Canon EOS Rebel T2i – the best quality in its price range
Thumbs Up:
Relatively good captured video quality; excellent picture quality; fast performance
Thumbs Down:
Bothering control layout especially for video capture; annoying viewfinder.
The Whiz Kid Speaks:
The Canon EOS Rebel T2i is 18-megapixel digital SLR camera that has CMOS optical sensor. It features DIGIC IV image processor, 1.6 view crop factor field, sensor dust reduction, optical image stabilizer, face detection and white-balance bracketing. The sensor features EOS integrated cleaning system and self cleaning sensor unit.
The 3-inch LCD color display has a format of 1,040,000 pixels. The eye-level optical viewfinder has 95% field coverage and 0.87x magnification. It has auto-focus frame and -3 to +1 dioptric correction range. The T2i have one SD memory card slot for storage.
The maximum shutter speed is 1/4000 second, minimum is 30 second and x-sync speed is 1/2000 second. The light sensitivity levels are ISO Auto (100-6400), ISO 100-6400, and ISO 12800. The shooting programs include Night portrait, Sports mode, Landscape, Portrait mode, and Close up. The T2i has these special effects: Monochrome, Landscape, Portrait, Faithful, and Neutral.
The exposure metering options are Center-weighted, 9% Partial, Evaluative, and Spot (4%). The exposure modes include Aperture-priority, Shutter-priority, Depth-of field, Automatic, Program, Manual, and Bulb. The Canon EOS Rebel T2i has 63 exposure metering zones, and EV 1-20 (ISO 100) exposure range. The auto exposure bracketing is 3 steps in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps and the exposure compensation is ±5 EV range, in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps.
The Canon EOS Rebel T2i support H.264 video format and still image formats of JPEG, RAW+JPEG, and RAW. The video capture resolutions are H.264 – 1920×1080, H.264 – 1280×720, and H.264 – 640×480. The still image format resolution options are RAW 5184×3456, JPEG 5184×3456, JPEG 3456×2304, and JPEG 2592×1728.
The pop-up flash features 13 guide numbers, Flash +/- compensation, and AF illuminator. The flash modes are Auto mode, Fill-in mode, Flash OFF mode, Rear curtain sync and Red-eye reduction. The aspherical lens has 18-55mm focal length with F/3.5-5.6 aperture that features 3x optical zoom. The zoom adjustment is manual and focus adjustment is automatic and manual.
The EOS Rebel T2i has hot-shoe flash terminal and self timer delay feature of 2 seconds and 10 seconds. The additional features are Peripheral illumination correction, Depth-of-field preview button, 1080p Full HD movie recording, Live Face detection AF mode, Display brightness control, RGB primary color filter, Highlight tone priority, Highlight point display, Dust Delete Data system, Digital noise reduction, Auto lighting Optimizer, USB 2.0 compatibility, PictBridge support, LCD Live View mode, Exif Print support, Histogram display, Auto power save, Face detection, Direct print, DPOF support, AE/AF/FE lock.
The connector set includes 1×USB, 1×Composite video/audio output, 1×HDMI output, 1×Remote control, and 1×3.5mm stereo Microphone (Mini-phone). The software on the included disc are Canon Digital Photo Professional, Canon ZoomBrowser EX, Canon Remote Capture, drivers & utilities, Canon ImageBrowser, and Canon PhotoStitch.
The supported operating systems are Microsoft Windows XP SP2/Vista/7 and Apple Mac OS X 10.4-10.6 or later. Accessories supplied inside the package are one A/V cable, a USB cable, drivers & software disc, neck strap, lens cap, dust cap, body cap, battery, power charger, and eye-cup.
Razzle Dazzle:
The Canon EOS Rebel T2i is 3.8 inches tall, 2.4 inches deep and 5 inches wide and weighs 18.6 ounces. The body is made up of fiberglass-reinforced polycarbonate resin and stainless steel. The T2i has rubberized, textured and comfortable grip.
Inside Dope:
To compete with Sony, Pentax, and Nikon, the Canon has launched an update/successor of the expensive Tli digital SLR. $899 priced The EOS Rebel T2i has similar shape and identical control layout like that of the T1i. Both of them feature optical image stabilization and records 1080p video at 20fps. However, the T2i has improved 18-megapixel CMOS sensor and similar sized 3-inch LCD screen with more resolution. It is definitely on the top of other digital SLR cameras in its price range. The Canon EOS Rebel T2i provides excellent photo quality, fast performance, and above average recorded video quality. The T2i records 720p video at 60fps that is an improvement over 30fps for the T1i. However, the Rebel T2i has annoying viewfinder and bothering controls for the video recording.
The Canon has redesigned some of the buttons on the EOS Rebel T2i. It has a dedicated button for Quick Control panel and except this the control layout is similar to that of the T1i. The movie record button also works as the Live View enable switch. It is also annoying that the Canon has put the Movie mode on the Mode dial. In addition, the dial does not rotate up to 360 degrees that makes quite difficult to select between the still shooting and the movie recording mode.
The company has also included its Creative Auto mode in the Canon EOS Rebel T2i. It is a semi-manual mode that has the similar features of an Advanced or simple Program mode. The functions in the Creative Auto are automated, while few are exceptions to it. The shutter and aperture adjustment options are replaced with sliding scales for Exposure (darker/brighter) and Background (sharp/blurred) for adjusting the shutter speed and aperture respectively. There is a My Menu option that allows creating a go-to list of the most frequently used menu settings. You are press the Q button to access the interactive control panel for instant access to most of the shooting options.
The viewfinder of the Canon EOS Rebel T2i provides lower magnification and 95 percent coverage that is less than others. There is a small focus lock indicator in the viewfinder at the bottom right. The viewfinder continues to show similar tiny focus points that are not sufficient to notify the focus and you always have to look down to check the indicator.
The Canon has also focused on the video recording in the EOS Rebel T2i. It can record 1080p video at 30fps and 720p at 50/60 fps. You can store the video recording at the SDXC card. You will also get the on demand auto-focus and full manual controls while shooting. The new high-resolution of 18-megapixel in the T2i uses wider 3:2 aspect ratio rather than 4:3 in of the T1i. We also welcome the inclusion of 7D metering system. The display also has revamped resolution, but still it looks washed out in direct sunlight. The Canon has also increased the exposure bracketing up to seven stops and compensation range up to five stops in either direction. However, you are limited to three-shot bracket and two stops around the center.
The Canon EOS Rebel T2i does not include wireless flash controller and inside mechanical stabilization. In contrast, the Olympus, Pentax, and Sony equip their dSLR with these most liking features. The addition of image stabilizing lens kit also does not compensate for above omissions as the lens kit increase the overall cost.
The performance of the Canon EOS Rebel T2i surpasses others its class. The time from power on to first shot is 0.3 second which is less than others except 0.2 second for Nikon D5000, the D90 and the Canon EOS T1i. The average row shot-to-shot time is 0.6 second, which is better than the 0.8 second for the Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 and 0.7 second for the Pentax K-x. For the T2i, the shutter lag is 0.3 second in bright light and 0.5 second in the dim lighting. Its shutter lag is quite similar to that of the K-x. The continuous shooting speed is 3.5fps for the T2i.
In its price range, the EOS Rebel T2i delivers the best picture quality with excellent dynamic range and perfect colors. The relatively inexpensive 18-55mm lens kit delivers sharp images reasonably. The Canon provides better sharpness by default without any customization. It depicts default color settings to deliver more accurate colors than others. Its Standard Picture Style does not shift the hues.
The pictures look the best up to ISO 800, but starts to loose little details at ISO 1600. The quality depends upon the lighting and scene content beyond the ISO level. The images at the highest ISO levels exhibits more color noise, but remains useful for small prints and Web usage. We like that the Canon has included the best noise-reduction algorithms. It shows low-noise in the images even at ISO 3200. Overall, the Pentax K-x exhibits lower color noise than the Canon EOS Rebel T2i at all ISO levels. The T2i also preserves less sharpness than the Pentax model.
The Canon EOS Rebel T2i delivers the best recorded video quality in the sub-$1000 dSLR with excellent audio, minimal artifacts, good sharpness and exposure. However, the auto-focus remains unusable while capturing video.
The Rebel T2i has Canon LP-E8 lithium ion rechargeable battery that has a life of 550 shots.
Nitty Gritty:
The Canon EOS Rebel T2i is a pleasing digital SLR camera that provides good captured video quality, excellent picture quality, and fast performance. However, its competitors surpass it in the aspects of viewfinder, control layout, high ISO levels, and burst performance. We will recommend you to check the other dSLRs in its price range before making any decision.
