Canon EOS 1200D Review
Introduction
The Canon EOS 1200D (also known as the Digital Rebel T5) is the new entry-level model in Canon’s extensive range of digital SLR cameras, replacing the 3 year old 1100D camera. Aimed at first-time DSLR users, the Canon 1200D has an 18 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, Digic 4 processor, 3-inch LCD screen, 3fps continuous shooting, 9-point auto focus module, 63-zone iFCL exposure metering, ISO 100-6400 sensitivity, on-screen Feature Guide, stainless steel chassis and all-aluminium exterior, 1080p HD video capture with full control over exposure, focusing and sound levels, and a new EOS Companion smartphone app.
Canon EOS 1200D Handling and Features
Canon rarely rocks the boat with its designs, and the 1200D is hard to distinguish from its predecessor, the Canon 1100D. A few buttons have been redesigned and the screen is up from 2.7in to 3in, but externally, that's about it. The controls are straightforward and elegant, with a generous allocation of labelled, single-function buttons, plus a Q button to access key settings without having to delve into the main menu. However, it's confusing that adjustments are immediate when using the Q button, but are discarded when accessed via a labelled button unless the Set button is pushed to confirm.
The 1200D also resembles the pricier Canon EOS 700D, although it lacks the 700D's articulated touchscreen. Its screen has a relatively low 460,000-dot resolution, but we don't find this to be much of a problem. It's still perfectly adequate for manual focus in live view mode, thanks to the ability to magnify the image by up to 10x.
The main upgrades are on the inside. The 18-megapixel sensor and 1080p video mode are significant improvements on the 1100D's 12 megapixels and 720p video, and match the 700D's specifications. Other features remain unchanged. Its autofocus sensor has nine points but only the centre point is cross-type for increased sensitivity. It also uses the same optical viewfinder as the 1100D with a 0.8x magnification, which is slightly smaller than the 700D's 0.85x magnification. It's fitted with Canon's DIGIC 4 rather than the latest DIGIC 5 processor, which means that chromatic aberrations aren't corrected automatically for JPEGs. Meanwhile, its 3fps continuous shooting speed appears to be deliberately hobbled – the EOS 600D used the same 18-megapixel sensor and DIGIC 4 processor and managed 4fps.
Introduction
The Canon EOS 1200D (also known as the Digital Rebel T5) is the new entry-level model in Canon’s extensive range of digital SLR cameras, replacing the 3 year old 1100D camera. Aimed at first-time DSLR users, the Canon 1200D has an 18 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, Digic 4 processor, 3-inch LCD screen, 3fps continuous shooting, 9-point auto focus module, 63-zone iFCL exposure metering, ISO 100-6400 sensitivity, on-screen Feature Guide, stainless steel chassis and all-aluminium exterior, 1080p HD video capture with full control over exposure, focusing and sound levels, and a new EOS Companion smartphone app.
Canon EOS 1200D Handling and Features
Canon rarely rocks the boat with its designs, and the 1200D is hard to distinguish from its predecessor, the Canon 1100D. A few buttons have been redesigned and the screen is up from 2.7in to 3in, but externally, that's about it. The controls are straightforward and elegant, with a generous allocation of labelled, single-function buttons, plus a Q button to access key settings without having to delve into the main menu. However, it's confusing that adjustments are immediate when using the Q button, but are discarded when accessed via a labelled button unless the Set button is pushed to confirm.
The 1200D also resembles the pricier Canon EOS 700D, although it lacks the 700D's articulated touchscreen. Its screen has a relatively low 460,000-dot resolution, but we don't find this to be much of a problem. It's still perfectly adequate for manual focus in live view mode, thanks to the ability to magnify the image by up to 10x.
The main upgrades are on the inside. The 18-megapixel sensor and 1080p video mode are significant improvements on the 1100D's 12 megapixels and 720p video, and match the 700D's specifications. Other features remain unchanged. Its autofocus sensor has nine points but only the centre point is cross-type for increased sensitivity. It also uses the same optical viewfinder as the 1100D with a 0.8x magnification, which is slightly smaller than the 700D's 0.85x magnification. It's fitted with Canon's DIGIC 4 rather than the latest DIGIC 5 processor, which means that chromatic aberrations aren't corrected automatically for JPEGs. Meanwhile, its 3fps continuous shooting speed appears to be deliberately hobbled – the EOS 600D used the same 18-megapixel sensor and DIGIC 4 processor and managed 4fps.
The best we could get from the 1200D in our tests was 2.9fps. Continuous shooting lasted indefinitely when shooting JPEGs and pointing the camera at a relatively sparse subject. Shooting a more complex subject – which gives the JPEG processing engine more work to do – made performance drop to 1.4fps after 13 frames. In RAW mode, continuous shooting fell to 0.7fps after six frames. Not everyone will feel the urge to fire off dozens of photos in quick succession, but this isn't the camera for those who do.
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