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Canon 500D vs Canon 550D

Portability
70
Imaging
54
Features
59
Overall
56
Canon EOS 500D front
 
Canon EOS 550D front
Portability
70
Imaging
58
Features
63
Overall
60

Canon 500D vs Canon 550D Key Specs

Canon 500D
(Full Review)
  • 15MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200 (Push to 12800)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF/EF-S Mount
  • 520g - 129 x 98 x 62mm
  • Revealed June 2009
  • Other Name is EOS Rebel T1i / EOS Kiss X3
  • Succeeded the Canon 450D
  • New Model is Canon 550D
Canon 550D
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Increase to 12800)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF/EF-S Mount
  • 530g - 129 x 98 x 62mm
  • Announced April 2010
  • Alternate Name is EOS Rebel T2i / EOS Kiss X4
  • Earlier Model is Canon 500D
  • Updated by Canon 600D
Photography Glossary

Canon 500D vs Canon 550D Overview

On this page, we will be reviewing the Canon 500D vs Canon 550D, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras and both are manufactured by Canon. The image resolution of the 500D (15MP) and the 550D (18MP) is pretty comparable and both cameras boast the same sensor measurements (APS-C).

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The 500D was launched 9 months earlier than the 550D and they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras have the same body design (Compact SLR).

Before getting straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the 500D scores vs the 550D with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Canon 500D over the Canon 550D

 500D 550D 

Reasons to pick Canon 550D over the Canon 500D

 550D 500D 
AnnouncedApril 2010June 2009More recent by 9 months
Screen resolution1040k920kCrisper screen (+120k dot)

Common features in the Canon 500D and Canon 550D

 500D 550D 
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch screen Neither has Touch screen

Canon 500D vs Canon 550D Physical Comparison

If you are intending to lug around your camera regularly, you are going to need to consider its weight and size. The Canon 500D has outside measurements of 129mm x 98mm x 62mm (5.1" x 3.9" x 2.4") along with a weight of 520 grams (1.15 lbs) and the Canon 550D has specifications of 129mm x 98mm x 62mm (5.1" x 3.9" x 2.4") along with a weight of 530 grams (1.17 lbs).

Look at the Canon 500D vs Canon 550D in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Following is a front view measurements comparison of the 500D compared to the 550D.

Canon 500D vs Canon 550D size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the 500D and 550D is 70 and 70 respectively.

Canon 500D vs Canon 550D top view buttons comparison

Canon 500D vs Canon 550D Sensor Comparison

Often, its tough to picture the gap in sensor measurements merely by seeing technical specs. The visual underneath should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the 500D and 550D.

As you can tell, each of the cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit different resolution. You can expect the Canon 550D to show more detail utilizing its extra 3 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older 500D will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Canon 500D vs Canon 550D sensor size comparison

Canon 500D vs Canon 550D Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 500D vs Canon 550D Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 500D as a Portrait photography camera
Canon 550D as a Portrait photography camera
72
has manual focus
megapixel count good (15 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
74
you can focus manually
MP count decent (18 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detect focus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Canon 500D Street photography factors
Canon 550D Street photography factors
59
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
60
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Canon 500D Sports photography information
Canon 550D Sports photography information
52
megapixel count good (15 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
bad battery life (440 shots)
54
MP count decent (18MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect auto focus
slow fps (4.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
low battery life (470 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon 500D
Travel photography with Canon 550D
54
megapixel count good (15 megapixels)
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse function
bad battery life (440 per charge)
does not have a selfie friendly display
55
MP count decent (18MP)
flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse mode
low battery life (470 per charge)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Canon 500D Landscape photography information
Canon 550D Landscape photography information
61
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Canon EF/EF-S mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
megapixel count good (15 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
bad battery life (440 per charge)
missing Time Lapse function
63
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Canon EF/EF-S mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
MP count decent (18MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
does not have image stabilization
low battery life (470 shots)
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon 500D Vlogging advice
Canon 550D Vlogging advice
27
has face detection focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not have a selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
missing external mic support
31
provides face detect focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has mic port
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
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Canon 500D vs Canon 550D Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 500D and Canon 550D
 Canon EOS 500DCanon EOS 550D
General Information
Brand Canon Canon
Model Canon EOS 500D Canon EOS 550D
Also called EOS Rebel T1i / EOS Kiss X3 EOS Rebel T2i / EOS Kiss X4
Category Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2009-06-08 2010-04-01
Body design Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Digic 4 Digic 4
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor dimensions 22.3 x 14.9mm 22.3 x 14.9mm
Sensor area 332.3mm² 332.3mm²
Sensor resolution 15MP 18MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2
Peak resolution 4752 x 3168 5184 x 3456
Highest native ISO 3200 6400
Highest enhanced ISO 12800 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Canon EF/EF-S Canon EF/EF-S
Total lenses 326 326
Crop factor 1.6 1.6
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 920 thousand dot 1,040 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology TFT color LCD TFT color liquid-crystal LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 95% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x 0.55x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames per second 4.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m 13.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/200s 1/200s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (20 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50 fps), 640 x 480 (60, 50 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format H.264 H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 520 gr (1.15 lbs) 530 gr (1.17 lbs)
Physical dimensions 129 x 98 x 62mm (5.1" x 3.9" x 2.4") 129 x 98 x 62mm (5.1" x 3.9" x 2.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 63 66
DXO Color Depth score 21.7 22.0
DXO Dynamic range score 11.5 11.6
DXO Low light score 663 807
Other
Battery life 440 shots 470 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LP-E5 LP-E8
Self timer Yes (2 sec or 10 sec) Yes (2 sec or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Price at release $650 $599