Canon EOS 550D review

Full HD movie recording and high-end features

Canon’s latest launch to join the manufacturer’s DSLR ranks is the feature-rich EOS 550D. Toting a compact, lightweight body akin to the rest of the EOS range, this new model incorporates some technologies that you’d expect to come with a higher-end model, adding appeal to upgraders and first-time buyers alike.

On the surface, the EOS 550D doesn’t represent much of a departure from the existing range of Canon DSLRs, so loyal upgraders will feel instantly at home with the user interface. There have been a few tweaks made to the controls – namely slightly larger buttons for easier location and operation – but otherwise things remain largely familiar. A dedicated Live View/Movie mode button provides instant access to these two functions and a Quick Control menu button to the right of the LCD calls up an interactive display, allowing the user to make quick alterations to a range of key functions without accessing the full menu system.

The menu system itself is – as we’ve come to expect from Canon’s cameras – thoughtfully laid out, with options spread across colour-coded tabs for faster access, as well as a My Menu tab where you can store your most frequently used settings – nothing new, but still worth noting as this will speed up operation for photographers in the field.

On the inside, however, things get quite a bit more interesting. Canon’s new class-leading 18MP CMOS sensor has found its way to the heart of the EOS 550D, bringing it up to the same resolution as its big brother – the recently-launched 7D. This widens the gap between the new launch and the older 15MP 500D, which will continue to be available on the market for the moment. While the 550D matches the 7D’s resolution, Canon informs us it doesn’t boast quite the same sensor, so there are differences to be expected when it comes to image quality – more on this later.

The Canon EOS 550D inherits the new 63-zone iCFL (focus colour luminance) metering system, first launched with the 7D, which does a good job of interpreting most scenes  and offers a marked improvement over the 500D’s 35-zone evaluative system. It’s a dual-layered system that allows the camera to take colour into account when metering a scene, for improved accuracy that increases its competitiveness in comparison to its main Nikon rival. The 550D doesn’t benefit from the 7D’s 19-point AF system, though; instead it’s equipped with a nine-point offering, but it still fares well in the real world. Off-centre subjects can cause a few occasional issues, but otherwise the system is responsive and – on the whole – accurate.

A wider ISO sensitivity range opens up greater possibilities for the modern low-light shooter. With a native range spanning ISO 100-6400, expandable to include H – roughly equivalent to ISO 12800 – the options open to those photographing in murky conditions increase, so 550D users have an alternative to resorting to flash photography as soon as the light levels drop. The camera’s Auto ISO setting means you can entrust picking the right sensitivity for your camera settings and lighting conditions to the camera, although if you don’t wish to relinquish all of the control over this aspect, you can set an upper limit that you don’t want to exceed. This is another new feature that really makes the most of this aspect of the camera’s feature set and ensures good-quality images.

Full HD movie recording at 1080p, with selectable frame rates (including 1080p at 30, 25, 24fps and at 720p – 60 and 50fps) is a welcome addition to the 550D’s feature set for movie enthusiasts, and another aspect that’s trickled down from the 7D. Movies shot with the 550D are smooth and detailed even at slower frame rates, and for faster-paced action, you can reduce the resolution to 720p and achieve frame rates of up to 60fps. The camera only has a mono microphone to pick up sound when recording movies; while sound quality is pretty good, this aspect isn’t streets ahead of the competition. There is a jack for an external mic to be attached, should you want to record sound in stereo, which is great news if you’re serious about film creation.

Perfectionists will appreciate having the ability to shoot movies in Manual mode, with full control over camera settings to ensure you end up with precisely the look you intended. A further point of note when shooting movies is the 550D’s Movie Crop mode, which is effectively a ‘digital zoom’ facility that uses only the centre of the frame, creating a standard VGA movie with an effective zoom of up to 7x. The camera simply uses the central 640 x 480p area of its sensor, which has the effect of allowing you to shoot from longer distances without having to change lenses. The drawback, of course, is that you end up with a lower-resolution moving image that doesn’t stand up to the same level of scrutiny on an HDTV (particularly at higher ISOs), but it’s an interesting feature that does have its applications.

A final feature worth mentioning is AF availability while shooting movies. Sadly, it’s not as impressive as the rest of the features: it’s only activated when you half-depress the shutter release, is a little slow to react and there’s a fair amount of lens hunting before you get a focus lock. Focus manually, however, and the results are excellent from the Canon 550D.

The 3.7fps continuous shooting rate is a little disappointing, given the average rates accomplished by its competitors (roughly 5fps), with a class-leading 7fps from the new Sony A500. The 550D’s offering still lets you keep up with moderately-paced action, but motorsport and wildlife enthusiasts, for example, might feel a bit left behind.

On a brighter note, the 550D’s three-inch 3:2 aspect ratio LCD – sporting a very high 1,040,000-dot resolution – is incredibly detailed, offering the best means with which to review images in playback we’ve seen on a DSLR to date. This feature also maximises the effectiveness of the camera’s Live View shooting mode, offering a precise view of the subject via the LCD and more accurate focusing. The effective anti-reflective/water-repellent coating and wide viewing angle add further benefits.

The Live View mode doesn’t present any leaps forward in terms of functionality, although the obvious bonus of having a higher-res screen is more accurate in terms of focus-checking capability, and the fact it also offers 100% frame coverage means there are no more black borders framing your shot. The performance when using this mode handheld isn’t groundbreaking, with the AF system proving to be a little sluggish at finding a lock in some situations. Brightly lit and uncomplicated scenes are ideal if you want to get the best out of this feature.

Equipped with the latest-generation DIGIC 4 processor, the Canon EOS 550D is capable of producing richly detailed 14-bit files. Images are generally faithfully coloured and the camera’s noise-reduction system does a good job of minimising the impact of noise at higher ISOs, at the inevitable expense of a slight loss of sharpness at the top end of the scale. Up to ISO 400, there’s little to complain about. There’s discernible noise creeping in at ISO 800 and a degree of softening at ISO 1600, with ISO 3200 beginning to look blotchy when magnified. ISO 6400 (the top of the 550D’s native sensitivity range) suffers a loss of saturation in addition to more pronounced artefacts, but you could push it this far if you really had to. The expandable ‘H’ setting (equivalent to ISO 12800) isn’t pretty, but it’s there for those times when flash isn’t an option, but you simply cannot go home without that shot.

Straight out of the camera, JPEG images shot in bright conditions are quite vibrant, but not oversaturated. In duller conditions however, we found ourselves craving a little extra punch, something that could be remedied by using the 550D’s Picture Styles menu.

The Canon EOS 550D demonstrates the ability to produce images with a wide dynamic range and an impressive level of rich detail. High-contrast scenes do sometimes result in inaccurate exposures with clipped shadow or highlight detail, but some quick checks and manual exposure tweaks soon overcome any issues, thanks to the ease with which this camera can be handled. Also of interest is the fact that for the first time on one of Canon’s entry-level models, users have a full +5/-2 stops of exposure compensation at their disposal, which also comes in handy when working with the camera’s bracketing feature.

Alternatively, exposures taken in tricky conditions can be improved automatically using the camera’s Highlight Tone Priority feature, which effectively meters for the highlights and ensures these are preserved in your exposures. Happily, this feature can also be taken advantage of when shooting movies.

In a similar vein, the Canon 550D’s auto lighting optimiser makes light of high-contrast scenes, finding a happy medium that does a good job of protecting as much shadow and highlight detail as possible. This feature makes quite a difference in scenes with bright skies, or in backlit images, for example.

The whole ethos of the Canon EOS 550D is to bring advanced functionality to enthusiasts just beginning their journey into photography. This is something that Canon can successfully say its achieved with this model. Add to this the fact that your money buys you some unexpected but welcome high-end features and you have an attractive camera, which any photographer would be proud to own.