While the new Canon 650D (Rebel T4i) does come with a few new features including a touchscreen display and a sensor-based hybrid AF system for improved focus, it seems that the camera itself might have fallen flat... on its sensor. A new comparison test conducted by DXO Mark puts the upgraded Canon 650D (Rebel T4i) up against its predecessors the Canon 600D (Rebel T3i) and Canon 550D (Rebel T2i). The results might just shock you.
Now, I'm a Canon shooter myself, so I was a little dismayed to see these results. Sure, the camera does have the new touchscreen display which can prove itself useful, but according to the comparison test, the Canon 650D had an overall score of '62' while the earlier models had a score of '65' and '66' respectively, so why the drop in points?
The color depth (for portraits), the dynamic range (for landscapes) and low-light ISO (for sports and events) test ratings for the Canon 650D all failed to compare to the previous models. With the Canon 650D's new APS-C hybrid sensor, to help use contrast for better focusing in video mode, you would be led to believe that this model would surpass the Canon T3i or Canon T2i.
With this new information available to the public, do you think that Canon is losing its touch in the DSLR entry-level market? Would you still consider picking up the new model or would you be content with its predecessors? Let us know in the comments below.
Via: DXO Mark
You can view the full test comparison here: Canon EOS 650D: Strictly Status Quo
Interesting facts, here. But begs the question...how do they even calculate this crap? Better yet, who cares. Go take pictures!
http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/About/Sensor-scores
I still use the T2i as my backup, but unless Canon gets their crap together I'm gonna be switching to that other brand real soon. I still have faith though, been shooting Canon for a looong time.
Someone at Canon has pissed off the DxO guys something serious. Kidding. Slap some nice glass on the T4i and you won't ever see the difference in these..... numbers and.... math. =)
my t2i is still rocking hard.
Prospective buyers care, and you need to actually buy a camera in order to take pictures - this is not irrelevant.
Anyone buying a Rebel does not know what APS-C means, does not know wtf DXOMark is, and isn't buying a camera expecting it to perform like a D800.
...or, they do know these things, and just do not have the budget for a better body.
But will often ask someone they know that's pro/semi-pro - and they usually know.
Lost count of the amount of times I've been asked to help with purchasing. Although I'm not likely to point them at DxO - I believe places like dpreview often refer to DxO results.
I expect my T2i to resolve images like a 7D, and have been pleased to that extent. AF? FPS? nope. DSLR's are more computers than ever, and more like the replace-every-year computers of the early 2000's. If I do not *need* FPS or an alloy body, I'd much rather have L glass and a cheap body than a semi-pro body and cheap glass.
I completely agree with you that having a better lens is more important than a better body. But the first thing I noticed when i sold my xsi for a 7D was the color. Everything had so much more depth, I couldn't believe the difference! I wish Canon would improve the pictures that come out of their Rebels instead of those bells and whistles Because when the day is over, it's the pictures that count.
I would love to do a T2i vs 7d comparison with the same lens, same settings on the same subject under the same light. It's my understanding that the T2i and 7d have the same sensor, but different processors, buffers, etc.
they may not know what APS-C means, but they may ask a pro, "can you recommend a nice camera? What do you think of the 650D?"
My point is the Rebel is marketed at people who want an entry-level DSLR for taking better pictures of their kids running around on vacation. Most of the time those customers aren't professional photographers and simply want something faster than a point and shoot. They care little about the technical gibberish.
I would never show up to a professional job using a Rebel as it's likely several people there (like weddings) have them too. While it will get the job done, clients see you using the same camera as their grandmother and they freak a little. After all, we all know people think you can only take a great picture if you have a really great camera...
Just curious - would any of these differences actually be visible in real-world pictures, or they just measured off "standardised" test charts? For instance, if you took the same picture of a landscape using a 650d and a 550d, would any person alive be able to tell that there was a 0.3 EV difference in the dynamic range without using specialised measuring equipment?
That doesn't negate the fact that it's supposed to be an improvement.
Interesting facts, though I am just starting out and am really looking into getting the t4i as a primary option after playing with the Canon t3 for almost a year to get a feel for photography (while on a budget). I think the camera is decently priced at $729 on amazon for brand new and with features like the touch screen, to me, seem to be very important in the where the world is now with the iPhone and technology. I can see that feature alone being worth the extra just for the fact it can speed up the process of flipping through the manual settings. Not to mention the pinch to zoom for looking into the detail of an image to see how the focal length got the shot done. To me the small features matter and if this is the camera that fits best for me then im all for it. It may not be fore everyone but for myself and just starting out Im alright with it falling short to old models. I am for getting new as newer will just be around the corner.
Dude, if you're still on a budget pick up a refurbished T2i from Canon when they're having a sale around Thanksgiving. $729 is a LOT to pay for the basic level of shooting experience that comes out of the Rebel line. The T2i is just under 450 right now w/ the kit lens which you can sell for about $100 bringing the price under $350-an additional $379 is a LOT to pay for a touchscreen. Fyi, I've been using the T3 as my P & S/backup/"loaner to friends" camera for the last 6 or 7 months. I agree with you that its a fine little camera. I have Nikon friends that are amazed that a live histogram & bracketing comes on a camera that cost me about $250. But with the prices coming down so much on the T2i & the T3i (I've shot with both & they are both very good camera's) I'm picking one up in the next few weeks. Take the extra money you save by not buying the current tech & buy a prime lens or two- you'll see an incredible difference in your photos.
BUT, regardless of what you pick to shoot with- glad you picked up the dslr bug have fun shooting! Take care, Sk
Not really on a budget anymore, just figured why grab old used tech when I can pick up the latest for a few extra bucks. Nothing wrong with wanting the latest and greatest out the shoot if its going to last me years down the road. Especially when that tech shoots video as well as the t4i does, adding a 40mm pancake to the mix would be killer for a on the cheap video setup down the road when need be (beginning to do a little more video at my company I work for) recently saw my company choose "experience" over internal photogapher and videographer this past week. They spend 30k IN ONE WEEK! Heck, I have started to think about just waiting around to grab a 7D or in hopes that a newer 7D replacement comes out like a 7D MK2 or something. I did notice the 6D came out for 2k which I am sure could drop to 1700-1800 by next summer easily. Tempting to wait it out and keep cranking out freelance work with the t3. Though i am seeing some lagging in a couple departments while shooting specific shots. Thanks for the chat man, hit me up sometime on twitter/instagram @the_gris or check out a few shots over at 500px.com/gris
Alright so have to go with the t4i now. Just saw it dropped again to $610 for body only, I have to go new when it comes to tech just because I like to know what has been done to it. What do you think? I think its a solid deal for an 18MP camera and a solid jump to something finally with 18MP.
Anyone who basis there purchase on DxO is really not doing due diligence. Aren't they the group that said the ISO rating is higher for the D800 exceeds the 1Dx? Funny how very few have agreed with their conclusions.
I agree with some of the people above... Someone who is buying a Rebel is part of three different prospective buyer groups. Someone who wants an entry level DSLR and probably doesn't even know what these stats mean and shoot on "cat recognition mode" aka green square, wants a decent entry level body because they can't afford a semi-pro or pro body and is looking at the higher end body's to see if what they want in the future, or are previous scenario but with video in mind. I myself am guilty of obsessively reading stats on products, but ultimately went with the 7D for money reasons (and the 8 fps because I was shooting sports at the time) rather than saving up almost twice the amount for a 5D mkII or recently the mkIII when I could REALLLLLLLYYYYY use the higher ISO/better low light sensitivity. I'm looking down the line for what I would like/am going to buy. Like stated above... If you're buying an entry level body, go take pictures! Use this time to get your chops on taking photos and the money you saved to buy decent glass.
DXO. Hahahaha. Go take a photo. I hate the tech crowd that goes with some photography circles. Boring. And has nothing to do with taking a half way decent photograph.
This reminds me of the slight drop in IQ from the 40D to 50D. Despite the minor difference, the 650D is still a better performing camera, so there's no real need to fret over it. I also don't see any need to bash on DxO - there is a place for scientific measurements in IQ and these things are nice to know.
So, if DXO says canon is bad, canon fans says they're wrong, and nikon fans say is true. If DXO says nikon is bad, then Nikon fans say they're wrong , and canon fans say they're right, right?
it´s way beyond canon vs. nikon.
im a MF shooter and i can´t believe how bad my medium format sensors are...... LOL
DXO mark says a phone is better then a medium format.. go figure....
Methinks Canon has been shifting focus to the video market for some time now and this shows in the not-quite-quantum leaps in their cameras as photographic equipment. I hope they redress the balance quickly as this will eventually hurt them badly...
their DXO software is crap (beside the lens correction part) .. and their DXOmark not worth the time reading it.
a medium format user....
I think the point of all this is that Rebecca Britt is pretty. Isn't that the point? All agreed?
Agreed
I have the 650D, and for me it's just awesome! And I really don't care about this 0.000001 difference!
who cares, im still a canon user
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jorge_pastrana/
First of all, I don't bother with reviews from pages that don't provide at least a few samples and illustrations of what results the product can provide as well as touching such a narrow part of the product (color and dynamic range), PERIOD...
I would also expect that "Scores" based on a min and max would be relative to time on release, otherwise we would break the scale at some point, so I find it really hard to compare a review score from a review written today with one made years or even only months ago...
Same issue on most review sites though, so that's why samples become so important to me and scores irrelevant except for comparing to something of same age. I Prefer to use dpreview as I really lack another review site containing that many samples and where they draw out from the samples what they base there conclusions on... the-digital-picture have some samples as well, yet its far from as comprehensive...
So DxOMark can keep their graphs and go all nutty about that for all I care, to me their reviews are not worth any of my screens pixels...
ALL THAT SAID... the 650D is "MEH" (A not really caring at all attitude sound thing) to me as well. I can't find any reasons to go for a 650D over e.g a 600D either, and thats before we look at the price... So... again... MEH!
I stick on my 550D....before jumping to full format someday.
the whole point is to make a better camera than the previous years. It's like a 2013 model car coming out with less horsepower than the year before..who would buy it unless you're trying to go green?
A non-story posted as somehow important on an entry level camera.
I have just gone through the proces of choosing a new camera for travel and have found so many examples of "going backwards!" If anyone is interested, http://www.thenomadway.com/best-travel-camera.php
Well Canon rumors just reported that the Canon 1DX scored a 90 (just checked it's not posted yet), which puts it beating the Nikon D4 by a point. Maybe the canon reps sent the DxO guys a basket of chocolates or something for some extra love.
I own both the 550D and 650D. Together they are my go-to cameras in my videography business.
Just returning from an engagement where I shot about 1.5TB on both bodies, it's clear to me that lenses make a difference, but I can't spot the difference between them otherwise. A long 650D shot will span multiple 4GB files with one dropped frame which is absolutely huge when filming events, whereas even with ML the 550D will stop & restart with a much more pronounced break. I've noticed no unusual problems with low light performance up to 1600 ISO and shot quite a bit at that setting with the 650D. I am very pleased with it.
In my opinion the only reason to think the 650D might be inferior is that there's no ML build for it yet. That is a legitimate gripe and I fairly often have to pull out the 550D over the 650D just because those ML-added features are missing. Once there's ML for the 650D, that gap will close. I hope that happens soon.
I wish this evaluation demonstrated better why they think the 650D is inferior. That conclusion is not supported by my experience at all.
Gosh I used the T4i T3i 60D and T2i a lot, I have not seen that much if any IQ difference. Check out my comparison of the T4i vs. the 60D here to see what I found: http://www.learningdslrvideo.com/canon-t4i-650d-vs-60d-review/
I watched your video a while back and found it very informative. I think DxOMark stats are a bunch of crap.
I have an SX30IS (which I still love), an 1100d and 600d. I'm just starting to learn the craft but the one true-ism is that it the person behind the camera that make the photo. I love touch screen interfaces but does it really add anything unless your using live view mode? I'll stick with my 600d until it becomes the limiting factor (if ever) instead of me.
https://www.facebook.com/picturedit
60D (2) for me until I get full frame. Keep the T series...
fuck dxo..i am a canon 650d user nd previously i was using 550d.nd i can say dat the new 650d permorms awsoms...i can feel the speed of the new digic 5 processor compared to 550,nd the touchscreen makes everythin very ease like my iphone!! auto focus movie shooting nd the clarity is much much better with this new devil !!u shud try it or go for very similar model 700d
nd its all on the hands of a photographer not jus the dslr !!
I am so disappointed in this Canon 650d The pictures are simple crap from this camera?, My old 400d produces better images than this rebel T4i camera bye canon ,
I do not recommend this canon T4i 650D camera .
Great insights - thanks for this article...
my first DSLR camera 550d its good for me image quilty is better and i have 55-250mm lenc its more good image i feeling good photograph ...650d is new camera but i like 550d my first dslr ,,