Canon EOS 550D released: new high end beginner D-SLR

The Canon EOS 55OD has a very similar look and feel to the EOS 500D but with many of the functions of the much more expensive EOS 7D built in. Featuring an 18 megapixel sensor, the camera comes with a DIGIC 4 processor, a brand new 3:2 Clear View LCD screen and 1080p Full HD movie recording.

Boosting the number of beginner cameras in the Canon EOS D-SLR range to 4, the EOS 550D sits right at the top end and is aimed at those with a little more experience looking to get more from their images than the point-and-shoot user.

Also capable of shooting at an impressive 3.7fps, even in RAW, other features on the EOS 550D include highlight tone priority, auto-lighting optimiser, peripheral illumination compensation, long exposure noise reduction and High ISO noise reduction.

EOS 550D specs at a glance:

• 18 MP
• DIGIC 4 processor
• 3.7fps shooting
• 1080p Full HD movie mode
• ISO 100-6400 (12800)
• 3:2 Clear view LCD screen

Canon EOS 60D Rumours?
Rumours had been circulating that Canon was about to release the EOS 60D, CanonRumours claimed to have information of an 18MP, 6.3fps, DIGIC IV camera to sit at the bottom end of the enthusiast range.

Website users seemed dubious that such as high-end camera would come into the market with specifications so close to last year’s big release the EOS 7D, while others rightly guessed that a large pixel count would be coupled with a slower fps rate to keep the price down.

The naming of the camera no-one seemed to guess at, with EOS 550D placing it closer to the EOS 500D and aligning it very closely with the entry-level market.

Low-light performance
With an ISO range of 100-6400 expandable up to 12800, Canon says the performance of the camera in low-light is similar to the higher spec EOS 7D model. A brand new feature, AUTO ISO stop mode allows photographers to select the top level of ISO you will allow AUTO ISO to go up to.

Exposure compensation of +/- 5 stops (bracketable up to 7 stops) is also something that can be found in the EOS 7D, and is new to the beginner range of EOS D-SLRs. This could prove useful for low key and high key shots for creating high definition range (HDR) images.

EOS Movie Mode
The EOS Movie Mode also has many of the same specs as the EOS 7D. Shooting in Full HD, frame rates can be selected along with full manual control. A stereo mic input socket has been included for improved sound quality and a new movie crop mode allows for extra zoom using only the centre 640 x 480 pixels of the sensor – great if you haven’t got access to zoom lenses, but only available in standard definition.

Along with shooting movie in Full HD, the EOS 550D comes with HDMI connectivity, allowing a TV remote to control the camera while playing back images and movies - turning off the TV will even turn off the camera.

Improved ‘Clear-View’ screen
A large 3:2 ratio, 7.7cm screen on the back of the camera displays images in 1 million pixels, giving photographers more room for graphs and image information as well as filling the screen with the image itself – no more black bars at the top and the bottom. Images can be viewed with incredible clarity on the screen, which Canon says will not drain the battery life.

Eye-fi wireless card support
Canon has been working closely with Eye-Fi, the manufacturers of wireless memory cards and have designed the EOS 550D to be fully compatible with the technology. The camera is able to communicate closely with the card allowing for detail and data about the image to be saved. An Eye-Fi firmware update is required for full capability.

As it’s unlikely that integrated wireless will be included on any Canon D-SLR in the near future – Canon doesn't currently hold the technology itself, but with the Eye-Fi card you have the next best thing.

Brand new accessories
Another new Canon battery has been released with this camera meaning that old batteries from previous models will unfortunately be incompatible, and a new battery grip will also be needed. A remote-control RC-6 has also been released which will also work with older EOS D-SLR models.

Also bundled with the EOS 550D is access to Canon Image Gateway, providing up to 2GB server space for sharing images remotely, Digital Photo Professional, Canon’s basic photo editing suite and Zoom Browser which includes basic video editing.

A poor man’s EOS 7D?
While the £799.99 body only RRP of the EOS 550D puts it at around half the price of an EOS 7D, many of its features are shared. Indeed, the EOS Movie Modes are almost identical. The EOS 500D, the camera that sits just below the EOS 550D in the beginner range has much of the same feel and style of the new camera too, but can be picked up for around £270 cheaper (street price), which could cause confusion for new photographers looking to make their first purchase.

Chris George, editor of PhotoPlus said of the new camera, “It puts right all the things that were wrong with the EOS 500D, things like not shooting at a decent rate when in RAW, no stereo mic input and shooting at 720p rather than full HD.

The new aspect ratio of the rear LCD screen [3:2] is a really clever idea, and it makes me wonder why they don’t put things like this in the top-end professional cameras such as the 1D Mark IV.

It might share a lot of the same features – but I still think it’s a vastly inferior camera to the EOS 7D.”

Canon EOS 550D price and availabilty
The Canon EOS 550D will be available from 24th February in the following kits:
EOS 550D body only: £799.99 / €899.99 RRP
EOS 550D body plus 18-55mm IS kit lens: £899.99 / €999.99 RRP
EOS 550D body plus 18-135mm IS lens: £1099.99 / €1249.99 RRP
EOS 550D twin lens kit (18-55mm + 55-250mm): £1199.99 / €1349.99 RRP

More EOS 550D resources:
See the official Canon EOS 550D specifications and press release for more information.

Get a more in-depth look at the features of the Canon EOS 550D, in our exclusive video.

Visit the Canon website.