Why buy 550d

You don't get as many scene modes as you would on a compact camera, and there aren't any fancy ones such as miniature mode, but you get essential ones for shooting landscapes, portraits and macros. If you're buying this camera, the chances are that you want to learn more about photography and not let the camera control everything you do, so the lack of more specific scene modes shouldn't be a turn-off. In our tests the EOS D shot at 3.

Nevertheless, the D's speed is impressive and it's suitable for shooting sporting events and animals. The fast burst mode comes in handy when you want to make sure you really capture the moment — such as when the Aussie Army's Blackhawk helicopters swooped over our headquarters during recent training ops. With the very large megapixel count, you have the opportunity closely crop your photos in order to bring out small details. You shouldn't rely on this tactic too much as the quality of images at their native size is a little soft which is what we also saw in the EOS 7D , but it's great for removing a lot of dead space around an image without leaving yourself with a very small and unusable image.

Above: a full view of a moth at 18 megapixels. Below: a close crop of the moth at 2. With 18 megapixels at your disposal, you can crop your photos extensively and still have enough pixels left over to make sharp prints.

We used Canon's EF-S mm It's a fine lens if you're just starting out, and it can capture crisp enough photos in most situations. However, it does produce some barrel roll and it was sometimes very hard to automatically focus with — we had to manually focus many shots in which the lens refused to automatically find the correct focal length.

The lens gives a prolific out-of-focus background effect a. Meanwhile, its diaphragm gives lights a starry effect when you shoot at night. A high ISO capability and an image stabilised lens allow you to take clear shots even in the dark. But in most circumstances you'll be able to shoot with a faster shutter speed by upping the ISO speed. You can use up to ISO without noticing much deterioration in the image quality unless you view photos at their native size.

Shadowed areas will become more feathered and solid colours will start exhibiting grain the higher up you go in the ISO range, but the overall performance of the camera in high ISO modes is stunning. At ISO , the clarity of the image is excellent. It starts to get a little more feathered along contrasting areas, some grain is introduced in solid colours and colours in shadowed areas change when you use ISO and ISO The Canon EOS D's high ISO mode is very handy when shooting in dark areas such as fancy restaurants when you don't want to ruin the ambience by using the built-in flash.

C 4 processor. A key feature is the addition of a new, high-resolution aspect ratio LCD monitor and a redesigned interface. Video capabilities have also been extended to support Full HD movie recording at a range of different frame rates. Whereas the shutters in the 7D and 50D are rated for , and , cycles respectively, no ratings are provided for the D and D shutter mechanisms. The grip is generous — but not over-large and should suit users with both small and medium-sized hands, without being difficult for those with large hands or limited dexterity to use.

Source: Canon. The most obvious differences between the two models are seen on the rear panel, which is dominated by a new aspect ratio, 3-inch Clear View Wide LCD monitor with 1,, dots. As well as being a class leader in resolution is bright and clear and provides an ultra-sharp view, making it easy to check images and read menus on-screen. Rear view of the EOS D, showing the new monitor and redesigned control buttons. Like the D, the focusing screen is non-interchangeable.

Two panels below the finder eyepiece control the display-off sensor, which switches off the LCD screen when your eye is near the viewfinder. The microphone grille on the rear panel is slightly larger than on the D and has nine holes instead of four. However, it remains in roughly the same position on the new camera. As on the D, the new camera has no top panel data display for checking camera settings and only one rotating dial control.

The mode dial reverts to a black cap, instead of the silver cap on the D but the shooting mode settings are unchanged. In practice, changing settings with this combination is quite straightforward.

The base of the camera body showing the tripod socket and battery compartment. With this interface, users can see and apply common exposure and image quality adjustments from just one screen. The same interface can also be used to modify settings in the Creative Auto settings mode. The button controls on the rear panel have also been redesigned to improve access and comfort. The most obvious is the new Movie button that sits level with the viewfinder on the right hand side.

This button is used to switch on the Live View mode and trigger video recording. Both changes represent a significant improvement in usability over the previous cameras. The relocated Movie and Quick Control buttons are indicated by arrows in this illustration. The battery compartment is in the base panel.

Another lift-up cover rubber on the opposite side of the camera body protects the interface ports. All three lids close securely with an acceptably snug fit.

Click here to read the lens review. C 4 processor, which is adequate for normal shooting but reduces high-speed bursts to a maximum capture rate of 3. The table below provides a guide to typical file sizes.

However, the new, high-resolution LCD monitor provides a sharper, more detailed and colour-accurate view of the scene. Autofocusing is supported for Live View shooting with a choice of three AF modes. The Quick mode uses the normal phase-detection sensor, which requires the mirror to flip up and down again each time the camera is re-focused. Live mode uses the slower contrast detection method, which measures differences with the main imaging sensor. Face Detection AF uses the same system as the Live mode but focuses on human faces in the scene.

This is much more intuitive and faster than using a separate, dedicated button as was required in previous cameras. However, focusing remains relatively slow and hunting for focus is common for Live View shooting — stills and movie clips.

You can pick up one of Canon's current budget cameras for not much more. Or you could try a Nikon D or Nikon D for a little bit more money. But if you can lay your hands on a D for significantly less than this, it's a great camera to cut your teeth on, or in fact to find out of you really want to get into DSLR photography in the first place. The sophisticated point iFCL metering system is the same as the 7D's, and it's much better than the older D's point system.

It uses two sensors to gather the colour and luminance information that helps to calculate the correct exposure settings. It also takes subject distance information from the auto-focus system and balances the exposure based on that.