Canon EOS 550D Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

Put simply this is the most important camera to be released in years.

What I find astonishing that people have spent £750 on a DSLR as good as this and complain about the video issues. I work in TV and deal with professional cameras and footage for broadcast on a daily basis and I can tell you with every bit of my professional opinion that this camera is outstanding.

The stills are incredible and while the only frustrating video issue is the lack of audio control or monitoring, which can be compensated by recording on to a separate device and sync by clapper, the video is absolutely fantastic. Easily broadcastable when in the right hands.

Could you even imagine a camera capable of all this, for this price 10 years ago? 5 years ago? a year ago?

Please do not look any further, this camera has incredible video and still performance with interchangeable lens capability and with a decent mic attached could be a broadcast kit that could fit in a small bag.

I have a XH-A1 for personal use at home and I am already using this more. It doesn't have quite the same features and manual controls, but hey, the XH-A1 cost £2500, This costs about £700 and has equally good image production. In some ways is even more flexible with changeable lenses.

I can not recommend any product I have ever bought as highly as this.

Keen Amateurs, Holiday makers, Semi Professional Videographers... It's all there for you!!

After researching for several weeks through Canon's large variety of DSLRs, I came to the conclusion of purchasing a 500D because of it's high reputation. Just as I was about to seal the deal, I came across the not-so-much talked about 550D. Although higher in specifications, I was unsure whether or not its lack of hype was due to poor quality or its more recent debut: I decided to add to basket and cross my fingers.

Wow. In replacement to a Sony Cybershot, it seems as if any photo taken is stunning. The image quality is superb and the auto settings make a world of difference. Although not the most pricey of the Canon EOS range, the camera feels utterly professional. The battery life passed my expectations and the flash is a beast, albeit sometimes I find myself switching to 'Flash off' mode. The body is sturdy and lightweight and the HD video function is fantastic.

My only complaints are that the microphone isn't great and tends to pick up a lot of 'fuzz' and that the mode settings utilize the wheel to navigate as opposed to the generic d-pad. Moreover, the pros outweigh the cons marginally hence my high rating.

The perfect 'first real camera' for any aspiring photographer whose ready to up their game. Although pretty big bucks, you won't regret it; I know I haven't!

I've just bought this Canon 550D with the 18-135 IS lens and have so far been very impressed. It handles low light shooting very well, as a result of the IS facility and very high ISO ability.
The range coverage of this lens is excellent, from landscapes to close ups and the images I've got so far are very sharp and detailed. It can shoot in RAW mode along side high quality JPEG, so you have an image ready to show (JPEG) and an image you can tinker about with (RAW) on your computer until it is perfect (the provided Canon software makes it very easy to do). Navigating around the camera menu becomes a breezes after a few practices, although keep the manual nearby as there is a wealth of information to digest from it. The screen on the back is fantastic and crystal clear. The camera feels comfortable to hold (even in my big paws!) and is not to heavy to cart around. The microphone port is also a welcome new addition as it will allow you to capture the sound in stereo and enables you to choose your microphone weapon of your choice rather than being condemned into using the built in microphone (which does the job).

The only moan about this kit is that the AF is bit noisey, as it's not a USM lens, but if you want a comparable zoom range in a Canon USM lens you'd be paying a hell of lot more money (eg the 15-85 IS USM).

A couple of tips before I go

1) Buy a decent SDHC card like a Sandisk Extreme with a class 10 rating, preferably 16GB or more (for the video capture side of things especially). Don't be lured into buying a cheap card because it has a high capacity as it won't read and write the data fast enough to
be of any good, especially the HD video. Canon recommend at least a class 6 card.
2) Get a powerful computer. I am going to upgrade my desktop PC (or get something else). It has a 3.4Ghz AMD processor (albeit 5 years old), 1GB RAM and 256MB graphics, running with Windows XP. It can't seem to handle displaying the captured HD video and is slightly slow in processing the RAW images (each of which can be around 24MB in file size).

Overall a top piece of kit that you won't be disappointed with.