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Canon 550D vs Canon 5D MII

Portability
70
Imaging
57
Features
63
Overall
59
Canon EOS 550D front
 
Canon EOS 5D Mark II front
Portability
56
Imaging
64
Features
70
Overall
66

Canon 550D vs Canon 5D MII Key Specs

Canon 550D
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Boost to 12800)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF/EF-S Mount
  • 530g - 129 x 98 x 62mm
  • Revealed April 2010
  • Additionally Known as EOS Rebel T2i / EOS Kiss X4
  • Succeeded the Canon 500D
  • Later Model is Canon 600D
Canon 5D MII
(Full Review)
  • 21MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Raise to 25600)
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF Mount
  • 850g - 152 x 114 x 75mm
  • Revealed February 2009
  • Replaced the Canon 5D
  • Successor is Canon 5D MIII
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Canon 550D vs Canon 5D MII Overview

Let's look more in depth at the Canon 550D versus Canon 5D MII, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Advanced DSLR and both of them are offered by Canon. The sensor resolution of the 550D (18MP) and the 5D MII (21MP) is pretty close but the 550D (APS-C) and 5D MII (Full frame) offer different sensor sizes.

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The 550D was revealed 14 months after the 5D MII which makes them a generation away from each other. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Canon 550D being a Compact SLR camera and the Canon 5D MII being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the 550D grades vs the 5D MII when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary

        

Reasons to pick Canon 550D over the Canon 5D MII

 550D 5D MII 
RevealedApril 2010February 2009More modern by 14 months
Screen resolution1040k920kSharper screen (+120k dot)

Reasons to pick Canon 5D MII over the Canon 550D

 5D MII 550D 

Common features in the Canon 550D and Canon 5D MII

 550D 5D MII 
Manually focus Dial precise focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch screen Neither includes Touch screen

Canon 550D vs Canon 5D MII Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry around your camera regularly, you're going to have to take into account its weight and size. The Canon 550D features physical measurements of 129mm x 98mm x 62mm (5.1" x 3.9" x 2.4") with a weight of 530 grams (1.17 lbs) whilst the Canon 5D MII has specifications of 152mm x 114mm x 75mm (6.0" x 4.5" x 3.0") with a weight of 850 grams (1.87 lbs).

Examine the Canon 550D versus Canon 5D MII in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Below is a front view measurements comparison of the 550D and the 5D MII.

Canon 550D vs Canon 5D MII size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the 550D and 5D MII is 70 and 56 respectively.

Canon 550D vs Canon 5D MII top view buttons comparison

Canon 550D vs Canon 5D MII Sensor Comparison

Generally, it's tough to picture the gap in sensor sizes just by viewing specifications. The picture underneath may give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the 550D and 5D MII.

Plainly, both cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The 550D having a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Canon 5D MII will result in greater detail because of its extra 3 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The younger 550D provides a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Canon 550D vs Canon 5D MII sensor size comparison

Canon 550D vs Canon 5D MII Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 550D vs Canon 5D MII Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 550D Portrait photography details
Canon 5D MII Portrait photography details
74
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (18 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with face detect focus
exports RAW files
78
has manual focus
megapixel count good (21 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
has face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Canon 550D Street photography information
Canon 5D MII Street photography information
60
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
59
big sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
no moving screen
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Canon 550D Sports photography advice
Canon 5D MII Sports photography advice
53
megapixel count decent (18MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
low frames per second (4.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
terrible battery power (470 CIPA)
69
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
megapixel count good (21 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
has tracking autofocus
environment sealing
supports phase detect AF
continuous shooting slow (4.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon 550D
Travel photography with Canon 5D MII
55
megapixel count decent (18MP)
flash built-in
missing Timelapse function
terrible battery power (470 CIPA)
screen isn't selfie friendly
55
environment sealing
megapixel count good (21 megapixels)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Canon 550D as a Landscape photography camera
Canon 5D MII as a Landscape photography camera
63
focusing manually
swap lenses (Canon EF/EF-S mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
megapixel count decent (18MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
terrible battery power (470 shots)
missing Timelapse function
70
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Canon EF mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
megapixel count good (21MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
no image stabilization
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon 550D Vlogging highlights
Canon 5D MII Vlogging highlights
31
comes with face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes microphone port
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
29
has face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with external mic support
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
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Canon 550D vs Canon 5D MII Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 550D and Canon 5D MII
 Canon EOS 550DCanon EOS 5D Mark II
General Information
Brand Name Canon Canon
Model type Canon EOS 550D Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Alternate name EOS Rebel T2i / EOS Kiss X4 -
Category Entry-Level DSLR Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2010-04-01 2009-02-13
Physical type Compact SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Digic 4 Digic 4
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C Full frame
Sensor dimensions 22.3 x 14.9mm 36 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 332.3mm² 864.0mm²
Sensor resolution 18 megapixel 21 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2
Maximum resolution 5184 x 3456 5616 x 3744
Maximum native ISO 6400 6400
Maximum boosted ISO 12800 25600
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Min boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount type Canon EF/EF-S Canon EF
Amount of lenses 326 250
Focal length multiplier 1.6 1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 1,040k dots 920k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology TFT color liquid-crystal LCD TFT liquid-crystal color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 98 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x 0.71x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting rate 4.0fps 4.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 13.00 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye no built-in flash
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/200s 1/200s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50 fps), 640 x 480 (60, 50 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format H.264 H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 530 gr (1.17 lbs) 850 gr (1.87 lbs)
Physical dimensions 129 x 98 x 62mm (5.1" x 3.9" x 2.4") 152 x 114 x 75mm (6.0" x 4.5" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 66 79
DXO Color Depth rating 22.0 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.6 11.9
DXO Low light rating 807 1815
Other
Battery life 470 images 850 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LP-E8 LP-E6
Self timer Yes (2 sec or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Microdrive
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $599 $1,190