Canon EOS 700D Review
Introduction
The Canon EOS 700D (called the Digital Rebel T5i in North America) is a new DSLR camera that sits above the 600D / T3i at the top of Canon's entry-level EOS line-up. The Canon EOS 700D / Rebel T5i is an extremely modest upgrade of the EOS 650D / Rebel T4i, with the only real changes being the new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens which keeps noise to a minimum whilst focusing (useful for video), a 360° rotating shooting mode dial, a more durable finish, and the ability to preview the effect of the “Creative Filters” in real time when working in Live View mode. In all other regards this new model is identical to the EOS 650D / Rebel T4i. The 18 megapixel 700D / T5i offers a dual AF system which ensures sharp stills as well as continuous autofocus tracking when shooting movies, a 1,040,000-dot vari-angle LCD screen complete with touch-screen operation, a 63-zone metering sensor, standard ISO settings of 100-12800 (expandable to 25600), and 5fps continuous shooting. The 700D's video mode offers 1080p Full HD recording at 24/25/30fps and 720p HD capture at either 50 or 60fps, with full manual control over exposure and gain. The Canon EOS 700D / T5i is priced at £629.99 / €799.99 / $749.99 for the body only, £759.99 / €969.99 / $899.99 with the new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens, and $1099.99 with the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens (US only).
Ease of Use
Outwardly the Canon EOS 700D / Rebel T5i is virtually identical to its predecessor, the 650D / T4i. It is a fairly small camera with a largely plastic shell and a pretty narrow, mildly uncomfortable hand-grip. The emphasis is on the word "mildly", though - in actual use, the size and shape of the grip proved not to be too much of an annoyance. In terms of build quality, the Canon EOS 700D / T5i certainly feels solid enough for a consumer-grade DSLR, although not in the same league as the semi-professional EOS 60D and 7D models. Like all of Canon's APS-C digital SLR cameras, the EOS 700D / T5i is compatible with the manufacturer's entire line-up of lenses, including both EF and EF-S glass. When changing lenses, EF lenses need to be aligned with the red dot on the lens mount, whereas EF-S lenses must be aligned with the white mark.
Most of the controls are in the same place as on the 650D, with the changes being mostly cosmetic in nature. The Shooting Mode dial now rotates through 360°, there are less options available on the dial, and the camera body has a subtly different finish that Canon claims is more durable than the 650Ds. All of the buttons are clearly labelled but, being flush to the body, can be a little hard to press at times.
The 1,040,000-dot resolution of the rear LCD panel is identical in resolution to the older 650D's display. The screen has an aspect ratio of 3:2 - i.e. identical to that of the sensor - so the photos fill the screen completely, with no black stripes along the top and bottom. The 700D is the fourth EOS DSLR to feature an articulated screen. It's taken quite some time for Canon to realise that the full potential of Live View and video shooting can only be exploited if it's delivered on a hinged screen, but it makes perfect sense on the consumer-oriented 700D. In terms of flexibility, Canon's left-hinged, free-angle monitor is on a par with those offered by Olympus and Panasonic, and significantly more flexible with those found on Sony and Nikon DSLRs. The high-res, free-angle LCD screen is much more than just a novelty - it's a lot more versatile than the usual combination of optical viewfinder and fixed LCD, providing new angles of view and enhancing your overall creativity. Above all, it's a fun way of composing your images.
The 700D is the second EOS camera to feature a touch-screen. It supports a variety of multi-touch gestures, such as pinching and swiping, for choosing shooting modes, changing settings, tracking faces, selecting auto-focus points, and focusing and taking a picture in Live View mode. In playback you can swipe to move from image to image and pinch to zoom in and out, just like on an iPad or other tablet device. The ability to focus and take the shot with a single press of your finger on the screen makes it quick and easy to capture the moment, although holding the camera out in front of you and waiting for the sluggish Live View AF system does slow things down a little.
Front | Rear |
We tested the EOS 700D with the new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens, which offers a standard focal range for a kit lens and crucially includes image stabilisation. This is important for Canon, as 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 out on that one.
The EOS 700D's top-mounted shooting mode dial has a multitude of letters and icons. The so-called Creative Zone features Programmed Auto (P), Shutter Priority (Tv), Aperture Priority (Av), and Manual (M) modes - the unique DEP mode from the 600D has been dropped. The fully-automatic Scene Intelligent Auto mode analyses the scene in front of you and automatically picking the best settings, much like the systems used by lot of digital compacts. Also reflecting its more consumer-friendly nature, the 700D offers a number of creative filters, as previously seen on Canon's range of compact cameras, which you can preview in real-time before taking the picture. Soft Focus dramatizes an image and smooths over any shiny reflections, Grainy Black and White creates that timeless look, Toy Camera adds vignetting and color shift, and Miniature Effect makes a scene appear like a small-scale model, simulating the look from a tilt-shift lens. All of these filters can be applied to both JPEG and RAW files either before or after taking the picture.
The camera also has a Creative Auto mode which is targeted at beginners who have grown out of using the Scene Intelligent Auto mode, allowing you to change a few key settings using the LCD screen via a simple slider system for changing the aperture and exposure compensation, or Background and Exposure as the camera refers to them. Creative Auto has been extended with the introduction of Basic +. Essentially a more extreme version of the well-established Picture Styles, this offers nine options including Standard, Vivid, Soft, Warm, Intense, Cool, Brighter, Darker and Monochrome, all of which can be interactively tweaked to suit your taste.
Two other notable shooting modes are HDR Backlight, which takes three shots at different exposures and combines them into one with greater shadow and highlight detail, and the Hand-held Night scene mode which again takes multiple images at fast shutter speeds and blends them together for a sharp result. There's also a host of scene modes including Flash Off, Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Night Portrait and, oddly enough for an interchangeable-lens camera, a close-up mode as well. The majority of these scene modes allow users who do not want to fiddle with shutter speeds, f-stops, white balance or ISO settings to let the camera know what type of photo they are about to take, which helps the EOS 700D / T5i to optimise these settings for that particular subject. We struggled to see the point of the close-up mode though, as the quality of one's close-up shots depends more on the use of the right kinds of accessory - such as a macro lens and possibly a ring flash - than any camera setting. The Feature Guide in the EOS 700D's menu system usefully provides a brief description of each setting and its effect.
Front | Rotating LCD Screen |
In the Creative Zone, the photographer gets to set a lot of shooting variables, including white balance, sensitivity, AF mode, exposure compensation, drive mode and so on. Most of these functions have their own dedicated buttons - ISO on the top panel, the rest on the back - while others can be set on the interactive status screen accessible via the Q (quick control) button. Examples for the latter include file quality settings, metering mode, flash exposure compensation and Auto Lighting Optimiser.
The available white balance settings are Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent and Custom; there is no way to enter a Kelvin value manually. You can fine-tune any of the presets using the White Balance Correction feature. The ISO speed can be changed by pressing the ISO button and turning the control wheel in front of it. You do not have to hold down the button while turning the wheel. The ISO speed can be set from ISO 100 to ISO 12800 in full-stop increments. If you turn ISO Expansion on in the Custom Functions menu, you can even dial in ISO 25600; a boosted setting. Auto ISO is also available. The chosen ISO speed is also displayed in the viewfinder.
The EOS 700D / T5i offers a range of three auto focus modes (One Shot, AI Focus and AI Servo) and there's a 9-point AF module with all sensors cross-type as on the more expensive 60D. One Shot AF is equivalent to AF-S, while AI Servo is the same thing as AF-C on other manufacturers' models. AI Focus is similar to what some other camera makers call AF-A in that it automatically switches from One Shot AF to AI Servo if a still subject starts moving. As regards AF point selection, it can be done manually by hitting the AF point selector button first, then using the four-way controller to select the AF point. The chosen/active AF point lights up in red in the viewfinder. In use, we have found the AF system to be pretty quick even with the kit lens, although the focus motor was a bit loud for our tastes.
There are a number of drive modes available on the Canon EOS 700D / T5i. These include Single Shot, Continuous Shooting, Self-timer and Remote Controlled Shooting. In Continuous Shooting mode, the camera can take pictures at a speed of 5 frames per second for up to 22 Large Fine JPEGs or 6 raw files, a faster rate than the 600D, but for less JPEG images.
Pop-up Flash | Top |
The metering modes offered by the camera include Centre-weighted, Evaluative, Partial and Spot. The difference between Partial and Spot metering is that the former uses 9% of the frame area, whereas the latter uses only 4% (still a bit too much for spot metering, but there you go). Both of these selective metering modes are midtone-based; there is no highlight- or shadow-based spot metering available as with some rivals. In use, we've found that the Evaluative metering mode provided fairly good exposures with a variety of subjects, thanks to the advanced 63-zone metering sensor. When shooting contrasty scenes, it is worth using the Evaluative mode in conjunction with the Auto Lighting Optimiser feature, accessible by hitting the Q button and using the interactive status panel.
The Live View button is within easy reach of your right thumb. Using this button it is easy to enter Live View, but it takes a surprising amount of time for the camera to actually display the live image (think several seconds). 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 in Live View via a half-press of the shutter release as normal.
There are three auto focus options in Live View, including Quick, Live and Face Detection. The use of the Quick mode briefly interrupts the live view feed as the mirror is momentarily lowered so that the AF sensors can be engaged, and it also involves a lot of mirror slapping for the same reason. Live view mode circumvents this problem by employing a contrast-detect method. While this is slower, and sometimes it may still take up to three seconds for the camera to lock focus in this mode, I have found that about half a second was enough most of the time. This is still too slow for anything that moves - use the optical finder and the regular auto focus module for that type of shooting - but it is perfectly OK with still subjects. Obviously, you can also opt to focus manually - the large and high-res screen is a real boon to those who do this on a regular basis. As noted above, you can even magnify into the live image, by up to 10x, which allows very accurate focusing.
Live View is also used for the Canon EOS 700D / T5i's movie mode. If you turn the On / Off switch to the new third position denoted by the movie camera icon, the camera will enter the Live View Movie mode automatically. The EOS 700D has a large choice of frame rates, offering a choice of 24, 25 or 30fps when recording Full HD video clips, and 50/60fps when shooting at 720p or VGA resolution. Note however that the available frame rates are also dependent on what you have set in the menu under "Video system": NTSC or PAL.
The EOS 700D / T5i can continuously adjust the focus during filming when used with Canon stepping motor (STM) lenses, such as the new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, an important upgrade on previous EOS cameras. You can also initiate auto focus at any time while recording a clip. However, be warned that the microphone can pick up the sound of the focus motor, and the subject might even go out of focus for a few seconds. Setting a small aperture and relying on depth of field for focus is a better idea. Of course you may wish to utilise the DSLR's ability to produce footage with a shallow depth of field, but in that case, it might be a wise idea to purchase a couple of third-party accessories that make manual focusing and focus pulling easier.
Memory Card Slot | Battery Compartment |
The EOS 700D's built-in pop-up flash features a built-in Integrated Speedlite Transmitter for controlling up to two groups of off-camera Speedlites without the need for an external transmitter. Note that it doesn't have a more advanced PC Sync port for connecting the camera to external lights, limiting the 700Ds use in studio environments. There's also the expected hotshoe for use with one of Canon's external flashguns.
There is a built-in microphone for stereo recording on top of the camera, and you can connect an external microphone equipped with a stereo mini plug to the camera's external microphone IN terminal. The Video Snapshot feature allows short clips of 2, 4 or 8 sec to be merged into a single movie file, for footage that is short, easy to edit and of similar lengths to the clips used in most TV programmes. The clips are saved to a Video Snapshot Album and you can even add a soundtrack in-camera.
The EOS 700D runs on the same proprietary LP-E8 battery as the 600D and 650D which, according to measurements that conform with CIPA standards, provides enough power for 400-440 images when using the optical viewfinder, and about 150-180 shots with Live View or about one and a half hours of video recording. The battery can be charged in the supplied LC-E8(E) charger. Also in the box is a neck strap, a software CD and a user manual, which Canon thankfully provides in printed form, in several languages.
In use, we found the Canon EOS 700D / Rebel T5i to be a responsive and versatile camera that almost never got in the way of picture taking. As noted earlier, the auto focus was fast when using the optical viewfinder, and not always painstakingly slow when using Live View, either. Its continuous shooting speed is good for its class, though its six-frame raw buffer is smaller than we'd like. It takes a bit of time for the camera to fully start up if you wait for the sensor cleaning cycle to be completed, but as sensor cleaning can always be interrupted at a half-press of the shutter release, this is not a real issue. The only thing we found to be truly and somewhat inexplicably slow was entering Live View - it invariably took several seconds for the camera to raise its mirror and display the live image.
This concludes our evaluation of the EOS 700D's ergonomics, handling, feature set and performance. Let's take a look at its Image Quality next.
Image Quality
All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 18 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 6Mb.
During the review, the Canon EOS 700D / Rebel T3i produced images of outstanding quality. The resolution is absolutely best in class, though you will want to shoot RAW for best results and possibly purchase something else than the 18-55mm IS zoom lens we had in for testing, as it does not do the camera full justice.
Noise handling is also very good considering the pixel density. Shooting RAW is again a good idea if you plan on taking lots of high-ISO shots, as you can get better detail with less chroma noise than by shooting JPEG. As regards the colours, we have found them to be a little on the dull side, though this is nothing you can't change in-camera, by way of tweaking the available Picture Styles or creating your own.
The camera's Highlight Tone Priority mode allowed us to retain more highlight detail in contrasty scenes than would otherwise be possible without underexposing the midtones and the shadows. The built-in flash caused no red-eye, and the night photo came out very well. Overall, a very good showing from a camera that has considerably smaller pixels than some of its competitors.
Noise
ISO sensitivity can be set between ISO 100 and ISO 12800 in full-stop increments, and a boosted setting of ISO 25600 is also available. 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) |
ISO 25600 (100% Crop) |
ISO 25600 (100% Crop) |
File Quality
The Canon EOS 700D / Rebel T3i has 2 different JPEG file quality settings available, including Fine and Normal, with Fine being the higher quality option. Here are two 100% crops which show the quality of the two options.
Fine (6.15Mb) (100% Crop) | Normal (3.00Mb) (100% Crop) |
RAW (21.8Mb) (100% Crop) | |
Sharpening
The out-of-camera JPEGs are quite soft and 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) |
Flash
The flash settings on the EOS 700D / T3i are Auto, Manual Flash On/Off, and Red-Eye Reduction. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1m.
Flash Off - Wide Angle (29mm) |
Flash On - Wide Angle (29mm) |
Flash Off - Telephoto (88mm) |
Flash On - Telephoto (88mm) |
And here are a couple of portrait shots. As you can see, neither the Flash On setting nor the Red-Eye Reduction option caused any amount of red-eye.
Flash On |
Flash On (100% Crop) |
Red-eye Reduction |
Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop) |
Night
The Canon EOS 700D'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 10 seconds, aperture of f/8 at ISO 100. Here is a 100% crop of the image to show what the quality is like.
Night |
Night (100% Crop) |
Picture Controls
Canon's Picture Controls are preset combinations of different sharpness, contrast, saturation and colour tone settings. The available Picture Controls are shown below in the following series, which demonstrates the differences. You can tweak these Picture Controls to your liking, and there are also User Defined styles so that you can create your own look.
Standard |
Portrait |
Landscape |
Neutral |
Faithful |
Monochrome |
Creative Auto
Essentially a more extreme version of the well-established Picture Styles, Creative Auto offers nine options including Standard, Vivid, Soft, Warm, Intense, Cool, Brighter, Darker and Monochrome, all of which can be interactively tweaked to suit your taste.
Standard |
Vivid |
Soft |
Warm |
Intense |
Cool |
Brighter |
Darker |
Monochrome | |
Auto Lighting Optimizer
Auto Lighting Optimizer performs in-camera processing to even out the contrast and correct brightness. There are 4 different settings - Off, Low, Standard and Strong.
Off |
Low |
Standard |
Strong |
Highlight Tone Priority
Highlight Tone Priority is a custom function which can be enabled from the menu. Use of this custom function improves highlight detail by expanding the camera's dynamic range in the highlights. As you can see from these examples, Highlight Tone Priority reduced the extent of highlight blow-out considerably.
Off |
On |
HDR Backlight
The Canon EOS 700D's HDR Backlight control captures three different exposures and combines them into one, retaining more shadow and highlight detail.
On |
Off |
Sample Images
This is a selection of sample images from the Canon EOS 700D camera, which were all taken using the 18 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.
1/60s · f/8 · ISO 100
18mm
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1/125s · f/8 · ISO 200
18mm
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1/250s · f/8 · ISO 400
18mm
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1/500s · f/8 · ISO 800
18mm
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1/1000s · f/8 · ISO 1600
18mm
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1/2000s · f/8 · ISO 3200
18mm
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1/4000s · f/8 · ISO 6400
18mm
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1/4000s · f/11 · ISO 12800
18mm
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1/80s · f/8 · ISO 125
55mm
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1/200s · f/4.5 · ISO 100
35mm
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1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 100
55mm
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1/160s · f/5.6 · ISO 100
55mm
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1/100s · f/4.5 · ISO 100
32mm
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1/60s · f/11 · ISO 160
38mm
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1/30s · f/8 · ISO 100
18mm
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1/60s · f/8 · ISO 160
32mm
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1/40s · f/11 · ISO 100
18mm
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1/80s · f/5.6 · ISO 125
55mm
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1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 400
55mm
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1/80s · f/5.6 · ISO 100
18mm
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1/40s · f/4 · ISO 100
31mm
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1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 200
55mm
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1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 500
55mm
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1/40s · f/16 · ISO 640
18mm
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1/80s · f/5.6 · ISO 320
55mm
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1/80s · f/5.6 · ISO 400
55mm
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1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 400
55mm
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1/50s · f/3.5 · ISO 100
18mm
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1/40s · f/8 · ISO 125
18mm
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1/80s · f/8 · ISO 500
55mm
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1/60s · f/8 · ISO 250
32mm
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1/80s · f/8 · ISO 200
55mm
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1/500s · f/2.8 · ISO 160
400mm
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1/500s · f/2.8 · ISO 160
400mm
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1/500s · f/2.8 · ISO 125
400mm
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1/640s · f/2.8 · ISO 400
400mm
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1/80s · f/5.6 · ISO 100
48mm
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1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 125
55mm
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1/30s · f/5.6 · ISO 200
18mm
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1/0s · f/8 · ISO 100
18mm
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1/40s · f/5.6 · ISO 100
18mm
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1/200s · f/5.6 · ISO 100
55mm
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1/40s · f/8 · ISO 320
18mm
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1/80s · f/8 · ISO 500
55mm
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1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 1600
55mm
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1/30s · f/5.6 · ISO 200
18mm
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1/200s · f/5.6 · ISO 100
55mm
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1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 100
55mm
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1/80s · f/5.6 · ISO 100
35mm
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1/80s · f/11 · ISO 100
32mm
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1/100s · f/8 · ISO 100
18mm
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1/640s · f/5.6 · ISO 100
55mm
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1/500s · f/5.6 · ISO 100
55mm
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1/200s · f/11 · ISO 100
35mm
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1/50s · f/8 · ISO 100
18mm
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1/80s · f/5.6 · ISO 250
55mm
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1/800s · f/5.6 · ISO 100
55mm
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1/100s · f/8 · ISO 100
55mm
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1/200s · f/8 · ISO 100
55mm
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1/200s · f/5.6 · ISO 100
55mm
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1/125s · f/5.6 · ISO 100
55mm
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1/200s · f/5.6 · ISO 100
29mm
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1/15s · f/5.6 · ISO 6400
18mm
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1/200s · f/5.6 · ISO 100
55mm
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Sample RAW Images
The Canon EOS 700D 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).
1/60s · f/8 · ISO 100
18mm
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1/125s · f/8 · ISO 200
18mm
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1/250s · f/8 · ISO 400
18mm
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1/500s · f/8 · ISO 800
18mm
Download original
1/1000s · f/8 · ISO 1600
18mm
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1/2000s · f/8 · ISO 3200
18mm
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1/4000s · f/8 · ISO 6400
18mm
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1/4000s · f/11 · ISO 12800
18mm
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1/200s · f/4.5 · ISO 100
35mm
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1/30s · f/8 · ISO 100
18mm
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1/40s · f/11 · ISO 100
18mm
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1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 400
55mm
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1/50s · f/4 · ISO 100
29mm
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1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 200
55mm
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1/80s · f/5.6 · ISO 400
55mm
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1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 400
55mm
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1/80s · f/8 · ISO 200
55mm
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1/640s · f/2.8 · ISO 400
400mm
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1/80s · f/5 · ISO 100
43mm
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1/80s · f/5.6 · ISO 100
48mm
Download original
Sample Movie & Video
This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 25 frames per second. Please note that this 24 second movie is 137Mb in size.
Product Images
Front of the Canon EOS 700D |
Front of the Canon EOS 700D |
Front of the Canon EOS 700D / Flash Raised |
Side of the Canon EOS 700D |
Side of the Canon EOS 700D |
Side of the Canon EOS 700D |
Side of the Canon EOS 700D |
Rear of the Canon EOS 700D / Image Displayed |
Rear of the Canon EOS 700D |
Rear of the Canon EOS 700D / Turned On |
Rear of the Canon EOS 700D / Live View |
Rear of the Canon EOS 700D / Live View Quick Menu |
Rear of the Canon EOS 700D / Info Screen |
Rear of the Canon EOS 700D / Info Screen |
Rear of the Canon EOS 700D / Live View |
Rear of the Canon EOS 700D / Video Live View |
Tilting LCD Screen |
Tilting LCD Screen |
Top of the Canon EOS 700D |
Bottom of the Canon EOS 700D |
Side of the Canon EOS 700D |
Side of the Canon EOS 700D |
Front of the Canon EOS 700D |
Front of the Canon EOS 700D |
Memory Card Slot |
Battery Compartment |
Conclusion
The Canon EOS 700D / Rebel T5i seems to have been released just to accompany the new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens. The only other notable changes from the previous 650D / Rebel T4i model are a subtly different finish to the body, a 360-degree shooting mode dial, and the ability to preview the Creative Effects, hardly anything to shout about. Indeed, the 650D / Rebel T4i seems to have disappeared completely from some parts of the world, leaving the 3-year old 600D / Rebel T4i as the next model down in the EOS range. Despite there being no significant reasons to upgrade from the 650D / Rebel T4i, this new model remains the best mid-range Canon DSLR and crucially still competitive in today's market, so don't let the lack of new features put you off what is a very accomplished camera.
More than ever before, the EOS 700d is designed to appeal to owners of compacts who have outgrown their camera and want to step-up to something that gives better results without being too complicated. The touch-screen operation has been seamlessly integrated, offering the ability to take a picture with one press of the screen. Even if you prefer using the viewfinder and hate touch-screens and the need to hold the camera at arm's length to use it, you'll still appreciate the ability to review your images by swiping from side to side and pinching to magnify them (at least we did).
Other stand-out features that add up to a great DSLR include effective continuous auto-focusing during movie recording, something that DSLRs have always struggled with or simply not offered at all, stereo rather than mono sound recording, 14-bit DIGIC 5 processor, fast 5fps burst shooting, built-in HDR and hand-held night shooting modes, and a slightly more refined user interface. The innovative Hybrid AF system still doesn't solve the camera's sluggish Live View auto-focusing, though, something that Sony's SLT range in particular has already overcome.
The official launch price of the Canon EOS 700D / Rebel T5i has dropped slightly compared to the previous model's full RRP, perhaps its most attractive feature when compared directly against its predecessor, especially as the STM kit lens is a better partner, especially for shooting video. So while the EOS 700D / Rebel T5i may not advance the mass-market EOS camera in any way, it is at least cheaper and comes with a better lens, and just as importantly its main rivals haven't overtaken it, making the EOS 700D / Rebel T5i still deserving of our Highly Recommended award.
Ratings (out of 5) | |
---|---|
Design | 4.5 |
Features | 5 |
Ease-of-use | 4.5 |
Image quality | 4.5 |
Value for money | 4.5 |
Main Rivals
Listed below are some of the rivals of the Canon EOS 700D.
Canon EOS 600D
The Canon EOS 600D (called the Canon EOS Rebel T3i in North America) is a new DSLR camera that boasts a class-leading 18-megapixels and full 1080p high-definition videos. Other key features of the 600D / T3i include continuous shooting at 3.7fps, a vari-angle 3-inch LCD screen with 1,040k dot resolution, ISO range of 100-12800, 14-bit image processing and Canon's Digic 4 processor. Is the Canon EOS 600D / T3i the best mid-range digital SLR camera on the market? Read our expert review to find out...
Canon EOS 650D
The Canon EOS 650D (called the Canon EOS Rebel T4i in North America) is a new DSLR camera that boasts 18-megapixels, full 1080p high-definition videos with continuous auto-focusing, and a touch-screen interface. Other key features of the 650D / T4i include burst shooting at 5fps, a vari-angle 3-inch LCD screen with 1,040k dot resolution, ISO range of 100-25,600, 14-bit image processing and Canon's Digic 5 processor. Is the Canon EOS 650D / T4i the best mid-range digital SLR camera on the market? Read our expert review to find out...
Fujifilm X-E1
The Fujifilm X-E1 is a new premium compact system camera. The retro, rangefinder-styled X-E1 offers the same image sensor and lens mount as the flagship X-Pro in a smaller, lighter body, with a new electronic viewfinder, built-in flash, 18-55m kit lens and more affordable price tag. Read our Fujifilm X-E1 review to find out if it's a viable alternative to the X-Pro1...
Nikon D5200
The Nikon D5200 is a new mid-range DSLR camera with a 24 megapixel sensor, vari-angle LCD screen and 1080p HD movies. The D5200 also offers an ISO range of 100-25600, 5fps continuous shooting, a range of creative effects and a 39-point autofocus system. Read our in-depth Nikon D5200 review now...
Olympus E-PL5
The Olympus E-PL5 is a new compact system camera that offers a lot more than first meets the eye. Also known as the PEN Lite, the EPL5 has exactly the same image sensor and processing engine as the flagship OM-D E-M5. It also boasts the World's fastest autofocus system, a 3 inch tilting LCD display, full 1080p HD movies, and an extensive range of creative filters. Read our in-depth Olympus E-PL5 review to find out if it's a true bargain or not...
Panasonic Lumix G6
The Panasonic Lumix G6 is a new compact system camera that offers a lot of bang for your buck. Standout features of the Panasonic G6 include a 16 megapixel Live MOS sensor, capacitive touchscreen control system, OLED viewfinder, wi-fi and NFC connectivity, fast auto-focus system, 1080p AVCHD movies with stereo sound, 7fps burst shooting and an extensive range of creative effects. Read our in-depth Panasonic Lumix DMC-G6 review now to find out if it can take on its DSLR and CSC rivals...
Pentax K-5 II
The Pentax K-5 II is a new DSLR camera that features a faster auto-focus system, better LCD screen and a much lower price-tag than the original K-5 model. Read our Pentax K-5 II review to discover if this new DSLR can compete with the competition from Nikon, Canon and Sony.
Samsung NX300
The Samsung NX300 is a new mid-range compact system camera featuring a 20.3 megapixel APS-C sensor, hybrid AF system, 3.3-inch tilting AMOLED touchscreen, 8.6fps continuous shooting, Wi-fi and NFC connectivity, full 1080p video, and an ISO range 100-25,600. Read our in-depth Samsung NX300 review now...
Sony A58
The Sony A58 is a new SLT / DSLR camera with a 20 megapixel sensor, 8fps burst shooting, 25pFull HD movies, high-resolution viewfinder, 2.7-inch tilting LCD screen, OLED viewfinder and an ISO range of 100-16000, all for under £400 / $600 with a standard zoom lens. Read our in-depth Sony A58 review to find out if this budget interchangeable lens camera is worth a look...
Sony A65
The Sony A65 is the second generation of Sony's SLT camera range, which replaces the optical viewfinder and moving mirror of a DSLR with an electronic viewfinder and a fixed semi-translucent mirror. The A65 ups the ante considerably with a 24.3 megapixel sensor, 10fps burst shooting, 1080p Full HD movies, high-resolution OLED viewfinder, 3-inch free-angle LCD, built-in GPS and an ISO range of 100-16000, all for just £800 / $900. Read our detailed Sony A65 review to find out if Nikon and Canon should be quaking in their boots...
Review Roundup
Reviews of the Canon EOS 700D from around the web.
dpreview.com »
The Canon EOS 700D / Rebel T5i is the company's latest addition to its novice-oriented 'Rebel' series. With more than two decades of continuous success in its film and digital incarnations, these little SLRs have been improved and refined to the point that Canon's biggest challenge seems to be finding new ways to distinguish its updated models. Place the new EOS 700D / Rebel T5i alongside its predecessor the EOS 650D and the differences are so minimal to be of little real importance.
Read the full review »
whatdigitalcamera.com »
The Canon EOS 700D maintains the same 18MP resolution we've seen in a number of EOS bodies in recent years, as opposed to rivals such as the Nikon D5200 and Sony Alpha 65 which have opted for 20MP+ sensors. This latest generation chip features a Hybrid AF system that we first saw on the EOS 650D, with the central pixels used for phase detection AF, so when combined with the Canon EOS 700D's contrast detect AF system, is designed to improve focusing performance in both Live View and video modes.
Read the full review »
trustedreviews.com »
Canon’s triple-digit DSLR range has long been one of the most popular series of affordable DSLRs. The Canon EOS 700D arrives as a replacement to the EOS 650D, hitting a £650 price tag at launch. It’s also the large, better-featured alternative to the Canon EOS 100D – Canon’s new ‘smallest DSLR in the world’ rival to Compact System Cameras (CSCs). Although it appears that little has changed, the range’s popularity is such that the 700D is sure to gain admirers.
Read the full review »
Specifications
IMAGE SENSOR
Type | 22.3 x 14.9mm CMOS |
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Effective Pixels | Approx. 18.0 megapixels |
Total Pixels | Approx. 18.5 megapixels |
Aspect Ratio | 3:2 |
Low-Pass Filter | Built-in/Fixed |
Sensor Cleaning | EOS integrated cleaning system |
Colour Filter Type | Primary Colour |
IMAGE PROCESSOR
Type | DIGIC 5 |
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LENS
Lens Mount | EF/EF-S |
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Focal Length | Equivalent to 1.6x the focal length of the lens |
FOCUSING
Type | TTL-CT-SIR with a CMOS sensor |
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AF System/ Points | 9 cross-type AF points (f/2.8 at centre) |
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 10m¹ |
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 |
EXPOSURE CONTROL
Metering Modes | TTL full aperture metering with 63-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 |
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Metering Range | EV 1-20 (at 23°C with 50mm f/1.4 lens ISO100) |
AE Lock | Auto: In One-shot AF mode with evaluative metering exposure is locked when focus is achieved. Manual: By AE lock button in creative zone modes. |
Exposure Compensation | +/-5 EV in 1/3 or 1/2 stop increments (can be combined with AEB). |
AEB | 3 shots +/- 2 EV, 1/2 or 1/3-stop increments |
ISO Sensitivity* | AUTO(100-6400), 100-12800 in 1-stop increments ISO can be expanded to H: 25600 During Movie shooting: Auto (100-6400), 100-6400 (Whole stop increments) ISO can be expanded to H: 12800 |
SHUTTER
Type | Electronically-controlled focal-plane shutter |
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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 |
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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 |
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Coverage (Vertical/Horizontal) | Approx. 95% |
Magnification | Approx. 0.85x (4) |
Eyepoint | Approx. 19mm (from eyepiece lens centre) |
Dioptre Correction | -3 to +1 m-1 (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) |
Depth of Field Preview | Yes, with Depth of Field preview button. |
Eyepiece Shutter | On strap |
LCD MONITOR
Type | Touch screen vari angle 7.7cm (3.0") 3:2 Clear View II TFT, approx. 1040K dots |
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Coverage | Approx. 100% |
Viewing Angle (Horizontally/Vertically) | Approx. 170° |
Coating | Solid Structure and 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 |
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Built-in Flash Coverage | up to 17mm focal length (35mm equivalent: 28mm) |
Built-in Flash Recycle Time | Approx. 3 seconds |
Modes | Auto, Manual flash, Integrated Speedlite Transmitter |
Red-Eye Reduction | Yes - with red-eye reduction lamp |
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/ No |
External Flash Compatibility | E-TTL II with EX series Speedlites, wireless multi-flash support |
External Flash Control | via camera menu screen |
SHOOTING
Modes | Scene Intelligent Auto (Stills and Movie), No Flash, Creative Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, SCN(Night Portrait, Handheld Night Scene, HDR Backlight Control), Program AE, Shutter priority AE, Aperture priority AE, Manual (Stills and Movie) |
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Picture Styles | Auto, Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, User Defined (x3) |
Colour Space | sRGB and Adobe RGB |
Drive Modes | Single, Continuous, Self timer (2s, 10s+remote, 10s + continuous shots 2-10) |
Continuous Shooting | Max. Approx. 5fps. for approx. (speed maintained for approx. 22 images (JPEG)¹, 6 images (RAW))²³ |
LIVE VIEW MODE
Type | Electronic viewfinder with image sensor |
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Coverage | Approx. 99% vertically and approx.100% horizontally |
Frame Rate | 60 fps |
Focusing | Manual Focus (Magnify the image 5x or 10x at any point on screen) Autofocus: Hybrid CMOS AF (Face detection and Tracking AF, FlexiZone-Multi, FlexiZone-Single), Phase detection AF (Quick mode) |
Metering | Real-time evaluative metering with image sensor. Evaluative metering, partial metering, spot metering, center-weighted average metering. |
Display Options | Grid overlay (x2), Histogram, Multi aspect ratios |
FILE TYPE
Still Image Type | JPEG: Fine, Normal (Exif 2.30 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 |
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RAW+JPEG Simultaneous Recording | Yes (RAW + Large JPEG only) |
Image Size | JPEG 3:2: (L) 5184x3456, (M) 3456x2304, (S1) 2592x1728, (S2) 1920x1280, (S3) 720x480 JPEG 4:3: (L) 4608x3456, (M) 3072x2304, (S1) 2304x1728, (S2) 1696x1280, (S3) 640x480 JPEG 16:9: (L) 5184x2912, (M) 3456x1944, (S1) 2592x1456 (S2) 1920x1080, (S3) 720x400 JPEG 1:1: (L) 3456x3456, (M) 2304x2304, (S1) 1728x1728, (S2) 1280x1280, (S3) 480x480 RAW: (RAW) 5184x3456 |
Movie Type | MOV (Video: H.264, Sound: Linear PCM, recording level can be manually adjusted by user) |
Movie Size | 1920 x 1080 (29.97, 25, 23.976 fps) 1280 x 720 (59.94, 50 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 25 fps) |
Movie Length | Max duration 29min 59sec, Max file size 4GB (If file size exceeds 4GB a new file will be created automatically) |
Folders | New folders can be manually created and selected |
File Numbering | (1) Consecutive numbering (2) Auto reset (3) Manual reset |
OTHER FEATURES
Custom Functions | 8 Custom Functions with 24 settings |
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Metadata Tag | User copyright information (can be set in camera) Image rating (0-5 stars) |
Intelligent Orientation Sensor | Yes |
Playback Zoom | 1.5x - 10x enabled in 15steps |
Display Formats | (1) Single image with information (2 levels) (2) Single image (3) 4 image index (4) 9 image index (4) Jump Display (1/10/100 images, by Date,by Folder, Movies only, Stills only, by Rating) |
Slide Show | Image selection: All images, by Date, Folder, Movies, Stills Playback time: 1/2/3/5/10/20 seconds Repeat: On/Off Background music: On/Off Transition effect: Off, Slide in 1, Slide in 2, Fade 1, Fade 2, Fade 3 |
Histogram | Brightness: Yes RGB: Yes |
Highlight Alert | Yes |
Image Erase/Protection | Erase: Single image, All images in folder, Checkmarked images, unprotected images Protection: Single image, all images in folder, all images on card |
Menu Categories | (1) Shooting menu (x4) (2) Playback menu (x2) (3) Setup menu (x3) (4) Custom Functions menu (5) My Menu |
Firmware Update | Update possible by the user. |
INTERFACE
Computer | Hi-Speed USB |
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Other | Video output (PAL/ NTSC) (integrated with USB terminal), HDMI mini output (HDMI-CEC compatible), External microphone (3.5mm Stereo mini jack) |
DIRECT PRINT
Canon Printers | Canon Compact Photo Printers and PIXMA Printers supporting PictBridge |
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PictBridge | Yes |
STORAGE
Type | SD, SDHC or SDXC (UHS-I)card |
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SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEM
PC & Macintosh | Windows XP inc. SP3 / Vista inc. SP2 (excl. Starter Edition) / 7 inc. SP1(excl. Starter Edition) / 8 OS X v10.6-10.8 (Intel processor required) |
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SOFTWARE
Browsing & Printing | ImageBrowser EX |
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Image Processing | Digital Photo Professional |
Other | PhotoStitch, EOS Utility, Picture Style Editor |
POWER SOURCE
Batteries | 1 x Rechargeable Li-ion Battery LP-E8 |
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Battery Life | Approx. 440 (at 23°C, AE 50%, FE 50%) (5) Approx. 400 (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-E8, Battery charger LC-E8, LC-E8E |
PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Body Materials | Stainless Steel and polycarbonate resin with glass fiber |
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Operating Environment | 0 – 40 °C, 85% or less humidity |
Dimensions (WxHxD) | 133.1 x 99.8 x 78.8 mm |
Weight (Body Only) | Approx. 580g (CIPA testing standard, including battery and memory card) |
ACCESSORIES
Viewfinder | Eyecup Ef, E-series Dioptric Adjustment Lens with Rubber Frame Ef, Eyepiece Extender EP-EX15II, Angle Finder C |
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Case | Semi-Hard Case EH22-L |
Wireless File Transmitter | Compatible with Eye-Fi cards |
Lenses | All EF and EF-S lenses |
Flash | Canon Speedlites (90EX, 220EX, 270EX, 270EX II, 320EX, 420EX, 430EX, 430EX II, 550EX, 580EX, 580EX II, 600EX, 600EX-RT, Macro-Ring-Lite, MR-14EX, Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX, Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2, Speedlite Transmitter ST-E3-RT) |
Battery Grip | BG-E8 |
Remote Controller/ Switch | Remote Switch RS-60E3, Remote Controller RC-6 |
Other | Hand Strap E2, GPS Receiver GP-E2 |
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