[Review] Canon EOS Rebel T4i

Built to make advanced photography simple and fun, the new Canon EOS Rebel T4i delivers phenomenal image quality, high performance, and fast, intuitive operation. This camera amps up the speed with the powerful Image Processor that helps make high-speed continuous shooting possible - great for capturing fast action. A 9-point all cross-type AF system (including a high-precision dual cross f/2.8 center point) delivers improved autofocus performance, and a new Hybrid CMOS AF System increases autofocus speed when shooting photos and video in Live View. Movie Servo AF provides continuous focus of moving subjects, so you never miss a moment. A built-in stereo microphone and manual audio level adjustment helps ensure that your audio will match the stunning quality of your video. Add compatibility with Canon's proven EF and EF-S lenses and a slew of EOS accessories, this camera is an incredibly versatile tool for creating the images and videos you envision.

Canon EOS Rebel T4i Features

With 14-bit analog-to-digital conversion, it captures and records images with remarkable gradations and detail in subtle tones and colors, resulting in more realistic and detailed images. By recording up to 16,384 colors per channel, it ensures that the fine detail found in subjects like foliage, sky and water are preserved and recorded with a tremendous level of accuracy, ensuring gorgeous results.

With the Video Snapshot feature, this camera can capture short video clips (of 2, 4 or 8 seconds) then combine them automatically into one video file as a snapshot, or highlight as album. With no editing needed after shooting, the compiled video is perfect for sharing online or displaying directly. Additionally, stills can be recorded during video shooting simply by pressing the camera's shutter button. During playback, video clips in an album can now be reordered or deleted.

A built-in attenuator is provided to reduce audio clipping. For more advanced audio recording, this camera is compatible with many third-party electret condenser microphones with a 3.5 mm diameter plug.

Joining Picture Style Auto, Automatic Lighting Optimizer, Automatic White Balance, Autofocus, and Automatic Exposure, Scene Intelligent Auto mode analyzes the image, accounting for faces, colors, brightness, moving objects, contrast, even whether the camera is handheld or on a tripod, and then chooses the exposure and enhancements that bring out the best in any scene or situation. Accessible right on the Mode Dial, Handheld Night Scene mode captures nightscapes with bright highlights and detailed dark areas, delivering results previously impossible without the use of a tripod.

Two finger touch gestures (multi-touch) can be used for zooming or changing images, menu and quick control settings can be accessed, and focus point and shutter release can be activated with the touch of a fingertip. Displaying fine detail, this screen is perfect for composing and reviewing images. Thanks to a new, solid construction between the monitor's resin-coated cover and the liquid crystal display, reflections are minimized, and the display can be viewed, without glare, from any number of angles. The LCD's surface is treated with a smudge-resistant coating to minimize fingerprints and maintain a bright, clear image display.

The HDR Backlight Control mode ensures that backlit subjects are not recorded too dark. By shooting three consecutive shots at different exposures (underexposed, correctly exposed and overexposed) and then combining the images, the final result maintains detail in both the shadow and highlight areas, ensuring the backlit subject is properly exposed.

The camera also features an intelligent Multi Shot Noise Reduction tool that reduces noise even further than the camera's sensor and the Image Processor alone. With Multi Shot Noise Reduction activated, the camera takes four consecutive shots, merges and aligns them. This eliminates more noise than the Rebel's traditional Noise Reduction filter, with little or no apparent resolution loss. Moving subjects are even optimized to minimize subject blur!

Creative Filters include Grainy Black and White, Soft Focus, Fish-eye Effect, Toy Camera Effect, Miniature Effect and new filters, Art Bold Effect (makes the photos look like an oil painting, with subjects appearing three-dimensional), and Water Painting Effect (photos are altered to look like a water-colored painting). Since the filters can be applied to the image after shooting, it's easy to try several effects on the same shot.

The camera is compatible with the newest Ultra High Speed (UHS-I) memory cards. Additionally, it is compatible with Eye-Fi SD cards, which are outfitted with a Wi-Fi transmitter (IEEE 802.11b/g) and an internal antenna for wireless, high-speed transfer of images. With an Eye-Fi card installed, this camera can display the Eye-Fi's connection status and error notes with ease, for fully functional wireless uploading of images directly from the camera.

The feature guide displays a simple description helpful in determining the applicability for the situation at hand. It is displayed in each shooting mode, during mode dial operations, and for Quick Control screen functions. It appears automatically when a function is selected — a lifesaver when trying to determine the best mode or function for the next picture. The feature guide works automatically by default, and can be disabled easily through the camera's menu. The gadget makes it simple to rate individual images from one star to five. Therefore, image browsing, printing and slide shows can be based upon those ratings.

The lens peripheral illumination correction feature corrects light falloff in the corner of the image according to the characteristics of the lens being used. It even has correction data for a number of popular lenses stored in its memory. With the new chromatic aberration correction tool, distracting color fringing can be corrected at the time of shooting. With the optional GPS Receiver GP-E2 attached to the hot shoe or the digital terminal, it can record location, including latitude, longitude and altitude, plus can track the trajectory of movement with its logging function. An electric compass records the camera's orientation during each shot, and world time information is recorded through GPS syncing. Users can easily choose specific images, images in a folder and even all images, then specify their sequence and layout. The results can be printed in book form, with ease.

Why you should buy it?

1. Easy-to-learn features.

2. Very good-to-excellent picture quality, even at higher ISO.

3. Dedicated movie button.

4. Gives a more sturdy feel when compared to Canon EOS Rebel T3i or Canon EOS Rebel T2i.

5. Touchscreen makes ISO adjustment easy.

6. Touch to focus.

7. Better White balance when compared to Canon EOS 60D.

8. Lot less delay in Live Mode when compared to Canon EOS Rebel T3i.

9. Excellent video quality.

Why you shouldn't buy it?

1. Not-so-good battery life.

2. Handheld Night Scene and HDR Backlight Control available only for JPEG files.

3. Uneven bezel around the touchscreen - hints at poor design.

4. Focus motor is a little noisy.

5. Buttons appear cheaper and fragile.