Canon has announced its new entry level-priced digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera, the Canon EOS 550D/Rebel T2i, which some review sites tout as a scaled down EOS 7D.
The latest camera from Canon seems to confirm the trend in the DSLR market where entry level models “borrowing” heavily from their big brothers — for instance, the Pentax K-x having some of the K-7′s features and Nikon D5000 having some of the D300 features — which can only mean good news for consumers in general.
According to Canon, among the 7D features available in the 550D/T2i is the 63-point iFCL metering system which was first launched in the EOS 7D.
The iFCL or the focus colour luminance system “intelligently measures focus, colour and luminance, across 63 zones,” Canon says.
According to DPReview, the 18-megapixel sensor on the 550D/T2i is “very similar” to the one used in the 7D although they are not the same.
Here are a side-by-side comparison between the 550D/T2i and the 7D in terms of specification:
Canon EOS 550D vs Canon EOS 7D
| Canon EOS 550D | Canon EOS 7D | |
|---|---|---|
| Sensor | 23.3 x 14.9mm CMOS sensor | 22.3 x 14.9mm CMOS sensor |
| 18 megapixels | 18 megapixels | |
| Dust reduction | Low-pass filter vibration | Low-pass filter vibration |
| Anti-static coating | Flourine coating | |
| Software-based dust removal | Software-based dust removal | |
| Image sizes | 5184 x 3456, 3456 x 2304, 2592 x 1728 | 5184 x 3456, 3888 x 2592, 3456 x 2304, 2592 x 1728 |
| Body material | Stainless Steel and polycarbonate resin with glass fiber | Magnesium alloy |
| Movie | 1920 x 1080 at 30/25/24 fps | 1920 x 1080 at 30/25/24 fps |
| 1280 x 720 at 60/50 fps | 1280 x 720 at 60/50 fps | |
| 640 x 480 at 60/50fps | 640 x 480 at 60/50 fps | |
| Movie format | H.264 | H.264 |
| Image processor | DIGIC IV | DIGIC IV |
| Lenses | Canon EF/EF-S mount, 1.6x fov crop | Canon EF/EF-S mount, 1.6x fov crop |
| Auto focus | 9-point CMOS sensor | 19 cross-type AF |
| Metering modes | Evaluative 63-zone | Evaluative 63-zone |
| Focus modes | AI focus, One shot, AI servo, manual | AI focus, One shot, AI servo, Manual |
| Shooting modes | Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, Flash Off, Movie, Program AE (P), Shutter Priority AE (Tv), Aperture Priority AE (Av), Manual (M), Auto depth-of-field | Auto, Creative auto, Program AE (P), Shutter Priority AE (Tv), Aperture Priority AE (Av), Manual (M) stills and movie, Customs 1, 2 and 3 |
| Drive modes | Single, Continuous, Self timer [10 sec, 2 sec mirror lock-up], self-timer continuous | Single, High-speed continuous, Low-speed Continuous, self-timer [2 sec, 10 sec] |
| Continuous shooting | 3.7 fps [up tp 34 JPEGs, 6 RAWs] | 8fps [up to 126 JPEGs and 15 RAWs] |
| Shutter speed | 30 - 1/4000, Bulb | 30 - 1/8000 sec, Bulb |
| Flash sync | 1/200 sec | 1/250 sec |
| Picture style | Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Faithful, Monochrome, User 1, 2 & 3 | Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Faithful, Monochrome, User 1, 2 & 3 |
| Sensitivity | ISO 100 - 6400, H1 expansion [12800] | ISO 100 - 6400, H expansion [12800] |
| AE lock | AE lock button | Auto: One shot AF with evaluative metering; Manual: AE lock button |
| LCD screen | 3-inch 3:2 TFT LCD, 1040,000 pixels, 100 per cent coverage, Dual anti-reflection, anti-smudge coating | 3-inch TFT LCD, 920,000 pixels, 100 per cent coverage, anti-reflection coating |
So, will we see the day when a Nikon entry-level DSLR borrowing the features of the D3s?


Jaxon S Reply:
September 19th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
Hi,
I think I’ll go with the D7000…
[Reply]