Canon EOS 650D / Rebel T4i / Kiss X6i

Product summary

Model name: Canon Rebel T4i / EOS 650D / Kiss X6i Digital SLR
Release date: June 8, 2012
Purchase options: B&H | Adorama | Amazon

Key Features

STM Lens Support for Quiet AF in Movies
18.0MP New Hybrid APS-C CMOS Sensor
DIGIC 5 Image Processor
3.0″ Vari-Angle Touch Screen LCD (more info)
ISO 100-12800, Expandable to 25600
Full HD Movie Mode with Continuous AF
5.0 FPS Continuous Shooting
9-Point All Cross-Type AF System
Multi Shot Noise Reduction
Compatible with Canon EF and EF-S Lenses
Hybrid AF during video shooting

Overview

With the Canon EOS Rebel T4i / 650D / Kiss X6i Canon finally decided to bring on a touch screen for its entry level DSLR segment and we got the Canon EOS Rebel T4i or the 650D as it is known outside North America. Just when you’re about to ask why is that? Well I have no idea why, so let’s move on to some features and stuff.

Let’s just say that the 650D (I love calling it that) is a great camera for beginners. It has everything that the 600D has and more. The 650 D retains the same display resolution of the screen, the same 9 point AF system, the same 18 megapixels sensor which gives a crop factor of 1.6x and the 3:2 aspect ratio that Nikon users hate because it fills up the 3” screen better. But wait, is that enough to dish out the extra dollars that Canon is demanding for this camera? Look closely and you are bound to find a number of improvements for all those features which makes the 650D a more refined avatar of the 600D.

Features

Hybrid CMOS AF system

One of the most important features is the Hybrid CMOS AF system. Most of you ought to know what a CMOS sensor is. But what is Hybrid CMOS AF system? Conventional DSLR sensors use an AF system that uses only conventional contrast AF system. But the new hybrid CMOS AF system uses both conventional contrast detection AF and the new phase detection AF system in tandem. What it basically does is locks on focus faster and quieter.

Movie servo AF

The 650D has been packed with Movie servo which is now compatible with the new STM (stepping motor) lenses which provides fast and silent AF during movie shooting.

Touch screen

Finally, for what the entry level DSLR users (and for that matter the current crop of Smartphone users) will love Canon, the 650D comes with a 3” 1 megapixel display capacitative touch screen. Lost you? Okay, that means the camera has a touch screen that you can touch and pretty much control everything, without ever needing to touch a button or a dial. Sounds cool? The tilting and swiveling screen thus now has a state of the art touch screen that can rival most touch screen Smartphones in terms of responsiveness. For users graduating from a Compact Point & Shoot camera, the ability to compose a viewfinder is vital. This feature makes the 650D a real attraction garner in the market.

Continuous shooting speed and other features

Additional features include the 5 fps continuous shooting speeds. This is not going to really make pro shooters drool, but for everyday shooting needs, the 650D is more than enough.

Continuous AF during HD Video Recording

For the first time in a Canon EOS DSLR, the EOS Rebel T4i includes Canon’s new Movie Servo AF for recording video. When used with Canon’s new EF and EF-S STM lenses, the camera can provide smooth and quiet continuous AF while recording video. This technological breakthrough enables the new EOS Rebel T4i to achieve AF while still retaining a DSLR camera’s signature background blur and image quality, producing stunning videos of parties, events, summer vacations or graduations.

When shooting video with Canon’s STM lenses, AF also remains silent, helping ensure you only capture the sound of the scene being recorded. The EOS Rebel T4i features a built-in stereo microphone, a first for the Rebel line, that includes an attenuator function to reduce audio distortion in extra loud situations.

Buttons & dials

There is now a dedicated ISO button just in front of the main mode dial. The design specs are some what an inconvenience for users who does not want to play around with dials, switches and buttons, so Canon has provided all settings in the easy to use responsive graphical user interface. A dedicated movie option button has been also provided. Just slide the power on button to the point where it says Movie and the camera starts recording videos.

The final verdict

Overall if you have the 600D then there is no point in changing it for the 650D, but if you’re looking for a new entry level DSLR, this is definitely a better buy. EOS 650D / Rebel T4i available at B&H | Adorama | Amazon

Sample Images Rebel T4i / EOS 650D on Flickr

EOS 650D / Rebel T4i Specifications

Body Type	Digital, AF/AE single-lens reflex, camera with built-in flash
Recording Media	SD card, SDHC card, SDXC memory card / Compatible with Ultra High Speed (UHS-I) and Eye-Fi Cards
Image Sensor Size	22.3 x 14.9mm (APS-C size)
Compatible Lenses	Canon EF lenses including EF-S lenses (35mm-equivalent focal length is approx.1.6x the lens focal length)
Lens Mount	Canon EF mount
Image Sensor	Type: CMOS Sensor Pixels: Effective pixels: Approx. 18.00 megapixels Total pixels: Approx. 18.50 megapixels Pixel Unit: 4.3 µm square Aspect Ratio: 3:2 (Horizontal: Vertical) Color Filter System: RGB primary color filters Low-pass Filter: Fixed position in front of the CMOS sensor
Dust Deletion Feature	Self Cleaning Sensor Unit: Removes dust adhering to the low-pass filter. Self-cleaning executed automatically (taking approx. 2 sec.) when power is turned on or off. Manual execution also possible (taking approx. 5 sec.).
Dust Delete Data	Dust Delete Data acquisition and appending: The coordinates of the dust adhering to the low-pass filter are detected by a test shot and appended to subsequent images.The dust coordinate data appended to the image is used by the provided software to automatically erase the dust spots. Manual cleaning
Recording Format	Complies with Design rule for Camera File system 2.0 and Exif 2.30
Image Type	Still: JPEG, RAW (14-bit, Canon original), RAW+JPEG Video: MOV (Image data: H.264, Audio: Linear PCM)
Simultaneous Recording	Large RAW and JPEG images are recorded simultaneously
File Size	Large: Approx. 17.90 Megapixels (5,184 x 3,456) Medium: Approx. 8.00 Megapixels (3,456 x 2,304) Small 1: Approx. 4.50 Megapixels (2,592 x 1,728) Small 2: Approx. 2.50 Megapixels (1920 x 1280) Small 3: Approx. 350,000Pixels (720 x 480) RAW: Approx. 17.90 Megapixels (5,184 x 3,456)
Color Space	sRGB, Adobe RGB
Picture Style	Auto, Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, User Defined 1-3
White Balance	Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy (Twilight and Sunset), Tungsten Light, White Fluorescent Light, Flash, Custom (Custom White Balance: Approx. 2,000° – 10,000° K)
Auto White Balance	Auto white balance with the image sensor
Viewfinder Type	Eye-level SLR (with fixed pentamirror)
Autofocus	One-Shot AF Predictive AI Servo AF AI Focus AF (Switches between One-Shot AF and AI Servo AF)
Manual Focus	Yes
ISO Speed	Manual setting range of ISO 100 12800, expansion to ISO 25600 Auto, ISO 100 6400 (in whole-stop increments) In Creative Zone modes, the maximum ISO speed (ISO 400, 800, 1600, 3200, or 6400) for ISO Auto can be set. With C.Fn-6-1 (Highlight tone priority), ISO 200 or higher will be set.
Shooting Mode	Scene Intelligent Auto, Flash Off, Creative Auto, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, HDR Backlight Control mode
Shutter Speeds	1/4000 to 1/60 sec., X-sync at 1/200 sec. (Scene Intelligent Auto)1/4000 to 30 sec., bulb, X-sync at 1/200 sec. (Total shutter speed range. Available range varies by shooting mode.) (Settable in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments)
Built-in Flash	Auto pop-up, retractable, built-in flash in the pentamirror
Remote Control	Compatible with Remote Controller RC-6, RC-1, and RC-5 Remote control mode (via menu) for video shooting provided You can start or stop video shooting immediately with the wireless remote control’s 2-sec. delay mode (operates as immediate start/stop) Still photo shooting is possible with the wireless remote control’s immediate shutter-release mode
External Flash	Flash Metering: E-TTL II autoflash (evaluative flash metering and average flash metering), FE LockFlash Exposure Compensation: ±2 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments
Continuous Shooting Speed (Approx.)	Max. Approx. 5.0 fps (with One-Shot AF or AI SERVO AF) Same as with Battery Grip BG-E8 loaded with size-AA/LR6 alkaline batteries.
Maximum Burst	Based on 8GB memory Card: JPEG Large/Fine: Approx. 22 Shots RAW: Approx. 6 Shots RAW+JPEG Large/Fine: 3 ShotsBased on UHS-I memory card: JPEG Large/Fine: Approx. 30 Shots RAW: Approx. 6 Shots RAW + JPEG Large/Fine: 3 Shots
Video File Format	MOV (Image data: H.264; audio: Linear PCM – Stereo)
Video Recording File Size	Full HD 1920 x 1080: 330 MB/min.HD 1280 x 720: 330 MB/min.SD 640 x 480: 82.5 MB/min.
Frame Rates	1920 x 1080 (Full HD): 30p (29.97) / 24p (23.976) / 25p 1280 x 720 (HD): 60p (59.94) / 50p 640 x 480 (SD): 30p (29.97) / 25p
ISO Range	Auto ISO range: ISO 100-6400 Manual ISO range: ISO 100-6400, H12800 If highlight tone priority is set, automatically set within ISO 200 or higher
Shooting Time (8GB memory)	1920 x 1080 30 fps: Approx. 22 min. 25 fps: Approx. 22 min. 24 fps: Approx. 22 min. 1280 x 720 60 fps: 22 min. 50 fps: 22 min.640 x 480 30 fps: 1 hr. 32 min. 25 fps: 1 hr. 32 min.
LCD Monitor	Type: TFT color, liquid-crystal monitor with Touch Panel LCD (capacitive type) Monitor Size: 3.0-inches (Screen aspect ratio of 3:2) Dots: Approx: 1,040,000 dots Coverage: Viewing angle: 170º (vertically and horizontally) Brightness Adjustment: Auto: Brightness adjusted automatically by the light sensor, Manual: 7 levels provided Coating: Anti-smudge coating
Interface Languages	English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Portuguese, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Greek, Russian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Romanian, Ukraine, Turkish, Arabic, Thai, Simplified/Traditional Chinese, Korean, Japanese
USB Terminal	For personal computer communication and direct printing (USB 2.0 Hi-Speed)
Audio/Video OUT Terminal	Video OUT terminal: NTSC/PAL selectable mini-HDMI OUT terminal
Power	One Battery Pack LP-E8 With the AC Adapter Kit ACK-E8, AC power is possible. With the BG-E8, two battery packs (LP-E8) can be used. Or six AA-sized/LR6 batteries can be used
Working Temperature Range	32-104°F / 0-40°C
Dimensions WxHxD	5.2 x 3.9 x 3.1″ / 133.1 x 99.8 x 78.8mm
Weight	18.3 oz. / 520 g (body only)