The Canon EOS 650D Kit replaced the popular EOS 550D with the top-end digital SLR for beginners, slightly ahead of the EOS 600D. Many of the features of the 550D are continued in this device. Like its predecessor, the camera was created as a high-performance tool for amateurs who have grown to the level of DSLR photography.
The case is sold without a lens, and complete with optics EF-S 18-55 mm F / 3.5-5.6 IS II, or EF-S 18-135 mm F / 3.5-5.6 IS STM or with a pair of EF-S 18-55 mm F / 3.5-5.6 IS II and 55-250 mm F / 4-5.6 IS.
Case design
Like its predecessor, the Canon 650D camera body matches its market position - polycarbonate resin and a fiberglass shell hide the stainless steel chassis. Together, these materials provide the strength and durability of the device. The holder is large enough to satisfy most users, and the layout of the controls is similar to the 550D.
The front panel of the Canon 650D is slightly more rounded than its predecessor, and the textured areas are slightly larger and better integrated into the overall design. Otherwise, almost nothing has changed, the key components are in the same places on both cameras.
A convenient video slide switch instead of a button, as in most cameras, reduces the likelihood of unintentional operation. A pair of microphones in the upper part of the flash - for the first time for cameras of this class - allows you to record stereo sound.
The memory card slot on the right side panel accepts SD, SDHC and SDXC cards, as well as new UHS-1 and Eye-Fi cards. The Canon EOS 650D Kit uses the same LP-E8 battery as its predecessor, with a capacity of 440 shots per charge.
Two removable rubber covers on the left side of the camera body protect the interface ports. Under one is a jack for an external microphone, and the other hides the A / V output, USB and HDMI ports. Like the EOS 550D, the Canon 650D can be equipped with a battery in the form of a pen, which will expand shooting capabilities and provide a vertical control interface in portrait position.
Touch screen
The adjustable monitor has become the most notable innovation on the rear panel, which has also undergone some cosmetic changes. The display has a capacitive sensor that complements the standard EOS controls in Live View and supports gestures to enlarge the image or move between shots.
Functions available through the touch screen include AF point, face, shutter speed, aperture, and exposure. There is also the possibility of focusing on the touch point with the immediate release of the shutter.
This control implementation is similar to the Panasonic system, which is considered the most intuitive and convenient for users of modern cameras. Touch screen elements integrate well with the familiar quick control display - there is a corresponding icon for direct access to Canon Quick Control.
New settings
The biggest changes on the top panel have undergone the settings disc, supplemented by several new shooting methods. The automatic mode has become “smart” and is now able to determine the plot based on faces, colors, brightness, movement and contrast.
The exposure is selected in accordance with the calculated plot type. When a face is detected, the iris opens to blur the background and highlight the subject. When photographing moving subjects, the slowest shutter speed is set to minimize blur. Close-ups and night scenes are also automatically detected.
In the modes of serial manual night shooting and HDR, a quick capture of 3-4 frames occurs, followed by their combination to obtain a single image with a natural tone balance.
Innovative solutions
Using cross-shaped sensors for the 9-point array of the autofocus system brought the camera to the forefront. The dual-center center point provides more accurate focusing of lenses with F / 2.8 and larger, while earlier systems were optimized for F / 5.6. In addition, AI Servo AF mode has been enhanced with new algorithms to provide better performance when capturing moving subjects.
Canon has developed a new Hybrid CMOS AF system for shooting while viewing using phase detection sensors built into the surface of the CMOS chip. The system resembles the Nikon 1 AF system and improves the speed and accuracy of autofocus by predicting the location of moving subjects when the central AF points are involved.
Contrast autofocus is used to fine tune the focus and to correct it. The new Movie Servo feature further improves tracking in video mode when working with the touch screen.
Photographers can control audio recordings using a display showing 64 levels of adjustment, an attenuator will reduce distortion at high volume of the sound source, and the wind filter is designed for outdoor shooting. Ø 3.5 mm jack allows you to connect external microphones. There is a remote control socket RS-60E3. Wireless management supported.
The camera allows you to edit clips, including reordering or deleting them from albums. Individual clips can be edited using a special application.
In addition to the standard settings for noise reduction at high sensitivity, a burst option has been added. At the same time, the camera captures 4 frames quickly and combines them.
When the camera is in the hands, the processor automatically aligns the frames when they are superimposed, if they are located close enough. This mode reduces image noise more efficiently than conventional processing since it better preserves the resolution of the subject. But this is only available for JPEG files.
The Canon 650D lets you rate frames on a scale of 1 to 5 for easy searching and management. Images can be changed, rotated, protected from change, deleted and played back at intervals of 1, 2, 3, 5, 10 or 20 with five transition effects.
The camera is powered by the same LP-E8 battery as its predecessor, designed for 440 shots per charge when using the viewfinder or 180 in Live View shooting mode. The duration of the video recording is about 1 hour 40 minutes.
Creative filters
Photographers who like visual effects will be happy to add two new filters. "Oil paints" increase contrast and saturation, and "Watercolor" brightens and reduces the saturation of the image, emphasizing the contours.
Creative filters can be applied to JPEG and CR2.RAW files. This means that users can use different effects for the same image. Corrected pictures are saved in compressed form.
Canon has provided editing features that allow photographers to modify images captured with the basic settings right in the camera. Three options are available: Soft and Good, Dark and Quiet, and Bright and Clear. The strength of each parameter can be adjusted.
Canon EOS 650D Kit STM
This is one of the possible configurations of the camera. In addition to the body, the kit includes a Canon 650D 18-135 mm EF-S f / 3.5-5.6 IS STM zoom lens.
- EF - “electronic focus”. This means that the autofocus engine is located in the optics itself. Since 1987, all lenses of this manufacturer have been equipped with this system.
- S - “small format”, that is, the Canon 650D STM lens is only suitable for small format (1.6x) digital cameras.
- IS stands for Image Stabilization, thanks to which the tripod can be left at home.
- STM in Canon EOS 650D STM indicates the presence of a stepper motor.
The lens covers all the necessary focal lengths. Manual focus and smooth zoom work better than most manufacturers' optics.
For the amateur class, the Canon 650D Kit STM 18-135 mm is pretty decent. Outside, almost the entire lens, except for the mount, is covered with plastic, but it is a high-quality hard material that can withstand a strong blow.
Image processing
The camera sensor has the same 18 megapixel resolution as the EOS 550D and EOS 600D, but features fast 4-channel readout. The LC1270 has built-in phase detection elements for fast AF in live view.
Images are not processed by the most powerful DIGIC 5 processor, but suitable for the target camera market. It is about 30% smaller and slower, DIGIC 5+.
In burst mode, the image is captured at a speed of 5 fps and the maximum sensitivity is increased to ISO 25600. The buffer capacity of the Canon 650D is 22 pictures in JPEG format, 6 in RAW or 3 pairs of RAW + JPEG. Using UHS-1-compatible expansion cards increases the capacity of the buffer up to 30 compressed images.
3 JPEG sizes and 2 compression levels are available, but only one RAW format is 5184 x 3456 pixels. In RAW + JPEG capture mode, only the maximum frame size is available.
Video recording
When shooting using the viewfinder, the aspect ratio setting is not supported - it is limited to 3: 2. LiveView allows photographers to crop the image to get 4: 3, 1: 1, and 16: 9 ratios.
Video is recorded in MPEG-4 format with AVC.H.264 compression and variable bit rate. AE and manual shooting modes are supported.
Photographers can choose one of 3 types of autofocus: FlexiZone Single, Multi and Face Tracking +. In the center of the frame, manual focusing is available with the possibility of magnification by 5x or 10x.
ISO sensitivity is set automatically in the range of 100-6400, and if necessary, it can be expanded to ISO 12800. The duration of the clip can be set in 2, 4 or 8 seconds.
Playback and software
Playback is similar to the EOS 550D and can be single or index (4 or 9 shots) with a magnification of 1.5-10x. Footage can be scrolled with your finger on the touch screen.
The slide show may be accompanied by background music. Pictures can be sorted by date, folder, video, rating. It is possible to change the orientation of the image, manual and automatic. Video playback is also supported.
While other manufacturers apply filters during image recording, Canon prefers that users can apply them after capture. The art filters available in the Canon EOS 650D Kit are Soft Focus, Fisheye, Grainy B / W, Toy Camera, Miniature, Watercolor, and Oil Paints.
The device comes with a 372-page user manual, two software CDs, and an instruction manual. The software contains the latest versions of standard utilities: Digital Photo Professional, EOS Utility (bootloader), Image Browser EX, Picture Style Editor, PhotoStitch and EOS Sample Music. Also included are manuals for macro photography, the use of optics with image stabilization, and flash photography.
Quality of work
AF system enhancements are most noticeable when using the viewfinder. In Live View, autofocus takes about 1 second, although the touch shutter reduces the delay to 0.3 seconds. When shooting video, lags from 0.3 to 0.5 s are noticeable during panning or changing the focal length.
In addition to autofocus, the color rendering in RAW files has also improved markedly. JPEG showed the increased saturation expected in entry-level cameras, but mostly only for warm colors.
The clarity has worsened a bit. Image noise during long exposure and flash shooting has not changed. White balance too.
Video quality has improved, especially in low light levels. The differences between HD 1080p and 720p are largely related to frame resolution.
The sound quality of the built-in microphone is above average, although the built-in wind filter does not work even in moderately windy conditions. Operating noise of the camera when scaling and refocusing in the recording is not audible.
When shooting with the fastest 32 GB SanDisk Extreme Pro SDHC UHS-1 card, the camera is ready about 1 second after turning on. The average capture delay is 0.25 s when using the viewfinder and 0.9 s in Live View. This lag was completely eliminated by pre-setting focus with the viewfinder and reduced to 0.2 s in Live View. The average time between single frames was 0.4 s.
Shooting with compression and high resolution increases this time to 0.9 s, in RAW - up to 2.1 s and in RAW + JPEG - up to 2.2 s.
Serial capture of 10 compressed photos of maximum resolution took 1.8 s, and their processing required 3.8 s.
RAW files significantly reduce the speed of photography. Shooting a series of 6 frames took 1s and 7.2s of post-processing. For a pair of RAW + JPEG, 3 pictures are already critical - 6.4 s + 5.6 s.
Is it worth buying?
This camera should be purchased if:
- you need a high-resolution DSLR camera that can shoot still objects and Full HD video;
- requires a simple user interface, simple automated shooting modes and ease of management;
- it is possible to use an extended range of sensitivity;
- there is a need for a display with a variable angle;
- need a built-in autoflash with various modes of operation.
You should not buy a camera when:
- you need more than 1 RAW format and you need to change the size of the compressed image;
- A wider range of AE bracketing is needed.
- All-weather operation of the camera is required.