Canon Rebel T2i Looks Better In The Dark

Canon has announced a new digital SLR camera: the rebel T2i (EOS 550D). Say hello to better low light photographs, video, and high resolution images.

Like the other DSLR cameras in the rebel line, this is a consumer digital SLR. The T2i features in 18 megapixel CMOS sensor and 1080p HD video recording with full manual control. This camera incorporates a lot of features seen in more expensive professional DSLR cameras but in a lighter body.

EOS 550D Video: Full HD Movies with Potentially Great Audio

There are problems with low-priced HD cameras. The first problem is the ability to capture high-quality audio. A lot of video cameras lack an external microphone jack or socket. The other problem is the ability to control your depth of field. The Rebel T2i addresses both of these problems.

Because you will be shooting with a digital SLR camera with full manual controls, you will have the ability to change lenses and to change the settings to adjust the depth of field and degree of motion blur. Canon also added a 3.5 mm stereo microphone socket which means you can plug an external microphone (like the Audio-Technica ATR-35S or the Rode VideoMic) into the camera to capture great audio while you're shooting video. The camera does have a built-in mono microphone for simple recording (you can switch mono to stereo in a lot of video editing software).

The EOS 550D records in 1920x1080p at 30,25, and 24 frames per second (FPS) or you can shoot in 720p or 640x480 (SD/VGA) at 60 and 50 FPS, which is great for capturing fast-moving action scenes.

If you think you will be filming subjects from afar, you’ll be interested in the Movie Crop feature that gives you an effective magnification of about 7 times by recording on the central 640x480 pixel region of the sensor. This is like cropping a photograph, except with video - the resulting image or video will be lower resolution (640x480 in this case), but its nice to be able to eliminate undesired subjects or backgrounds by cropping the shot.

When you are done filming, you can view your video on an HD-ready television using the built-in HDMI port.
You might also like the 63 point iFCL metering system in the three-inch 3:2 LCD with 1040k resolution. This metering system was first seen in the Canon EOS 7D.

Shoot Faster, More Focused Images

One reason to buy a digital SLR camera is to be able to to capture fleeting images before they are gone. The T2i supports fast continuous shooting at 3.7 frames per second (FPS). Of course you want your images to be in focus, and Canon has provided a nine-point AF system with an especially sensitive cross-type point at the center that you can utilize if you have a f/2.8 or faster lens.

Canon EOS 550D: Better in the Dark

Normally we are big fans of Nikon SLRs for low light shooting conditions, but Canon incorporated their DIGIC 4 image processor with the 18 megapixel sensor to support standard ISO settings of 100 to 6,400 that you can expand up to 12,800. In addition they have supposedly enhanced the in camera noise reduction technology to improve photographs in low light conditions.

Another neat feature is the ability to set the maximum ISO level, which allows you to limit the amount of noise in your photograph. Another feature we weren't expecting in an entry-level SLR is the ability to control exposure compensation and bracketing to the tune of +/- 5 and two stops respectively. If you use bracketing, this will help you get that perfectly exposed shot by taking multiple exposures of the same shot at different settings (which is great for difficult lighting conditions).

New Layout for Controls

Canon has moved the buttons around on the T2i and we think the changes are helpful. You will now be able to quickly access the Quick Control screen via the Quick Control button next to the LCD screen. This will allow you to quickly change ISO, exposure, flash exposure, white balance, image quality, and drive mode.

The addition of the Live View/Movie button next to the viewfinder is also a nice touch and will allow you to quickly switch into movie mode to capture those funny moments are great action scenes before they are gone for good.

SDXC Memory Card Compatibility

The T2i is also compatible with SDXC memory cards and with the Eye-Fi SD cards. Eye-Fi SD cards have Wi-Fi transmitter and antenna allowing you to transfer images quickly over the IEEE 802.11b/g wireless networks.