Small advances in Canon EOS 600D

The Life: We review one of Canon's latest digital SLR cameras, the EOS 600D, to see if it's worth a Dh4,000 investment.

The Canon 600D EOS digital SLR has a swivelling three-inch LCD screen. Courtesy: Canon

Canon's entry-level line of EOS single-lens reflex cameras has become known as beginner-friendly and affordable.

And the company's latest entry-level model, the EOS 600D, continues to help enthusiasts take better photographs.

Amazon lists the camera at US$1,143 (Dh4,198), but the price will vary among vendors.

This camera may not be perfect for everyone, but its menu includes a convenient "feature guide" providing brief descriptions of key settings and the effect of each, helping photographers to learn more about the camera as they use it.

The most notable option in this menu is called "Basic +", which can be used to control a photo's background blur without the photographer needing to know anything technical about how this works.

This camera shoots a maximum of three photographs per second at a crisp resolution of 18 megapixels. The speed of its autofocus is generally good, but more-advanced users who are accustomed to high shutter speeds for action photography might be disappointed by its picture-taking rate. It is capable of zooming in to a magnification of 10 times.

This is especially valuable when recording videos in full high-definition.

The EOS 600D is the successor to Canon's EOS 550D model, with the chief difference between the two cameras being that the newer version has a swivelling three-inch LCD screen. This is useful if you intend to take shots at awkward angles, such as above a crowd at a concert. But the screen also makes the 600D slightly taller and wider than its predecessor. The new model also has a more prominent grip, which is superior to that of the 550D. But these features are the only substantial differences between the two cameras.

If you own the 550D or even the 60D, you might want to save your money and invest in a better lens.

Otherwise, for first-time camera buyers, the 600D is a good entry-level option.