For the opportunity EOS 550D Review Many thanks to Vitaliy Kukota.
Canon 550D Review
This review presents the camera itself. Canon EOS 550D body. BODY in the name means that the camera without a lens, and MIGRATORY KIT means the camera comes with some kind of lens. Typically, the Canon 550D comes with one of the lenses:
- Canon EF-S 17-85mm f / 4-5.6 IS
- Canon EF-S 18-135mm f / 3.5-5.6 IS
- Canon EF-S 18-200mm f / 3.5-5.6 IS
- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6
- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 IS
- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 IS II
- Canon EF-S 55-250mm f / 4.0-5.6 IS
- Canon EF-S 55-250mm f / 4.0-5.6 IS II
Canon EOS 550D sample photo
Canon 550D can work with EF, EF-S lenses. This means that any modern Canon lens is suitable for it. When using the Canon 550D, you should always remember crop factorwhich for Canon APS-C cameras is 1.6x.
Canon EOS 550D sample photo
Canon 550D camera uses 9 focus points. This is neither much nor little. Many Canon cameras use so many focus points. This amount is enough for an amateur. In auto focus mode, the camera does a good job of focusing. The Canon 550D uses three conventional focus modes that can be found on many of Canon's other cameras. Auto focus is very dependent on the lens and shooting conditions.
Canon EOS 550D sample photo
The display on the Canon 550D is very good, 3-inch with 1,040 million dots. The same display is installed on many other Canon cameras. Compared to a smaller display Canon 1100DThe Canon 550D display is a pleasure to work with.
Canon EOS 550D sample photo
Canon 550D can shoot video in HD quality 1920 × 1080. You can set the frame rate: 30, 25, 20. Video is the strong point of Canon 550D, in video mode, aperture control is available and shutter speed, which allows you to create and control the process of shooting video. By the way, the highlight priority function also works in video mode. Also, the Canon 550D supports the installation of an external stereo microphone, which is very important for video. And also, you can shoot in 720p mode with 1280 × 720 at 60 or 50 fps, as well as 640 × 480 at 60 or 50 fps, which allows you to create unique videos with a slow-motion effect.
Canon EOS 550D sample photo
Of course, the camera has a Live View function, which allows you to use the camera as an ordinary soap dish. True, the inconvenience of Live View is that in order to start recording video you need to switch the camera control dial to the desired position. In Live View mode, an approximation of the image section with a multiplicity of 4x and 10x is available, very useful when using old autofocus lenses.
Example photo on a Canon EOS 550D
The Canon 550D can operate at ISO 100-6400 and expand the range to H (12800). Please note, to expand the range to 12800, you need to disable the light priority function in the camera menu and enable the ISO range extension function in the same menu. The Canon 550D camera behaves quite well at high ISO values and shows not as strong noises as you might think when looking at its 18MP matrix. Please also note that when the Highlight Tone Priority function is enabled, the use of ISO 100 is not available.
Example photo on a Canon EOS 550D
The camera body is made of plastic, it is quite nice to hold the camera. Ergonomics is no different from other Canon cameras.
Example photo on a Canon EOS 550D
Note that the Canon 550D has different names in different countries. So, in the USA - Canon Rebel T2iin Japan Canon EOS Kiss digital x4we have Canon EOS 550D. True, I have never seen cameras with captions Rebel T2i or Kiss digital x4 but on the Internet you can find how they look.
Example photo on a Canon EOS 550D
Canon 550D does a good job of measuring exposure. Metering system exposure the same as the Canon 7D, built on a 63-zone sensor. In any case, in difficult working conditions exposure may fail just like an automatic white balance.
Example photo on a Canon EOS 550D
Canon 550D uses SDHX, SDHC, SD. The copy from this review works well with SDHC 32GB, SDHC 16GB. Since the camera is very power hungry due to the huge number of megapixels, I recommend using the fastest memory cards possible. The camera shows the number of pictures that can fit on the free space of the card. On average, a RAW file weighs from 17 to 36MB, and a JPEG L weighs from 2 to 10MB.
Example photo on a Canon EOS 550D
One of the most important indicators of camera performance and speed is frame bufferor rather, its capacity. Canon 550D Snapshot Buffer can hold:
- RAW without add. functions - 6 frames
- JPEG L without add. functions - 9 frames
- JPEG L without add. functions at high ISO - 8 frames
- RAW with add. functions - 4 framebut the camera continues to shoot as if in a frame buffer 5-6
- JPEG L with add. functions - 2 framebut the camera continues to shoot as if in a frame buffer 5-6
Example photo on a Canon 550D
The most important metric is the RAW framebuffer capacity, and at any ISO setting it is a maximum of 6 frames. After 2 seconds of shooting in continuous mode, the camera starts to slow down and write BUSY. This is a fairly low figure. Also note that advanced features such as Highlight Tone Priority, High ISO Noise Reduction, Long Exposure Noise Reduction will greatly reduce the number of frames in the framebuffer. The good news is that the Canon 550D uses 14 bit RAW.
Example photo on a Canon 550D
Canon 550D uses a huge 17.9 megapixel CMOS matrix, which can form an image 5184 by 3456 pixels. In the reviews, you can find information that the Canon 550D has a whole 18.7MP, this is not true, since the effective pixels of the camera are only 18.0, but when creating a JPEG image, a picture that includes only 17.9MP is obtained. The difference is miserable, in any case, the Canon 550D has just a stunning number of pixels. With the Canon 550D, you can safely print A1 format posters. Most likely the Canon 550D uses an upgraded matrix from a professional Canon 7D. Similar matrices with 18MP can be found in advanced amateur Canon 60Dspecialized Canon 60Da and similar amateur cameras Canon 650D и Canon 600D.
Example photo on a Canon 550D
Roughly speaking, the Canon 550D can produce the same high-quality image as the Canon 7D. Creating a matrix is very expensive, because the same matrix is often used in different camera models.
Example photo on a Canon 550D
The Canon 550D's burst speed is not high at just 3.7 frames per second. This is not a little and not a lot, given the small buffer of the camera, continuous shooting can work normally only with the quality of the JPEG image and a good, high-speed memory card.
Example photo on a Canon 550D
The Canon 550D has useful features:
- A special indicator that determines whether the camera is held to the face. The indicator turns off the display.when focusing is performed through the optical viewfinder. Nice feature.
- Highlight Priority Function (Highlight tone priority) This function takes a slightly underexposed shot and programmatically expands the dynamic range, pulling information from dark areas.
- Convenient special button that is responsible for setting the ISO
- Canon 550D has matrix cleaning system. The function is configured to clean the sensor when it is turned on or off, or forced.
- Red-eye reduction in flash shots.
- Noise reduction function at high ISO. It has several values of effectiveness. A very useful thing when shooting in JPEG.
- Noise reduction function at slow shutter speeds.
- Peripheral lighting control function (vignetting)
Example photo on a Canon 550D
What the Canon 550D lacks in comparison to advanced amateur cameras:
- Fast sync with flash. Minimum synchronization is available only for 1 \ 200s.
- The ability to control flashes remotely, which helps a lot when creating interesting effects with lighting
- An additional display for quick access to settings, such as Canon 60D.
- Short excerpts 1 \ 8000. Canon 550D has a maximum shutter speed of 1 \ 4000, which sometimes complicates the work with high-aperture optics in good light.
Examples of photos without processing:
Here link to the archive with the originals - 1.4 GB, 60 photos in .CR2 format (RAW) from the camera Canon EOS 550D. Lens used during shooting Canon Zoom Lens EF 24-105mm 1: 4 L IS USM Ultrasonic и safety filter Kenko Pro1D Protector (W) 77mm Made In Japan. All photos in the gallery above are thumbnail on-camera JPEG.
And some more photos
Personal impressions:
The Canon 550D has a nice viewfinder, however, the viewfinder covers only 95% of the frame. Managing the camera is quite simple with one hand. Video shooting is not important for me. In principle, a good camera for fans.
Example photo on a Canon 550D
Prices for modern Canon cameras in popular stores can look at this link.
In comments Can I ask you a question on the topic and you will answer, and you can also express your opinion or describe your experience. Many little things for a photo can be found on AliExpress.
Conclusions:
Canon 550D - great amateur camera with good image and video quality. I recommend.
Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram
Hello, there is a question about high speed sync. The operating instructions indicate that the third icon from the left in the viewfinder, denoted as H, is just the inclusion of the HSS mode, i.e. Do you still have high-speed sync? Yes, it is possible only with the native EX speedlight flashes, but still ...
Hello, tell me please, here I am going to take the 1st DSLR! I can not decide between Canon 1100 d or 550d, which SLR is better ????
Hello Arkady, can you recommend a universal lens, EF mount for this camera which, can be used in full format
reve sell kit for Canon 550D? with everything together.
to whom to sell the Canon 550D kit? with everything together, flash, flash drive, other? tel +38 050 608 1846
How much is ?
Hello! Recently I found information that in 550 there is no stabilizer in the carcass. Is it so, tell me, please! Thank you!
Good afternoon Irina!
In all canon cameras there is no stabilization in the carcass; they have it implemented in lenses.
Canon 600d camera does not open the built-in flash what to do answer? reset the settings. requested. but cheto does not help what to do
Take it for repair; most likely, the flash mount lever has broken or the lifting spring has burst.
Good afternoon, tell me, in your opinion, which camera is better, the Canon 550D or Nikon D90, I can’t decide, and which one is better for choosing lenses?
Do not read carefully. D90 surpasses 550.
In general, I would recommend a girl 550d or 650d
What kind of discs come with the camera? How to work with them?
Is there autofocus when shooting video?
no
Hello, and with external flashes, the camera fulfills shutter speeds shorter than 1/200 second.
Yes, correctly noticed! Fp works with high-speed synchronization, and it’s very worthy. The main thing is that the flash is able to.
Canon EOS 550D + Helios 44m-4 58mm f / 2
Tell me a 550d camera with a screwdriver i.e. with motor ??? can't understand why nikon lenses are more expensive? I want to change nikon 3100 to 550d
Canon cameras have no concept of a “screwdriver”. All lenses have a built-in focusing motor. All (ALL!) Canon EF and Canon EF-S lenses are suitable for the 550d.
I realized thanks a lot for the answer! Then why are they cheaper than Nikon?
Indicate what exactly is cheaper.
Do you think it's worth changing 3100 to 550? in terms of image quality, I win if I buy a Canon 50mm fast lens?
Canon EF 50mm f 1.8 STM price 3500 UAH and Nikon AF-S 50mm f 1.8G - 4500 UAH
There are many different factors here. The main one - Nikon is still slightly more expensive. Other factors are that the optics in the Kenon STM lens is still 1987, and in the Nikon lens - brand new, with aspherical elements.
I am faced with a choice ... kenon 550 or nikon d3300. What do you think, which one would you advise?) Thank you.
Of course 3300, it is much newer and more sophisticated.
Thank you!
There is a point in buying a Canon 550d if you have to choose a camera for video shooting. Shoots 550d, as well as the later 600d, 650d, 700d videos are very worthy. It is possible to control all the shooting parameters in manual mode, which for many users (such as myself) is a very important argument in favor of the Canon 550d.
The camera supports fp, high speed sync. I have never used a flash on Canon 1d at shutter speeds shorter than 200/550, but after reading this article I checked how this camera can be friends with the Sigma 610 super. Everything is fine, even at 1/4000 shutter speed!
The article is very good! The author is well done!
Hello everyone! Thank you Arkady for your work for all of us. I am writing in this thread because In the presence of this camera, a fleet of autofocus and manual optics. I want to make a reservation right away that the photo is a hobby for me, but which I really like! Question-torment: there was a very good option at a reasonable price to purchase a Canon 50D, a boxed version, with a mileage of less than 1000 frames. Unfortunately, there is no review by Arkady for this model yet. There is a predecessor 40D, which are somewhat similar. If you discard the lack of video, does it make sense to change. I like ergonomics, hand sizes, focus microprogramming, etc.
Who has any thoughts? I would be grateful for good advice!
Good day! Does the 550 canon have auto tracking focus when shooting video? And if not, which canon models do they have? Tell me if anyone knows?
Google knows for sure. I think 70 and 750
Hello, tell me what is the best lens to purchase for a canon 550d camera? Now the most common efs is 18-55mm. I'm just starting to take photos.
The first lens after the 18-55 kit is typically an EF 50 f / 1.8. Good optical quality + lowest price. At one time I was impressed. Now only lenses with fixed focus and use :)
Sometimes it is recommended not to change the lens, but to buy a flash of the Canon 430 type for a whale. The quality of pictures in the room will become much higher.
Would recommend a 40mm 2.8 STM - like it. No zoom, but the picture is much better 18-55, and, in my opinion, 50 1.8.
So yes in the 550d there is HSS or FP. And the exposure metering module is not like in 7D, but a little cheaper (simpler). The rest of the camera is good.
Good afternoon, I have a Canon 550d camera help set up correctly. And which lens is best to buy at close range?
I have a feeling that before asking questions, no one reads the article (
At a short distance is how? To take off large?
I liked the color that he gives
Hello! Podskazhite pozhaluysta. U menya kamera Canon 550 D, hochu objektiv Nikon Nikkor 50 mm 1.8 D, podoydet li objektiv na moyu kameru? Thank you Zaranee.
Well, of course it’s suitable, what a question.
In general, this mount is absolutely universal, you can put whatever comes into your head - just before attaching the lens to the camera, stock up on enough tape!
Well, or as a last resort buy a canon-nikon adapter.
But seriously buy Canon lenses for your Canon camera and you will be happy. The Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 costs the same as the Nikcor you specified.
On the one hand, yes, but nevertheless, Nikon's fifty dollars looks and feels much better.
It looks more like a lens and not a flimsy misunderstanding, despite the fact that it is also made of plastic))) of course everything is subjective
Please help me, I’m renting a client dmu which is better suited nikon 5100 or canon 550? thanks
The Canon 550d is generally a very good device, and unlike the younger Nikons of the type 3100, etc., the canon has a light meter on manual optics and great video.