Canon's EOS 650D Kit replaces the popular EOS 550D as the top entry-level DSLR, slightly outperforming the EOS 600D. Many of the functional features of the 550D are continued in this device. Like its predecessor, the camera was designed as a high-performance tool for hobbyists who have matured into DSLR photography.
Sold as body without lens or as a kit with EF-S 18-55mm F/3, 5-5, 6 IS II or EF-S 18-135mm F/ 3, 5-optics 5, 6 IS STM or with a pair of EF-S 18-55mm F/3, 5-5, 6 IS II and 55-250mm F/4-5, 6 IS.
Case design
Like its predecessor, the body of the Canon 650D matches its position in the market - polycarbonate resin and fiberglass shell hide the stainless steel chassis. Together, these materials provide strength and durability to the device. The holder is large enough to satisfy most users, and the control layout is similar to the 550D.
The Canon 650D's front panel is slightly more rounded than its predecessor, andthe textured areas are slightly larger and better integrated into the overall design. Otherwise, almost nothing has changed, key components are in the same places on both cameras.
Convenient video slide switch instead of a button like in most cameras reduces the chance of unintentional triggering. A pair of microphones on top of the flash - a first for a camera in 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 the 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 caps 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 pen-style battery for more shooting options and a vertical portrait control interface.
Touch screen
The adjustable monitor was the most noticeable change on the rear panel, which also received some cosmetic changes. The display has a capacitive touch that complements the standard EOS Live View controls and supports gestures to zoom in or jump between shots.
Functions available via the touch screen include AF point selection, face,shutter speed, aperture and exposure. There is also the ability to focus on the point of contact with an immediate shutter release.
This control implementation is similar to Panasonic's system, which is considered the most intuitive and user-friendly for today's cameras. The 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 change on the top panel is the setting dial, with several new ways to shoot. Auto mode is smarter and is now able to determine the scene based on faces, colors, brightness, motion and contrast.
The exposure is selected according to the calculated scene type. When a face is detected, the aperture opens to blur the background and highlight the subject. When photographing moving subjects, the shutter speed is set to the slowest to minimize image blur. Close-ups and night scenes are also automatically detected.
Night Burst and HDR modes capture 3-4 frames quickly and combine them to produce a single image with natural tone balance.
Innovative Solutions
The use of cross sensors for the 9-point array autofocus system has brought the camera to the forefront. The center point with dual sensors ensures that lenses with f/2.8 and larger focus more precisely, while earlier systems wereoptimized for f/5.6. In addition, the AI Servo AF mode has been improved with new algorithms to provide better performance when capturing moving subjects.
Canon has developed a new Hybrid CMOS autofocus system for playback shooting using phase detection sensors built into the surface of the CMOS chip. The system resembles the Nikon 1 camera's AF system and improves autofocus speed and accuracy by predicting the location of moving subjects when the center AF points are engaged.
Contrast AF is used to fine-tune and correct focus. The new Movie Servo function further improves AF tracking in movie mode when using the touch screen.
Photographers can control audio recording with a display that shows 64 levels of adjustment, an attenuator will reduce distortion at high sound source volume, and a wind filter is designed for outdoor shooting. The Ø 3.5 mm jack allows you to connect external microphones. There is a socket for the RS-60E3 remote control. Wireless control supported.
Camera allows you to edit clips, including reordering or removing clips from albums. Individual clips can be edited using a dedicated application.
In addition to the standard high sensitivity noise reduction settings, a burst shooting option has been added. At the same time, the camera captures 4 frames at high speed and combines them.
When the camera is in the hands, the processor automatically aligns the frames when theyoverlay if they are close enough. This mode reduces image noise more effectively than normal processing because it preserves the subject's resolution better. But this is only available for JPEG files.
Canon 650D lets you rate images on a scale of 1 to 5 for easy search and management. Images can be resized, rotated, protected, deleted, and played at 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, or 20 intervals with five transition effects.
The camera is powered by the same LP-E8 battery pack as its predecessor, rated for 440 shots per charge when using the viewfinder or 180 in Live View shooting. Video recording time is approximately 1 hour 40 minutes.
Creative filters
Photographers who love visuals will love the addition of two new filters. Oil Paint enhances contrast and saturation, while Watercolor brightens and de-saturates an image to emphasize outlines.
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 compressed.
Canon has provided editing features that allow photographers to edit images taken with basic settings right in the camera. There are three options: Soft and Kind, Dark and Quiet, and Bright and Clear. The strength of each parameter can be adjusted.
Canon EOS 650D KitSTM
This is one of the possible configurations of the camera. In addition to the body, a Canon 650D 18-135mm EF-S f/3.5-5.6 IS STM zoom lens is included.
- EF - "electronic focus". This means that the autofocus motor is located in the optic itself. All lenses from this manufacturer have been equipped with this system since 1987.
- S stands for "small format", i.e. the Canon 650D STM lens is only suitable for small format (1.6x) digital cameras.
- IS stands for Image Stabilization so you can leave your tripod at home.
- STM in the Canon EOS 650D STM indicates the presence of a stepper motor.
The lens covers all necessary focal lengths. Manual focus and smooth zoom work better than most manufacturer optics.
For the amateur class, the Canon 650D Kit STM 18-135mm is pretty well made. The outside of the lens is covered in plastic, except for the mount, but it's a high-quality hard material that can withstand a lot of impact.
Image processing
The camera's sensor has the same 18 MP resolution as the EOS 550D and EOS 600D, but features fast 4-channel readout. The LC1270 sensor has built-in phase detection elements for fast Live View AF.
Images are not processed by the fastest DIGIC 5 processor, but suitable for the target camera market. It is about 30% smaller and slower than DIGIC 5 +.
In Burst mode, the image is captured at a speed of 5fps, and the maximum sensitivity is increased to ISO 25600. The buffer capacity of the Canon 650D is 22 shots in JPEG format, 6 in RAW or 3 pairs of RAW + JPEG. Using UHS-1 compliant expansion cards increases the buffer capacity to 30 compressed pictures.
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 shooting
When shooting with the viewfinder, the aspect ratio setting is not supported and is limited to 3:2. LiveView allows photographers to crop an image for 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 from 3 types of autofocus: FlexiZone Single, Multi and Face Tracking +. In the center of the frame, manual focus is available with the ability to zoom in by 5x or 10x.
ISO sensitivity is set automatically in the range of 100-6400 and can be expanded to ISO 12800 if needed. Clip duration can be set to 2, 4 or 8s.
Playback & Software
Playback is similar to EOS 550D and can be single-frame or index (4 or 9 shots) at 1.5-10x magnification. The footage can be swiped with your finger on the touch screen.
Slideshows can be accompanied by background music. Pictures can be sorted by date, folder, video, rating. Possible changeimage orientation, manual and automatic. Video playback is also supported.
While other manufacturers apply filters while the image is being captured, Canon prefers that users can apply them after capturing. The art filters available in the Canon EOS 650D Kit are Soft Focus, Fisheye, Grainy B/W, Toy Camera, Miniature, Watercolor and Oil Paint.
The unit comes with a 372-page user manual, two software CDs, and an instruction manual. The software contains the latest standard utilities: Digital Photo Professional, EOS Utility (loader), Image Browser EX, Picture Style Editor, PhotoStitch and EOS Sample Music. Also included are tutorials on macro photography, using optics with image stabilization, and flash photography.
Quality work
AF improvements are most noticeable when using the viewfinder. In Live View mode, autofocus takes about 1 second, although the touch shutter reduces the delay to 0.3 seconds. When shooting movies, there is a 0.3 to 0.5 second lag when panning or zooming.
In addition to autofocus, color reproduction in RAW files has also improved markedly. JPEG showed the increased saturation expected in entry-level cameras, but mostly only for warm tones.
Clearness has deteriorated slightly. Long exposure and flash image noise has not changed. White balance too.
Video quality has improved, especially at 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 no longer works in moderately windy conditions. Camera operation noises during zooming and refocusing are not heard in the recording.
When shooting with the fastest 32 GB SanDisk Extreme Pro SDHC UHS-1 card, the camera is ready in about 1 second after being turned on. The average capture lag is 0.25s when using the viewfinder and 0.9s in Live View. This lag was completely eliminated by focus pre-adjustment with the viewfinder and brought down to 0.2s in Live View. The average time between single frames was 0.4 s.
Shooting with high resolution compression increases this time to 0.9s, RAW to 2.1s, and RAW+JPEG to 2.2s.
Serial capture of 10 compressed photos of maximum resolution took 1.8 seconds, and their processing required 3.8 seconds.
RAW files noticeably slow down the speed of photographing. Shooting a series of 6 frames took 1s and 7.2s of post-processing. For a pair of RAW + JPEG, 3 shots are already critical - 6.4 s + 5.6 s.
Worth buying?
This camera should be purchased if:
- need a high resolution DSLR capable of capturing still subjects and Full HD video;
- requires a simple user interface, simple automated shooting modes and easy operation;
- there is an opportunityusing extended sensitivity range;
- requires a vari-angle display;
- need built-in autoflash with different flash modes.
You shouldn't buy a camera when:
- need more than 1 RAW format and need to resize compressed image;
- needs wider AE bracketing range;
- requires all-weather camera operation.
