REVIEW: Canon 70D and EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM

Canon EOS 70D DSLR Camera Kit with 18-55mm and 55-250mm Lenses

If you are just visiting my blog, you can see the first part of this review in my article entitled REVIEW: Canon 70D First Look with Real World Sample Photos. My apologies for the long delay in doing part II, but a family medical emergency had me offline for a while.

This weekend I finally got a chance to finish putting the 70D through its paces so that I can bring you the final installment of this review. I also had a chance to pair it up with the latest version of the 55-250mm lens in addition to using it with my 24-70mm f/2.8L II lens.

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Telephoto Zoom Lens

Since I don’t test cameras that can use EF-S lenses very often, I decided to use this as a chance to play with one of Canon’s newer STM lenses. There are three versions of this lens floating around, but I got the latest version from B&H which is the first to be an STM lens.

SLRGear has a good in-depth review of non-STM version of this lens, and I’m sure they will be testing the STM version in the near future. Check here for the latest SLRGear review. I thought I’d share my thoughts which are more subjective than scientific for this particular lens.

While this lens won’t be showing up on my “Which lens should I buy?” article, I thought it was a good performer for a beginner lens. At the time of this writing, it was under $350 USD, which makes it a pretty good value for a lens covering this much range.

Of course one-size fits most lenses sound great to the newbie, you only need to use an L series lens to quickly realize why Canon offers over 100 lenses. The more you specialize with a lens, the better the results (i.e., a 135mm f/2L will destroy this lens at 135mm).  However, it’s tough to get started in DSLR photography, so this isn’t a bad way to get your feet wet while you save for the good lenses.

The AF performed fairly well, but the minimum focus distance is pretty brutal (2.79' (85 cm)) if you like to get close to your subjects (i.e., close portraits or macros). The STM works a as advertised and is very quiet. The image stabilization (IS) is okay, but it didn’t feel like it was as effective as some of my better lenses like the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM.

The most positive thing I can say about this lens is that it doesn’t suck (for a beginner). This may sound funny, but older kit lenses were pretty awful. I still stick to my lens recommendations, but I think new users who don’t pixel peep against shots taken with better lenses will most often be satisfied with its results.

Real World Sample Images 

Canon EOS 70D, f/5.6 @ 55 mm, 1/500, ISO 100, No Flash, Shade White Balance

In the next two shots I demonstrate what it really means to go from 250mm (max zoom) in the shot below to the 55mm (min zoom). While my example has a horizon that is crooked as a politician, you get the idea that this lens may not be the sharpest but it’s handy!

Max Zoom
f/5.6 @ 250 mm, 1/250, ISO 100, No Flash

Min Zoom
f/4 @ 55 mm, 1/800, ISO 100, No Flash

f/5.6 @ 237 mm, 1/640, ISO 100, No Flash, Shade White Balance

I was satisfied with most of the shots I got with this lens
f/4 @ 55 mm, 1/320, ISO 100, No Flash

f/5 @ 117 mm, 1/500, ISO 160, No Flash

Click here to visit a full gallery of images taken with the 70D using the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Telephoto Zoom Lens. All of the images are the original in-camera JPEG files with no modification beyond file metadata changes.

It should be noted that some images use JPEG normal instead of JPEG fine due to a mistake I made while turning off RAW for a moment so I could do a HDR shot. I’m unsure of how many images have the wrong compression setting, but this could cause some of the images to look slightly softer than they really are.

Living with the 70D

This camera has the same basic layout as the 6D with the cool high resolution articulating touch screen from the T5i. Surprisingly this touch screen didn’t annoy me as much as the one from the T5i, but it could just be that I’m getting used it. I did find the screen to be excellent and the pivoting display that allows for self pictures as well as tough macro and over the head shots is always welcome.

Overall, I found myself very satisfied with the build quality despite its small size. It’s the first xxD series that I actually liked since the 40D, so that’s a big surprise after many disappointing releases.

The burst mode isn’t terribly impressive in real world use, especially if you shoot raw, so don’t sell your 7D just yet. The AF system is also fairly watered down from what you’d find in a 5D Mark III or 7D, but its effective.

I did enjoy the viewfinder which also has the option to show a digital level. It’s a 98% viewfinder so you’ll typically pick up a little extra scene elements in the edges from what you see in the viewfinder, but it didn’t bother me much in the real world use. I did appreciate the clarity of the viewfinder though.

The Q menu with touch screen was very nice because it allows you to get to what you want by pressing Q then just tapping the item you want with your finger on the LCD. This speeds up operation which is important as this camera features fewer buttons than what I am comfortable with on my 5D Mark III and 1D X.

The built-in flash works much like Nikon’s in that it sucks less than built-in flashes of years ago. A 600EX-RT or even a cheaper 430EX II is going to give better results, but it’s nice to have when you are in a pinch and need some fill light.

I was disappointed that its live view was a little noisy compared to what I’m used to with Canon cameras when used in long exposure scenarios (at max zoom in). However, the 10x zoom still allowed me to get the results I needed.

The small body is more on par with a Nikon D5200, but it has a wonderfully deep grip that I really enjoyed. In practice the size was never an issue and my thumb could easily navigate all of the controls. Nikon’s have always been better for their abundance of well placed physical buttons, and Canon doesn’t really catch up here, but I found this no worse to use than a 6D. Canon shooters will be right at home, and new DSLR owners should enjoy it.

A Word About Canon In-Camera Noise Reduction

Always make sure you set your “High ISO Speed NR” setting to Low on Canon Cameras

While it is taboo to say it or admit it anywhere forum trolls travel, some people actually use the JPEG images from their cameras. If that’s you, then be warned that the 70D is identical to all Canon DIGIC 4 & 5 cameras in that it’s in camera noise reduction is too aggressive after the Low setting. This is important because the camera default is Standard and it obliterates too much detail in the name of removing noise as you can see in the image above.

Notice how in this image, taken at ISO 3200, the image on the right has lots of nice detail with no major noise. Notice how the image on the left looks soft with details missing – this is overly aggressive noise reduction from the in-camera Standard mode.

You can click the image above to see this in action, or you can look at the full-size camera original JPEG’s at Standard here and Low here.

If you find that you still need addition noise reduction on your JPEG or your RAW images, then just use Noiseware (winner of my Noise Reduction Roundup). It does a much better job of preserving detail and removing noise than Canon’s in-camera results.

Bookshelf Images

ISO 6400 is about as high as I would go with this camera
f/4 @ 24 mm, 1/15, ISO 6400, No Flash, Auto White Balance, Low Noise In-Camera Reduction

My overall opinion is that this camera has pretty solid ISO performance up to 3200, and it drops rapidly after that. I’d consider ISO 6400 as high as I’d realistically want to go in real world usage. On the other hand, the sensor captures incredible detail and has a wonderful dynamic range so overall I was very impressed. It is no match for the 6D, but it seems better than a 7D in my opinion.

These are taken from in-camera JPEG’s with zero modifications. Nearly all were taken in Aperture Priority (Av) mode using a timer and a tripod with stabilization turned off. The goal of these samples is to have a common measuring stick in a controlled environment by which you can measure the lens and sensor performance. What’s more you can also compare these to bookshelf shots of other cameras that I’ve reviewed to get an idea of how a camera really compares. See my other camera reviews for links to additional bookshelf images.

As mentioned above, I did change the High ISO Speed NR setting to Low from the Standard to avoid smearing too much detail. I also took these images with my 24-70mm f/2.8L II lens at its sharpest setting - 24mm @ f/4.

Click here to start viewing the images at ISO 100 and up. Be sure to check the caption for the settings used.

Visit http://photos.ronmartblog.com/canon/70d for a full gallery and click the images to see the full-size originals. All images are copyright Ron Martinsen – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may view them, but you may not store, edit, print, distribute or otherwise reuse any images without written consent.

HDR

In-Camera HDR was disappointing

Despite being on a tripod with images that should merge well, the in-camera processing still clipped off quite a bit of the image (see other bookshelf shot above for a comparison). This is pretty lame, but what’s even worse is that there’s no option to save the images that built the HDR so that you can go use software on your computer at a later time. As a result, I hated the built-in HDR feature.

The hand-held auto aligning was no where as good as what I experience with my 5D Mark III, so this is one of those tripod only HDR features. Generally speaking HDR works best with a tripod, so this isn’t necessarily a show stopper – but it’s annoying to know that this feature has been dumbed down for marketing reasons.

My advice is to stick with bracketing and use Photomatix – it’s much better and you don’t lose the edges of your image to in-camera cropping.

Video

In my review of the Think Tank Photo TurnStyle™ Sling Bags, I used the 70D to record the two YouTube videos with the continuous focusing Live View: Dual Pixel CMOS AF. This feature is supposed to offer camcorder-like auto focusing performance on a DSLR. When paired with a STM lens like the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM I was using in the video, you are supposed to get silent (as compared to USM lenses) and fast auto focusing.

As you can see from the videos in that article, this feature sorta works most of the time but it has a lot more misses than I typically get from a cheap camcorder. In short, it’s the best I’ve seen on a DSLR, but still crap compared to camcorders. Hopefully firmware updates over time will make it better, and I commend Canon for at least trying to make this work.

Conclusion (and compared to the Nikon D7100)

Overall, I’ve got to say that I was very satisfied with the 70D. While I’d probably say that the Nikon D7100 is the better overall camera, the 70D is a very close second. I prefer Canon’s lens options much more than Nikon’s (overall), so if you are already invested in Canon I’d go for a 70D over the D7100. If you are just getting started then you’ll find that the D7100 has much better controls, but the in-camera images won’t look as rich and saturated as you get with the Canon. I’d also give the 70D the nod for superior video performance and a far better LCD display.

I’d highly recommend this camera to someone looking to leverage their existing EF-S lens collection, but I’d encourage a close friend to spend a little more and get a 6D if they wanted to be on the Canon platform. The image quality of the 6D is much better, especially at higher ISO’s, so you’ll be get more usable images at ISO 6400 and 12,800 with the 6D.

Where to order

Click here to order or learn more about the Canon 70D at B&H.

Other articles you may enjoy

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these:

• REVIEW: Nikon D7100–A Mini D800E?
• Canon Rebel T5i/700D
• Canon 6D (vs Canon 5DM3 & D600)
• Canon EOS M
• Canon 600EX-RT Flash First Look (ST-E3 RT)
• Canon 40mm f/2.8 STM Pancake Lens
• Nikon D600 (vs Canon 5DM3 & 6D)
• Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG
• Things You Need AFTER You Buy Your New Camera - Must Have Photography Accessories
• HDRSoft Photomatix Pro 4.x (4.2 Update)
• Imagenomic Noiseware 4.1.1 Professional (Latest Version)

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

I borrowed and returned the gear reviewed in this article from B&H.

REVIEW: Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM–Pancake Schmancake?

 

Buy now from Adorama or B&H

When Canon announced its new 40mm pancake lens speculation quickly picked up about Canon entering into the mirrorless market (which materialized with the EOS M). However, detailed observers quickly noticed that this was an EF lens – not an EF-S or the new EF-M style lens. What this means is that this lens can be used on both full-frame as well as cropped sensor cameras by Canon.

Now why would Canon release a tiny lens like this for a big bulky full-frame camera? Well that’s where the other new moniker on this lens comes into play – the STM designation. STM stands for “Stepping Motor” but what this really means is that it’s a new motor mechanism that is quieter and seemingly faster than Canon’s Ultrasonic Motor (USM) found on most of its lenses. The reason why they did this is that when you do video on a DSLR those big USM lenses would make noise that was audible in the videos audio track, so when Canon added full-time continuous autofocus to the Canon T4i they needed a lens that could keep up with the performance demands without making too much noise.

Crunchy Pancakes?

Now a logical person would naturally think that because of STM and the tiny size of this lens that it would be super quiet right? Well oddly enough the unit I tested was audible from an arms length away while its much larger cousin – the EFS 18-135mm IS STM (see here) – is actually is near impossible to hear at a hand length away. So in the noise department this lens left me rather disappointed. Granted, it did outperform even nice L lenses with USM in terms of output noise, but I wouldn’t call this a super quiet lens.

Is this lens as sharp as everyone says it is?

It’s been a tough summer for bloggers so I suppose many are looking for the next hot thing to boost their incomes, but I’ve got a good day job that pays the bills so I’m here to tell you the truth about this lens. The truth that I experienced with this lens is that it’s about what you’d expect for a $199 prime lens – it’s super sharp in the center, but the quality quickly fades from there as you can see in this blur index from my favorite lens analysis site – slrgear.com:

Full details at http://slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/1523/cat/10

If you aren’t used to reading one of these things then let me point out that 0 is pink which is the sharpest you can get and the scale on the right goes up from there in color to the most extreme blur of 12. Blur isn’t all bad because it can be desirable in a portrait lens, but better lenses typically have great edge to edge sharpness once you get them to f/8. With that fact in mind, you’ll see that this lens is really sharp in the center but quickly fades into a less sharp area and then gets inconsistent at the edges. This is common for cheaper or older designed lenses, and given the price of this lens isn’t that bad.

What this blur index tells me is that this is a better portrait lens than it is a landscape lens (where you typically want good edge sharpness). Now compare that to Canon’s 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens at f/8 (and 35mm because there’s no 40mm mark on the lens):

Full details at http://slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/145/cat/11

What this tells me is that the 40mm pancake lens is going to be sharper in the dead center but the 24-105mm is going to be better at the edges which you can clearly see in these bookshelf test images:

Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 40mm STM, f/8 @40 mm, 13s, ISO 100 (Click for original)
Notice how the center is super sharp, but the white text on the pea green
book on the far right is soft compared to the image below?

Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 24-105mm, f/8 @40 mm, 13s, ISO 100 (Click for original)
Notice how the center is softer, but the white text on the pea green
book on the far right is much sharper compared to the image above?

You have to view both images at full-size and pixel peep to see the differences, but you’ll notice the blur index is pretty accurate. The center of the image is sharper for the pancake lens and the edge is sharper for the 24-105mm just like the blur index indicates.

Now to be fair the pancake lens does a good job considering the fact that it’s 1/5th the cost of the 24-105mm and it’s sharper in the center. Perhaps this is what all of the fuss is about, but honestly this lens just didn’t impress me in real life. It’s build quality reminded me more of the super cheap nifty fifty than it’s better built 50mm f/1.4 sibling. This on top of the aforementioned noise (something also found with the nifty fifty) made less than impressed with this lens right from the start.

You can’t always judge a book by its cover so I figured I must be missing something about so I took it out and shot hundreds of shots with it. I expected to be dazzled like I was when I first used the 50mm f/1.4, but the real result was that I was left with a lot of soft shots that failed to impress. Of course there were some successes like the flower shot at the beginning of this article, but they were few and far between. When using it on the camera it was made for – the Canon T4i – I was even more disappointed. As you can see below:

Canon EOS REBEL T4i, 40mm STM, f/8 @ 40 mm,13s, ISO 100
Click for a full-size original

Conclusion

You can use the data from the blur index here and on SLRGear.com to judge for yourself, but overall this lens left me underwhelmed. Sure, it’d be a decent lens if you’re going to shoot a portrait with them in the center like this mastiff puppy:

Canon EOS REBEL T4i, 40mm STM, f/3.2 @40 mm, 1/160, ISO 100

However, you typically want a longer lens for portraits (I prefer at least 100mm and ideally 200mm+). This makes it too short for portraits, too noisy for video, too slow for sports. Honestly, I’m pretty unimpressed!

In real life I found that this lens performed so poorly that I most often preferred shots with the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM (like this or this) instead.

The other STM lens – EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM

There’s actually several STM lenses, but the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM is one you can get as part of the kit for the T4i. As you can see from the blur index below, this lens is closer to the L than the pancake lens:

Full details at http://slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/1522/cat/11

Of course, the blur index doesn’t show you the reality that the 18-135mm has much more chromatic aberrations than the pancake or 24-105mm lens. It also doesn’t show you that the images from the pancake lens didn’t have the same warmth I’d get from 18-135 STM. However, this zoom lens actually impressed me much more because it’s a zoom that is quieter and performs quite well as a travel lens (especially with landscapes).

For video there was no comparison as the 18-135 STM significantly outperformed the 40mm 2.8 pancake by a significant margin.

The Bottom Line

If money is burning a hole in your pocket and you think the 40mm STM is for you, then buy it. However I’d caution you to open it carefully, treat it gingerly and save the box as I suspect that once the thrill wears off many will quickly become bored with this limited use lens. I’d suggest considering the 50mm f/1.4, 24-105mm or Sigma 85mm  as better alternatives. If you’ve gotta get a STM lens, then go for the T4i kit.

Ordering Information

Please support this blog by ordering from B&H who loaned me this gear so I can bring you articles like this:

• Canon 40mm f/2.8 STM
• Canon T4i / EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Kit
• Canon 50mm f/1.4

Other articles you might enjoy

If you enjoyed this article, you might enjoy these as well:

• Canon T4i Review
• Canon 5D Mark III Review
• Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG Review
• Which lens should I buy? 
• Canon 24-70 f/2.8L II 

Disclosure

I borrowed the 40mm STM, 18-135 STM and T4i from B&H with their permission for this review and returned it afterwards.

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission.

Canon T4i Review–Part II–Image Quality and Video

Nice depth of field and bokeh
f/4 @ 40 mm (pancake lens),1/125, ISO 100
Manual single focus point inside the flower

See my article entitled “REVIEW: Canon Rebel T4i with Real World Photos & STM Lenses” for the first part of my review. In this article I discuss additional details about image quality, performance and video that were not addressed in the first article.

A word about the EFS 18-135mm STM kit lens

Honestly, most kit lenses – especially on entry level cameras – usually suck, so it’s rare that I have much good to say about them. While the optics of the EFS 18-135mm STM kit lens aren’t going to come close to what you’d find in a Canon L lens, I was surprised to find that it was quite usable as a starter lens.

In my testing I found the EFS 18-135mm STM kit lens (B&H and Adorama) to outperform the 40mm pancake (B&H and Adorama) in many ways on the T4i (more on that in another article). As a result, I feel like this is a kit lens worth using until you can afford some better glass. I also feel like it’s worth keeping for doing video simply because of the fast and silent focusing it can do automatically when mounted to a T4i. In this respect, I found the STM lenses to outperform their L lens counterparts in terms of video continuous autofocus usability.

Compared to the Sony NEX-7 and Fujifilm X-Pro1

Once upon a time I never would have even dreamed of discussing a non-DSLR camera in a review of a DSLR, but the competition is improving so it’s worth mentioning now. I also still think that if your long-term strategy is to grow into better DSLR’s or use the great lenses offered by the major DSLR platforms of Canon and Nikon, then you should always start with a DSLR.

Now if you read my Sony NEX-7 review then you know that I think it beats the pants off the X-Pro1 and is competitive with DSLR’s. In testing the T4i against the NEX-7, I’d have to give the Sony the nod  as being the better camera. I’ve been a long time fan of the Rebel series so I never thought this day would come, and apparently Canon didn’t either.

The Rebel T4i is a great camera in many ways, but it’s days of stomping the compact cameras has officially ended. Of course the T4i is cheaper so if your budget is tight you can still find solace in having a great camera that is a good starting point for growing into the Canon system. However if your objective is just to buy a camera that takes great images and you don’t plan on investing in many lenses, then the Sony NEX-7 is going to give you better images in a smaller form factor for sure.

Does sensor quality make a difference? (A 5D Mark III comparison)

Now nobody in their right mind should think that I’m saying that would be T4i buyers should get a 5D Mark III because it has a better sensor. For well over $2000 more, it should! However, I think it’s helpful to do a side by side comparison just to inform people on what the differences are so you can level set your expectations when using a entry level camera. As much nonsense as there is on the web (and from electronics store sales people) you’ll hear people say things like “just as good” when discussing how the Rebel T4i compares to it siblings. However, there is a measurable difference that I think you should be aware of so you don’t go nuts thinking that your lens is back focusing or you have a defective camera. You get what you pay for, and while I think think the T4i is a great camera – it doesn’t really come with a high-end sensor.

I’ve included images below. You should click each image to see full size versions of each image and compare them in two separate browser windows. For beginners who might not see the differences right away, let me help orient you on the similarities and differences:

1. If you are going to just put small images on the web or print 4x6 prints then it’s going to be tough to notice the difference between the result you get with a T4i vs a high end camera like the 5D Mark III. The reason why is because detail is lost when you make an image small, so all of that data loss starts to put them on a much closer level. However, you’ll look at see that the 5D Mark III image (bottom) has a broader range of colors. At first it may seem that the T4i is better because its brighter, but that’s only because it can’t capture the range of color tones (called Dynamic Range) found in the 5D Mark III image. Where this becomes most obvious is in the shadow areas where upon close inspection you’ll see more shades of browns and black. People typically can’t  place their finger on this difference other than to say that the 5D Mark III image just feels richer.
   
2. Notice how that both images use the same identical lens, but the T4i requires a 15 second exposure to get a correct exposure whereas the 5D Mark III only needs 10 seconds. This is a characteristic of a better sensor that translates into faster shutter speeds (which means lower ISO’s needed), so you have less noise in your images – it also often means less motion blur in the automatic modes of the camera. Since the most common complaints of new DSLR owners are noisy and blurry images, it’s easy to see here why that happens because the lesser sensor gives you a double dose of trouble – even if you use the same exact pro lens. If you use cheap kit lenses then problem is compounded even worse, so when not using a tripod typically you’ll find many higher end sensors just give you a sharper image with less noise.
   
3. Now one advantage (or disadvantage – depending on your intent) of the smaller sensor of the T4i is that you have a deeper depth of field. To see this below look at the front of the bookshelf at the bottom of both photos and notice how the 5D Mark III image is kind of blurry. To the beginner the greater depth of field of the T4i is preferable as that is what we are used to in our point and shoots. However, blur isolates a subject so it can come in handy and can be harder to get in the smaller sensor. Where this really comes into play is on the edges of the image where the T4i’s smaller sensor will only use the sharpest part of the lens, so it’s sharpness on the text of the books on either edge of the frame will be better than the 5D Mark III. All of these points are advantages shared by all cropped sensors (including the 60D, 7D, etc…) so some landscape photographers find the cropped sensor to be preferable, whereas portrait photographers typically prefer the full frame as edge blur is more desirable in portraits.

T4i f/8 @100 mm, 15s, ISO 100 on a tripod using the 70-200mm II lens.
Click for original

5D Mark III with the same lens and settings
but the camera indicated 10 seconds for a correct exposure

There’s other differences like distance from the subject that favor the cropped sensor, but I’ve excluded that from this comparison to give you a better set of images to explore for other characteristics.

Here’s a 100% crop of images from both cameras so you can see some of the differences previously discussed. The T4i does a great job, but the larger sensor of the 5D Mark III is just going to give you more detail and color (for both raw and in-camera jpeg).

If you look at the two images above and struggle to see the differences, or simply don’t care about the differences, then your money is best spent on a entry level camera like the T4i. The same is true if you’ll never print large images (13x19” or greater) as small prints are very forgiving and rarely show much of the extra details of the larger sensor. You will see a difference, but it will be subtle at smaller sizes. At larger sizes there’s no comparison – the larger sensor is mandatory. It’s also worth noting that magazines and most prints sold are letter size or smaller, so they typically won’t benefit much from the better sensors. Good post-processing can typically narrow the gap so that it’s indistinguishable even to most trained eyes.

It’s also worth noting that if you were to take previous generation cameras (especially full frame sensors of two generations back), you’d probably find that the T4i is as good or better in some cases. The reason why is that technology has improved drastically so the detail possible on a smaller sensor is better than ever.

The lesson here – don’t become obsessed with pixels and sharpness. If your budget is stretched buying a T4i then don’t stress – it’s a decent camera that will give most normal users fantastic results. It’s not “as good as”, but it’s still pretty darn good.

Real World Video

Okay, I’m not a videographer so this is really more like really bad video (think Blair Witch Project bad). However, it’s the stuff that any parent typically has hours of sitting on their hard drive (or on old tapes). These are all done with auto ISO in manual mode at 1/30 sec and f/3.5 to 5.6 using the camera defaults. I found the AF FlexiZone Multi mode to be the most effective with my son, but you need to pay attention and occasionally tap the touch screen LCD to help the AF system focus on the right place for the best results. In these videos I did NOT do this so this is what the camera did all on its own. The single zone is the most accurate, but is useless with kids. The face tracking did terrible in my experiments so I’ve spared you the blurry videos it gave me.

As I mentioned previously, the STM lenses are worth their weight in gold when doing video as they outperform non-STM lenses by a large factor. From a nice short minimal focus distance to fast and silent continuous auto focus – they offer the best results I’ve seen from a DSLR. A cheap camcorder or point and shoot will outperform in terms of focus performance, but the image quality of a DSLR blows them away. Manual focus is still the way to go for proper video, as is having better stabilization that isn’t found on any DSLR.

13 seconds - follow movement with kit lens

1:26 - circle subject and zoom in and out with kit lens

20 seconds – backlit with 40mm pancake lens

1:11 – indoors at dusk with kit lens
This is what you could expect from typical birthday party scenarios

As much as I hate doing video, what I saw in the T4i is promising for the future of DSLR’s. It’s offering of continuous AF is a Canon first that isn’t even found on the 1D X or 5D Mark III. It’s certainly usable to video kids birthdays if you don’t mind the occasional out of focus moment (as you can see in my videos above).

I’m no fan of the 40mm pancake lens for video

The 40mm pancake lens really let me down while shooting video. Nearly all of the videos I shot were blurry and out of focus as the lens failed to keep up with moving action. If I manually focused or had a stationary subject it would be fine, but forget about using it with kids. It was also much noisier than the kit lens (by a significant amount), but I never noticed it making that much of a difference on the video itself.

The kit lens performed reasonably well as you can see from the videos above. It’s not perfect, but it’s much more usable (and beats full time manual focusing of moving action).

Sound Quality

A lot of noise was made in the press release about the sound quality improvements in the T4i, but you be the judge. Honestly, I thought the sound sucked and was more muffled. Perhaps internal sound proofing was added to help with keeping camera focusing noise out of the video, but the sounds in the audio felt very muffled to me. In short, pick up an external mic if you care about sound quality.

More Real World Sample Images

A dirty little secret for a long time in the world of reviews was that many reviewers were afraid to show their out of camera shots for fear of being judged. After all, any great photo you’ve seen is typically processed to give it that perfect crop, vibrant color, perfect exposure and amazing sharpness. In some cases this was all done in-camera by gifted photographers with great lighting and exciting subjects.

Many consumers seeing these amazing shots would think that they only needed to buy that camera and/or lens and get those great shots. However, when they did they were often disappointed with their dull, lifeless shots because that’s not real world. I touch on this point on my other blog in the article entitled “Let the eyes tell the story”.

I have broken that trend – intentionally – and I’m happy to see that other major sites are starting to follow (to a lesser degree). What you see on this blog in my camera reviews are shots that normal people would take (i.e., family shots) under real world conditions (crappy lights, environments, backgrounds, etc…) without any post-processing. I share the in-camera JPEG’s so you can see exactly what you’d expect to get with some basic knowledge of photography. In short, these are the worst “keepers” (meaning that obvious user error shots are often excluded) you could expect to get from a T4i:

Decent Dynamic Range
f/4.5 @42 mm (kit lens), 1/50, ISO 100, No Flash, AWB
The RAW file can be used with Viveza or the 7 Point System
to brighten the dark area at the bottom of the sculpture

Great Zoom (216mm effective) from the 18-135mm kit lens
f/5.6 @135 mm, 1/200, ISO 160
Taken from the same spot as below

Great wide angle (28.8mm effective) from the 18-135mm kit lens
f/3.5 @18 mm, 1/800, ISO 100
Taken from the same spot as above

Good detail and bokeh from the kit lens
T4i, f/5.6 @135 mm, 1/320, ISO 1250

Decent autofocus
f/5 @ 69 mm,1/160, ISO 250

Unless you enjoy beatings, don’t use the in-camera flash on your spouse!
Invest in a 430 EX II or 600EX-RT instead
f/5 @ 74 mm,1/125, ISO 100, Flash Fired

Can’t afford an external flash? Find good light and let the T4i do it’s job
f/4.5 @35 mm, 1/125, ISO 200

T4i in-camera HDR is pretty lame, so plan to get HDR Efex Pro 2 instead
In-camera HDR chooses three different exposures and combines them (originals not preserved)
Compare to below with no HDR

Program (P) Mode Exposure – NO HDR
f/6.3 @40 mm, 1/320, ISO 400
Polarizers are helpful for reflective glass

Kit lens does well at f/11
f/11 @18 mm, 1/50, ISO 800

Noiseware or Dfine come in handy to remove noise indoors
f/3.5 @18 mm, 1/125, ISO 3200
Willing to pay a lot more for better results indoors? Read this!

See the full gallery at http://ronmart.zenfolio.com/t4i for more images. Read my review of Zenfolio to see why I prefer to store my pictures there.

See my article entitled “REVIEW: Canon Rebel T4i with Real World Photos & STM Lenses” for the first part of my review where I have my conclusion and other thoughts.

Where to buy

Here’s where I recommend purchasing from:

Order now from B&H

Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM

Canon Rebel T4i Body Only

Canon Rebel T4i w/18-55 IS

Canon Rebel T4i w/18-135 IS STM

ORDER NOW from Adorama

Canon T4i Body ONLY

Canon Rebel T4i with EF-S 18-55 IS II lens

Canon Rebel T4i with EF-s 18-135 IS STM

Canon EF 40 F2.8 STM lens

Other articles you may enjoy

• REVIEW: Canon Rebel T4i with Real World Photos & STM Lenses
• Canon 5D Mark III First Look (For Parents Version)
• Canon 600EX-RT Flash First Look (ST-E3 RT)
• Canon G1X vs G12 vs Fujifilm X10
• Fujifilm X10 (2011 P&S of the Year)
• Fujifilm XPro-1
• Nikon D7000 & 24-120mm Lens
• Sony NEX-7
• Tripod Recommendations
• Which lens should I buy?

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found on this blog, I may make a commission. I appreciate your support and thank you for using my links or sharing links from this blog on your own favorite forums.

I was provided a loaner camera and lenses from B&H so I could bring this article to you.

PRESS RELEASE: Canon Rebel T4i, EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM and EF 40mm f/2.8 STM lenses

Order now at Adorama

UPDATE: Please see my article entitled “REVIEW: Canon Rebel T4i with Real World Photos & STM Lenses” for more info on this camera and these lenses.

The New EOS Rebel T4i DSLR Camera Puts The Power And Creativity Of DSLR Stills And Video At Your Fingertips

Silent and Continuous Autofocus in Video, The EOS Rebel T4i Lets People Re-Live Magic Moments Through Stunningly Crisp Video and Incredible Stereo Sound

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., June 8, 2012 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, today announced a new flagship model in its most popular EOS Rebel line, the Canon EOS Rebel T4i Digital SLR Camera. The new EOS Rebel T4i features incredible image quality with an 18-megapixel CMOS (APS-C) sensor, DIGIC 5 Image Processor that helps capture all the action with high-speed continuous shooting of up to five frames per second (fps) and an extended ISO range of 100-12800 (expandable to 25600 in H mode) that gives photographers the opportunities to take the EOS Rebel T4i into more shooting situations than ever before.

The camera includes a revolutionary new autofocus (AF) system to help achieve fast, sharp focus and smooth HD video. The new AF system includes a nine-point all cross-type sensor array, and new Hybrid CMOS AF which achieves fast focus when shooting stills or video in Live View mode. Much to the pleasure of aspiring student filmmakers and parents everywhere, the Rebel T4i features Canon's new Movie Servo AF providing a quiet, continuous AF during HD video recording when using one of Canon's newly introduced Stepping Motor (STM) lenses. The silent continuous autofocus when shooting HD video helps ensure the camera only captures the sounds of the scene being recorded. When combined with the camera's new Vari-angle Touch Screen 3.0-inch Clear View LCD monitor II and intuitive "fingertip" controls, touch-menu and advanced still and video capabilities, the EOS Rebel T4i stands as Canon's most "consumer-friendly" DSLR to date.

"Our Rebel line of cameras bridges the gap between the casual photographer and someone looking to advance their photography and capture moments in new and creative ways. The EOS Rebel T4i boasts full HD video with AF and touch-screen navigation, inspiring even more photographers and videographers to explore the creative options made possible with DSLR cameras and lenses," said Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Canon U.S.A.

New AF Capabilities

One of the most significant upgrades to the EOS Rebel T4i is a dramatically upgraded AF system including a nine-point all cross-type AF array, with a high-precision dual-cross f/2.8 point at center. The EOS Rebel T4i is the first Canon camera to feature the new Hybrid CMOS AF system which increases AF speed by reducing the camera's need to "hunt" for focus. The result is fast continuous AF when shooting photos and movies in Live View. Because the camera's cross-type AF points have two-dimensional contrast detection, the EOS Rebel T4i provides highly accurate focus regardless of your shot composition and ensures great focus no matter where the subject is located in the frame. The addition of the dual-cross point in the center allows for much faster and precise focusing for photographers using high-speed f/2.8 lenses.

Using the touch panel, parents can select their child on the LCD screen and the camera will remain focused on that child while they stay in-frame, ensuring sharp focus in crowds and group shots. The new AF system enables Touch Focus for shooting photos and movies in Live View. To make capturing photos even easier, a Touch Shutter function can also be enabled, whereby selecting a subject on the LCD screen, the camera will instantly take a photo, once focus is locked.

Continuous AF during HD Video Recording

For the first time in a Canon EOS DSLR, the EOS Rebel T4i includes Canon's new Movie Servo AF for recording video. When used with Canon's new EF and EF-S STM lenses, the camera can provide smooth and quiet continuous AF while recording video. This technological breakthrough enables the new EOS Rebel T4i to achieve AF while still retaining a DSLR camera's signature background blur and image quality, producing stunning videos of parties, events, summer vacations or graduations.

When shooting video with Canon's STM lenses, AF also remains silent, helping ensure you only capture the sound of the scene being recorded. The EOS Rebel T4i features a built-in stereo microphone, a first for the Rebel line, that includes an attenuator function to reduce audio distortion in extra loud situations.

Canon's First Touch-Screen DSLR

Another Canon first, the EOS Rebel T4i includes a best-in-class Vari-angle Touch Screen 3.0-inch Clear View LCD monitor II featuring 1.04 million dot resolution for unparalleled, clear viewing. The electro-static touch-panel screen is the most advanced that Canon has released to date with multi-touch capabilities allowing photographers to use familiar gestures such as "pinch-to-zoom" and "swiping" to scroll between pictures. Camera operation has been simplified through this feature allowing for Touch Focus or Touch Shutter controls via the vari-angle touch-screen. The vari-angle touch-screen flips out to the left and rotates 180 degrees forward and 90 degrees backward, making tough above-the-head and low-to-the-ground shots easy, and allowing improved views during photo or video capture. That means the overhead shot taken in a crowd or at a graduation march just got a little easier to shoot.

Improved Imaging Performance Features

The EOS Rebel T4i helps novice photographers capture great images and video, even in low-light with a range of new and upgraded modes:

• Handheld Night Scene
• Video Snapshot
• HDR Backlight Control
• Scene Intelligent Auto
• Multi-Shot Noise Reduction

Canon's new shooting modes (Handheld Night Scene, HDR Backlight Control and Multi-Shot Noise Reduction), take multiple pictures, and combine them - in camera - to help capture a wider dynamic range, minimize the image grain or noise, and produce more vivid colors so landscapes and city scenes are as breathtaking as when seen in person.

Families have enjoyed coming home from a vacation or outing with a fun, short Video Snapshot highlight reel shot on their Canon camera to share the full story of their adventure. Now with the EOS Rebel T4i users will also have the option to delete, cut or re-order the clips before exporting the Snapshot album to post or share.

Canon's Scene Intelligent Auto mode - the "green" mode on the dial - analyzes the scene being shot, taking into account faces, colors, brightness, movement and contrast, to select appropriate camera settings and help produce the best possible image. This mode has been enhanced to deliver the best possible exposure, particularly when shooting in low-light.

New STM Lenses and Accessories

To leverage the unique, new shooting functions of the EOS Rebel T4i, such as EOS Full HD Movie with continuous AF, Canon is introducing two new unique lenses, the new EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens and new EF 40mm f/2.8 STM lens. Both new STM lenses includes Canon's new Stepping Motor technology, which allows the lenses to smoothly and silently focus, and when used in combination with Canon's new EOS Rebel T4i Movie Servo AF feature, achieve continuous AF while recording video. The new stepping motor technology in both lenses quietly focuses allowing the EOS Rebel T4i's stereo microphone to only record the sounds of the scene being shot.

The versatile EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens offers the right combination of size, weight, image stabilization and focal length, allowing photographers to capture wide-angle or telephoto photographs and video. This lens is a great option for photographers who may only want to carry one lens with them for both wide landscapes, and close-ups. Appearing for the first time in a Canon EF lens is Dynamic IS (Movie Shooting Mode only) that uses a wide image stabilization correction range to help ensure steady video even when shooting while walking.

The new EF 40mm f/2.8 STM lens offers an ultra-slim, lightweight design that helps photographers avoid overwhelming their subjects with a large lens and to remain discreet in sensitive shooting situations without compromising performance. The "pancake-style" lens boasts an aperture of f/2.8 making it an ideal lens for capturing portrait stills or stunning video. The lens is under an inch thick when attached, making it easy to carry and fit conveniently into a purse or pocket.

The EOS Rebel T4i is also compatible with Canon's previously introduced GP-E2 GPS Receiver that can be mounted to the camera's accessory shoe. The GPS unit was created to serve outdoor photographers; it records shooting locations including latitude, longitude and altitude, as well as camera direction. A Logging function can tell how far a photographer has traveled as well.

Availability

The EOS Rebel T4i Digital SLR camera will be available at the end of June for an estimated retail price of $849.99 for the body alone; $949.99 bundled with an EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II lens kit and a Movie Kit bundle for $1199.00 with the new EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens.

The new EF 40mm f/2.8 STM lens and the new EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM will also be available separately at the end of June at an estimated retail price of $199.99 and $549.99 respectively.

PRE-ORDER NOW from Adorama

• Canon T4i Body ONLY
• Canon Rebel T4i with EF-S 18-55 IS II lens 
• Canon Rebel T4i with EF 18-135 IS STM
• Canon EF EF 40 F2.8 STM lens

• Canon EF-S 18-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS STM $549

Pre-order now from B&H

• Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM
• Canon Rebel T4i Body Only
• Canon Rebel T4i w/18-55 IS
• Canon Rebel T4i w/18-135 IS STM
• Canon EF-S 18-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS STM $549

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links in this article, I may make a commission.