550D / T2i

[inkista]

Canon EOS 550D / Digital Rebel T2i Hands-on Preview: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review

So not what I was expecting. Maybe the 7D really is the replacement for the 50D. Huh.

Not much inherited from the 7D aside from HD video and the sensor. Can't even turn eTTL off in the pop-up, let alone use it as a master. (sigh).

[OsmosisStudios]

The sensor from the 7D is good, but the real shining light of that body is the processor. It kills noise like its a genocide.

[Raoul Isidro]

There were also rumors it would have a swivel screen but that didn't come out in the final design.

[Doug Pardee]

Originally Posted by inkista

Not much inherited from the 7D aside from HD video and the sensor.

The iFCL metering system is also inherited from the 7D, and it's (for Canon) a revolutionary change in the Evaluative metering system.

All of the Canon DSLRs except the pro-level (1-series) have always used the same 35-segment monochrome metering sensor with a single AF-point Evaluative metering.

The 7D and the T2i/550D use a 63-segment 2-color metering sensor along with an Evaluative metering technique that uses the information from all AF points.

If you use Evaluative metering, I expect that this will make a big difference. Whether it's a difference that people will like or not, well, time will tell. So far the reports from 7D users seem to be generally positive, with "much less variability" being a frequent comment.

I'm also curious whether the color-sensitive metering sensor will mean fewer cases of blown-out reds and oranges.

[bearly]

Originally Posted by inkista

So not what I was expecting. Maybe the 7D really is the replacement for the 50D. Huh.

yeah definitely not what i was expecting or hoping for... oh well.

[hibou]

Why is everyone like "sigh"? This is an upgrade for the Rebel line, not the XXD. Did you really think it was going to compete with the 7D?

I just always wonder what magic camera people are hoping for. (Ever read the Canon Rumours blog? Hilarity.)

[inkista]

Doug, thanks for the reminder on the metering system. I feel better, now.

The "sigh" is that we were expecting an xxD body (60D) to be announced, and the T2i to come out this fall. And the fact that the 7D had a bunch of shiny other new features like the lcd overlay in the viewfinder and the pop-flash being a master (not to mention the IR sensor for the dRebel remotes) we were hoping might trickle down the line.

The general lifespan of the mid and lower-end models in the Canon lineup is about 18 months. The T1i is about a year old. The 50D is about 18 months old. That's all.

The T2i looks like a great camera, and having the sensor/processor, metering system, and HD video of the 7D is no slouch list of features for an entry-level camera. It's just that I personally was hoping to see a new midgrade camera announcement and at least the ability to turn eTTL off in the pop-up flash so Canon Strobist newbies can use cheap optical slaves for off-camera lighting.

It's kind of like hoping to see what the new Camry hybrid's like, only to find Toyota announcing a new a Corolla instead.

I still think we'll get another xxD, though. The 7D was introduced at $500 more than the 50D. That's a pretty big price gap, and it still seems reasonable to me that Canon will keep the xxDs in the lineup. But then, maybe I'm just deluding myself.

[Doug Pardee]

Originally Posted by inkista

we were expecting an xxD body (60D) to be announced, and the T2i to come out this fall.

Yeah, I had to eat crow on that, too.

the 7D had a bunch of shiny other new features like the lcd overlay in the viewfinder and the pop-flash being a master

I can't see those features getting into the Rebel series. But then, I've been known to be wrong about what Canon will do (see above)

The general lifespan of the mid and lower-end models in the Canon lineup is about 18 months.

For the xxxD line, it seems to be about 12 months now. That's how long the XSi/450D lasted, and how long the T1i/500D lasted.

I haven't a clue what's up with the XS/1000D.

Also, the 40D only lasted 12 months.

Let's see how long the various models have lasted before being replaced...

• 1000D: 20 months and counting
• 300D: 18 months
• 350D: 18 months
• 400D: 17 months
• 450D: 14 months
• 500D: 11 months
• 550D: 0 months and counting
• D30: 21 months
• D60: 12 months
• 10D: 18 months
• 20D: 18 months
• 30D: 18 months
• 40D: 12 months
• 50D: 18 months and counting
• 5D: 37 months
• 5DmkII: 17 months and counting
• 7D: 5 months and counting
• 1D: 28 months
• 1D-II: 19 months
• 1D-IIn: 18 months
• 1D-III: 30 months
• 1D-IV: 4 months and counting
• 1Ds: 24 months
• 1Ds-II: 35 months
• 1Ds-III: 30 months and counting

I still think we'll get another xxD, though. The 7D was introduced at $500 more than the 50D. That's a pretty big price gap, and it still seems reasonable to me that Canon will keep the xxDs in the lineup. But then, maybe I'm just deluding myself.

Yeah, the xxD line pretty much needs to continue. The question is whether Canon thinks that the 50D isn't strong enough to hold up as the current xxD model. My impression is that it isn't, but then Canon refuses to consult me on these matters.

Something to consider: Canon has never announced two DSLRs for PMA. And Canon isn't even attending PMA this year. But last year Canon didn't announce any DSLRs for PMA; they announced the T1i/500D on March 25th, which was after PMA but just before the PIE show. This year PIE is dead and replaced by CP+, which Canon is attending. That show starts March 11.

So don't hit the bottle until March 11th.

[inkista]

I live in hope, too. The whole coordinated-announcements-for-tradeshows thing is sort of going the way of the dodo, anyhoo. More and more of these announcements are coming as "surprises"--probably to screw us up and make us buy a 7D anyway. It's getting to be like Apple stuff.

I really was thinking the XS and xxD were up next, not a dRebel. Then again, the dRebel is probably the highest-volume seller they've got, and with the hit the 7D is, maybe delaying the 60D can help them sell more of them to the can't-wait crowd. The folks who are considering a 60D/7D are unlikely to want a dRebel.

What I find interesting is Canon's obviously seeing video as their expansion market. The introduction of the Final Cut Pro plugin for EOS, the HD video in the T2i...it's clear they're going to be spending some development time on getting the video experience better in dSLRs.

Also interesting to note that they've styled the SX210IS after the S90...

Oh, well, at least I was right about the sensor/processor trickling down, if nothing else.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by Doug Pardee

I can't see those features getting into the Rebel series. But then, I've been known to be wrong about what Canon will do (see above)

Oh, it's all part of the fun and games to guess wrong. I definitely wasn't expecting to see the master pop-up, but (iirc) the D5000 has an LCD overlay in the viewfinder (optional grid lines), so I was curious to see if Canon would put it in the dRebel.

Come to think of it, the swap actually does make sense, now that the 7D is there. It always seemed a bit demented that six months after an xxD was announced, an xxxD would show up with the same guts (processor/sensor) with additional tweaks (slightly better IQ performance), and a lower price tag. Sometimes with a lot of inherited "new" features. I remember when folks went gonzo over the added sensor cleaning, and liveview features of the 40D, and then both of those features went straight into the 450D.

But again, the two tiers were distinct enough to keep the sales from seriously cannibalizing each other. With the 7D and the xxDs, this isn't really the case any more. The fact that the 50D was universally "meh"ed may also have played a part. By swapping the xxxD and xxD release spots, that gives them six extra months of development time, and six more months of 7D sales (assuming they don't surprise us in March).

Or maybe I'm just really demented. There was a time in my life when the way that Microsoft Word thought made sense to me, too.