Canon 650D is a digital SLR camera released in 2012. In the lineup of the manufacturer, he replaced the 600D model. Designed for both beginner amateur enthusiasts and enthusiastic photographers. Do you want to know the features of the Canon 650D model, professional reviews, the pros and cons of buying? Read on and we will answer all these questions in detail.
General view
When creating this model, the main goal of the manufacturer was to make the Canon 650D easy to use. To do this, he gained new automatic shooting modes, as well as a rotatable LCD touch screen. An impressive number of more complex features come in handy for experienced photographers.
Despite the fact that the "Canon 650D" characteristics are pretty standard for its price category, it has something to boast of at a detailed examination. This is not just a repeat of the 600 D, but with an LCD touch screen. For example, for the first time in the EOS line, the camera can automatically focus when shooting video.
Standard set
Here's what the Canon 650D comes with:
- instruction manual and printed pocket book;
- 18-135 mm lens;
- battery and charger
- strap for carrying around the neck;
- USB cable
- 2 CD - with software and instructions for its use;
- the camera itself.
Appearance, usability
"Canon 650D" is quite compact, fits in the palm of your hand. The case is made of reliable sturdy black plastic, it is convenient to hold it in your hands due to rubber pads.
The screen is LCD, its diagonal is 3 inches, resolution is 720 x 480 pixels.
The aspect ratio of the display is 3: 2, which coincides with the same parameter of the camera’s sensor. Therefore, the footage fits on it without black bars. The screen is rotary and, most interestingly, touch. A capacitive touchscreen allows you to control the "Canon 650D", duplicating the mechanical buttons that still remained in place. This allows beginners who are accustomed to operating a touch phone to quickly learn new techniques, while photographers who are used to standard keys are relieved of the need to relearn. An ideal example of how a manufacturer meets new technologies, taking into account the wishes of users.
The screen recognizes standard gestures: selection, flipping, zooming, and also allows you to easily and quickly change the focus point in real-time preview mode.
At the top of the case on the right is the familiar wheel with a choice of shooting modes. Auto mode independently analyzes the object and selects the optimal shooting parameters, just like in ordinary digital cameras.
Technical details
"Canon EOS 650D" boasts good performance.
The maximum image resolution is 5184 x 3456 pixels (18-megapixel sensor). This means that you can print A3 quality photographs in high quality. Not interested in the paper aspect of photography? Then you will be pleased that you can crop the frame, and at the same time you will still have a pretty large clear picture.
The Digic 5 processor is 6 times faster than its predecessor in the 600D. What does this give you? The speed of selection of settings, as well as correction of the finished material and its viewing. The camera can shoot in continuous shooting mode at a speed of 5 frames per second. But only 22 JPEG files, 6 RAW files in a row, or just 3 JPEG + RAW pairs.
This is a pretty good speed, but here one of the significant drawbacks of the model becomes noticeable. Namely, a small memory buffer. So you can shoot fast (which is important when working with animals or when shooting sports events), but not for long.
For the same reason, real-time preview mode sometimes freezes.
The built-in Speedlite transmitter allows you to work with an external flash.
An interesting addition that appeared with the Canon 650D camera is filters for editing the image. They can be applied before or after you press the shutter. This feature is also borrowed from digital cameras and is designed for beginner photography enthusiasts.
Another innovation is two shooting modes for difficult lighting conditions:
HDR Backlight Control allows you to take clear pictures with high contrast. The camera takes 3 frames - darkened, lit, normal, and combines them into one high-quality image.
Handheld Night Scene - manual night shooting mode - allows you to work without a tripod. This effect is achieved due to the fact that the camera takes several pictures in a row with high shutter speed and then also combines them into one successful frame. This is a useful feature when you don’t want to spend a lot of time preparing for the shoot.
Lenses
When it comes to a SLR camera, optics is a very important aspect. The quality of your pictures can seriously depend on it, so beginners often get lost, what kind of lenses to choose. But since this model is designed to make life easier for users, when you buy you get a pretty good Canon 650D 18-135 mm lens. With it, you can make both macro shots and landscapes. It will allow you to clearly understand what your needs are, and if necessary, buy another.
The full range of the Canon 650D's light sensitivity has been increased to a maximum of ISO 25600. Predictably, images captured with ISO 100 are clear and noise-free. The latter appear on the dark areas of images taken at ISO 6400 when viewed on a computer screen. At ISO 12800, pictures can still be used, but it is best to use the new settings mode to suppress digital noise (although it only works when shooting in JPG format, for other formats you will have to use the usual settings to reduce noise).
Video recording
The Canon 650D camera offers its owner quite ample opportunities. So, he can shoot video in Full HD resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels. On top of the case there is a built-in stereo microphone.
The shooting speed in Full HD mode can be selected at the level of 24.25 or 30 frames per second, and 50 or 60 frames when shooting in VGA mode with a resolution of not more than 720p.
The lens, which comes standard, uses linear stepper motors, thanks to which autofocus can be used during movie shooting. But keep in mind that they make a little noise that the built-in stereo microphone can catch. In addition, while the autofocus adjusts to the image, the subject may be out of focus for a few seconds.
In Video Snapshot mode, you can record short 2, 4, 8-second clips and combine them into one file in order to facilitate editing.
For those who like the sound to be at their best, there is a jack for connecting an external microphone.
The camera has a mini HDMI port, which allows you to view the footage on any HD-TV. But he does not have a headphone jack.
How long is the battery?
The standard LP-E8 battery allows you to take 400-440 shots when using the optical viewfinder, 150-180 shots when applying the preview on the LCD screen or 1.5 hours of video recording.
What do real buyers think about the Canon 650D?
Reviews are mostly positive. Buyers note the ease of use of the camera, the high quality of the result, as well as its versatility. After all, it’s easy to take with him not only beautiful pictures, but also videos. The Canon 650D camera allows you to experiment and discover new facets of creativity without additional hardware costs.
The touchscreen for many facilitates and speeds up the work of choosing the right settings, so that although it seems superfluous at first glance, real experience with the use proves the opposite.
The ability to rotate the screen is also a pretty useful addition, not only when you shoot at an angle, but also when the subject is low. So, you can put the camera on the ground, bend the display and clearly see it, there is no need to go to bed yourself.
Cons of the camera
And what are the drawbacks revealed by customers at the Canon 650D? Reviews note noises from autofocus, so if you work without an external microphone, then manual focusing may be preferable - with it, noise from the lenses is almost indistinguishable.
Also inconvenient battery. When fully charged, it is enough for small photo shoots near the house. But if you have planned a long work or responsible shooting (weddings, for example), you will have to get a spare battery.
Also, a scandal erupted from one of the first parties. Rubber pads turned white due to the fact that they were accidentally contaminated with zinc oxide during production. This substance can cause allergic reactions, and many buyers returned their cameras. Therefore, it is worth checking the serial number before buying: if the sixth digit is 1, this is the same defective batch.
To summarize
For Canon 650D, high-quality photo and video shooting is an ordinary task. Build quality, ease of use, characteristics that are fully consistent with reality - all this ensured him an impeccable reputation. For many amateur photographers, he became the first serious device. Its charm is that it is perfect for a beginner, and for a long time will meet his needs, even taking into account the growth of skills.