Canon EOS Rebel T2i (550D) In Depth Review

Canon EOS Rebel T2i (550D) In Depth Review

The latest in the Rebel lineup, and its new flagship, the Canon EOS Rebel T2i offers entry level shooters some degree of professional level camera features in a compact, and more importantly, affordable camera body. The gap it bridges is that mysterious realm between the Rebel lineup and the more professional/prosumer-ish EOS 7D. In that gap it floats far more to the entry level than prosumer, especially when it comes to camera look and feel and overall camera performance. But with two features the Rebel T2i reaches right up to the Canon EOS 7D, it uses a very similar sensor design with the same resolution and offers the same full fledged video features. One more notable aspect, the new Rebel is graced with Canon’s latest and greatest LCD display, a beautifully crisp and clear 1040K LCD, with a 3:2 aspect ratio no less. The question for many photographers will be, is this new Rebel just a slight upgrade from the Rebel T1i, or is it a poor man’s EOS 7D?

Availability

Canon EOS Rebel T2i (body only) at B&H Photo Canon EOS Rebel T2i with 18-55m lens at B&H Photo Get the new Canon EOS Rebel T2i and support this site at the same time, by making your purchase through the links above at B&H Photo Video. Your purchases there made this and hopefully future articles possible .

Competitors

Of course some folks might be wondering how the newest Rebel stacks up to the actual competition. I find this a bit unfair, as at the time of this writing the T2i is brand new, and some of its would be competitors have drifted down in price, so that a camera like the Nikon D90 for instance is now in the same price range, while the Nikon D5000 is priced far less. In many respects though, Canon’s latest Rebel essentially competes with other Canon DSLRs, as many consumers interested in this particular model might be considering either it, or the now more affordable, but still quite competent, EOS Rebel T1i. So we’ve gathered key specifications for both cameras, as well as the Canon EOS 7D, so that you can see how the three roughly compare to each other.

Camera	Canon EOS Rebel T2i (550D)	Canon EOS Rebel T1i (500D)	Canon EOS 7D
Price (street)	$799	$649	$1699
Sensor	22.3 x 14.9 mm CMOS sensor	22.3 x 14.9 mm CMOS sensor	22.3 x 14.9 mm CMOS sensor
Sensor	18 million effective pixels	15.1 million effective pixels	18 million effective pixels
Max. Image Size	5184 x 3456	4752 x 3168	5184 x 3456
ISO Range	100-12800	100-12800	100-12800
Metering	TTL 63-zone SPC	TTL 35-zone SPC	TTL full aperture metering with 63 zone Dual Layer SPC
Exposure Compensation	+/- 5.0 EV	+/- 2.0 EV	+/-5.0 EV
LCD monitor	3.0 " TFT LCD, 3:2 aspect ratio, 1,040,000 dots	3.0 " TFT LCD, 4:3 aspect ratio, 920,000 dots	3.0 " TFT LCD, 4:3 aspect ratio, 920,000 pixels
Video mode	1080p @ 30, 25 or 24 fps, 720p @ 50/60 fps, VGA @ 50/60 fps, Movie crop function, Microphone input	1080p @ 20fps, 720p @ 30fps, VGA @ 30fps	1080p @ 30, 25 or 24 fps, 720p @ 50/60 fps, VGA @ 50/60 fps, Microphone input
High-speed continuous	3.7 fps, 34 JPEG/Fine frames, 6 RAW frames	3.4 fps, 170 JPEG/Fine frames, 9 RAW frames	8 fps, 126 JPEG/Fine frames, 15 RAW frames
Storage	SD/SDHC/SDXC	SD/SDHC	Compact Flash Type I or II, Supports UDMA and Microdrive cards

Continue Reading This Review:

1. Introduction
2. Specifications
3. Camera Design
4. Interface and Live View
5. Performance
6. Image Quality
7. Video
8. Verdict
9. Image Samples

Continue the Discussion

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1. 

   Fils-de-Daguerre says:

   March 11, 2010 at 7:56 pm

   What I want to know is the meaning behind “1,040,000 dots”, “920,000 dots”, or “320,000 dots”. 720x480 is 345,600 pixels, 640x480 is 307,200 pixels, and 320x240 is 76,800 pixels. So where are the designations of “1040k”, “920k”, and “230k” from?

   reply
   • 

     Patrick says:

     March 11, 2010 at 10:08 pm

     The “dots” thing is sort of a new term that I think Nikon started with the D300/D3, but essentially it’s breaking down a 640×480 (VGA) display down to the R,G,B components of each pixel, so that you’re essentially multiplying 640×480x3 which is approx 920k. The dots and pixels are sometimes used interchangeably, but they aren’t really the same thing.

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     • 

       Fils-de-Daguerre says:

       March 12, 2010 at 10:08 am

       I really wish they could’ve stuck with WVGA, VGA, and QVGA…

       reply
2. 

   Funkmon says:

   March 15, 2010 at 4:57 am

   *late*

   Excellent review. If I had talent or skills, I’d do it exactly the same way you did. . Thanks!

   reply
   • 

     Patrick says:

     March 15, 2010 at 10:10 pm

     Thanks!

     reply
3. 

   Christy Joseph says:

   May 3, 2010 at 1:22 pm

   Thanks for the excellent indepth review of CANON EOS 550(Rebel T2i) which I read and re-read. The review has hastened my resolve to purchase one this month. Thank you once again for helping me decide.

   reply
   • 

     Patrick says:

     May 3, 2010 at 9:01 pm

     Christy,
     You’re welcome, and good luck with the T2i, you’ll be getting yourself a mighty fine (and fun) camera.

     reply
4. 

   Navs says:

   June 14, 2010 at 8:17 am

   Hi and thanks for the wonderful review! I was just wondering will it be okay if i use an unreal battery? Like, i can get a fake battery for 700 bucks but the actual eos 550d battery costs 1600 bucks. The seller said there wont be a problem if i dont leave the battery inside the canera for a long time. Any sugeestions?

   reply