Canon EOS 550D Digital SLR Camera (inc 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens Kit)

I had a bridge camera, ideal for what I'd first started out photographing, but getting into a new hobby, I needed something better, and friends recommended the Canon EOS 550D. I read reviews and even professionals gave it good write-ups. My cousin in a professional photographer and thought it would be an ideal camera for me. On receiving it, and the daunting instruction book, I read the basics and went off once the battery had charged. It has a long enough battery life for me to be out for over 4 hours, mainly on the extension of the 70-300mm lens I have also purchased, and I've got some of the best photographs I have ever taken. Close ups of birdlife are exquisite, you can see every fibre on a feather, it takes excellent moving shots, particularly flying geese, ducks, buzzards, and yesterday, with the sun above it, a beautiful gull, the sun through it's wings. Easy to use, easy to adjust the settings, I am really enjoying this. People said I would need a tripod, but for my current requirements, I got a monopod and have only used it once. The camera is easy enough to wield myself. If I were sitting birdwatching, which I will do in the summer, I would need to use support. If you are looking for a great camera, not overly expensive, I would recommend this one. PS, the only way I can download my photos is by inserting the SD card into my computer, cannot get the wire connection to work.

After a couple of weeks my findings : excellent camera, high quality photo's, benefits (like all camera's) from good glass in front. Good, usable, movie mode, really like the 640 crop which is great for astronomy. Live view with a 3 inch LCD (crystal clear as well) makes it so much easier to focus, especially for those of us from the wrinkly generation and without perfect eyesight (note that the view finder provides about 95% coverage not 100% and is slighly on the dull side compared to a 7D with the same glass in front for instance). And masses of options, not least of which is live view, did I mention that I think that's great. I should say that I only use either manual or A mode on the camera so have no idea what the custom modes are like. They were very good on my 20D so I assume that they will be excellent on the 550D. This camera was bought as a replacement for a 20D, got the 550D as I could not justify the price of either a 7D or a 5D Mk 2 and wasn't going to buy a 50D with 60D just around the comer. Couple of points to note however if, like me you are coming from a 20 30 40 or 50D. One is the lack of an LCD panel on the outside top of the camera takes some getting used to. I miss the convenience of a quick control dial on the camera rear, though there is a main dial top front which is multipurpose. The 550D, though it feels very well made is certainly not in the same league build wise as a 20D. If you are used to firing off lots of shots in burst mode, this camera may not be for you - I very rarely use burst but did the other day and noticed that it's nowhere near as quick to fire or refresh as the 20D. Also the `clunk' made by the camera when you take a picture sounds `cheap' (hope that makes sense). Final point for me, I much prefer the size and brightness of the AF focus points on a 20D. They appear larger and clearer on that camera, more than once with the 550D I've had to re-focus several times just to see exactly where the `live' focus point is. That, of course, may be me, but then this is my review :-) Overall great camera and I love it to bits, not least of all because it's so much lighter than a 20D.... UPDATE : September After several more weeks of use with various lens, I have to say I am very impressed indeed with the quality of the results. I take photo's with both RAW and JPEG switched on at the same time and honestly find that the JPEG's are more than good enough for most purposes. The colours are clear and bright and the level of detail is a delight. High ISO use has also been a revelation, ISO 800 is more than useable and I actually tried a couple of shots outside at night with little illumination at ISO 6400 and both pictures came out well enough to see the subject clearly. Although there was a lot of noise I did not think it excessive, more like that you get from a B&W photo from a newspaper if you enlarge it, so still usable.... I don't have any L lens at the moment so am using a Canon 10-22, a Canon 17-55 and an old Canon 75-300 and I can honestly say that even when enlarged to 200% I have noticed very little, if any, drop off in sharpness, I realise that in part that is down to the lens but I never got the same level of detail with the 20D so the 550D must be doing something right. If you want to see some examples of what the 550D can do, even in the hands of a poor photographer, there are a lot of examples on Flickr.

I had tentatively considered buying a DSLR camera and had spent several months wondering which one it might be. Canon seemed the obvious choice, after recommendations from everyone I know with any experience on this subject. I'd pored over the manufacturers specifications and had thought the 450d seemed ideal, but then noticed the 500d looked more capable for comparatively little extra cost. Just as I thought I'd made up my mind, the 550d came onto the market, with newer processor, far higher mega-pixel rate and capable of taking HD quality video AND for very little more than the 500d. The problem was that delivery would be 1-3 months down the line and I really wanted to get hold of it before my holiday, so I ordered it right then (Sunday night). On the Tuesday I received an e-mail saying that delivery would be sooner than expected and then Friday morning it was delivered. I only spent the briefest time studying the instructions before I was off and using it, so the basic functions at least are simple enough (here I'd like to point out that despite the spec stating that battery and charger wouldn't be included, I was pleased to see that they in fact were and following a quick run down to Tesco for a decent quality SD card, I was in business). The pictures I've taken so far have been surprisingly good, which is more a testiment to the wizardry in the processor and the 18-55mm IS lense than my amateur fumblings. In time I hope to learn how to use more of this superb piece of kit's capabilities and progress onto shooting in RAW. I've added a 55-250mm IS lense for those long range shots and results so far have been very pleasing, so if anyone were to ask me if this was an idiot-proof camera, I'd have to say that it is at the very least idiot compatible and I suspect very capable of much higher things; time will tell no doubt! In the meantime, I'm enjoying learning to use the camera. I'd conclude that this is a superb piece of kit and good value for what it is. Am I pleased with it....... I'd say delighted would be a better description.

Canon EOS 550D Digital SLR Camera (inc 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens Kit) I have been using this camera for about a year now, and it is used extensively throughout the photography course that I teach. I found it to be truly amazing and one of the best cameras I have used. Although I have read articles reporting that photographs taken using the supplied EFS 18-55mm lens were not great, I have had no problems and found the images to be fantastic. It is a camera for both the novice beginner and the enthusiastic amateur and comes with a lot of features. Hopefully you will see that a whole new world waits to be photographed. Other equipment that maybe required: Flash memory card (class 10) - 32GB/64GB (for video use) Extra batteries/Battery Grip BG-E8 (the grip adds extra weight and houses 2 batteries) Lens cleaning tool (for cleaning dust/watermarks) UV filters (protects lens from dust and scratches - cheaper than buying a replacement lens) An extension eye piece (for those people like myself who wear glasses) Zoom lens - EFS 55-250mm (for getting closer from a distance) Shutter release cable/IR shutter release remote (either or both - stops camera shakes plus you can put yourself in the picture) Auto focus macro extension tubes (for getting up close to small objects - cheaper than a macro lens and will help hone manual focus skills)

Last had a good slr in the days of 35mm film - I have made do over the last 10 years or so with digital compacts. I bought the 550 with kit lens, a 55-250 telephoto and the 50mm standard lens as well as a branded battery grip with two batteries. All of the kit produces outstanding results well above what can be achieved with compact camaras. When coupled with photoshop there is almost nothing you can't do! - but you do need to put the time in getting to know the camara and lenses and the software, you can't expect outstanding results from every shot straight out of the box. I picked up one or two reviews which were critical of the camara/lenses because they were 'plastic' and 'built down to a price' - people need to get real - if you want a metal bodied camara and better build quality in the lenses then spend the money for professional gear which means starting to think in thousands of pounds not hundreds! I think both the camara and the lenes represent outstand value for the quality of image produced given the price range - as one salesman in my local camara shop said 'they are almost too cheap'!

I bought this camera for its video capabilities - near enough a 35mm cine size sensor, 48Mbps, interchangeable lenses etc. Stills are perfectly fine and I shoot in RAW, using Photoshop Elements for post processing. Now then, the video. If you are switching from a camcorder you will be in for a technical ride of biblical proportions. Audio - is pretty much useless, AGC cannot be disabled. You will need a good mike and a digital audio recorder (about £300) and then synch it up in edit. I do not expect great audio processing from a consumer DSLR but I am knocking off a star for the AGC business. Focusing - the mirror is locked up during video, so you cannot use the viewfinder. This means focusing with the LCD screen. You are going to need a magnifying loupe like the Zacuto (£300) if you are serious - the cheaper ones either do not magnify or do not have diopter adjustment. Exposure - There is no metering information for filming in manual. Auto is not going to work as it changes ISO and shutter speed dynamically, ruining the shot with high ISO grain or breaking the 180 rule (the shutter speed should be twice the frame rate). Aliasing - the sensor skips lines to keep up the data rate. It then backfills the missing information through extrapolation based on the lines above and below that it did capture. This is called aliasing and means jagged, weird moving lines (moiré) when filming striped clothing, fences, brickwork, roof tiles etc. This will ruin the shot and must be taken into account. It is worse at 720p. Editing - the workflow is not trivial. You will need to know what you are doing with intermediate codecs, transcoding and colour grading to get the best out of it. Kit Lens - it's not great. Cheap, slow and a bit soft. I dumped mine on eBay for £70 and bought some better, faster glass. The Canon 50mm f1.8mm MkII is a bargain. Did I mention the rolling shutter effect? You can Google for that, I don't have the space or time. If you are after a shallow depth of field in daylight then you will also need ND filters to get a lower f-stop. This is because shutter speed and ISO will be locked down and a wide aperture produces less DOF, so you have to cut out a lot of light getting to the sensor. This camera is not for casual, auto video, but it can produce astonishing images with a lot of work. It will test you every step of the way, thinking about aperture, shutter speed, ISO, depth of field, stability, audio.. the lot. To be fair, the focussing, aliasing and rolling shutter issues are common to nearly all these types of DSLRs. I was aware of all of this before I bought it and I am enjoying learning about the technical challenges but please don't get this camera for video if you have no idea what I have just been talking about. If you still buy it for video, then welcome to the new revolution!

I have had this camera for 9 months now and am really finally getting to grips with all the custom setting and features it has to offer. The main thing I like about this camera is that it's compact and light for a DSLR. Sure I would love a canon 5D but the point of this camera is the small size and cropped sensor (APS-C) meaning it's a great walkabout camera and great when you add a zoom lens for wildlife and sports. This was my first DSLR and I chose it over the 1000D and Nikon's D3000 because I felt it would last me longer. The others are more entry level and I was worried I'd want to upgrade far too soon with those. This camera has been perfect for me. I used the auto settings to start then slowly progressed through to manual adding lenses, battery grips, tripods, filters etc along the way. Now with the 600D on the shelves this camera is selling for a real bargain. Would I get a 600D? If I wanted the flip out screen or was into flash photography (the 600D has wireless flash capability) then I would have to seriously consider it, but for value for money I don't think you can go wrong with this one! The only negatives I have to offer are the slow burst rate of 3.7 can be annoying in some sports situations but the only other canon choice would be the far more expensive 7D. And the price of wide angle lenses is high due to the crop factor of 1.6 with this camera. I'm getting more into landscape photography now and really need a wider angle lens than the 18-55 kit. Buy this camera, buy a book on camera techniques and If you're anything like me you will have fun for month and months to come!

Lovely camera which takes beautiful photographs but sadly I have had to return it. I bought it originally in July 2012 but had persistent and worsening problems with large grey pixelated areas in my photographs, particularly in poor lighting. I returned the camera and Amazon promptly sent out a new one with which I had no further problems until January when the autofocus on the 18-55mm kit lense suddenly, and completely, failed. As I had already had a replacement Amazon is now only able to refund me. I am disappointed that I have had two problems in what was otherwise an impressive camera. I am sorry to lose the camera but have also lost some confidence in Canon whose cameras I have used exclusively for over 10 years with no previous problems.

Muy bien. Entrega rápida. Todo fue como esperaba. Me encanta la camara.

Envoie et livraison rapide, (tout de même une semaine d'attente), appareil en bon état, fonctionne parfaitement, qualité des photos et vidéos très bonnes.

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Appareil comme neuf et en bonne état, je m'y connais pas trop en appareil photo je les offert a ma soeur elle l'utilise depuis un mois et ca fonctionne bien jusqu'à maintenant.

Perfecto!!