Monday, February 7, 2011

Canon Rebel T3i / EOS 600D Hands-on Preview


Preview based on a pre-production Canon EOS 600D

Ever since Canon introduced its original 'Digital Rebel' back in August 2003 - famously the first 'affordable' digital SLR - the company has continually developed and refined its entry-level line with ever-more-frequent releases, adding in more and more features in the process. So true to form, almost precisely a year to the day after the launch of the Canon EOS Rebel T2i / 550D comes the next model, predictably named the Rebel T3i / EOS 600D. As usual the 550D remains in Canon's range at a lower price point, with the newly-announced EOS 1100D slotting in beneath it to round off the company's offerings to entry-level SLR users.

The new kid on the block can most succinctly be described as a 550D with an articulated screen, that also incorporates many of the beginner-friendly features we first saw on the more enthusiast-orientated EOS 60D. Perhaps most notable of these is 'Basic+', a simple, results-orientated approach to image adjustments in the scene-based' exposure modes that allows the user to change the look of their images and control background blur without needing to know anything technical about how this all works. The 600D also gains multi-aspect ratio shooting plus the 60D's 'Creative Filters', a range of effects than can be applied to images after shooting, including toy camera, fisheye and fake-miniature looks. Additionally it can now wirelessly control off-camera flashes, including the Speedlite 320EX and 270EX II announced alongside it.

The fully-automatic 'green square' exposure mode has also been updated to 'Scene Intelligent Auto', with a new 'A+' icon on the mode dial to match. According to Canon, this mode (as its name might suggest) now analyses the scene in front of the camera and sets its exposure and image-processing parameters accordingly, and even tweaks the colour output to match. Continuing the 'beginner-friendly' theme, the camera now also incorporates a 'Feature Guide', that displays short explanations of what each function does on the screen to help beginners learn how things work.

There's an intriguing 'Video Snapshot' movie mode too, that's borrowed from Canon's camcorder range. This is based on the idea that movies are often more interesting when stitched together from a number of short 'takes', rather than one long continuous clip. It therefore limits movie recording to short snippets of 2, 4 or 8 seconds, then plays them back sequentially as a composite movie, with the option of adding a soundtrack to help tie them together. This, in effect, allows to you produce complex, multi-take movies without having to resort to computer editing.

What hasn't changed at all, though, is the camera's core specification, making the 600D the first camera in the line that hasn't gained a higher resolution sensor or new processor. So Canon's tried-and-trusted 18MP APS-C CMOS sensor is still in place, along with its sensitivity range of ISO 100-6400 (expandable to 12800) and 3.9fps continuous shooting. Likewise the 9-point autofocus and 63 zone metering systems are unchanged. This means that the 600D is unlikely to bring any surprises in terms of image quality.

On the movie front the camera retains its predecessor's approach too, offering full HD recording via a dedicated position on the camera's mode dial, with full manual control available for those who want it. There's a new digital zoom function, offering 3 - 10x zoom while maintaining HD output, and the 600D also has sound recording level control built-in, with a stereo sound meter to help jusdge the right settiung.

Put this all together, and it's clear that the 600D is an extremely well-featured little camera that's well beyond the traditional stripped-down 'entry level' fare, and indeed gives little away in terms of features compared to the EOS 60D (the differences are mainly in terms of ergonomics and handling). It's also clearly aiming to make life as easy as possible for SLR newcomers to jump onboard and start experimenting with creative controls, while offering plenty of room to learn and develop their skills. But there's an awful lot of competition in this market space at the moment, and the 600D will have its work cut out to stand apart from the crowd and tempt potential buyers away from the small, sleek and lightweight mirrorless models that will sit alongside it on the dealers' shelves. How it shapes up to this challenge remains to be seen, but here's our first impression from a few hours hands-on with the camera.

A brief history; Canon entry level digital SLR series

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