Canon EOS 500D Review

May 13, 2009 | Mark Goldstein | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star Half rating star

Introduction

The Canon EOS 500D (also known as the Digital Rebel T1i) is a new mid-range digital SLR camera that features HD video capture. The 500D can record Full HD 1080p video as well as 720p and VGA quality footage, and is the second Canon DSLR to offer video recording after the professional 5D Mark II model. Successor to the popular EOS 450D / Rebel XSi, the Canon 500D / Rebel T1i offers a number of significant upgrades, including an increase in resolution from 12 to 15 megapixels, improved Live View with three different modes including Face Detection, a 3 inch LCD screen with 920,000-dots, and expanded ISO range of 100-12800. Retailing for $799.99 / £869.99 body only, or $899.99 / £969.99 with the EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS kit lens, the Canon EOS 500D / Digital Rebel T1i is more expensive than its predecessor, which is still being offered as a cheaper option. Mark Goldstein found out if the Canon EOS 500D is worth the extra investment.

Ease of Use

The Canon EOS 500D is virtually identical to its predecessor, the EOS 450D, with the only notable additions being a HDMI connection, speaker and microphone holes and a shiny silver mode dial. The camera's dimensions are exactly the same (128.8 x 97.5 x 61.9 mm) and the weight too (480g). You'd be hard-pressed to tell the two cameras apart if their name badges were hidden. Holding the camera is slightly awkward because the EOS 500D's comparatively small body size means that the grip isn't particularly deep and people with large hands (like me) may find that their little finger has nowhere to go. Definitely something to consider, and worth a trip to your local camera shop to try out the 500D in person. The Canon EOS 500D looks and feels more expensive than it actually is, and certainly solid enough for a mid-range DSLR, although not in the same league as the EOS 50D model.

We tested the EOS 500D with the EFS 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS kit lens, which was first introduced alongside the 450D. As the name suggests, this lens has image stabilisation, an important factor given that competitors like Sony, Olympus and Pentax all offer image stabilisation in their DSLRs. The difference between Canon (and Nikon) and the others is that Sony, Olympus and Pentax have opted for stabilisation via the camera body, rather than the lens, which therefore works with their entire range of lenses. Canon's system is obviously limited by which lenses you choose, but it does offer the slight advantage of showing the stabilising effect through the viewfinder. Canon and Nikon also claim that a lens-based anti-shake system is inherently better too, but the jury's still out on that one.

Like most entry- and mid-level DSLRs the EOS 500D provides a number of auto shooting modes aimed at beginners, including portrait, landscape, close-up, sports and night portrait and flash off choices. All of these functions performed adequately, apart from the close-up macro mode that did not come near to offering a true 1:1 reproduction (you'll need a dedicated macro lens for that). There are, of course, manual and semi-automatic modes for users who want more advanced exposure control.

Canon refers to these advanced operations as the 'creative zone' and provides all the normal settings including Program, Aperture and Shutter Priority and the full manual mode. Additionally, they provide the 'A-DEP' (Automatic Depth of Field) function that gives a wider depth of field between a near and far subject. New for the EOS 500D is the Creative Auto (CA) mode, which as the name suggests provides a half-way house between full auto and the more advanced shooting modes. First featured on the more expensive 50D model, this mode is targeted at beginners who have grown out of using the Full Auto mode, allowing you to change a few key settings using the LCD screen, with a simple slider system for changing the aperture and exposure compensation, or Background and Exposure as the camera refers to them.

Once the EOS 500D is in the 'creative zone' users can adjust the ISO setting into one of eight positions from 100 to 12800, a versatile range that is more than adequate for virtually any lighting conditions. This expansion is a very welcome move by Canon which surpasses most of its competitors. The EOS 500D offers a range of three Auto focus modes (One Shot, AI Focus and AI Servo) and there's also a 9-point wide-area AF system with an f/2.8 cross-type centre point. There are seven preset, auto and custom white balance options, and Canon have included a Spot mode, covering 4% of the viewfinder, along with the other three metering modes, which is a very useful addition for more experienced photographers. The viewfinder displays the key exposure information including ISO speed.

Olympus mju 9000 Olympus mju 9000
Front Rear

Most of the 500D's buttons are located logically on the rear of the camera, although the large 3 inch screen does make the overall layout a little complicated. It offers quick access to the Continuous modes, Auto Focus, Metering modes and Picture Styles via its circular four-way controller. There's an ISO button on top of the camera near the aperture/shutter speed control dial, which provides easier access when looking through the viewfinder. Aperture and shutter speed settings can be easily adjusted with the index finger on the well-positioned dial, but it's annoying that you have to hold down the Exposure Compensation button to change the aperture in Manual mode, rather than just press it once to toggle between shutter speed and aperture.

First introduced on the EOS 450D, Live View has been slightly improved. If you're new to DSLRs and don't understand the terminology, basically Live View allows you to view the scene in front of you live on the LCD screen, rather than through the traditional optical viewfinder. This is an obvious attraction for compact camera users, who are familiar with holding the camera at arm's length and composing via the LCD screen. It's also appealing to macro shooters, for example, as it's often easier to view the screen than look through the viewfinder when the camera is mounted on a tripod at an awkward angle.

Once enabled, Live View is now activated by pressing the Live View / Print Transfer button on the rear of the camera. A grid line display and very useful live histogram can be enabled to help with composition and exposure, and you can zoom in by up to 10x magnification of the image displayed on the LCD screen. Focusing is achieved via the AF / AE Lock button, rather than half-pressing the shutter-button. Live View can also be controlled remotely using the supplied EOS utility software, which allows you to adjust settings and capture the image from a PC.

There are now three types of focusing system on offer in Live View mode. The first, Quick AF, works by physically flipping the camera mirror to engage the auto-focus sensor, which then momentarily blanks the LCD screen and causes a physical sound, before the image is displayed after about 1 second. The second method, Live AF, uses an image contrast auto-focus system, much like that used by point-and shoot compacts, the main benefits being the complete lack of noise during operation, and no LCD blackout. Unfortunately this is much slower than the Quick AF mode, taking over 3 seconds to focus on a clearly-defined subject in bright light, which I think will put off most users that are attracted by the promised point-and-shoot experience. The new third method, Face Detection AF, uses the same contrast auto-focus system as Live AF, with the addition of being able to detect human faces and set the largest face closest to the center of the frame as the AF point. It also suffers from the same 3 second focus lag.

Live View is also used for the feature that will arguably generate the most interest in the Canon EOS 500D: its movie mode. This is the second Canon DSLR camera to shoot full 1080p HD quality video, following on from the pro-level Canon EOS 5D Mark II. The 500D works almost in exactly the same way, recording high-definition, wide-screen video in 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution in MOV format using the H.264 codec. Strangely, though, it only does so at a frame rate of 20fps, rather than the 30fps offered by the 5D Mark II. Drop down to the 500D's 720p video mode, and the frame rate is 30fps. Video can also be recorded in 640x480 VGA quality at 30fps.

The maximum size of a single video clip is either 4 gigabytes or one second below 30 minutes. You can also take either single or continuous stills during recording, with video capture continuing after the final still frame has been taken. Audio is recorded in linear PCM format without any compression. There's a built-in microphone on the front of the camera for mono recording, but sadly there's no socket for connecting an external stereo microphone, as on the 5D Mark II. It also has an HDMI port for playing back 1920 x 1080 still images on a HD TV. It uses the industry-standard HDMI mini-out connection, but note that you'll need to purchase a suitable cable separately. You can also still connect the 500D to a standard TV set via NTSC/PAL. By offering video capture in a DSLR, Canon has made it possible for filmmakers to play with depth of field the way they never could, taking advantage of the relatively big APS-C image sensor and the wide assortment of Canon lenses.

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Pop-up Flash Front

There are, however, some notable drawbacks to the Canon EOS 500D's video mode. For a camera making such a big noise about its video mode, it's quite difficult to actually start recording one. You have to set the Mode Dial to the Movie mode, then the AF-On button to set the focus, then press the Live View button on the rear of the camera to begin recording (with the same button ending the movie). It's a big improvement on the 5D Mark II's even more convoluted method, but not on a par with the one-touch system that rivals offer. Although you can autofocus during movie recording, the camera uses the painfully slow contrast-AF mode, and even the user guide warns against trying to auto-focus. Focusing manually is a much better idea, although most AF lenses have MF rings with very little 'travel' between their close-focus point and infinity, and in a quiet environment it's also possible to hear the sound of the focusing ring in the video.

You can't set the aperture from the camera in movie mode, so you will want to use lenses that have an aperture ring if possible. Similarly the shutter speed cannot be set by the user in movie mode either, so you will have to rely on the camera's auto-exposure system while filming. You can take a single/sequence of still shots whilst shooting video, but this causes a 1 second delay which you'll need to edit out later. Handholding the EOS 500D and shooting video is very difficult, with the DSLR form factor not lending itself well to controlled shooting at arm's length. It's a much better idea to mount the camera on a dedicated video tripod. Casual users hoping to grab some quality footage of the kids may be put off by the inherent difficulties of shooting video using the relatively alien SLR format.

The new, higher-resolution 3 inch LCD screen gives an excellent, clear view of your pictures from wide viewing angles, and when compared to the older 450D, the new screen provides more accurate feedback on a picture's exposure and color reproduction. With 920,000-dots, this large screen is a great way to show off your images to friends and family, and will therefore definitely appeal to its target audience. By default, the current camera settings are displayed on the LCD screen. This can be turned off by pressing the Display button, and there's also a new handy sensor underneath the viewfinder, which detects that you're looking through it and turns off the LCD display to both save power and stop it from distracting you (this can be enabled or disabled in the main menu).

The Canon EOS 500D's dust-removal technology, where the sensor is shaken briefly at high frequency to dislodge any dust particles from its surface, has been upgraded with a fluorine coating on the low-pass filter for better dust resistance. This could delay the need for manual sensor cleaning, perhaps indefinitely, but it won't be able to remove ‘sticky' deposits like salt spray, pollen or the smears left behind by careless sensor cleaning or the wrong kind of solvent. The EOS 500D also features the internal Dust Delete Data system which can map the position of visible dust on the sensor. This can then be deleted automatically after the shoot with the supplied Digital Photo Professional software.

Peripheral Illumination Correction is a new addition that's actually a lot simpler that it initially sounds. Basically it corrects the unwanted effects of vignetting, typically seen in wide-angle photos in the corners of the frame. The 500D contains a database of correction data for 26 Canon lenses and, if Peripheral Illumination Correction is enabled, automatically applies it to JPEG images. For RAW images the correction is applied later in the Digital Photo Professional software. Up to 40 lenses can be programmed into the 500D, with over 80 currently available to choose from. Peripheral Illumination Correction is a useful and effective addition, particularly for JPEG shooters, and can safely be left turned on all of the time.

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Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

The main menu system is inherited from the professional EOS cameras, with a simplified tab structure that does away completely with scrolling. There are 8 tabs, with up to 7 options in each one, providing quick and easy access to the various options. You can even setup your own customised menu page for instant access to frequently used settings via the My Menu tab. Pressing the Display button when using the Menu system displays all of the camera's current key menu settings laid-out for easy viewing on the LCD screen.

The Canon EOS 500D uses the same LP-E5 battery pack as the EOS 450D's, with a capacity of 1080mAh. This extends shooting time on a single charge to a claimed maximum of 400 shots (down from the 450D's 500 shots) - I managed around 350 and a few movie clips before the battery ran out. The 500D uses SD memory cards, not CompactFlash, again just like its predecessor. If you have never used a digital camera before, or you're upgrading from a more basic model, reading the comprehensive but relatively easy-to-follow manual before you start is a good idea. Thankfully Canon have chosen to supply it in printed format, rather than as a PDF on a CD, so you can also carry it with you.

The start-up time of the Canon EOS 500D, from turning the camera on to being ready to take a photo, is quite quick at around 2 seconds. Focusing is blazingly quick and very consistent in good light with the standard 18-55mm kit lens, with the wide-area 9-point AF system offering generous scene coverage, and the camera happily achieves focus indoors and in low-light situations. It takes less than a second to store a JPEG image at the highest quality setting with no discernible lockup between taking shots, allowing you to keep shooting as they are being recorded onto the memory card. For RAW images the Canon EOS 500D is impressively just as quick, again with no discernible lockup between shots. In the continuous shooting mode you can hold down the shutter button and take 3.4 shots per second for up to 70 JPEGS and 9 RAW files, a slight improvement on the EOS 450D and impressive for an entry-level model. All in all a great performance given the large 15 megapixel files that this camera produces.

Once you have captured a photo, the Canon EOS 500D has an average range of options for playing, reviewing and managing your images. More information about a captured image can be seen on the LCD by pressing the Display button, which brings up an image histogram and all the shooting Exif data, including shutter speed and the time and date it was captured, with a second press displaying an additional RGB histogram. It is simple to get a closer look at an image as users can zoom in up to 15 times, and it is also possible to view pictures in a set of nine contact sheet.

You can also delete an image, rotate an image, view a slideshow, protect images so that they cannot be deleted, and set various printing options. Unlike some competitors, there are no digital styles or effects that can be applied to an image after it has been taken - the more subtle Picture Styles are the only way of tweaking your JPEGs in-camera. The camera shows you a preview of what the effect will look like when applied, and the effect is applied to a copy of your image, thus preserving the original intact.

In summary the Canon EOS 500D is visually very similar to the previous 450D model, but adds a number of key improvements, most notably the higher-resolution LCD screen and expanded ISO range. Video recording is a headline grabbing addition which suffers from some limitations that will put off the casual user.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 15 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 6Mb.

The Canon EOS 500D produced images of outstanding quality during the review period. This camera produces noise-free images at ISO 100 all the way up to ISO 1600, with some noise appearing at ISO 3200 and particularly the fastest settings of ISO 6400 and 12800. The Canon EOS 500D's EFS 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS kit lens dealt very well with chromatic aberrations, with limited purple and cyan fringing effects appearing only at the edges of the photo in high contrast situations. Image stabilisation via the kit lens is a feature that helps the EOS 500D keep up with its competitors, and one that works very well when hand-holding the camera in low-light conditions or when using the telephoto end of the zoom range. The 15 megapixel images were quite soft straight out of the camera at the default sharpening setting and ideally require some further sharpening in an application like Adobe Photoshop, or you can change the in-camera setting. The built-in flash worked well indoors, with no red-eye and good overall exposure. The night photograph was very good, with the maximum shutter speed of 30 seconds and Bulb mode allowing you to capture enough light in all situations. Picture Styles provide a quick and easy way to tweak the camera's JPEG images, while the Auto Lighting Optimizer and Highlight Tone Priority also help to get the most of JPEGs.

Noise

There are 8 ISO settings available on the Canon EOS 500D. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting, with JPEG on the left and the RAW equivalent on the right:

JPEG

RAW

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

File Quality

The Canon EOS 500D has 2 different JPEG file quality settings available, with Fine being the highest quality option. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options, with the file size shown in brackets.

15M Fine (5.57Mb) (100% Crop) 15M Normal (2.68Mb) (100% Crop)

Sharpening

Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are a little soft at the default sharpening setting and benefit from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. You can also change the in-camera sharpening level to suit your tastes via the Picture Style options.

Original (100% Crop)

Sharpened (100% Crop)

   

Chromatic Aberrations

The Canon EOS 500D's EFS 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS kit lens handled chromatic aberrations very well during the review, with some limited purple and cyan fringing present around the edges of the frame in particularly high-contrast situations. Here are some 100% crops which show the typical chromatic aberrations that you can expect:

Example 1 (100% Crop)

Example 2 (100% Crop)

Flash

The flash settings on the Canon EOS 500D are Auto, Manual Flash On/Off, and Red-Eye Reduction. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.

Flash Off - Wide Angle (29mm)

Flash On - Wide Angle (29mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64
   

Flash Off - Telephoto (88mm)

Flash On - Telephoto (88mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64

And here are some portrait shots. As you can see, neither the Flash On setting or the Flash On + Red-eye option caused any amount of red-eye.

Flash On

Flash On (100% Crop)
   

Red-eye Correction

Red-eye Correction (100% Crop)

Night

The Canon EOS 500D's maximum shutter speed is 30 seconds and there's a Bulb mode for even longer exposures, which is excellent news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 8 seconds, aperture of f/3.5 at ISO 100. I've included a 100% crop of the image to show what the quality is like.

Night Shot

Night Shot (100% Crop)

Image Stabilisation

The Canon EOS 500D's EFS 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS kit lens offers image stabilisation, which allows you to take sharp photos at slower shutter speeds than other digital cameras. To test this, I took 2 handheld shots of the same subject with the same settings. The first shot was taken with Image Stabilisation turned off, the second with it turned on. Here is a 100% crop of the image to show the results. As you can see, with Image Stabilisation turned on, the images are much sharper than with anti-shake turned off. This feature really does seem to make a difference and could mean capturing a successful, sharp shot or missing the opportunity altogether.

Shutter Speed / Focal Length

Anti Shake Off (100% Crop)

Anti Shake On (100% Crop)

1/10th / 29mm
1/4th / 88mm

Picture Controls

Canon's Picture Controls, similarly to Nikon's Picture Styles, are preset combinations of different sharpness, contrast, saturation and colour tone settings. The six available Picture Controls are shown below in the following series, which demonstrates the differences. There are also three User Defined styles so that you can create your own look.

Standard

Portrait

   
Landscape

Neutral

   
Faithful

Monochrome

   

Highlight Tone Priority

This custom setting promises to improve the highlight detail of the image by expanding the dynamic range from 18% grey to bright highlights. Turning it On didn't make a great deal of difference in our test shot, as shown below.

Off

On

Auto Lighting Optimizer

This custom setting promises to automatically correct the brightness and contrast of an image, with four levels of varying intensity available. There was a slight difference between the weakest and strongest settings, as shown below. Note that the user guide warns that this setting might cause noise to increase.

Off

Low

Standard

Strong

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Canon EOS 500D camera, which were all taken using the 15 megapixel Fine JPEG setting setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Canon EOS 500D enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Canon RAW (CR2) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movie & Video

The Canon EOS 500D is the second Canon DSLR to capture full HD video. It does so at 1920x1080 pixels and 30fps, and stores it in the Quicktime MOV format using the H.264 codec. This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 1920x1080 at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 7 second movie is 36.7Mb in size.

Product Images

Canon EOS 500D

Front of the Camera

 
Canon EOS 500D

Front of the Camera / Flash Raised

 
Canon EOS 500D

Front of the Camera

 
Canon EOS 500D

Front of the Camera

 
Canon EOS 500D

Isometric View

 
Canon EOS 500D

Isometric View

 
Canon EOS 500D

Rear of the Camera

 
Canon EOS 500D

Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed

 
Canon EOS 500D

Rear of the Camera / Quick Menu

 
Canon EOS 500D

Rear of the Camera / Image Info

 
Canon EOS 500D

Rear of the Camera / Main Menu

 
Canon EOS 500D

Rear of the Camera / Live View

 
Canon EOS 500D

Top of the Camera

 
Canon EOS 500D

Bottom of the Camera

 
Canon EOS 500D

Side of the Camera

 
Canon EOS 500D

Side of the Camera

 
Canon EOS 500D

Front of the Camera

 
Canon EOS 500D

Front of the Camera

 
Canon EOS 500D

Memory Card Slot

 
Canon EOS 500D

Battery Compartment

Conclusion

With the addition of full HD video, a greatly-expanded ISO range and a fantastically high-res LCD screen, the new Canon EOS 500D / Digital Rebel T1i has graduated to the ranks of mid-range, prosumer DSLR. Add an increased price-tag of $799.99 / £869.99, and this can no longer be considered an entry-level model, with a feature set and cost that in many ways equals and even surpasses the higher-in-the-range EOS 50D model. The 500D's handling certainly isn't as good, with a body that's still a little too small for average to large-sized hands, but for many people the inclusion of full HD video will more than compensate for that.

Trickling all the way down from the professional 5D Mark II, the inclusion of HD video is sure to guarantee lots additional sales for the 500D, although how many of those people will still be regularly using it after the initial excitement has died down remains to be seen. Just like the 5D Mark II, video recording on the EOS 500D is not the most user-friendly experience, with no handy one-touch recording, painfully slow autofocus that can't keep up with the action, inability to change the aperture or shutter speed, and the inherent handling quirks of the DSLR format. It also loses the external microphone socket of the 5D Mark II, relying on the under-powered built-in microphone instead. If you want to regularly capture successful home movies, you'd be better off with a dedicated video camera instead.

Improvements to the Canon EOS 500D / Digital Rebel T1i still image quality are much more successful, offering an amazing combination of high-resolution images with low-light performance. The new 15 megapixel CMOS sensor and expanded ISO range thankfully haven't compromised image quality in any way, quite the opposite in fact. There's virtually no visible noise at all from ISO 100 all the way up to ISO 1600, with even the three faster settings of 3200-12800 producing perfectly usable images. Quite amazing for this class of camera. Equally worth of praise is the new 920,000 dot LCD screen, which really brings your images alive and is great for showing them off to friends and family.

So in summary, the new Canon EOS 500D / Digital Rebel T1i is a much-improved DSLR camera that's easily worthy of our Highly Recommended award. It doesn't quite merit our full 5-star rating due to the combination of its high recommended retail price and quirky video mode, but the 500D is still one of the best mid-range DSLRs around.

4.5 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 4.5
Features 5
Ease-of-use 4.5
Image quality 5
Value for money 4

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Canon EOS 500D from around the web.

whatdigitalcamera.com »

The Canon EOS 500D is the company's latest addition to the DSLR lineup and has positioned the three-digit EOS range – originally introduced as a budget, entry-level option – as an advanced series, bringing some seriously impressive features with it. The Canon 500D spawns from the design of the previous 450D and, though currently will sell along side it, offers a definite upgrade on this model. The What Digital Camera Canon 500D review investigates...
Read the full review »

reviews.cnet.co.uk »

Slipping neatly into the company's digital SLR product line between the EOS 450D and the EOS 40D, the Canon EOS 500D, pushes the EOS 400D off the edge of the bed into discontinuity. In the same price range as models like the Nikon D5000 and the Olympus E-620, it's not quite a budget model, costing about £830 with a lens. It's more for the entry-level buyer who wants higher resolution and a better autofocus system.
Read the full review »

photocrati.com »

Each succeeding Rebel climbs one rung up the ladder, with this latest Rebel offering higher resolution–15.1 MP–and faster processing–Digic 4 (one of those acronyms that has never really caught on as such, but does appear to deliver in principle) on its CMOS chip. Then add a larger LCD and HD video capture (if you go in for that), and the camera becomes even more appealing. Of course, when you include an image-stabilized lens in the package and price it all under $900, there are bound to be some compromises. But are these compromises you can live with? Well, that depends.
Read the full review »

Specifications

IMAGE SENSOR  
Type 22.3 x 14.9mm CMOS
Effective Pixels Approx. 15.1M
Total Pixels Approx. 15.5M
Aspect Ratio 3:2
Low-Pass Filter Built-in/Fixed with Self Cleaning Sensor Unit
Sensor Cleaning EOS integrated cleaning system
Colour Filter Type Primary Colour
IMAGE PROCESSOR
Type DIGIC 4
LENS  
Lens Mount EF/EF-S
Focal Length Equivalent to 1.6x the focal length of the lens
FOCUSING
Type TTL-CT-SIR with a CMOS sensor
AF System/ Points 9 AF points (f/5.6 cross type at centre, extra sensitivity at f/2.8)
AF Working Range EV -0.5 -18 (at 23°C & ISO100)
AF Modes AI Focus
One Shot
AI Servo
AF Point Selection Automatic selection, Manual selection
Selected AF Point Display Superimposed in viewfinder and indicated on LCD monitor
Predictive AF Yes, up to 10m ¹
AF Lock Locked when shutter button is pressed half way in One Shot AF mode.
AF Assist Beam Intermittent firing of built-in flash or emitted by optional dedicated Speedlite
Manual Focus Selected on lens, default in Live View Mode
EXPOSURE CONTROL  
Metering Modes TTL full aperture metering with 35-zone SPC
(1) Evaluative metering (linked to all AF points)
(2) Partial metering at center (approx. 9% of viewfinder)
(3) Spot metering (approx. 4% of viewfinder at center)
(4) Center weighted average metering
Metering Range EV 1-20 (at 23°C with 50mm f/1.4 lens ISO100)
AE Lock Auto: In 1-shot AF mode with evaluative metering exposure is locked when focus is achieved.
Manual: By AE lock button in creative zone modes.
Exposure Compensation +/-2 EV in 1/3 or 1/2 stop increments (can be combined with AEB).
AEB +/- 2 EV, 1/2 or 1/3-stop increments
ISO Sensitivity* AUTO(100-1600), 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 Expandable to 6400 + H (approx 12800) in 1-stop increments
SHUTTER
Type Electronically-controlled focal-plane shutter
Speed 30-1/4000 sec (1/2 or 1/3 stop increments), Bulb (Total shutter speed range. Available range varies by shooting mode)
WHITE BALANCE  
Type Auto white balance with the imaging sensor
Settings AWB, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, White
Fluorescent light, Flash, Custom.
White balance compensation:
1. Blue/Amber +/-9
2. Magenta/ Green +/-9.
Custom White Balance Yes, 1 setting can be registered
WB Bracketing +/-3 levels in single level increments
3 bracketed images per shutter release.
Selectable Blue/Amber bias or Magenta/ Green bias.
VIEWFINDER
Type Pentamirror
Coverage (Vertical/Horizontal) Approx. 95%
Magnification Approx. 0.87x ¹
Eyepoint Approx. 19mm (from eyepiece lens centre)
Dioptre Correction -3 to +1 (1/m) (dioptre)
Focusing Screen Fixed
Mirror Quick-return half mirror (Transmission: reflection ratio of 40:60, no mirror cut-off with EF600mm f/4 or shorter)
Viewfinder Information AF information: AF points, focus confirmation light
Exposure information: Shutter speed, aperture value, ISO speed (always displayed), AE lock, exposure level/compensation, spot metering circle, exposure warning, AEB
Flash information: Flash ready, high-speed sync, FE lock, flash exposure compensation, red-eye reduction light
Image information: White balance correction, SD card information, monochrome shooting, maximum burst (1 digit display), Highlight tone priority (D+)
Depth of Field Preview Yes, with Depth of Field preview button.
Eyepiece Shutter On strap
LCD MONITOR  
Type 3.0" TFT, approx. 920K dots
Coverage Approx. 100%
Viewing Angle (Horizontally/Vertically) Approx 20%°
Coating Dual Anti-reflection, anti smudge
Brightness Adjustment Adjustable to one of seven levels
Display Options (1) Quick Control Screen
(2) Camera settings
FLASH
Built-in Flash GN (ISO 100, meters) 13
Built-in Flash Coverage up to 17mm focal length (35mm equivalent: 27mm)
Built-in Flash Recycle Time Approx. 3 seconds
Modes Auto, Manual Flash On/Off, Red-Eye Reduction
Red-Eye Reduction Yes
X-Sync 1/200sec
Flash Exposure Compensation +/- 2EV in 1/2 or 1/3 increments
Flash Exposure Bracketing Yes, with compatible External Flash
Flash Exposure Lock Yes
Second Curtain Synchronisation Yes
HotShoe/ PC Terminal Yes/-
External Flash Compatibility E-TTL II with EX series Speedlites, wireless multi-flash support
External Flash Control via camera menu screen
SHOOTING  
Modes Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, No Flash, Movie, Program AE , Shutter priority AE, Aperture priority AE, Manual, A-DEP
Picture Styles Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, User Defined (x3)
Colour Space sRGB and Adobe RGB
Image Processing Highlight Tone Priority
Auto Lighting Optimizer (Basic and Creative modes)
Long exposure noise reduction
High ISO speed noise reduction
Peripheral illumination correction
Drive Modes Single, Continuous, Self timer (2s, 10s+remote, 10s + continuous shots 2-10)
Continuous Shooting Max. Approx. 3.4fps. (speed maintained for up to 20% images (JPEG)¹, 9 images (RAW)) ²
LIVE VIEW MODE
Type Electronic viewfinder with image sensor
Coverage Approx. 100% (horizontally and vertically)
Frame Rate 30 fps
Focusing Manual Focus (Magnify the image 5x or 10x at any point on screen)
Autofocus: Quick mode, Live mode
Metering Real-time evaluative metering with image sensor
Active metering time can be changed
Display Options Grid overlay, Histogram
FILE TYPE  
Still Image Type JPEG: Fine, Normal (Exif 2.21 [Exif Print] compliant) / Design rule for Camera File system (2.0),
RAW: RAW (14bit, Canon original RAW 2nd edition),
Digital Print Order Format [DPOF] Version 1.1 compliant
RAW+JPEG Simultaneous Recording Yes (RAW + Large JPEG only)
Image Size JPEG: (L) 4752x3168, (M) 3088x2056, (S) 80%6x1504
RAW: (RAW) 4752x3168
Movie Type MOV (Video: H.264, Sound: Linear PCM)
Movie Size HD (16:9)1920 x 1080P -20fps, 1280x720P -30fps, SD(4:3) 640 x 480 -30fps
Movie Length Max duration 29m 59sec, Max file size 4GB
File Numbering (1) Consecutive numbering
(2) Auto reset
(3) Manual reset
OTHER FEATURES
Custom Functions 13 Custom Functions with 39 settings
Metadata Tag User copyright information
Intelligent Orientation Sensor Yes
Playback Zoom 1.5x - 10x
Display Formats (1) Single image with information (2 levels)
(2) Single image
(3) 4 image index
(4) 9 image index
(5) Jump Display
Slide Show Autoplay: All images, repeat
Histogram Brightness: Yes
RGB: Yes
Highlight Alert Yes (Shooting information display only)
Image Erase/Protection Erase: Single image, Checkmarked images, Unprotected images
Protection: Erase protection of one image at a time
Data Verification Original image verification data can be appended to the image (OSK-E3 required for verification)
Menu Categories (1) Shooting menu (x2)
(2) Playback menu
(3) Setup menu (x3)
(4) My Menu
Menu Languages 25 Languages
English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Portuguese, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Greek, Russian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Romanian, Ukrainian, Turkish, Arabic, Thai, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean and Japanese
Firmware Update Update possible by the user.
INTERFACE  
Computer Hi-Speed USB
Other Video output (PAL/ NTSC) (integrated with USB terminal), HDMI Type C
DIRECT PRINT
Canon Printers Canon SELPHY Printers, Bubble Jet Printers with the direct print function and PIXMA Printers supporting PictBridge
PictBridge Yes
STORAGE  
Type SD card, SDHC card
SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEM
PC & Macintosh Windows / XP (SP2/SP3) / Vista (excl. Starter Edition)
OS X v10.4-10.5
SOFTWARE  
Browsing & Printing ZoomBrowser EX / ImageBrowser
Image Processing Digital Photo Professional
Other PhotoStitch, EOS Utility (inc. Remote Capture, Original Data Security Tools*), Picture Style Editor
* Requires optional accessory
POWER SOURCE
Batteries 1 x Rechargeable Li-ion Battery LP-E5
Battery Life Approx. 400 (at 23°C, AE 50%, FE 50%) ¹
Approx. 380 (at 0°C, AE 50%, FE 50%)
Battery Indicator 4 levels
Power Saving Power turns off after 30sec or 1, 2, 4, 8 or 15mins.
Power Supply & Battery Chargers AC Adapter Kit ACK-E5, Battery charger LC-E5E, Car Battery charger CBC-E5
PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS  
Body Materials Stainless Steel/Plastic
Operating Environment 0 – 40 °C, 85% or less humidity
Dimensions (WxHxD) 128.8 x 97.5 x 61.9 mm
Weight (Body Only) Approx. 480g
ACCESSORIES
Viewfinder Eyecup Ef, E-series Dioptric Adjustment Lens with Rubber Frame Ef, Eyepiece Extender EP-EX15II, Angle Finder C
Case Semi-Hard Case EH19-L
Lenses All EF and EF-S lenses

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