Canon EOS 550D Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

The title sums up this review very well. This was my first ever DSLR camera and prior to this purchase I had no idea what an "aperture" was and what the "ISO" was or how metering worked. This camera revolutionized my way in which photography is viewed. BUILD QUALITY: Pretty good, you won't expect magnesium alloy build at this price. It's made of a pretty tough polycarbonate plastic that will be able to take its fair share of knocks. The lens mount is metal and the LCD screen glass, so it's a fair weight, nothing too heavy. PICTURE QUALITY: Very very very good for the price. It's price quality surpasses that of the "Daddy" Canon 7D at all ISO ranges (light sensitivity for beginners). It has 18 megapixels which is more than enough and pictures appear very sharp at low ISOs with a good lens. FEATURES: A good array of features which will interest the beginner. You can easily just shoot in Full Auto and not have to worry about the complex aspects of photography. You can set the ISO from Auto to 6400 with a H option (12 800) also available. The aperture can be changed like all DSLRS to adjust depth of field and to composite for low lighting conditions. The shutter speed can be also changed like all DSLRS from around 20 seconds to 1/4000, to allow you to freeze motion or blur it depending on the effect required. Metering can also be changed to allow spot metering, evaluative or centre metering. This means you can vary exposure depending on your scene. Full 1080p recording is also available in various frame rates, 720p and standard definition can also be recorded. There are also specific modes for Portraits, Landscapes and Night shots so the camera is better prepared to adjust the Aperture or Shutter Speed if you are not sure. PRICE: It's a steal. No wonder it's one of the most wished for items on Amazon and one of the most sold items in electronics on Amazon. At £500 you will NOT FIND A BETTER CAMERA body, add £200-£300 for a decent lens and you have a perfect kit to last you a lifetime (not to forget the little things like SD cards/ camera bag/ filters). OVERALL: Wow, I think canon regret making this camera. I'm sure it's affecting the sale of it's other lower level DSLRs, if I ever do get another camera It'll be the 5D Mark II, nothing inbetween can seriously outcompete this little gem of a camera. This might be the only step on my photography journey. :D

I bought my 550d nearly a year ago, and Im as pleased with it now as I was then. It's still seems a very competitive product, thanks to the core imaging engine and feature set that defined a mid-level dSLR when it was launched 2 years ago. Compared to the 600d there's still a nice difference in the price which make the additional 600d features (which seem to mainly make the camera a better option if you are a big video fan) and flip out screen quite expensive if you dont need them. I "downgraded" from semi-pro Olympus equipment to the 550d and a small set of consumer lenses. My 18-135mm is on the camera 90% of the time, which makes for a very versatile and quite portable snapper capable of clean, rich images with quick enough reactions to capture all sorts of shots. The 55-250mm is a bargain telephoto and the 50mm f1.8 II is very useful too. The camera is great to hold and use, seems well made enough to stand up to sandy, sun-creamed hands, being carried over shoulders or shoved in and out of backpacks etc. Its worth protecting the screen with a good protector as it does seem quite vulnerable, especially compared to cameras that can turn their screen inwards. I just looked at the market and wondered what I could buy to replace/update it. I'm no expert, but for the money the 550d can now be obtained, I couldnt get anywhere near. Perhaps the stiffest competition to a system like a 550d these days comes from the compact systems camera world in that they have comparable image quality, more bells and whistles but are smaller and lighter. There are some wonderful looking products that probably do more and are smaller etc, but they are pricey compared to this! I wouldn't hesitate in recommending a 550d at these prices before they run out. You can get yourself a little nest of lenses for very reasonable money and have an excellent walkabout lens with a fast prime and a decent telephoto for a lot less money than the Olympus OM-D body only. Something like the GX1 with the powerzooms (the 14-42 folds small and turns that camera into a chunky compact) would be attractive as an allrounder to perhaps negate the need for a compact and a dSLR, but the 550d stands up very well as is a bot of a bargain I would say. Great product, has to be one of Canon's best.

There are several very comprehensive reviews here which are very useful. In short if you have an ageing 350D and are trying to decide whether to upgrade then do! Just done so and very pleased. Lenses all fit, the rear display is much better, there are more easy to use functions & buttons to bridge the gap between novice automatic settings and struggling with Av settings etc. The picures seem crisper and clearer. My main niggle is the focussing which seems to concentrate on the background too much -I have some excellent pictures of blurred people in front of crystal clear sea! There are a myriad of settings though so with some application and practice I guess I can improve. The instruction book is helpful even if it is black and white and 1/2inch thick. All in all a great piece of kit. NB it takes SD Memory Cards NOT the same as the 350D.

Overall a terrific camera, streets better then my old EOS 300D. Depending a little on the lens you choose to attach, the image quality is first rate. Controls are clearly marked, easy to manipulate and the clarity of information displayed on the screen is superb. I cannot yet comment on all the myriad functions because I haven't had time to fully investigate them all. I would, however, just add a note of caution about the movie function. HD picture quality is superb but there are a couple of things to consider before you throw away that old camcorder. Firstly, you cannot use the viewfinder when shooting movies. Not much of a problem indoors but a significant drawback when shooting outside in bright daylight. Also, although autofocus can be used when shooting movies, the camera will not maintain focus on a moving subject. Other than those two observations, I am very pleased with just about everything else.

I have owned a number of Canon SLRs over the years - the 300D, 350D, 40D. My particular hobby is amateur dramatics, and I often have to take photos of rehearsals on stage where there may be very low light - there are no second chances and I want the picture to be in focus, with a fast enough speed to freeze the action and correctly exposed. I found that my other digital SLRs fell short of perfection because the picture was often underexposed even with a good flash, or else the flash would bleach out the detail - and a bounce flash is not usually possible. I am absolutely delighted with the 550D. Amazingly good performance in low light, every picture seems to be perfectly exposed and most of the time I don't even need a flashgun because it can make use of whatever light there is to give excellent results. And the video performance is really excellent too, though the built in microphone perhaps falls short of perfection. I now don't expect ever to buy another camera.

The title says it all. Spending this much on a camera is a fairly risky thing to do. However, you won't be disappointed with the 550D. Whether you want the camera to take care of the settings, or you want to do it yourself, you're catered for here. The control systems are logical and well thought out, layout is clear and for ease of use I'm not sure it can be beaten. The instruction manual is easy to read and explains everything clearly. This is my first Canon and my first DSLR, but I've been using Olympus SLRs for over 20 years. I'm strictly an amateur, but am really pleased with the quality of the images produced by this camera. With just a couple of lenses you'll be turning out pro-quality pictures in no time.

Had this camera for a long time, Great purchase :)

I bought this product after doing quite a lot of background research and receiving advice from friends. I must say that performance wise it has lived up to my expectations, the ISO range is impressive and it's operation is logical and straight forward. The biggest let down was that despite the camera being targeted and priced just below / at the serious armature photographer market it was very miserly that at least a middling capacity SD card (say 4 GB) was not included in with the camera, for the retail price this is simply a must! If it were not for the lack of a card then it would be awarding 4 stars for a good solid product which delivers to its promises, Mr Canon, you need to try harder!

Personal muy atentos en las explicaciones sobre la cámara , entrega puntual y correcta por poner unos peros ,el flax , no saltaba , después de un ligero arreglo empezó a saltar no es igual que la mía no se si dentro de la EOS 550 D , tendrá varias versiones o no se si esta bien regulada como la mía , tendré que aprender de nuevo. La compre Usada y se nota los protectores llego despegado de la cámara , se puede decir que la goma que la recubre esta suelta , tratare de arreglar por lo demás las pruebas realizadas parece que esta en perfectas condiciones aparte de lo comentado , en principio todo genial , la pantalla distinta pero bien , gracias por todo .

produit parfait, pas de surprises - qualité, délai ... tout bien !

Es cierto que hasta la fecha la cámara es completamente funcional pero esperaba más: 1.- Mayor esmero a la hora de dejar la cámara completamente limpia. 2.- El CD con el software es una copia en un cd virgen del original. En fin, esperaba algo mas.