Canon EOS 1200D Review - Photography Blog

Introduction

The Canon EOS 1200D (also known as the Digital Rebel T5) is the new entry-level model in Canon's extensive range of digital SLR cameras, replacing the 3 year old 1100D camera. Aimed at first-time DSLR users, the Canon 1200D has an 18 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, Digic 4 processor, 3-inch LCD screen, 3fps continuous shooting, 9-point auto focus module, 63-zone iFCL exposure metering, ISO 100-6400 sensitivity, on-screen Feature Guide, stainless steel chassis and all-aluminium exterior, 1080p HD video capture with full control over exposure, focusing and sound levels, and a new EOS Companion smartphone app. The Canon EOS 1200D is priced at £349.99 / €419.99 body only, or £449.99 / $549.99 with the stabilised EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II lens.

Ease of Use

The Canon EOS 1200D tested in this review was kindly provided by CameraWorld, a real camera shop helping you to make the most of your hobby. Our expert team has many years experience within the photographic trade with knowledge gained over 40 years. Many are photographers themselves and enjoy passing their knowledge on. You'll also find our online service fast, efficient and courteous and you can always call us if you want to talk to a human being! We are dedicated to bringing you the very best in service, choice and price. We're very easy to find, our London store is just off Oxford Street between Oxford Circus station and Tottenham Court Road station. The Essex shop is located in High Chelmer Shopping Centre, just off the High Street in Chelmsford. Visit us and you'll always find a friendly welcome. Our policy is to serve our customers as we would like to be served ourselves, a simple ideal that we try hard to live up to.

The Canon EOS 1200D / Rebel T5 is a small and lightweight DSLR camera with a stainless steel chassis and all-aluminium exterior, weighing in at 480g with the battery and memory card fitted and measuring 129.6 x 99.7 x 77.9 mm, which is commendably almost the same size and weight as the all-plastic EOS 1100D. In terms of build quality, the Canon EOS 1200D / Rebel T5 is a real surprise, feeling more than solid enough for a mid-range DSLR, never mind an entry-level one.

The Canon EOS 1200D / Rebel T5 has a much better grip than the previous EOS 1100D, too, feeling a lot more comfotable to hold thanks to a larger grip with a textured surface, with a similarly textured thumb-rest on the rear. The rest of the camera is finished in an appealingly matt black finish. Like all of Canon's APS-C digital SLR cameras, the EOS 1200D / Rebel T5 is compatible with the manufacturer's entire line-up of lenses, including both EF and EF-S glass. When changing lenses, EF lenses need to be aligned with the red dot on the lens mount, whereas EF-S lenses must be aligned with the white mark.

The 1200D's control layout is very similar to the 1100D, with just a a couple of changes. Virtually all of the important controls are located together at the right-hand side of the rear of the camera, rather than more liberally scattered around the body, which allows for a straight-forward transition from compact camera to DSLR. Taking advantage of the extra room allowed by the fixed LCD screen, the buttons are also quite large, again another subtle and effective concession to the 1200D's market. All of the buttons are clearly labelled but, with some of them being flush to the body, can be a little hard to press at times.

The EOS 1200D has a bigger 3-inch and higher-resolution 460k dot fixed LCD screen than the the older EOS 1100D, but it's still one of the main ways that it achieves its budget price-point. The bright Pentamirror optical viewfinder is the same as the previous model, offering 95% coverage of the scene, 0.80x magnification and dioptre control for glasses wearers. Depth of Field Preview is available when assigned to the SET button via Custom Function 8-5.

Front	Rear

We tested the EOS 1200D with the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II kit lens, which offers a fairly standard focal range for a kit lens and crucially includes image stabilisation. This is important for Canon, as competitors like Sony, Olympus and Pentax all offer image stabilisation in their DSLRs. The difference between Canon (and Nikon) and the others is that Sony, Olympus and Pentax have opted for stabilisation via the camera body, rather than the lens, which therefore works with their entire range of lenses. Canon's system is obviously limited by which lenses you choose, but it does offer the slight advantage of showing the stabilising effect through the viewfinder. Canon and Nikon also claim that a lens-based anti-shake system is inherently better too, but the jury's out on that one.

The EOS 1200D's top-mounted shooting mode dial has a multitude of letters and icons. The so-called Creative Zone features Programmed Auto (P), Shutter Priority (Tv), Aperture Priority (Av), and Manual (M) modes. Canon's unique A-DEP (Automatic Depth of Field) mode has quietly been dropped from the EOS 1200D.

The EOS 1200D now features the fully-automatic Scene Intelligent Auto mode, which analyses the scene in front of you and automatically picking the best settings, much like the systems used by lot of digital compacts. The 1200D also offer a Creative Auto mode which allows you to change a few key settings using the LCD screen via a simple slider system for changing the aperture and exposure compensation, or Background and Exposure as the camera refers to them. Creative Auto also includes Basic +. Essentially a more extreme version of the well-established Picture Styles, this offers nine options including Standard, Vivid, Soft, Warm, Intense, Cool, Brighter, Darker and Monochrome, all of which can be interactively tweaked to suit your taste.

There's a host of scene modes including Flash Off, Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Night Portrait and, oddly enough for an interchangeable-lens camera, a close-up mode as well. The majority of these scene modes allow users who do not want to fiddle with shutter speeds, f-stops, white balance or ISO settings to let the camera know what type of photo they are about to take, which helps the EOS 1200D / Rebel T5 to optimise these settings for that particular subject. We struggled to see the point of the close-up mode though, as the quality of one's close-up shots depends more on the use of the right kinds of accessory - such as a macro lens and possibly a ring flash - than any camera setting. The now established Feature Guide option in the EOS 1200D’s menu system usefully provides a brief description of each setting and its effect.

Front	Side

In the Creative Zone, the photographer gets to set a lot of shooting variables, including white balance, sensitivity, AF mode, exposure compensation, drive mode and so on. Most of these functions have their own dedicated buttons on the back of the camera, while others can be set on the interactive status screen accessible via the Q (Quick Control) button. Examples for the latter include file quality settings, metering mode, flash exposure compensation and Auto Lighting Optimiser.

The available white balance settings are Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash and Custom; there is no way to enter a Kelvin value manually. You can fine-tune any of the presets using the White Balance Correction feature. The ISO speed can be changed by pressing the ISO button and turning the control wheel or using the arrow buttons on the navigation pad. You do not have to hold down the button while changing the setting. The ISO speed can be set from ISO 100 to ISO 6400 in full-stop increments, and Auto ISO is also available. The chosen ISO speed is also displayed in the viewfinder.

The EOS 1200D / Rebel T5 offers a range of three auto focus modes (One Shot, AI Focus and AI Servo) and there's a 9-point AF module with a cross-type centre point and eight line-type AF sensors. One Shot AF is equivalent to AF-S, while AI Servo is the same thing as AF-C on other manufacturers' models. AI Focus is similar to what some other camera makers call AF-A in that it automatically switches from One Shot AF to AI Servo if a still subject starts moving. As regards AF point selection, it can be done manually by hitting the AF point selector button first, then using the four-way controller to select the AF point. The chosen/active AF point lights up in red in the viewfinder. In use, we have found the AF system to be pretty quick even with the kit lens, although the focus motor was a bit loud for our tastes (not surprisingly, given that the 18-55mm IS lens does not have USM).

There are a number of drive modes available on the Canon EOS 1200D / Rebel T5. These include Single Shot, Continuous Shooting, Self-timer and Remote Controlled Shooting. In Continuous Shooting mode, the camera can take pictures at a speed of 3 frames per second for up to 69 Large Fine JPEGs or 3fps for up to 6 RAW files.

Pop-up Flash	Top

The metering modes offered by the camera include Evaluative, Centre-weighted and Partial, which uses 10% of the frame area - the 1200D doesn't have a spot metering option. In use, we found that the Evaluative metering mode provided fairly good exposures with a variety of subjects, thanks to the 63-zone metering sensor. When shooting contrasty scenes, it is worth using the Evaluative mode in conjunction with the Auto Lighting Optimiser feature, accessible by hitting the Q button and using the interactive status panel.

The Live View button is within easy reach of your right thumb. Using this button it is easy to enter Live View, but it takes a surprising amount of time for the camera to actually display the live image (think several seconds). A grid line display and very useful live histogram can be enabled to help with composition and exposure, and you can zoom in by up to 10x magnification of the image displayed on the LCD screen. Focusing in Live View is achieved via a half-press of the shutter release as for normal shooting.

There are three auto focus options in Live View, including Quick, Live and Face Detection. The use of the Quick mode briefly interrupts the live view feed as the mirror is momentarily lowered so that the AF sensors can be engaged, and it also involves a lot of mirror slapping for the same reason. Live mode circumvents this problem by employing a contrast-detect method. While this is slower, and sometimes it may still take up to three seconds for the camera to lock focus in this mode, we found that about half a second was enough most of the time. This is still too slow for anything that moves - use the optical finder and the regular auto focus module for that type of shooting - but it is perfectly OK with still subjects. Obviously, you can also opt to focus manually, and as noted above, you can even magnify into the live image by up to 10x, which allows very accurate focusing.

Live View is also used for the Canon EOS 1200D / Rebel T5's movie mode. There's a choice of 24, 25or 30fps when shooting video at 1080p 1920x1080 pixels and 60/50fps at 720p 1280x720 pixels. Note that the available frame rates are also dependent on what you have set in the menu under "Video system": NTSC or PAL. If you turn the mode dial to the position denoted by the movie camera icon, the camera will enter Live View automatically. Before you start filming, you need to focus on the subject either manually or using auto focus as described above. You can now set the aperture, shutter speed and ISO manually as on the 700D, with the camera also offering automatic exposure control, and you can also use functions like AE lock and exposure compensation if you feel a need for it.

Memory Card Slot	Battery Compartment

Once everything is set up, you start filming by setting the shooting mode dial to the video mode and then hitting the Live View/Record button on the back of the camera. The EOS 1200D / Rebel T5 can now continuously adjust the focus during filming, an important upgrade on the previous model. You can also manually initiate auto focus at any time while recording a clip. However, be warned that the microphone can pick up the sound of the focus motor, which is especially loud on the kit lens, and the subject might even go out of focus for a few seconds. Setting a small aperture and relying on depth of field for focus is a better idea. Of course you may wish to utilise the DSLR's ability to produce footage with a shallow depth of field, but in that case, it might be a wise idea to purchase a couple of third-party accessories that make manual focusing and focus pulling easier.

The EOS 1200D's has a built-in pop-up flash with a guide number of 9.2 at ISO 100, coverage up to 17mm focal length, X-sync speed of 1/200sec and a recycle time of 2 seconds. There's also the expected hotshoe for use with one of Canon's external flashguns. There is a built-in microphone for mono recording, but you can't connect an external microphone for stereo recording. The HDMI port allows you to connect the EOS 1200D directly to an HDTV set. One notable omission is the lack of the EOS integrated cleaning system, which means that you'll need to manually clean the camera's sensor more often, something that we suspect most of the EOS 1200Ds owners will not even attempt.

The camera runs on a proprietary LP-E10 battery which, according to measurements that conform with CIPA standards, provides enough power for around 500 shots, quite a big drop from the EOS 1100D's 750-shot life. The battery can be charged in the supplied LC-E10(E) charger. Also in the box is a neck strap, a software CD and a user manual, which Canon thankfully provides in printed form, in several languages.

This concludes our evaluation of the EOS 1200D's ergonomics, handling, feature set and performance. Let's take a look at its Image Quality next.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 18 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 6Mb.

The Canon EOS 1200D produced images of very good quality during the review period. This camera produces noise-free images at ISO 100 up to ISO 800, with some noise appearing at ISO 1600. The faster setting of ISO 3200 is still usable, although we'd suggest avoiding ISO 6400 and especially 12800 if possible. The 18 megapixel images were quite soft straight out of the camera at the default sharpening setting and ideally require some further sharpening in an application like Adobe Photoshop, or you can change the in-camera setting. The built-in pop-up flash worked well indoors, with no red-eye and good overall exposure. The night photograph was very good, with the maximum shutter speed of 30 seconds and Bulb mode allowing you to capture enough light in most situations.

Noise

ISO sensitivity can be set between ISO 100 and ISO 6400 in full-stop increments. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting, with JPEG on the left and the RAW equivalent on the right.

JPEG	RAW
ISO 100 (100% Crop)	ISO 100 (100% Crop)
ISO 200 (100% Crop)	ISO 200 (100% Crop)
ISO 400 (100% Crop)	ISO 400 (100% Crop)
ISO 800 (100% Crop)	ISO 800 (100% Crop)
ISO 1600 (100% Crop)	ISO 1600 (100% Crop)
ISO 3200 (100% Crop)	ISO 3200 (100% Crop)
ISO 6400 (100% Crop)	ISO 6400 (100% Crop)
ISO 12800 (100% Crop)	ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

File Quality

The Canon EOS 1200D has 2 different JPEG file quality settings available, including Fine and Normal, with Fine being the higher quality option. Here are two 100% crops which show the quality of the two options.

Fine (6.17Mb) (100% Crop)	Normal (2.92Mb) (100% Crop)
RAW (22.6Mb) (100% Crop)

Sharpening

The out-of-camera JPEGs are quite soft and at the default sharpening setting and benefit from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. You can also change the in-camera sharpening level to suit your tastes via the Picture Style options.

Original (100% Crop)	Sharpened (100% Crop)

Flash

The flash settings on the EOS 1200D are Auto, Manual Flash On/Off, and Red-Eye Reduction. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1m.

Flash Off - Wide Angle (29mm)	Flash On - Wide Angle (29mm)
Flash Off - Telephoto (88mm)	Flash On - Telephoto (88mm)

And here are a couple of portrait shots. As you can see, neither the Flash On setting nor the Red-Eye Reduction option caused any amount of red-eye.

Flash On	Flash On (100% Crop)
Red-eye Reduction	Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop)

Night

The Canon EOS 1200D's maximum shutter speed is 30 seconds and there's a Bulb mode for even longer exposures, which is excellent news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 30 seconds, aperture of f/8 at ISO 100.

Night	Night (100% Crop)

Picture Styles

Canon's Picture Styles are preset combinations of different sharpness, contrast, saturation and colour tone settings. You can tweak these Picture Controls to your liking, and there are also User Defined styles so that you can create your own look.

Standard	Portrait
Landscape	Neutral
Faithful	Monochrome

Creative Auto

Creative Auto offers nine options including Standard, Vivid, Soft, Warm, Intense, Cool, Brighter, Darker and Monochrome, all of which can be interactively tweaked to suit your taste.

Standard	Vivid
Soft	Warm
Intense	Cool
Brighter	Darker
Monochrome

Auto Lighting Optimizer

Auto Lighting Optimizer performs in-camera processing to even out the contrast and correct brightness. There are 4 different settings - Off, Low, Standard and Strong.

Off	Low
Standard	Strong

Highlight Tone Priority

Highlight Tone Priority is a custom function (C.Fn-6), which can be enabled from the main menu. Use of this custom function improves highlight detail by expanding the camera's dynamic range in the highlights. Highlight Tone Priority reduces the extent of highlight blow-out considerably. The 100% crops also reveal that highlight detail was better retained and defined.

Off	On

Peripheral Illumination Correction

Peripheral Illumination Correction is an in-camera solution designed to reduce the effect of light fall-off in the image corners. It clearly works, as this example shows

Off	On

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Canon EOS 1200D camera, which were all taken using the 18 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

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1/13s · f/3.5 · ISO 10018mm Download Original

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1/25s · f/3.5 · ISO 20018mm Download Original

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1/60s · f/3.5 · ISO 40018mm Download Original

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1/100s · f/3.5 · ISO 80018mm Download Original

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1/250s · f/3.5 · ISO 160018mm Download Original

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1/500s · f/3.5 · ISO 320018mm Download Original

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1/800s · f/3.5 · ISO 640018mm Download Original

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1/40s · f/3.5 · ISO 16018mm Download Original

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1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 250055mm Download Original

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1/125s · f/8 · ISO 10035mm Download Original

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1/30s · f/8 · ISO 50018mm Download Original

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1/40s · f/3.5 · ISO 16023mm Download Original

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1/80s · f/5.6 · ISO 32055mm Download Original

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1/60s · f/5 · ISO 10042mm Download Original

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1/125s · f/5.6 · ISO 10055mm Download Original

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1/40s · f/8 · ISO 12525mm Download Original

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1/50s · f/11 · ISO 16033mm Download Original

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1/400s · f/5.6 · ISO 10055mm Download Original

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1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 32055mm Download Original

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1/60s · f/11 · ISO 10018mm Download Original

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1/40s · f/16 · ISO 20018mm Download Original

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1/80s · f/16 · ISO 50055mm Download Original

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1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 25055mm Download Original

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1/100s · f/8 · ISO 12555mm Download Original

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1/60s · f/8 · ISO 16032mm Download Original

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1/125s · f/8 · ISO 10027mm Download Original

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1/40s · f/8 · ISO 12518mm Download Original

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1/40s · f/16 · ISO 16018mm Download Original

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1/100s · f/16 · ISO 20055mm Download Original

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1/125s · f/5.6 · ISO 10018mm Download Original

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1/160s · f/5.6 · ISO 10030mm Download Original

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1/40s · f/11 · ISO 16018mm Download Original

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1/100s · f/11 · ISO 16055mm Download Original

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1/125s · f/8 · ISO 10018mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/3.5 · ISO 10018mm Download Original

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1/60s · f/3.5 · ISO 10021mm Download Original

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1/30s · f/8 · ISO 12521mm Download Original

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1/125s · f/8 · ISO 640018mm Download Original

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1/60s · f/8 · ISO 320018mm Download Original

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1/60s · f/8 · ISO 16032mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/5.6 · ISO 10055mm Download Original

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1/400s · f/3.5 · ISO 10018mm Download Original

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1/30s · f/11 · ISO 12518mm Download Original

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1/80s · f/11 · ISO 25055mm Download Original

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1/400s · f/5.6 · ISO 10040mm Download Original

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1/80s · f/5.6 · ISO 12555mm Download Original

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1/160s · f/5.6 · ISO 10055mm Download Original

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1/250s · f/2 · ISO 1600135mm Download Original

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1/250s · f/2 · ISO 1000135mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/2 · ISO 320135mm Download Original

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1/250s · f/2 · ISO 3200135mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/2 · ISO 2500135mm Download Original

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1/250s · f/2 · ISO 1000135mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/2 · ISO 3200135mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/2 · ISO 640135mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/2 · ISO 1250135mm Download Original

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1/250s · f/2 · ISO 500135mm Download Original

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1/250s · f/2 · ISO 1000135mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/2 · ISO 1000135mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/2 · ISO 1000135mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/2 · ISO 2500135mm Download Original

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1/250s · f/2 · ISO 400135mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/2 · ISO 800135mm Download Original

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1/125s · f/2 · ISO 3200135mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/2 · ISO 1000135mm Download Original

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1/80s · f/2 · ISO 3200135mm Download Original

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1/250s · f/2 · ISO 1000135mm Download Original

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1/100s · f/2 · ISO 3200135mm Download Original

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1/125s · f/2 · ISO 3200135mm Download Original

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1/200s · f/2 · ISO 800135mm Download Original

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1/160s · f/1.8 · ISO 40085mm Download Original

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1/160s · f/1.8 · ISO 50085mm Download Original

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1/125s · f/1.8 · ISO 320085mm Download Original

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1/125s · f/1.8 · ISO 320085mm Download Original

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1/160s · f/1.8 · ISO 40085mm Download Original

Sample RAW Images

The Canon EOS 1200D enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Canon RAW (CR2) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

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1/13s · f/3.5 · ISO 10018mm Download original

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1/25s · f/3.5 · ISO 20018mm Download original

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1/60s · f/3.5 · ISO 40018mm Download original

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1/100s · f/3.5 · ISO 80018mm Download original

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1/250s · f/3.5 · ISO 160018mm Download original

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1/500s · f/3.5 · ISO 320018mm Download original

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1/800s · f/3.5 · ISO 640018mm Download original

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1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 250055mm Download original

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1/60s · f/5 · ISO 10042mm Download original

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1/400s · f/5.6 · ISO 10055mm Download original

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1/60s · f/11 · ISO 10018mm Download original

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1/40s · f/16 · ISO 20018mm Download original

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1/125s · f/8 · ISO 10027mm Download original

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1/100s · f/16 · ISO 20055mm Download original

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1/125s · f/5.6 · ISO 10018mm Download original

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1/200s · f/3.5 · ISO 10018mm Download original

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1/125s · f/8 · ISO 640018mm Download original

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1/60s · f/8 · ISO 320018mm Download original

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1/200s · f/5.6 · ISO 10055mm Download original

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1/400s · f/5.6 · ISO 10040mm Download original

Sample Movie & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 25 frames per second. Please note that this 19 second movie is 107Mb in size.

Download the sample movie Download the sample movie

Product Images

Front of the Canon EOS 1200D

Front of the Canon EOS 1200D

Front of the Canon EOS 1200D / Flash Raised

Side of the Canon EOS 1200D

Side of the Canon EOS 1200D

Side of the Canon EOS 1200D

Side of the Canon EOS 1200D

Rear of the Canon EOS 1200D / Turned Off

Rear of the Canon EOS 1200D / Image Displayed

Rear of the Canon EOS 1200D / Info Screen

Rear of the Canon EOS 1200D / Main Menu

Rear of the Canon EOS 1200D / Live View Mode

Top of the Canon EOS 1200D

Bottom of the Canon EOS 1200D

Side of the Canon EOS 1200D

Side of the Canon EOS 1200D

Front of the Canon EOS 1200D

Front of the Canon EOS 1200D

Memory Card Slot

Battery Compartment

Conclusion

The Canon EOS 1200D / Rebel T5 is a solid, if unspectacular, upgrade of the 3-year-old 1100D / T3 camera, principally adding a new 18 megapixel sensor, bigger LCD screen, more control over movie recording, a point-and-shoot Scene Intelligent Auto mode, and a tougher body with a better handgrip. It still lacks a few things - integrated cleaning system, spot metering mode, slow 3fps burst shooting, only 9 AF points, low-resolution LCD screen - that may push you to consider the admittedly more expensive Nikon D3300, but the classic EOS 1200D / Rebel T5 DSLR undoubtedly offers a lot for the money.

Canon have significantly increased the megapixel count from 12 to 18, but thankfully it hasn't negatively affected image quality, with the camera continuing to offer a a very usable ISO range with only the fastest settings of 6400 and 12800 really suffering from objectionable levels of noise. Another major upgrade is 1080p video at 30/25/24fps, complete with full manual control over exposure and even continuous auto-focusing during recording. We also liked the surprisingly premium metal body and much better handgrip, two big improvements on the EOS 1200D / Rebel T5's predecessor.

The EOS 1200D / Rebel T5 is a well-built, easy-to use DSLR camera that delivers great image quality, and comes complete with a stabilised standard zoom lens for less than £450 / $550. Three years is a long time in the world of photography, so while it may not be the most exciting launch in camera history, the EOS 1200D / Rebel T5 does offer a lot of what its beginner target audience actually needs at a very attractive price-point.

The Canon EOS 1200D tested in this review was kindly provided by CameraWorld, a real camera shop helping you to make the most of your hobby. Our expert team has many years experience within the photographic trade with knowledge gained over 40 years. Many are photographers themselves and enjoy passing their knowledge on. You'll also find our online service fast, efficient and courteous and you can always call us if you want to talk to a human being! We are dedicated to bringing you the very best in service, choice and price. We're very easy to find, our London store is just off Oxford Street between Oxford Circus station and Tottenham Court Road station. The Essex shop is located in High Chelmer Shopping Centre, just off the High Street in Chelmsford. Visit us and you'll always find a friendly welcome. Our policy is to serve our customers as we would like to be served ourselves, a simple ideal that we try hard to live up to.

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	4.5
Features	4
Ease-of-use	4.5
Image quality	4
Value for money	4.5

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Canon EOS 1200D.

Canon EOS 100D

The Canon EOS 100D (called the Canon EOS Rebel SL1 in North America) is the smallest and lightest DSLR in the World. The tiny new Canon 100D / SL1 boasts 18-megapixels, full 1080p high-definition videos with continuous auto-focusing, and a touch-screen interface. Other key features of the 100D / SL1 include burst shooting at 4fps, a 3-inch LCD screen with 1,040k dot resolution, ISO range of 100-25,600, 14-bit image processing and Canon's Digic 5 processor. Is the Canon EOS 100D / SL1 just too small for its own good? Read our expert review to find out...

Fujifilm X-A1

The Fujifilm X-A1 is a new entry-level compact system camera. The retro-styled X-A1 offers a 16 megapixel APS-C sensor, built-in flash and hotshoe, wi-fi connectivity, 5.6fps burst shooting, tilting LCD screen and Full HD video recording. Read our in-depth Fujifilm X-A1 review now...

Nikon D3300

The Nikon D3300 is a brand new entry-level digital SLR camera with a 24 megapixel sensor, no optical low-pass filter, 50/60p Full HD movies, a 3 inch LCD screen, 5fps burst shooting and an ISO range of 100-25600. Read our detailed Nikon D3300 review, complete with sample JPEG and raw photos, test shots, videos and more...

Olympus E-PM2

The brand new Olympus E-PM2 is one of the smallest compact system cameras on the market. Also known as the PEN Mini, the svelte EPM2 has exactly the same image sensor and processing engine as the flagship OM-D E-M5. It also boasts the World's fastest autofocus system, a 3 inch LCD touchscreen display, full 1080p HD movies, and an extensive range of creative filters. Read our Olympus E-PM2 review to find out if it's the perfect upgrade from a compact camera.

Panasonic Lumix GF6

The Panasonic Lumix GF6 is a new entry-level compact system camera that offers a lot of cutting-edge features for not a lot of money. The diminutive GF6 has a tilting LCD screen, built-in wireless and NFC connectivity, fast 0.09 second auto-focusing, a 16 megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor, 1080i HD video, and a touchscreen interface. Read our Panasonic Lumix GF6 review, complete with full-size JPEG and RAW sample images...

Pentax K-50

The Pentax K-50 is a new mid-range DSLR camera that offers a lot of bang for your buck. The 16 megapixel K-50 is fully weatherproof, as is the kit zoom lens, and it also offers 6fps continuous shooting, an 11-point AF system, an optical viewfinder with nearly 100% frame coverage and an ISO range of 100-51200. Read our in-depth Pentax K-50 review to find out if there's still life in the DSLR...

Samsung NX2000

The Samsung NX2000 is a new entry-level compact system camera with a lot of bells and whistles. Featuring a 20 megapixel APS-C sensor, full 1080p video, ISO 100-25,600, a 3.7-inch touchscreen, 8.6fps continuous shooting and Wi-fi / NFC connectivity, is this the best budget mirrorless camera? Read our Samsung NX2000 review to find out...

Sony A3000

The Sony A3000 is an intriguing mix of mirrorless technology and DSLR styling. With a 20 megapixel APS HD CMOS sensor, 1080p HD movies, 3 inch LCD screen and an electronic viewfinder, could the Sony A3000 be the perfect step-up model for compact camera upgraders? Read our full Sony A3000 review, complete with sample JPEGs, RAW files and movies, to find out...

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Canon EOS 1200D from around the web.

techradar.com »

Canon has once again produced a reliable camera capable of creating some beautiful images. If you're in the market for your first DSLR and you're fine with a no-frills purchase, then the 1200D is a great option. Read the full review »

Specifications

IMAGE SENSOR

Type	Approx. 22.3 mm x 14.9 mm
Effective Pixels	Approx. 18.0 megapixels
Total Pixels	Approx. 18.7 megapixels
Aspect Ratio	3:2
Low-Pass Filter	Built-in/Fixed
Sensor Cleaning	Manual cleaning and Dust Delete Data acquisition
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)
AF Working Range	Centre AF point: EV 0 -18 (at 23°C & ISO100) Other AF points: EV 1 -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

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. 10% of viewfinder) (3) 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 in 1-stop increments ISO can be expanded to H: 12800 During Movie shooting: Auto (100-6400), 100-6400 (Whole stop increments)

SHUTTER

Type	Electronically-controlled focal-plane shutter, with electronic first curtain
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. 0.80x¹
Eyepoint	Approx. 21mm (from eyepiece lens center)
Dioptre Correction	-2.5 to +0.5 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, 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, assigned to SET button with C.Fn-9-4
Eyepiece Shutter	On strap

LCD MONITOR

Type	7.5cm (3.0") TFT, approx. 460k dots
Coverage	Approx. 100%
Viewing Angle (Horizontally/Vertically)	Approx 170°
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)	9.2
Built-in Flash Coverage	up to 17mm focal length (35mm equivalent: 27mm)
Built-in Flash Recycle Time	Approx. 2 seconds
Modes	Auto, Manual Flash On/off
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/No
External Flash Compatibility	E-TTL II with EX series Speedlites, wireless multi-flash support (with optional accessory)
External Flash Control	via camera menu screen, except for wireless radio flash shooting settings

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
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. 3fps for approx. 69 JPEG images¹, 6 images RAW²³

LIVE VIEW MODE

Type	Electronic viewfinder with image sensor
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, recording level can be manually adjusted by user)
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 33 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 15 steps
Display Formats	(1) Single image with information (2 levels) (2) Single image (3) Index display (4/9/36/100 images) (4) Jump Display (1/10/100 images, by Date,by Folder, Movies only, Stills only, by Rating)
Slide Show	Image selection: All images, by Date, by Folder, Movies, Stills, Rating Playback time: 1/2/3/5/10 or 20 seconds Repeat: On/Off Transition Effect: Off, Slide 1, Slide 2, Fade 2, Fade 2, Fade 3 Background Music: On, Off
Histogram	Brightness: Yes RGB: Yes
Highlight Alert	Yes (Shooting information display only)
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)

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. SP2 (excl. Starter Edition) / 7 inc. SP1(excl. Starter Edition) / 8 / 8.1 OS X v10.7-10.9 (Intel processor required)

SOFTWARE

Browsing & Printing	ImageBrowser EX
Image Processing	Digital Photo Professional
Other	PhotoStitch, EOS Utility, Picture Style Editor

POWER SOURCE

Batteries	1 x Rechargeable Li-ion Battery LP-E10
Battery Life	Approx. 500 (at 23°C, AE 50%, FE 50%)¹ Approx. 410 (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-E10, Battery charger LC-E10, LC-E10E

PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Body Materials	Carbon fiber/glass fiber-reinforced polycarbonate resin
Operating Environment	0 – 40 °C, 85% or less humidity
Dimensions (WxHxD)	129.6 x 99.7 x 77.9 mm
Weight (Body Only)	Approx. 480g (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 EH22-L, EH24-L
Wireless File Transmitter	Compatible with Eye-Fi cards
Lenses	All EF and EF-S lenses
Flash	Canon Speedlites (90EX, 220EX, 270EX, 270EX II, 320EX, 420EX, 430EX, 430EX II, 550EX, 580EX, 580EX II, 600EX, 600EX-RT, Macro-Ring-Lite, MR-14EX, MR-14EX II, Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX, Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2, Speedlite Transmitter ST-E3-RT)
Battery Grip	None
Remote Controller/ Switch	Remote Switch RS-60E3
Other	Hand Strap E2, GPS Receiver GP-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

• *Recommended Exposure Index
• All data is based on Canon standard testing methods except where indicated.
• Subject to change without notice.

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1. Introduction
2. Ease of Use
3. Image Quality
4. Sample Images
5. Product Images
6. Conclusion
7. Main Rivals
8. Review Roundup
9. Specifications
10. Comment

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