Enthusiastic amateurs eager for a new piece of gear from Canon just got their wish, with one of the market leaders in digital cameras announcing a new model in their EOS line-up, coming to stores in June.
Upgrading a camera announced in February of last year, the 650D brings with it features right out of the more expensive 60D, as well as throwing in some brand new things to boot.
First up the main specs: 18 megapixels, RAW support, 5 frames per second continuous shooting, 9 focus points, 1080p Full HD video, and low-light sensitivity up to ISO 25600 in High (native ISO 12800).
Photographers with a Canon 60D will already be familiar with the 18 megapixels, 9 focus points, but will have craved the slightly extended ISO range.
But it’s in the extra features that we’ll see some jealousy, with the 650D being the first camera in Canon’s stable having a touchscreen LCD and keeping the vari-angle screen.
The touchscreen should be similar to what other manufactures have done with touchscreen cameras before – such as Panasonic and Sony – by offering pinch to zoom functionality and touch focus controls.
It’s also the first EOS to feature silent focussing, provided the camera is coupled with one of Canon’s new “stepping motor” (STM) lenses, a type of lens that takes advantage of a much quieter focusing motor.
Control modes have also been enhanced for this model, supporting a new handheld night scene mode, upgraded scene intelligent auto, and a better video snapshot mode now able to cut and re-order clips before exporting.
Two new lenses are also being introduced with the camera, with a new 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens and ultra-slim 40mm f/2.8 pancake-style lens designed to be thin. Both of these lenses are examples of Canon’s new silent lenses using STM technology, so should be perfect for video work.
We can’t give you a definite price for the 650D, however, as Canon doesn’t do recommended retail prices anymore. However given that this camera is expected to take over from where the 600D left off and is roughly $850 in US markets, you can probably expect to pay just over a grand locally when it arrives at the end of the month.
