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Canon Digital Rebel T2i (EOS 550D) Review

Conclusions

The Canon EOS Digital Rebel T2i (EOS 550D) continues to push the Digital Rebel series out of the "beginner" category and into the territory previously held by more expensive models such as the EOS 50D and EOS 7D. In fact I'd say that from most viewpoints it's actually a more advanced camera then the EOS 50D and it provides maybe 75% of the capabilities of the EOS 7D for about 1/2 the price!

Image quality is excellent and noise performance from the high resolution 18MP CMOS sensor is very good indeed. The video capability of the Rebel T2i is equal to that of any other EOS DSLR and adds the new "crop video" option.

Canon Digital Rebel T2i (EOS 550D) Review

Rebel T2i, Canon EF-S 15-85IS, ISO 6400

So what's wrong with it? If I had to nitpick I could list a number of things that it lacks (but if you want them you can pay twice the price and get an EOS 7D).

First it lacks the QCD (Quick Control Dial) found on the non-rebel crop sensor DSLRs. The QCD improves ergonomics and makes a number of camera setting adjustments much easier. While there's nothing you can do with the QCD that you can't do with the T1i's buttons and switches, you can do some of them faster and easier with the QCD. It's also a little small for my hands, but my hands are those of a 6ft tall male. I'm sure there are people with smaller hands who find the T2i a better fit.

The buffer (especially in RAW) is rather small, so if you intend shooting bursts of RAW (or worse, RAW + JPEG) images, you may find yourself waiting for the camera. At 3.7 fps (or thereabouts), you'll fill the buffer in about 2 seconds, then have a several seconds wait while it clears before you can take another shot. If you shoot JPEGs, there's no problem. With a really fast card you may never fill the buffer and even with a moderate speed class 6 card it takes 45 shots to fill the buffer and even then the frame rate holds at about 2.5fps, so you can still keep shooting

The T2i retains the AF system of the T1i, which has one center AF zone sensitive to both horizontal and vertical features, but the other 8 zones are liner sensors only. The 50D has cross sensors all 9 AF zones and the 7D has 19 cross type sensors. How much difference does this make? 90% of the time, probably none, but when using the outer AF zones on low contrast targets (or possible with strong linear features running at right angles to the AF sensitivity axis), the AF system of the 50D and 7D will probably perform better. Tracking AF performance of the EOS 7D will beat either the 50D or T2i.

Other issues include the fact that the T2i doesn't have microfocus adjustment (the EOS 50D and 7D do). This can be very handy if you have a problem lens that consistently front or back focuses. The T2i viewfinder is smaller than that to the 50D (which is in turn smaller than that of the 7D). I don't find this a big deal, but some people seem to. The T2i shutter tops out at 1/4000s, while the EOS 50D and 7D both have a 1/8000s speed. Again a feature that not many photographers will miss. The T2i doesn't have a PC flash connector for use with studio flash - though you can get a hotshoe adapter quite cheaply if you need a PC flash connection.

Rebel T2i, Sigma 50-500 OS HSM, ISO 400

However, as I said, if you want some or all of those features, you can get them by paying for them in the EOS 7D (or in some cases the 50D). The Rebel T2i crams in a lot of advanced features for a pretty reasonable price ($799.99 list for the body). More, I think, than any other comparably priced DSLR.

The bottom line is that the Digital Rebel T2i displays a remarkable level of performance and a comprehensive set of features. It's quite clearly the best Digital Rebel yet. In fact it's the first Digital Rebel I've tested that I'd seriously think about buying for myself. In several respects it outperforms the EOS 50D (which, for example, has no video capability), and while I'd rather have an EOS 7D than a Rebel T2i, I'd rather pay $800 than $1700!

Lenses for the Canon Digital Rebel T2i

The best lens deal is to buy the Digital Rebel T2i kit which comes with the EF-S 18-55/3.5-5.6 IS lens. This isn't a bad lens at all and the Image Stabilization is very effective. It makes a good wide to short telephoto zoom and it's small, light and inexpensive. Right now the price of the kit is running at about $50 more than the body alone, so it's a pretty great deal. If you want to stay with the small and light theme, then the EF-S 55-250/3.5-5.6 IS lens is the obvious choice. With those two lenses you cover the range from 18mm to 250 mm with Image Stabilization. Canon currently (05/10) have instant rebates on the T2i and lens kits

Of course the high resolution of the T2i sensor (18MP) means that it can take full advantage of better (and more expensive) optics. If you're looking for more "upscale" lenses, take a look at the EOS LENSES page which covers most of the better "affordable" lens offerings from Canon or one of the following "specialist" Canon EOS lens pages:

I think a good lens set for the Digital Rebel T2i would be the EF-S 10-22/3.5-4.5 USM for it's wideangle coverage, the EF 24-105/4L IS USM for mid range work and the Canon EF 70-300/4-5.6 IS USM for a good, handholdable, telephoto zoom. I have and use all three lenses and I'm happy with them. For a "single lens" general purpose shooting solution, I'd go for the Canon EF-S 15-85/3.5-5.6 IS USM, or, if you only intend ever to buy one lens and leave it on the camera all the time, the EF-S 18-200/3.5-5.6IS might be worth consideration.

Where to Buy

Right now (mid June), Adorama have the T2i (and T2i kits) in stock and offer free shipping:

Note that the T1i doesn't come with a memory card, so I'd recommend ordering one with the camera. If you don't have an SDHC card reader, you'll need one of those too.

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