Canon officially launches the EOS 650D, first EOS with a dual AF system

After months of rumours and a ton of speculation surrounding the launch, Canon have officially taken the wraps off their EOS 650D, the successor to the popular EOS 600D. This new, easy-to-use Digital SLR (DSLR) offers high image quality and simple touchscreen operations, allowing anyone to capture beautiful images and Full HD movies. Ideal for photography beginners, the EOS 650D combines intelligent automatic shooting modes with a range of advanced features.

The EOS 650D is the first-ever EOS to feature a dual AF system, which ensures exceptional detail in stills and continuous autofocus tracking when shooting movies. At the camera’s heart is an 18 megapixel (MP) Hybrid CMOS sensor and powerful DIGIC 5 processing, enabling the capture of sharp, full resolution images at up to 5 frames per second (fps). A Vari-angle capacitive touchscreen also makes camera operation quick and easy, providing instant access to an extensive range of settings and scene modes.

Finally announced!

Canon claims that its newly-developed 18MP APS-C Hybrid CMOS sensor provides super-fine resolution, capturing poster-sized images that are rich in colour and detail. Ideal for shooting in low-light without flash, the camera features a native 100-12,800 ISO range, allowing the capture of natural-looking shots with minimal noise, while an expanded ISO 25,600 range also offers the ability to shoot in more extreme low-light conditions. Though it is available on a handful of other cameras, the EOS 650D is the first entry-level EOS to be powered by Canon DIGIC 5 processing, offering greater speed, responsiveness and advanced colour rendition. DIGIC 5’s 14-bit image processing provides beautiful and subtle transitions between colour tones, such as those of an evening sky, and its vastly-increased power also makes the camera ideal for capturing fast-moving action, such as football or other sports.

The new dual AF system makes it easy to capture sharply-focused shots of all subjects, whether capturing stills or movies. A superior 9-point all cross-type AF system provides exceptional performance during stills shooting, offering precision accuracy when capturing sports, action and wildlife. Additionally, a new Hybrid AF System offers continuous autofocusing during movie recording, and when shooting in Live View AF in Live View and Movies - subject to use with Canon stepping motor (STM) lenses mode.

Canon claims that getting the perfect shot has never been easier, thanks to the new 1,040k-dot resolution, 7.7cm (3.0-inch) Vari-angle Clear View LCD II touchscreen. Featuring capacitive technology, the screen is highly responsive and supports a variety of multi-touch gestures, such as pinching and swiping – making it easy to access shooting modes, alter settings and even capture a shot using the screen alone.

The EOS 650D makes it easy for anyone to shoot Full HD (1920x1080p) videos. Thanks to Hybrid AF, users can focus exclusively on story-telling, while the camera continuously tracks the subject. New EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM and EF 40mm f/2.8 STM lenses are also ideal for shooting videos, utilizing a virtually-silent stepper motor to ensure movies are smoother and clearer than ever.

Here is a quick look at some of the highlighted features of the Canon EOS 650D

• 18.0 MP APS-C CMOS sensor
• Full-HD movies with manual controls and continuous AF
• 5 fps continuous shooting
• Vari-angle Clear View LCD II Touch screen
• ISO 100-12,800 sensitivity, extendable to ISO 25,600
• 9-point wide-area AF
• Integrated Speedlite Transmitter

The body of the Canon EOS 650D will be available from the second half of June in Europe and at the U.S at a retail price of $849.99, which is roughly Rs. 47,000. If one wants to opt for the EOS 650D with an 18-5mm lens, then it will cost $949, which translates to around Rs. 52,542. As of now, there is no official word on pricing and availability in India, but stay tuned to this space for more on the same. For more information on this entry level DSLR, click here.