Canon has upped the resolution to 18 million pixels, thanks to the 22.3 x 14.9 mm APS-C CMOS sensor, and continues to improve on the video capturing side. Just like its older brother the 500D, the 550D is capable of full high definition video shooting, but ups the frame rate to 30 frames per second, adjustable to 25 or 24 fps, with 60 and 50 fps available at a lower 720p. Canon has also included a 3.5mm jack to plug in an external microphone for better sound quality on clips.

 

Going with the trend at the moment, ISO on the 550D is raised to a respectable 6400, with an extension to 12800 for those really, really dark situations. The ISO can also be capped to limit high noise in your pictures when shooting in automatic mode.

 

Unlike their brothers at Nikon and Samsung, Canon has stuck to a non-adjustable LCD screen at the back. This anti-glare LCD screen measures 3.0” and ups the amount of on-screen pixels to a gorgeous 1.2 million.

 

Other improvements include a 9-point AF system and the iFCL metering system with its 63-zone dual layer metering sensor. It also ups the shooting capabilities from the 500D’s 3.4 fps to 3.7 fps.

 

 “This new EOS, Canon’s most advanced consumer DSLR to date, blends an extensive range of features with a compact, easy-to-use body – providing users with the perfect tool to explore and develop their creative vision,” comments Roger Machin, product manager at Canon Consumer Imaging SA. According to Machin no exact pricing is available right now as the 550D will only be hitting our shores in the third week of March 2010, but consumers can expect to pay “more than the 500D but less than the 50D”.