Canon EOS 600D

With the 500D, 550D & 60D already available, I can't work out: what’s the point of the Canon EOS 600D

<p>Canon makes more money?</p>

<p>It's the audacity of it, it's pretty much the exact same camera as the 550D and 60D, I really can't see why anyone would buy it.</p>

<p>Flip out LCD! And less money than the 60D. </p>

<p>Why not just lower the price of the 60D?</p>

<p>This sort of improved "Rebel" release has been fairly common for Canon, at least going back to the XTi (400D) leapfrogging the 20D and even the later 30D. I haven't used the newer 'Rebels' (xxxD), but in the pictures in the previews it looks like it keeps the "Rebel" control system. Many of us would prefer to pay more for the xxD controls, even when it means a few less pixels. I have an XTi that I bought as a backup, but it is my least used digital camera despite the fact that it 'out-pixies' my 20D.</p>

<p>I won't say there's never a reason to have more than 8MP, but for most people it does become sort of academic after a while. There are lots of differences in the operating system and in other areas that make people choose one over the other. I would think the flip-out viewer is enough reason for a middling upgrade.</p>

<p>A camera that has more features than the T2i but is cheaper than the 60D.</p>

<p>Whatever were Canon thinking. A person could be forgiven for suspecting they were out to make money (something lowering the price of the 60D might not be good for).</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I think the intro dslr is such a competitive market that no one dares to let a model go untouched for more than a year. I bet p&s sales are drying up because people are just using their smartphones, so the intro dslr market is where they can make up lost revenue. </p>

<p>More puzzling... what is this 1000D?! Do they still sell the X-whatever versions? Is that what it is?</p>

<p>I saw the 600D described as "a firmware upgrade in the form of a camera, with a hinge".</p>

<p>Which kind of sums it up I guess.</p>

<p>New low pass filter: might be to tackle the video aliasing.<br>

LCD screen with swivel: might be useful for video use.<br>

Manual audio: might be useful for video use.<br>

I wonder who Canon are targeting.<br>

This weeks AP (UK) asks of the 600D, 'do you still need a 7D?'<br>

Yes, I would say, if you need blazing fast accurate AF, or weather proof construction.<br>

You might also ask 'do you still need a 60D'<br>

Not as clear cut. Will those with big hands, or who are used to the QCD controls, or like the top-plate LCD and buttons, or prefer to use the veiwfinder and want a decent one be willing to pay the extra?<br>

It does rather make the 60D look like the fish out of water that I always thought it was. Ask not who the 600D is for, ask who the 60D was ever for.<br>

And for those dinosaurs who still use their SLRs for stills, theres a nice wireless TTL flash commander built in.</p>

<p>I think Canon have got it bang on with the 600D. If they price it right.</p>

<p>It seems that, like in their compacts, Canon have reached a peak of resolution, and are deciding to focus on other areas of the camera experience, not simply how many extra redundant pixels can we squeeze in.<br>

I see this as a positive development.</p>

<p>[[More puzzling... what is this 1000D?! Do they still sell the X-whatever versions? Is that what it is?]]</p>

<p>The 1000D has been available since 2008. In the US it's called the XS. The 1100D is its replacement, called the T3 in the US.</p>

<p>Just like Ford makes different cars for different buyers, Canon makes different cameras for different buyers. Not everyone can afford the same amount for a camera. One person's budget is US$500, another's is $1,000, and a third's is $1,500.</p>

<p>If all you look at is megapixels and video capability, then, for all intents and purposes, the 600 (T3i), 60D and 7D are all the same camera, yet they sell at three different price points to three different buyers. There are also many other differences. The AF is different across them, the chassis of the camera is different, and are different sizes, the higher-end cameras have more "pro" features than the others, etc.</p>

<p>Don't underestimate the affect of the chassis size on selecting a camera. When I picked up a 50D for the first time, and compared its heft, feel, and operation to a T2i, I knew I wanted the larger chassis camera over the Rebel. Eventually, I ended up with a 7D, for some of the other features that it has. But others may feel exactly the opposite!</p>

<p>I doubt they are building more 550s. Since they list for the same price as the new 600 on Canon's US website, I'd expect the 550 to drop off when the stock is depleted. As for why a 600 so soon after the 550, well, chalk that one up to "marketing". It's all about being fresh and new.</p>

<p>Just like there's a new model Ford Mustang every fall, maybe Canon thinks there should be a new model Rebel every spring...</p>

<p>It's just a natural progression of product development and business. Customers who don't already own a dslr are the ones who benefit with all these choices. <br>

It's analogous to the automotive industry. Why buy a 2011 Honda Civic, when the 2010 one have pretty much the same features? I drive an older 1999 Honda Accord, but the late model civics out feature my 12 year old Accord, even though they're considered "entry" level cars. But I digress.<br>

I shoot with a 5D2, and 60D. I think the T3i, would be a great starter camera, and a capable one at that, that can also grow with the user, or even as a backup.</p>

<p>[[doubt they are building more 550s. Since they list for the same price as the new 600 on Canon's US website, I'd expect the 550 to drop off when the stock is depleted. As for why a 600 so soon after the 550, well, chalk that one up to "marketing". It's all about being fresh and new.]]</p>

<p>According to dpreview.com the 550D is going to sit between the 600D and the T3. The 500D will be discontinued. I couldn't say if that means "until stocks are depleted" but perhaps so.</p>