The Canon EOS 550D and Canon EOS 600D compared

Just less than a year after the release of the Canon EOS 550D, Canon released its new EOS 600D in February 2011, adding to its popular "affordable" digital single lens camera range. Better known as the latest in the Canon Rebel range, the new 600D – or EOS Rebel T3i – has been lauded as a camera with excellent features that are way ahead of other entry-level cameras.
One of the leaders in digital imaging products, Canon has consistently delivered digital cameras that offer leading technological solutions. Without a doubt they all offer incredible image quality and outstanding performance in a range to suit all pockets.

What the EOS 550D and EOS 600D have in common
In a word: LOTS. In fact for anyone who has no specialized knowledge of digital single reflex cameras, it will probably be impossible to judge the difference. They essentially look the same and both have:

• an 18.0 MP CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semi-conductor rather than a CCD analogue device) image sensor that is self-cleaning,
• advanced movie mode for full HD movies,
• a 3:2 wide 3.0 inch LCD monitor,
• 63 zone metering and both are capable of shooting 3.7 frames per second,
• a powerful Digic 4 processor,
• Direct Print and PictBridge, which enables direct connection from the camera to a suitable printer,
• ISO that can be set from 100 to 6400, but which is expandable to 12800 for shooting from bright to dim light,
• a manual focus Live View Mode,
• new technology SDXC, launched by Canon in 2010 for high-spec two terabyte (TB) card flash memory replacement,
• Picture Style, which enables you to adjust colors individually.

Both cameras are sold with a camera body and an 18 mm to 55 mm f/3 5-5.6 IS (image stabilization) kit lens, although the new lens supplied with the EOS 600D is a different model – just as the camera is.
Both cameras also come with an eyecup, a wide strap, a USB interface cable, an AV cable, a battery pack and charger, plus manuals, DVDs and so on.
Both are compatible with Windows 7.
Furthermore, both these cameras also carry the same recommended retail price from Canon, namely US$899.99. Even though this doesn't necessarily mean these either of these digital SLR cameras will be selling for the same price in the shops or online, in April 2011Amazon.com was sticking within cents of the recommended prices.

How the EOS 550D and EOS 600D differ
In terms of basics, these two cameras don't appear to differ much. The EOS 600D incorporates all the cutting-edge technologies that made its predecessor winner of the 2010 PC Magazine's Reader's Choice Award for Service and Reliability. But the EOS 600D hasn't been around long enough to be eligible for any awards – yet!
Interestingly, while Canon launched the EOS 550D in March 2010 as its "new flagship of the EOS Rebel line", it has not claimed to replace this so-called "flagship" with the new EOS 600D. Instead it announced that they new 2011 model is "The REBEL on the Move", embracing even more cutting-edge technologies than ever before. It's anybody's guess why they would downplay the new model that was launched in February. Perhaps it is simply that the EOS 550D – which they said in 2010 was the best Rebel they had ever created – is going to be a tough act to follow.
So how do they differ?
Two immediately noticeable differences are that the EOS600D has a vari-angle LCD monitor and a "Scene Intelligent Auto" function which replaces the fully automatic mode found in the EOS 550D. This new function analyses the scene you are shooting and picks the best settings for you to use. It has been designed to produce excellent results even in difficult lighting conditions. The new EOS 600D also provides a faster shutter speed (up to 1/200 of a second) that can be synchronized with a burst of flash at the exact moment you release the shutter.
The new model also has "creative filters" that can be applied to images in playback mode and an integrated wireless flash controller that has what they call multi-flash support. There is a "video snapshot" mode (as in Canon's camcorder range) and the auto lighting optimizer now has four adjustable levels. The eye sensor for LCD display has been replaced by a "DISP" button.
Another improved feature is enhanced metering that can be used for accurate metering between exposures.
The EOS 600D is slightly heavier and fractionally larger than its predecessor. However some production costs have clearly been reduced, for instance by painting on, rather than molding the "white square" alignment mark for mounting the lens. While the new kit lens has identical specs to the old one, the design of the external casing has changed ever so slightly.

Canon's EOS range of DSLR Rebel cameras
Aimed at serious amateurs rather than professional or semi-professional photographers, Canon's electro-optical system Rebel cameras are in a class of their own. While all the EOS cameras use the same technology, the Rebel models are a lot cheaper, in spite of the fact that they are supplied with a kit lens and not just a camera body. Sure the quality is not what a professional photographer will demand, but the needs of someone pursuing a photographic hobby aren't either. Having said that, the Rebel range lives up to its name, offering amazing quality for what is in fact a very competitive price in the world of DSLR cameras.
The very first Canon EOS digital REBEL camera was launched way back in August 2003, offering an affordable product to those wanting more than just a point-and-press camera. This of course included the option of using a range of different lenses. The next Rebel was released in 2005, and another in 2006. Since 2008, there has been a new Canon EOS REBEL model launched annually, with the EOS 550D and EOS 600D being the two most recent.
When the EOS 550D was launched in 2010, critical reviewers heralded it as being very similar to Canon's EOS 7D, but at half the price (as at April 2011 the recommended retail is US$1,699). The 7D is also an 18 MP camera, but it is aimed specifically at "serious photographers and semi-professionals". Whether the quality is doubly good is debatable, since you don't have to stick with the kit lens.
Currently Canon's most expensive EOS camera is the 1Ds mark III which retails at around US$6,999 just for the body.
Without a doubt both the EOS 550D and the EOS 600D are in very good company.