren't worth the extra hundreds of dollars.
Here's a list of some of the new features found in this great little camera:
- 18-megapixel APS-C Canon CMOS sensor "A lot of people are going to tell you that the extra megapixels aren't worth much to the average photographer, and in some ways they're right. However, I do enjoy the ability to crop without having to worry as much about the loss of image quality, especially when I'm trying to fake just a little more zoom out of my longer telephoto lens. Sometimes you just can't get as close to that wildlife as you would like. Keep in mind though, that those extra megapixels come at a price when dealing with size. SD cards are pretty cheap nowadays, but on my first outing with my 550D, that size difference crept up on me and I was filling up cards faster than I was used to. Not a negative thing, just something to keep in mind."
- ISO speed settings from 100-6400 (expandable to 12,800) "This is one of the biggest improvements for me. On my 450D, I was maxing out at an ISO of 1600, and that was an ugly mess.. I wouldn't dare go above 800 whenever I used it and most of the time 400 was my personal limit. On my new 550D, I can shoot at 1600 and be happy with the results. Yeah, there's noise, but a little noise reduction on the Raw file goes a long way and gives very useable photos. I'd even be willing to bump it up to 3200 if I needed to. It just handles noise so much better."
- Auto-ISO Max Limit "This allows you to set a maximum ISO speed, keeping it from going into those unwanted levels where noise just becomes overwhelming."
- New 3-inch LCD featuring 1.04 million dots with a wide 3:2 aspect ratio. "The screen is slightly bigger, giving you a little more room to look at your photo, which is a definite plus. The screen also has a huge increase in resolution, letting you get a much better feel for what you're looking at. It's sharper, has better contrast, and even better color. The screen is actually the same aspect ratio of your pictures now (3:2)! I could never understand why they didn't do this before. Why make a viewing screen that was a different aspect ratio than your photos? But now, you can actually see your entire photo on the screen. Great news, right?"
- Full 1080p HD video capture with selectable frame rates of 24, 25, or 30 (50 or 60 at 720p HD and SD) "It has video capabilities! A lot of photographers say that if you want to record video, then buy a video camera. But the video capabilities on the T2i are very impressive. I have a niece that I love taking pictures of. She's a very energetic 1 year old. Most of the time, pictures are great for capturing that one moment in time, that one frame out of this movie we call life and making it into a memory. But other times we want to document everything that's happening; every move, sound, gesture. And I can tell you this, I definitely make use of this feature when I'm around her."
- New Quick Control Button and a dedicated Live View/Video Recording button. "This just means that there's a button that allows you to change everything located on the LCD screen without having to go digging through menus. Pretty neat feature if you ask me. I enjoy how easy it makes things. The dedicated live view button replaces what used to be the Set button on the back of the camera, freeing it up to be used for other things."
- New 63-zone iFCL (Intelligent Focus, Color, Luminance) Metering System with a ± 5 EV exposure compensation range "Ok that's a mouthful, right? What this basically means is better focusing abilities, and instead of a ± 2 exposure compensation range, it's been bumped up to 5, giving you better EC. However, you'll still only see ± 2 on the LCD display."
Overall, this is a great camera. I'm sure I could go into more specifics about it, but it wouldn't do much good. This camera will work well for some people, and not for others. It's all about what your specific needs are. There are cameras out there with more focus points, better ISO performance, and maybe a few other little features that could be useful. But this camera will fit the average persons needs and then much much more. I know that I could take this camera and shoot a sports game, or a racing event, or even a simple portrait, and it's going to work well for all the stuff I need it to do "provided I'm using the proper glass infront of it for each scenario". That's why it's a good camera for me. Amazing IQ, great price, light-weight. What more could I ask for?
If you want to grab your own 550D/T2i, then check out the link at Adorama below.
