Today I went out with my new DSLR and tried it out. The picture quality came out really good, but it also made me realize that I need a lot more practice with manual focusing. Using a auto camera for all my life made it a bad habit of point and shoot.
For a long time whenever I get hold of a camera, I can't stop taking snaps. A lot of people loves to take pictures. Some people loves to be in front of the camera, and some people loves to stay behind the view finder. For me, I'm the later kind of guy. Whenever I go to a party, or a vacation or just visiting relatives with family and friends, I take a lot of pictures. Not only pictures of people, but also pictures of the surroundings. Once I took 52 snaps of a common household lizard. Yah, I know it sounds freaky. :)
For a long time whenever I get hold of a camera, I can't stop taking snaps. A lot of people loves to take pictures. Some people loves to be in front of the camera, and some people loves to stay behind the view finder. For me, I'm the later kind of guy. Whenever I go to a party, or a vacation or just visiting relatives with family and friends, I take a lot of pictures. Not only pictures of people, but also pictures of the surroundings. Once I took 52 snaps of a common household lizard. Yah, I know it sounds freaky. :)
Anyway, for last 6 years, I have been using Sony Cyber Shot DSC H50. It's a really nice camera and I have a lot of good memory with it. In fact my passion with photography started with this little honey. It's not a DSLR, but it's shape sometimes eludes the ignorant.
With Carl Zesis lens, 15x zoom and a cool 9.2 MP sensor, it was one of the best Sony Cyber Shot back in it's time. It's really easy to handle and meets up almost every need for a amateur photographer like me. But as time went by, I started to feel to do more with my camera. My little H50 is still working great, but with it's auto focus (no manual focus) and auto settings, it became harder to do more experiments. So, finally I decided to get a new camera, but this time I decided to go for a DSLR.
After googling for a long time, consulting a lot of friends, taking opinions from facebook groups of photographers, I finally bought my new camera. Considering my financial condition, I wasn't able to get a mid level DSLR, so I bought a beginner level Canon DSLR. I'm a complete beginner with DSLR, so I guess getting a costly mid or advance level camera is actually too luxurious for me. Anyway, I bought the cool Canon EOS 600D. It cost me around 600$ with a 18-55 IS III lens.
Compared to my old Sony Cyber-shot, this new monster is really heavy. My hand hurts with prolonged use. but still, it feels really amazing holding my very first DSLR. Here are the features of the 600D.
IMAGE SENSOR
| Type | 22.3 x 14.9mm CMOS |
|---|---|
| Effective Pixels | Approx. 18.0 megapixels |
| Total Pixels | Approx 18.7 megapixels |
| Aspect Ratio | 3:2 |
| Low-Pass Filter | Built-in/Fixed |
| Sensor Cleaning | EOS integrated cleaning system |
| Colour Filter Type | Primary Colour |
IMAGE PROCESSOR
| Type | DIGIC 4 |
|---|
LENS
| Lens Mount | EF/EF-S |
|---|---|
| Focal Length | Equivalent to 1.6x the focal length of the lens |
FOCUSING
| Type | TTL-CT-SIR with a CMOS sensor |
|---|---|
| AF System/ Points | 9 AF points (f/5.6 cross type at centre, extra sensitivity at f/2.8) |
| AF Working Range | EV -0.5 -18 (at 23°C & ISO100) |
| AF Modes | AI Focus One Shot AI Servo |
| AF Point Selection | Automatic selection, Manual selection |
| Selected AF Point Display | Superimposed in viewfinder and indicated on LCD monitor |
| Predictive AF | Yes, up to 10m¹ |
| AF Lock | Locked when shutter button is pressed half way in One Shot AF mode |
| AF Assist Beam | Intermittent firing of built-in flash or emitted by optional dedicated Speedlite |
| Manual Focus | Selected on lens, default in Live View Mode |
| AF Microadjustment | No |
EXPOSURE CONTROL
| Metering Modes | TTL full aperture metering with 63-zone SPC (1) Evaluative metering (linked to all AF points) (2) Partial metering at center (approx. 9% of viewfinder) (3) Spot metering (approx. 4% of viewfinder at center) (4) Center weighted average metering |
|---|---|
| Metering Range | EV 1-20 (at 23°C with 50mm f/1.4 lens ISO100) |
| AE Lock | Auto: In 1-shot AF mode with evaluative metering exposure is locked when focus is achieved. Manual: By AE lock button in creative zone modes |
| Exposure Compensation | +/-5 EV in 1/3 or 1/2 stop increments (can be combined with AEB) |
| AEB | 3 shots +/- 2 EV, 1/2 or 1/3-stop increments |
| ISO Sensitivity* | AUTO (100-6400), 100-6400 Expandable to H (approx 12800) in 1-stop increments |
SHUTTER
| Type | Electronically-controlled focal-plane shutter |
|---|---|
| Speed | 30-1/4000 sec (1/2 or 1/3 stop increments), Bulb (Total shutter speed range. Available range varies by shooting mode) |
WHITE BALANCE
| Type | Auto white balance with the imaging sensor |
|---|---|
| Settings | AWB, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, White Fluorescent light, Flash, Custom. White balance compensation: 1. Blue/Amber +/-9 2. Magenta/Green +/-9 |
| Custom White Balance | Yes, 1 setting can be registered |
| WB Bracketing | +/-3 levels in single level increments 3 bracketed images per shutter release. Selectable Blue/Amber bias or Magenta/ Green bias |
VIEWFINDER
| Type | Pentamirror |
|---|---|
| Coverage (Vertical/Horizontal) | Approx. 95% |
| Magnification | Approx. 0.85x¹ |
| Eyepoint | Approx. 19mm (from eyepiece lens centre) |
| Dioptre Correction | -3 to +1 m-1 (dioptre) |
| Focusing Screen | Fixed |
| Mirror | Quick-return half mirror (Transmission: reflection ratio of 40:60, no mirror cut-off with EF600mm f/4 or shorter) |
| Viewfinder Information | AF information: AF points, focus confirmation light¹ Exposure information: Shutter speed, aperture value, ISO speed (always displayed), AE lock, exposure level/compensation, spot metering circle, exposure warning, AEB Flash information: Flash ready, high-speed sync, FE lock, flash exposure compensation, red-eye reduction light Image information: Highlight tone priority (D+), monochrome shooting, maximum burst (1 digit display), White balance correction, SD card information |
| Depth of Field Preview | Yes, with Depth of Field preview button |
| Eyepiece Shutter | On strap |
LCD MONITOR
| Type | Vari angle 7.7cm (3.0") 3:2 Clear View TFT, approx. 1040K dots |
|---|---|
| Coverage | Approx. 100% |
| Viewing Angle (Horizontally/Vertically) | Approx 170° |
| Coating | Dual Anti-reflection, anti smudge |
| Brightness Adjustment | Adjustable to one of seven levels |
| Display Options | (1) Quick Control Screen (2) Camera settings |
FLASH
| Built-in Flash GN (ISO 100, meters) | 13 |
|---|---|
| Built-in Flash Coverage | Up to 17mm focal length (35mm equivalent: 27mm) |
| Built-in Flash Recycle Time | Approx. 3 seconds |
| Modes | Auto, Manual flash, Integrated Speedlite Transmitter |
| Red-Eye Reduction | Yes - with red eye reduction lamp |
| X-Sync | 1/200sec |
| Flash Exposure Compensation | +/- 2EV in 1/2 or 1/3 increments |
| Flash Exposure Bracketing | Yes, with compatible External Flash |
| Flash Exposure Lock | Yes |
| Second Curtain Synchronisation | Yes |
| HotShoe/ PC Terminal | Yes/ - |
| External Flash Compatibility | E-TTL II with EX series Speedlites, wireless multi-flash support |
| External Flash Control | Via camera menu screen |
SHOOTING
| Modes | Scene Intelligent Auto, No Flash, Creative Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, Movie, Program AE , Shutter priority AE, Aperture priority AE, Manual, A-DEP |
|---|---|
| Picture Styles | Auto, Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, User Defined (x3) |
| Colour Space | sRGB and Adobe RGB |
| Image Processing | Highlight Tone Priority Auto Lighting Optimizer (4 settings) Long exposure noise reduction High ISO speed noise reduction (4 settings) Auto Correction of Lens Peripheral illumination Basic+ (Shoot by ambience selection, Shoot by lighting or scene type) Creative filters (Grainy B/W, Soft focus, Toy camera, Miniature effect, Fish-eye) - during image Playback only |
| Drive Modes | Single, Continuous, Self timer (2s, 10s+remote, 10s + continuous shots 2-10) |
| Continuous Shooting | Max. Approx. 3.7fps for approx. 34 JPEG images¹³, 6 images RAW²³ |
LIVE VIEW MODE
| Type | Electronic viewfinder with image sensor |
|---|---|
| Coverage | Approx. 99% (horizontally and vertically) |
| Frame Rate | 30 fps |
| Focusing | Manual Focus (Magnify the image 5x or 10x at any point on screen) Autofocus: Quick mode, Live mode |
| Metering | Real-time evaluative metering with image sensor Active metering time can be changed |
| Display Options | Grid overlay, Histogram |
FILE TYPE
| Still Image Type | JPEG: Fine, Normal (Exif 2.30 compliant) / Design rule for Camera File system (2.0), RAW: RAW (14bit, Canon original RAW 2nd edition), Digital Print Order Format [DPOF] Version 1.1 compliant |
|---|---|
| RAW+JPEG Simultaneous Recording | Yes, RAW + Large JPEG |
| Image Size | JPEG 3:2: (L) 5184x3456, (M) 3456x2304, (S1) 2592x1728, (S2) 1920x1280, (S3) 720x480 JPEG 4:3: (L) 4608x3456, (M) 3072x2304, (S1) 2304x1728, (S2) 1696x1280, (S3) 640x480 JPEG 16:9: (L) 5184x2912, (M) 3456x1944, (S1) 2592x1456 (S2) 1920x1080, (S3) 720x400 JPEG 1:1: (L) 3456x3456, (M) 2304x2304, (S1) 1728x1728, (S2) 1280x1280, (S3) 480x480 RAW: (RAW) 5184x3456 |
| Movie Type | MOV (Video: H.264, Sound: Linear PCM) |
| Movie Size | 1920 x 1080 (29.97, 25, 23.976 fps) 1280 x 720 (59.94, 50 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 25 fps) |
| Movie Length | Max duration 29min 59sec, Max file size 4GB |
| Folders | New folders can be manually created and selected |
| File Numbering | (1) Consecutive numbering (2) Auto reset (3) Manual reset |
OTHER FEATURES
| Custom Functions | 11 Custom Functions with 34 settings |
|---|---|
| Metadata Tag | User copyright information (can be set in camera) Image rating (0-5 stars) |
| Intelligent Orientation Sensor | Yes |
| Playback Zoom | 1.5x - 10x enabled in 15steps |
| Display Formats | (1) Single image with information (2 levels) (2) Single image (3) 4 image index (4) 9 image index (5) Jump Display |
| Slide Show | Image selection: All images, by Date, by Folder, Movies, Stills Playback time: 1/2/3/5 seconds Repeat: On/Off |
| Histogram | Brightness: Yes RGB: Yes |
| Highlight Alert | Yes |
| Image Erase/Protection | Erase: Single image, All images in folder, Checkmarked images, unprotected images Protection: Erase protection of one image at a time |
| Menu Categories | (1) Shooting menu (x4) (2) Playback menu (x2) (3) Setup menu (x3) (4) My Menu |
| Menu Languages | 25 Languages English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Portuguese, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Greek, Russian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Romanian, Ukrainian, Turkish, Arabic, Thai, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean and Japanese |
| Firmware Update | Update possible by the user |
INTERFACE
| Computer | Hi-Speed USB |
|---|---|
| Other | Video output (PAL/ NTSC) (integrated with USB terminal), HDMI mini output (HDMI-CEC compatible), External microphone (3.5mm Stereo mini jack) |
DIRECT PRINT
| Canon Printers | Canon Compact Photo Printers and PIXMA Printers supporting PictBridge |
|---|---|
| PictBridge | Yes |
STORAGE
| Type | SD card, SDHC card or SDXC card |
|---|
SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEM
| PC & Macintosh | Windows XP inc SP3 / Vista inc SP1 and SP2 (excl. Starter Edition) / 7 (excl. Starter Edition) OS X v10.5-10.6 (Intel processor required) |
|---|
SOFTWARE
| Browsing & Printing | ZoomBrowser EX / ImageBrowser |
|---|---|
| Image Processing | Digital Photo Professional |
| Other | PhotoStitch, EOS Utility (inc. Remote Capture), Picture Style Editor |
POWER SOURCE
| Batteries | 1 x Rechargeable Li-ion Battery LP-E8 |
|---|---|
| Battery Life | Approx. 440 (at 23°C, AE 50%, FE 50%)¹ Approx. 400 (at 0°C, AE 50%, FE 50%) |
| Battery Indicator | 4 levels |
| Power Saving | Power turns off after 30sec or 1, 2, 4, 8 or 15mins. |
| Power Supply & Battery Chargers | AC Adapter Kit ACK-E8, Battery charger LC-E8, LC-E8E |
PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS
| Body Materials | Stainless Steel and polycarbonate resin with conductive fiber |
|---|---|
| Operating Environment | 0 – 40 °C, 85% or less humidity |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 133.1 x 99.5 x 79.7 mm |
| Weight (Body Only) | Approx. 570g (CIPA testing standard, including battery and memory card) |
ACCESSORIES
| Viewfinder | Eyecup Ef, E-series Dioptric Adjustment Lens with Rubber Frame Ef, Eyepiece Extender EP-EX15II, Angle Finder C |
|---|---|
| Case | Semi-Hard Case EH19-L |
| Wireless File Transmitter | Compatible with Eye-Fi cards |
| Lenses | All EF and EF-S lenses |
| Flash | Canon Speedlites (220EX, 270EX, 270EX II, 320EX, 420EX, 430EX, 430EX II, 550EX, 580EX, 580EX II, Macro-Ring-Lite, MR-14EX, Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX, Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2) |
| Battery Grip | BG-E8 |
| Remote Controller/ Switch | Remote Switch RS-60E3, Remote Controller RC-6 |
| Other | Hand Strap E2 |
| Predictive AF | ¹ with EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM at 50kph |
|---|---|
| Magnification | ¹ with 50mm lens at infinity, -1m-1 dpt |
| Viewfinder Information | ¹ Focus Confirmation Light not available with EF Cinema lenses |
| Continuous Shooting | ¹ Large/Fine(Quality 8) resolution ² Based on Canon's testing conditions, JPEG, ISO 100, Standard Picture Style. Varies depending on the subject, memory card brand and capacity, image recording quality, ISO speed, drive mode, Picture Style, Custom functions etc. ³ Maximum fps and buffer capacity may be reduced depending on the cameras settings and light level |
| Battery Life | ¹ Based on the CIPA Standard and using the batteries and memory card format supplied with the camera, except where indicated |
