Seth T. Vuletich
- Comment
This camera is likely more than the casual user needs, in fact I think even some professional photographers could do most everything they need to with this camera. About a year and a half ago I saw this camera with the kit lens, a Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras , a Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS II Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras , a Canon Mark II Inkjet Photo Printer PIXMA Pro9000 , and a couple of tiffen filters for around $550 after some rebates. I was looking into cameras, and this deal was too good to pass up, so I made first entry into the DSLR market. I have been very impressed with the camera, it takes over 300 pictures on its battery, has good low light performance, and there are a bunch of generic accessories available for the photographer on a budget. The camera itself feels a little unsubstantial. I have held super zoom cameras that seem more sturdy, and the grip is slippery. The auto-focus is also a little slow. These are really only cosmetic issues, sure the body is plastic and not magnesium, thus it has less resistance to the elements, but that will be the case for any camera under a thousand dollars. The sensor works well and there are more adjustments available than you will likely know what to do with. While 12.2 MP seems low it is not really a bad thing to have fewer pixels on an entry level camera. Although pixel technology in sensors have decreased in size incredibly rapidly, the sensors themselves have not improved proportionally. This means that as the number of pixels increase, the amount of light received per pixel decreases and can result in less vibrant images, although they may be more detailed. 12.2 MP is also just not that low of a pixel count. A 1080p HDTV has only 2 MP, and a movie theater has about 8 MP. I think that youll find 12.2 MP more than adequate. While this camera takes fine pictures, its video performance could be better. The video is limited to a resolution of 720p and 30fps, additionally it has no input for an external microphone. As such this is not the camera for the video enthusiast. the 5d and 7d are some of the best options for video, in fact they have been used in feature films such as The Avengers and Black Swan, However those cameras cost several times as much as this one, so a video shooting option is nice. The screen is fine, It has a fairly high pixel density and is large enough to do see the interface in decent detail. Where this camera and all cameras like it excel is in the ability to zoom into an area on the screen in live view mode and fine tune the focus to razor sharpness. Overall Im happy with this camera, it takes beautiful pictures, and is a pretty good bargain. While this camera lacks the features of its more expensive siblings, it has more than enough options to satisfy the casual photographer, and might even make a nice backup for the professional. This makes a good first DSLR, and in the very least allows for the amateur to experiment without the costs associated with film.