Canon EOS 600D Digital SLR Camera (inc. 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Lens Kit)

Up until this camera came along I used an hd camcorder for my video and a dslr for my bird photography. This camera along with the 70-300mm lens means "one camera does all". The video is great but you need to work at it. Its certainly not as easy to use as a dedicated camcorder but the results can be better. You're thinking of getting the 650d, reading the reviews, comparing it to the 600d and countless others and pulling your hair out at all the pros and cons? Am I close. I'm a photographer and have used this, the 600d and its sony equivalent. I might be able to help. Let me start with an anecdote, (you've read enough technical jargon for now so consider this a breather) I film the eagles on Mull and the landlady I stay with was telling me about this other photographer who visits her little cottage (it's beautiful by the way, you should visit if you get the chance). So anyway, she is cooking tea , as she does if you ask her nicely. While it's cooking he shows her one of his photos, probably of a sea eagle catching a fish. Everyone wants to photograph one of those even though its on every other postcard in Scotland. Next to a highland cow looking over a gate its the top photo/cliche to get.. Anyhoo, she looks at the photo and says "wow that's great...you must have a brilliant camera" . So they sit down for supper a bit later and its delicious, she is a great cook. He says "This is lovely...you must have some great saucepans!" boom boom. But herein lies the real point of this camera. You know its the person behind the camera that takes the pictures but do you really know it? This and the 600d take pictures so good (if you have the skill) you could blow it up the size of front door but are you going to want to. The thing no sellers want to tell you is that for years, maybe 5 , all of the big names have been making great dslr. Since the nikon d40 perhaps. But you really want to know, if you bought this, would you be happy or buying a pup. Be reassured that neither canon, nikon or sony make chocolate teapots. They know how to make a great camera and this is one. It's biggest difference as you will have read ad nauseum , is the touch screen. is it worth it. It is if you like touch screens (I do). That's not flippant, it's how it is. So the photos will be great and its a great camera, you've read other reviews so I won't duplicate what you have already read but one thing you may not have read is about the video. All the makers have got dslr right. No pups in sight, but video is a relatively new feature and Sony have tbh been leading the way. This camera sets to rectify that by having autofocus. A lot of places on the net, say it's not needed, you should be using manual focus. Nonsense. Manual focus is ok at times but can be a pain. Filming your dog on the beach for example..The autofocus on the 650d is actually pretty good. Not as good as a camcorder but pretty good. The slowest part is for it to get going. But when it's locked on its sound. Well worth having. So thats sorted right..err no, not really. This is the 650d 's killer feature. Trouble is, they left out the killer feature on the 600d. The 3x zoom with "no loss in quality". So here is the choice if you are buying this for video. if you want you're 300mm zoom to be able to zoom to 900mm for filming sport or wildlife. It's the 600d for you If you love the idea of autofocus (or hate the idea of doing it the old fashioned way) its the 650d for you. In my opinion if you're considering the other makes like Sony, it comes down to who makes the the lens you are likely to want. I know I have focused (blabbed on) about video but hey, there has been thousands of photo reviews already about iso , shutter speed etc etc. Nothing for me to add there! So if you are considering using it for video here are a few "must have" things you will need to go with it.Hoya 58mm UV FilterReplacement Battery for Canon LP-E8 / suitable for Canon EOS 550D / EOS 600D / EOS 650D Oh and the one that should have gone top of my listMake better videos with your dslr or camcorder So now I have spent ten minutes typing away, telling you how I like the 650d for video (I do) do me a little favour and click that you find this helpful. Unless you don't. Either way you will enjoy this camera but do consider the little brother the 600d also. We live in good times to take photos as there are so many great cameras and this is definitely one of them. One more thing I forgot to mention (and yes it is regarding the video) is that to get great video you need to use the right settings in the menu.Unfortunately these are counter intuitive and if you don't use them you may be under whelmed. If anyone wants them, comment and I will try to post a link I have done lots of tests and made quite a few films with this camera just do a search on youtube for alex sally and you'll find my channel. I have also found what I think is the best setting to use to get a natural look. If you intend using it for video you will need a tripod for sure and probably an external mic. if you want to get the best from it. I'm joking that as a camera "it's ok" . The camera part has been reviewed fully on here and lets be honest no dslr in this price bracket by any make isn't capable of producing great results and this one is no different. Happy shooting.. Since writing this review I have also added (written) a book on amazon kindle on how to get the best from its video capabilities... Make better videos with your dslr or camcorder alex sally

I spent hours choosing between the Canon 600D and the Nikon D5100. This is what I found out: The main advantages of the Nikon was: a higher rated sensor which is going to give you better images in darker conditions, auto focus while shooting videos, slightly higher buffer rate when continuous Shooting! The main advantages of the Canon was: higher image resolution, better video settings and quality, better resolution LCD display, better button layout and menus! Most of the reviews I read said that the cameras were almost identical in terms of picture quality and build quality!. I viewed loads of images taken by each of the cameras and they were very much the same! it was very hard to tell them apart! I also looked at lens options for the both cameras, the Canon seemed to have more lenses available, and they seemed much easier to understand in terms of compatibility with the Canon bodies! I read that some of the older lenses for the Nikon weren't compatible due to the camera not having a motor built into the body! After all the thinking I decided to go for the Canon 600D with the 18-55mm lenses kit. Today I received it and: I charged it and took it straight outside to take some pictures, one thing I noticed straight away was how big and crystal clear the view-finder was! I put it in auto mode and took a few shots of the plants and buildings! The quality was fantastic, lovely rich colours, very sharp and detailed! Later in the day I went down to the coast and took a few pictures of some seagulls in flight, I could only get so close due to the reach of the 18-55mm! I couldn't believe how quick the camera focused on the bird and how quick it took the pictures! I got home and uploaded them, they came out lovely, excellent focus on the gulls! I was very pleased with the shots!, I know hardly anything about DSLR's and I managed to capture these great pictures without hardly any effort! I am more than happy with my choice, the main reason I choose the Canon was for its high quality and popularity! The reason why I choose to buy a DLSR was: Last year I purchased a Fuji HS20 bridge camera and ever since regretted it! The images produced by the camera (mainly in auto mode) were lacking any detail and the colours looked washed out! it also took forever to focus on moving objects! I visited many forums asking for advice on what settings to use and still was yet to get anything decent out of it!! I wish I had spent a little more at the time and brought a DSLR!