I have been a professional photographer for a number of years and create thousands of images per week and purchased this camera as an upgrade to the Canon 5D Mark II. Wow was I wrong…

I had been a little disappointed with the focus speed of the 5D MKII and had put a couple hundred thousand images on it, so I sprung for the new model. I was a little worried about the 1.3x crop factor, but thought if they were sharp I could over it. I photographed a wedding and reviewed the images and noticed they were not super sharp and wasn’t in love with the color, but thought that I might be able post process them to be as good as I had been getting from my 5D MKII. Nope. Wanting to believe in Canon, I photographed a few more portrait sessions and another wedding with the 1D MKIV. Then continuing my research and attemping to use the Canon DPP rather than lightroom to process the RAWs, came to same conclusion, JUNK. At this point I felt that I had purchased a $5000 boat anchor.

I continued to read all the reviews and the only thing anybody was talking about is the high-iso capabilities. That’s all great, but I would assume that it would also perform as good as the previous generation cameras in the low-iso range. My 5D MKII files knock the 1D MKIV files outta the water, and here are the key elements:

1. LOW ISO NOISE – Where did this come from?!?! The 100-400 iso images look like 1600 iso on the 5D MKII

2. Skin Tones/Textures – Because of the noise and lack of file clarity, the skin tones were never smooth and the color was not as nice as the 5D MKII.

3. Focus System – With the more complex 45pt focus on the 1D, I had a tendency to mis-focus regularly (back focus, front focus, etc.) The most accurate seemed to be using just the center point focus and re-composing once focus was achieved.

4. Eyelashes – with a variety of L-Lenses, the 1D was never crisp enough to see them (noise, lack of focus, etc)

5. Color Depth – Reds go strange with this sensor.

Overall, this camera may be a great piece of equipment for a night sports photographer, but is a terrible camera for most everything else.

I returned my 1D MKIV to Amazon a few days after the normal return period and it cost me $1000 dollars. It was that bad.

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Update: June 16, 2010

I am still not thrilled with these files, but with the new Lightroom 3 you are able to post process a good bit of the noise away. Now I can salvage the shoots that I did with this camera.

I am an amateur with experience using a 40D for 3 years. I have learned to use the manual settings and usually shoot in P or Av modes. I did not previously trust my skills with the M mode. The biggest change for the better is the Auto ISO feature. It is fantastic. The ISO adjust for any Tv, Av or M settings and is incredible. The pics at ISO 6400 are great. Noise is visible somewhat at 12800, however the amount of noise is dependent on ambient light and sometimes is minimal. I am pleasantly surprised to see how good very low light pictures look. The IQ is fabulous – I shoot primarily JPEGs since I do not have the time for RAW processing. I am very happy with my purchase. For maximum benefit, it is useful to have at least one fast lens (my 50 mm prime goes to f1.4) particularly for low light indoor shots. LCD view is great. I have actually found this camera easier to use than the 40D for routine photography. Some of the autofocus/drive options are a little confusing, but if you play with this long enough, you will find the menus fairly intuitive and easy. I love the video ability. It allows me to capture clips on vacation. Video is best accomplished on a tripod and has a learning curve, compared to a traditional camcorder. You have to stop expecting a noise free picture with no light!!!

It has been 3 months since I got this camera and I love it!

I tried to buy this camera through Amazon but it remains unavailable or inadequately priced thus I went to a local dealer to get it for the MSRP. I’m a hobby photographer upgrading from a 50D since I needed a second camera for my wildlife trips. I was hesitant to go with the 7D since there does not seem to be a substantial difference in IQ to the 50D (in fact some serious reviews state it’s even worse!). I’m writing this after having taken some couple of thousends pictures in Costa Rica during a recent vacation. To say it upfront: The IQ is otherwordly good compared to the 50D (and even to my 5DMII). I could take pictures of monkeys and birds in the shaded rainforest at ISO up to 12,800 that are more than usable. The fast burst rate is of course extremely helpful. The AF certainly is something you have to become familiar with (read manual and white paper) and get used to. I took some tack sharp pictures using my 500mm F4 IS lens (without tripod!) but I’m still far away from being fully capable of using the AF in AIservo. Also, the spot AF enables you to catch distant subjects and get them tack sharp. Handling of the camera is much better compared to the 50D as expected from a 1D series camera; especially the option to use the vertical format is appreciated. The only minor criticism I have is the charger which is huge like a brick and does not have any advantage because you cannot charge two batteries in parallel anyway! Wonder what canon thought when releasing this …

In conclusion, if you can afford the price tag, go for the 1D Mark IV. You will appreciate it.

In conclusion

I purchased the Canon 1D Mark IV from Adorama about a month ago. My main camera at the time was/is mark IIN and a 5d. When I got the camera I was a little shocked that it feels heavy like my Mark IIN but not a biggy. I got busy learning the new camera because I had a travel gig the following week. Loved everything about the camera. It became super simple to use. Loved that the ISO was on the right side and separate from the other operation buttons. (I flip through ISO often on editorial shoots). SUPER SUPER great! BUT THEN… HA hA… there is always a ‘but then’. THE FOCUS POINTS. AF POINTS… (which I use a lot) SUCK!… CAN I SAY THAT??! THEY SUCK.!! Here’s the deal. Canon brags about the 45 AF points. I think I read ‘crosshairs’ somewhere… which makes you think if you have that little red puppy on something that’s where your lens is going to focus…. Not so. I have found that (even on a tripod) that you better watch out where you think you might focus. I constantly move the AF point around and shoot… (reframing and following my subject) the thing is Canon allows you to preview where your AF point was when the picture was taken and I have found it to be highly… yes ‘highly inaccurate’ well, I guess I shouldn’t say highly… how about 10 percent of the time. If your a pro editorial photographer… that’s 9% to many. ( Yes I tried different lenses and same results). I returned that body and Adorama sent me another one. We’ll see what happens. Here’s another thing. I used to hand hold and shoot all the time at 1/60, 1/50 and sometimes 1/40 of a second. Not with this camera. I’m not sure why but you (I) can not hand hold this camera and shoot low light, slow shutter speeds, with the accuracy of the predecessors to this camera. My D60 used to get the best slow shutter speed pics… ALSO, I don’t care what anyone says… INCLUDING CANON… It doesn’t matter what ISO your on if you get so much NOISE that its unable to be used in print. Everything I shoot goes into a pub. I will not shoot over 6400 in ‘warm’ environments with this camera. Canon.. you can say the Camera will shoot at 600,000 ISO and it won’t make a difference if the noise is so bad. Lastly, I’m a STILL photographer. I don’t want to shoot VIDEO. CANON… please make a camera THAT IS JUST AN INCREDIBLE STILL CAMERA and leave all the video crap off. PLEASE!!!!

Having been a devoted user of my Rebel Xti for almost 5 years I had no real reason to upgrade for the photography. But on family trips I carry around both an HD video camera and the Rebel and I was intrigued that maybe I could get away with just using the HD video capabilities of the T2I as well as make use of my wider angle lenses than is available on either my Sony HDR-HC3 or my Canon HFS100.

Now I’m a big night shooting/no flash kinda guy so my first tests out of the box were of a statue I have across my lowly lit living room with my EFS 17-55IS lens using the no flash mode. Right off the bat there was a distinct difference. The T2i takes a much brighter picture than the Xti. Normally where I’d have a dimly lit statue with some shadow detail and some graininess (at ISO1600), I had a warmly lit statue showing great detail and no grain at ISO3200. Now part of this may be attributable to the Auto Lighting Optimizer but switching to manual mode and turning it off made little difference at the same ISO. I think the sensor is just that much better.

I just returned from a trip where I shot about 500 pics plus video and here’s my thoughts:

Normal/bright light photography is fantastic and very sharp. My only qualm here is that autofocus seemed to fight me more than my Xti. Whereas I would put the center focus dot on the object I wanted focused, the camera would inevitably seem to focus on something closer but nearer the edges of the frame. (Although it just occurred to me that I never tried changing the focusing settings… I believe it was set to AI Focus).

Low light photography is great. White balance is still off but better than the Xti. With my Xti I had adopted the habit of using the no-flash mode to determine the correct Av setting and then would switch to Aperture priority mode to get a RAW picture that I could then light properly in photoshop. Now that RAW is available in all the automatic modes I could just set no-flash mode and, for the most part, the camera would take the picture I wanted. Although occasionally the auto mode will adjust the settings to make a dark picture overly bright. (IE I took a picture of a neon sign on a store front and the camera adjusted the scene so that the store front became “normally” lit even though the neon sign took up 80% of the scene and the neon sign just bloomed over everything. This looked good on the Camera’s LED display but was all wrong once I viewed it on the computer monitor. Also, brightly lit objects tend to get overblown and lose detail if shooting something darker in general. But, again, this might be related to the auto-lighting optimizer.

HD Video is fantastic but also comes with caveats. You can’t treat this like a camcorder where you turn the camera on, point, shoot and zoom away. The camera will allow you to autofocus while videoing but, depending on the lens, there may be some searching of the lens or some “knocking” as the AF finely adjusts before it locks. While this is occurring the microphone will pick up the lens motion (with a USM lens this isn’t that bad but it is noticeable), but worse is that in a low light situation, the picture will be brightened *on the video as its recorded* to assist the autofocus. Also note there’s no image stabilizer so every foot step shows up. For that reason you have to think a little bit about the shot ahead of time (IE autofocus or manually set the lighting ahead of time before beginning recording). Zooming is about as smooth as you can turn your wrist (and suddenly the 17-55′s infamous zoom dead space becomes a big issue!). Note also that you’re limited to 12 minutes of recording at a time. Microphone quality is excellent for what it is.

My issues aside, this is a great camera and I don’t hesitate to recommend it. Can I get away without carrying the camcorder around? Maybe. The camcorder and the T2i merge/blur functionality but each has distinct strengths and weaknesses (image stabilization/seamless auto focusing vs convenience and better, wider lenses.) If you’re going to be moving around and chasing camera subjects, the camcorder is a better tool, if you’ve got mostly umoving objects where you can better control the shot from a fixed position, the T2i will come out ahead.

This is a terrific camera, just as the other reviewers have indicated. I have had more expensive cameras (Nikon D700), but considering value and price, the Canon T2i tops them all. I know the T2i only has a APS-C sized sensor, but the photos look great. The ergonomics of the camera are the best. Controls are easy to use, and you are just a touch away from changing any setting on the camera.

IMAGE QUALITY: Image quality is amazing. I took some shots of the blossoms on a flowering plum tree and had the photos enlarged to 10×12. They are perfect. The blossoms are sharp, clear, and the colors are right on. Even when you use auto ISO indoors, I find that photos that are enlarged up to 10″x12″ are perfect, even at 800 ISO.

SDHC CARD: I purchased a Sandisk 8GB HDHC card (class 10) for the camera. It is recommended that you have at least a class 6 card. The videos are amazing. The colors are true and you will be surprised by the quality. Look around the net and see what is being done with this camera, even at night.

CANON 18-55mm LENS: I’m not impressed with the kit lens on the camera, but it works. I purchased an EF 28mm f1.8 and a EF 28-135mm IS, and the glass on these two lenses makes a nice difference, especially if you plan on enlarging your photos.

CAMERA QUALITY: The body of the camera is not built like the Nikon D700, which costs over $2,300 and weighs over two pounds. It feels like plastic but doesn’t really appear to be cheap. The body only weighs 18.7 ounces, including the battery and card. It feels light-weight without being cheap. The control knobs and buttons have a nice feel, and function well. The camera body is a little small, but I wouldn’t go back to the D700.

LCD MONITOR: The monitor on the Canon T2i is awesome! It has a 3:2 aspect ratio and is 3″ wide. It has 1.04 million dots, which means it is very, very sharp. I have used the monitor in the sunlight, and it is still easy to read and exceptionally bright. You can also display the control functions on the screen in four different colors, which is quite nice.

IMPORTANT FEATURES: Canon’s Auto Lighting Optimizer really works and is designed to enhance shadow detail and even add contrast if it is needed. It also has Peripheral Illumination Correction which tends to reduce the darkness in the corners. The Highlight Tone Priority tends to improve the overall look of highlights which can sometimes be rather harsh.

This camera is as fantastic as the other 5-star reviewers have indicated. I was a young amateur SLR hobby-photographer 20 years ago; I mostly stopped buying film but never purchased anything more than a compact digital point’n'shoot for mediocre memory-shots. This DSLR was worth the wait. I buy a lot at Amazon but don’t review much; this is an exception. I’ll try not to reiterate too much, but I’ll endorse some of the points in other reviews, and then offer some of my own thoughts.

Endorsements:

* Indeed, image quality is fantastic; 18MP is not “too much” for the APS-C-size sensor. Low-light performance is also great. But rather than listening to my broad statements (or those of other reviewers), Just read through the many pages of http://www.amazon removed the website name – but it’s the same review site that they feature near the top of this camera’s page, or if you just google for “digital photography reviews” it should be the first hit].com review, including the comparisons with “competitor” cameras. The bottom line: is the T2i light-years better than all competitors at a similar price: no; but is it very good, often equaling its own master-at-twice-the-price EOS 7D: YES!

* No, no stereo mic and silent lens operation like the Panasonic GH1, but the standard stereo mic jack resolves this for me. If I want fantastic sound, then I want two mics on a stereo mic bar out on a boom anyway. In fact, I prefer this mic-input over the high-quality built-in stereo mic of the GH1 (and the few other new-comers that boast built-in stereo mics).

* I will side with those who appreciate the video qualities of the camera. No, it’s probably not the right camera for taping the kids’ full basketball games (in 1080p HD!?), where you may want electronic zoom and quiet auto-focus (though a better lens would help with the auto-focus problem a little). But if you wonder what kind of masterpiece videos can be taken with this gem, google around for T2i videos and prepare to be awed. The community of artistic videographers is having a hay-day with the T2i, Panasonic GH1/GF1, and a (very) few others. These stand out in a class of their own. And the T2i, with 60fps 720p stands on its own, really, enabling some incredible slow-motion effects. Indeed, as has been mentioned, you can’t get an interchangeable-lens video camera with a large sensor like this for anywhere near the price of this camera. Oh, and yes, make sure you have at least a Class-6 SD card, preferably Class-10, apparently (though I only have a Class-6 card and it’s done ok so far), before you blame the camera for choppiness, and make sure you have a fast computer with a fast video-card before you blame the camera for taking unwatchable video.

* Indeed, indoor auto-white-balance doesn’t seem perfect. But the auto-ISO works pretty well; thank you Canon for the ability to limit the ceiling on it – that makes it worth using.

My additional thoughts:

* Yes, the body is light. It’s not a professional all-magnesium brick that you can leave out in the snow and rain every night as one reviewer elsewhere likes to do with his professional Canons. But it’s also not entirely “plastic”, as some reviewers suggest. It’s a stainless steel chassis (though who knows what gauge) with a polycarbonate resin / glass fiber shell (ok, yeah, plastic). It does “feel” light enough to be all plastic. I wouldn’t treat it like a professional brick, but I also appreciate the advantages of its light weight. In my opinion: it feels light without feeling cheap. Of course, compared to a solid Magnesium, I might be inclined to say it feels cheap. To hold, that is. The function of the controls does _not_ feel cheap. Also worth noting: I have medium-small hands and have no trouble operating all of the controls _with_ thin gloves on; the profile and controls may not be acceptable to the largest-handed pro photographers, but I wouldn’t read too much into those negative comments. And, finally, I, too, can’t wait for camera-armor to produce a mold for the T2i (with the cutout for the new video button) so that I don’t have to worry as much that the body isn’t brick solid.

* The kit lens may be relatively slow at f3.5 and may be plastic, but it really is a great start lens its price. You’ll find a faster (f1.8) plastic lens for the same price, but it won’t have image-stabilization (though the argument that you won’t need it at f1.8 has some merit). It really is quite sharp, for the money. It does hunt a little for (auto-)focus in imperfect conditions, but it’s not clear to me (yet) that this is all the fault of the lens. The hunting _noise_ (audible noise, that is), on the other hand, clearly marks it as an inexpensive lens.

* Battery: I don’t have enough experience with it yet to comment much on its performance, other than to refer to the stats according to CIPA standards. But I did notice that you can choose your background color for the LCD, where settings are displayed. I changed mine from the default white background to a dark background. If my hypothesis is right, this will save a little power. You can also reduce the amount of time a shot is displayed on the LCD after it’s taken. Or you can turn the LCD off altogether, which is likely to save a healthy bit of juice.

Like I said: I’ll leave a great deal unsaid because other reviewers have already said it. I did a lot of research over the last 5 monhttp://www.amazon.com/review/edit-reviewths and finally concluded that this newcomer was “the one” for me. Still, I watched developments for a few more weeks before making my purchase. Bottom line: this is a 5-star purchase.

UPDATE: I emailed camera-armor, and they reported: “We currently do not have any plans on releasing Camera Armor for the Canon T2i. We apologize for the disappointment.” But they say to stay tuned for new products. Perhaps the plans are around the corner even if the product is not as near as hoped. I’d be interested in knowing how well the Xsi/T1i’s armor (MADE Products CA-1135-BLK Camera Armor for Canon XSI Digital SLR Cameras (Black)) would work — it looks to me like the movie-record button might be covered, but otherwise the fit might be right. I haven’t found any comments on this anywhere.

This camera is simply amazing. I am not a professional photographer – but I wanted to get better pictures than a point and shoot digital camera. What can I say? This thing is an easy camera to use with a ton of features.

Coming from a point/shoot world — this camera was easy to use right out of the box on auto mode. I don’t have the steadiest of hands but I could take very nice pictures with this, even in low light. Blacks looked black (without grain in the picture, like many cameras produce in low light). The default pic size is huge (5K x 3K or something like that). I used a 32GB SDHC which rates at about 3979 pics at this size.

Rapid shot was a nice feature. The built in screen is large and very clear. Looks like it may actually be HD resolution.

Video capture was decent. It is full 1080, and even though it can do 30p, I think 24p is better. Like many video cameras, the video capture is not so good in lower light (where flash would be used for a still).

Remember I am not an expert photographer so I cannot comment on advanced features. For the average/novice user, the modes work really well. The camera is easy to use and produces stellar pictures. Some people have complained of the camera’s bulk, but I nor my wife have any complaints at all about its size/weight. It is really easy to hold and handle.

In short both my wife and I are very excited about this camera and am very glad we got it.

Many good things have been said about this camera. It is superlative in most ways that count for most users. See the other reviews for details of just how excellent a camera this is. I’ll instead offer a few summary opinions and observations:

1) Upgrading from an XTi or higher will be very easy for you — same lenses, many similar controls

2) Don’t expect wonders from the kit lens. It is noisy, cheap-feeling, has a primitive and slow USM, uses a plastic (not metal) bayonet, and hunts hopelessly when autofocusing in anything but ideal light. It is altogether not worth the $100. Getting the camera now, is.

3) ISO response really is amazing. ISO 800 with my XTi is like ISO 3200 with the T2i. ISO 12800 is entirely usable in a pinch. It is not the horror story you might expect. You can also push it two stops further to the equivalent of 51,200, though I can say the results are ugly. They are the same kind of ugly that an XTi pushed two stops results in, with its ISO6400 equivalent push. These comparisons are based on visual comparison between non-noise reduced images. When you apply even mild NR using the DPP software, ISO12,800 quickly becomes a viable tool, rather than the butt of jokes.

4) Auto-ISO is finally here! Canon implemented it right, where you the user can limit the auto-selectable range.

5) Adobe has not caught up to the latest .CR2 RAW file format as of this writing (3/17). The latest ACR is 5.6, and we really really need a 5.7 patch for CS4. Until that is released, you’ll need to scrape by with other plugins or programs.

6) Video capabilities meet high expectations. Do however follow the booklet instructions and use at least a SD class 6 card (class 10 preferable). I’m using a class 6 and get some jerkiness at 720p. It just can’t keep up. So don’t blame the camera until you give it a big pipe to write to.

7) Remote control? Impressively, yes. If you have a long USB cable, you can make some use of the EOS Utility software’s remote control functionality, which includes controlling not only the normal features of the camera, but as well, you can schedule photos to be taken periodically (think time-lapse). You also use this software to register your name and copyright statement, if you wish, as imprints on every photo’s EXIF.

Overall a great purchase, well worth its price for ISO response and 18 megapixels, but it offers quite a bit more. I’m very pleased.

Whether you’re new to the world of DSLRs, or are a seasoned photographer who wants to try your luck at video, the Canon Rebel T2i is perfect. I’ve had nothing but great experiences with it so far, and highly recommend to everyone.

Other than the T2i, I own (and primarily shoot with) the Rebel XS (1000D), and also have extensive experience with the Canon 50D. While my XS still serves me very well, I wanted to get an SLR with video capabilities since the release of the T1i. After finally saving up enough for the T1i, I really lucked out that Canon announced the T2i, which has even better features! I am lucky enough to finally have it, and want to share my experiences, and how they compare to my expectations

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OVERALL IMPRESSIONS

The camera is very small and light. It is not weather-sealed or as durable as some of the more expensive SLRs, but it doesn’t “feel cheap” in my opinion. It features a 3-inch LCD (compared to the Rebel XS’s 2.5 inch screen), which also has a very high resolution. It looks lovely! Auto-focus is fast, and I’ve been very pleased with the quality of the pictures and videos I’ve taken so far.

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PROS

IMAGE QUALITY: I feared that cramming so many megapixels onto this sensor, there would be a lot of image ‘noise’ (the megapixel myth). This thankfully hasn’t been an issue, and I’ve been very pleased with the pictures taken with this camera! Aside from White Balance issues (see below, Cons), image quality is pretty good!

VIDEO: Some people have disparagingly said that Video on DSLRs is just a gimmick. I disagree. Based on sample clips I’d seen on YouTube, I was excited about getting an HDSLR, and while videos are sometimes shaky if you don’t have very steady hands, a tripod eliminates those concerns. Audio quality on the T1i was criticized by many, but the T2i has a microphone input jack, which allows you to connect a mic. I don’t yet own one so can’t comment on that feature, but will update this review if and when I save enough to try this feature out. Additionally, this offers improved recording options, including higher fps (frames per second) than the T1i, which technically offered “true HD” recording of 1080, but only at a choppy 20 fps.

LOW-LIGHT PERFORMANCE: I am much more impressed than I expected. My Rebel XS could go up to ISO 1600, but would perform pretty poorly there. This not only can go up to a significantly higher ISO level, but performs much better. Less image noise means you have to waste less time editing your pics, and many more keepers!

SDXC SUPPORT: Only own SDHC cards up until now, but it’s great to know that this supports the next generation of flash storage, which means you’ll in the future be able to hold many more pictures than currently available.

CONS

NOT A FULL-FRAME SLR: This is not a full-frame SLR like the Canon 5D Mark II, and the APS-C sized sensor results in a crop factor (1.6x), and doesn’t necessarily provide the same image quality as the larger, full-frame sensor does. Still, at less than half the cost of the Mark II, I think this is a trade-off that’s well worth it for most users.

Crop factor means that this camera, like other Canon DSLRs that have the APS-C size image sensor, will not be true to the lens’s designation. A 50mm lens will produce an image more in line with 50mm x 1.6, or 80mm on a full-frame. This not only makes a difference for those who want to do landscape photography (which usually benefits from wide-angle views), but for those with unsteady hands. The general logic is that to ensure a steady shot, you need to shoot at the reciprocal of your focal length. So for a 50mm focal length, you should be shooting at a speed faster than 1/50 second for a steady shot. Keeping the crop factor in mind, you really should be shooting at a speed faster than 1/80 a second.

Crop factors are common for most digital SLRs, as full-frame sensors jack up the cost of production, which are then passed on to the consumer in the form of very expensive cameras. So it’s not so much a shortcoming of the Rebel T2i, but just a note to keep in the back of your mind.

DIFFERENT BATTERY: This is more of a hassle for those who owned spare batteries than for those whose first SLR would be the T2i, but Canon changed the battery. Again, not such a big deal, but might be a hassle for some who find out that their old batteries can’t be used on this model.

WHITE BALANCE: I found that the ‘Auto’ White-Balance setting was wildly inaccurate on my Rebel XS (often giving indoor shots a yellow tint unless I changed the WB to the ‘Incandescent Light’ mode), and I feel that the WB settings on this model still aren’t as accurate as they should be. If you want truly accurate WB, you can use a gray card, or an alternative would be to simply try digitally editing the photos on your computer after shooting.

NO ARTICULATING SCREEN: No articulating screen, but this is a rare feature in DSLR’s in general, so it’s not a shortcoming of the T2i. Since most of your shots will probably be composed using the viewfinder, not a big deal, although it would have been convenient! If you absolutely must have an articulating screen on an HDSLR, look into the Nikon D5000.

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A NOTE ABOUT THE KIT LENS

The lens that comes with this is the standard 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 that comes with the other Rebels. It’s a very good all-around lens, but you more likely than not will want to at some point upgrade your lens for either (a) better image quality, or (b) better performance in low-light conditions.

This lens is very good, but for pros or those who pay incredibly close attention to detail, the optical quality of Canon’s higher-end lenses is superior than to the kit lens. For most users, I don’t think image quality will be a huge issue.

More likely, the aperture size will be the reason people want to upgrade their lens over time. A lens with a wider aperture allows more light to reach the sensor in less time than a lens with a narrower aperture. That means you can employ a faster shutter speed, which allows you to snap the shot faster, reducing the likelihood of a blurry picture. Outdoors on a sunny day, this aperture range of this lens won’t be a limiting factor; inside a poorly-lit gym, however, you’ll notice some blurry shots (see below for a recommended alternative for low-light shooting).

Still, this is a pretty good all-around lens that can result in some great shots!

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RECOMMENDED ACCESSORIES

1. An external flash: This will come in very handy. With the built-in flash, your photos often come out harshly lit. Bouncing an external flash off the wall makes a huge difference in image quality. I personally use the Speedlite 580EX II, but there are cheaper alternatives that are very good. Some higher-end cameras (i.e. Canon 5D Mark II) don’t even have a built-in flash, which goes to show something about how high-level photographers view the lighting provided by internal flashes.

2. 50mm f/1.8 II lens – At around one hundred dollars, this lens is relatively cheap when compared to others on the market. Despite its low price, it offers great image quality. While it lacks IS (image stabilization) like some other Canon lenses (including the kit lens), with a wide aperture of f/1.8, enough light usually comes in to ensure a fast shutter speed, which in turn minimizes camera shake. Keep in mind that as a ‘prime’ lens, your feet will have to do the zooming in and out. This is not as convenient as an everyday walk-around lens like the 18-55 kit lens which gives a good zoom range, but is a great lens for portraits. Also would ideally be a good option for poorly-lit places where the aperture of the kit-lens isn’t wide enough to ensure a steady shot.

CONCLUSIONS

From my list of 4 pros and 4 cons, you might wonder why I’m giving this product 5 stars?… It’s because considering the great performance – and low price – of the T2i, the ‘cons’ I list really aren’t that big of a deal. Just because some cameras offer the aforementioned features the T2i lacks, it doesn’t mean the T2i isn’t a solid performer. On the contrary, I have been completely satisfied with this camera’s image and video quality, performance, features, AND PRICE, and would recommend the T2i to anyone looking for an affordable way to capture memories!