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500D vs 550D: Which One Should You Buy?

// February 22nd, 2010 // Gear Reviews

With Canon’s new 550D now unleashed (available at Amazon UK via this link or Amazon US here, where it’s knows as the T2i) I thought I’d do a ‘real world’ comparison of how this new model compares to the existing 500D, which I have. This will be a ‘real world’ comparison in the sense that I won’t just be listing the various features of the cameras; instead I’ll be talking about what each difference means to us, as photographers, and what it will mean for our photographs.

All the comparisons are based on the information from Canon, and my own thoughts/analysis on how the camera will thus differ from the 500D (known as the T1i ‘over the pond’) – and, more importantly, what this will mean for our photos and videos.

Resolution

Comparison:

The new 550D (known as the T2i in the US market) sports a class-leading max resolution of 18MP, which is around 20% higher than on the 500D (T1i). That’ll mean photos as large as 5184 x 3456, compared to the 500D’s max of 4752 x 3168.

What will that mean for my photos?

Well, although the increase in Megapixels looks good on paper, and is an obvious selling point, it doesn’t actually mean your photos are going to look that much – if at all – better. In theory it means you will be able to record more detail, and print out larger prints – but you would only need this extra resolution if you were printing larger than A2! If you never print larger than A3 (have you ever printed larger than that?) then you wouldn’t notice a difference.

However, one plus point for the extra resolution is that it means you can crop more of a picture whilst still retaining a lot of quality – handy when you can’t compose the best possible shot at the time, so you can crop and make a great composition at home.

In the real world, though, and if you’re not a professional photographer wanting to produce wall-sized prints, then this extra resolution is definitely not a reason to go for the 550D over the 500D.

‘Real World’ Winner:

It’s a draw, as both cameras offer more than enough megapixels to produce fantastically detailed and large prints, even when cropped.

Video Mode

Comparison:

The new 550D can record Full-HD videos – 1080p at 30 frames a second. The 500D can also record video at the same resolution, but at a lower rate of 20 frames a second. Both cameras also support video recording at lower resolutions. The 550D has an external microphone socket, which is not found on the older model.

See below for a little video showcasing the video modes on the 550D and 500D (with a bit of 7D thrown in too!)

What will that mean for my videos?

If you like taking lots of Full-HD video (and why wouldn’t you, 1080p vids look spectacular) then the higher frame rate of 30fps on the 550D is for you. Action videos on the 500D can look a bit jerky due to its lower frame rate, so this boost to 30 fps is a really welcome feature.

Both cameras have an onboard mono microphone for recording the sound for your movies, but the 550D also has an external microphone slot, enabling the truly serious videographer to plug in a much better mic for stereo sound.

‘Real World’ Winner:

For people getting either camera mainly for still-photo use, and for the occasional video, then the higher frame on the 550D is not an issue. But for those taking lots of video, and especially video of action, then the smoother frame rate is a definite plus of the newer model – the 550D wins here.

LCD Screen

Comparison:

The 550D’s LCD screen is a wider format than the 500D’s (3:2 compared to 4:3), and offers a slightly higher resolution (1,040,000 vs 920,000).

What will that mean for my photos?

As both cameras actually take photos in a 3:2 format, then the matching 3:2 size LCD on the 550D means the whole screen can be used to view your photos (and compose the picture if using LiveView). The 550D’s 4:3 format means that the whole of the screen isn’t used when viewing your taken photos – there will be little black bars either side.

This, combined with the higher resolution, means your photos will be a joy to behold, and have the practical advantage of it being a little easier to check they have pin-sharp focus.

‘Real World’ Winner:

Another draw – the change in format and slight increase in resolution is not a reason to go for the more expensive model. Photos already look fantastic on the 500D’s screen – an everyday user is not going to notice much of a difference at all.

A short video of the 550D

Sensitivity/ISO

Comparison:

Both cameras have an ISO range from 100 – 12800. 6400 and 12800 are available in the ‘expanded’ range on the older model, whereas 6400 is included in the ‘normal’ range on the 550D (only 12800 is in the ‘expanded’ range). The 550D also has adjustable Auto-ISO settings.

What will that mean for my photos?

Both cameras will take great photos in real low light, with little noise (‘grain’) apparent in the images. The fact that ISO 6400 is now in the ‘normal’ range on the 550D should also mean that it has better performance than the same ISO on the older model – so this means you’ll be able to take photos in low-light with quick shutter speeds – vital for taking non-flash indoor photography, for example.

The other selling point, adjustable Auto-ISO, means that you’ll be able to tell the 550D never to go higher than, for example, ISO 800 when shooting in Auto ISO. On the older model, there are times when you could be shooting in Auto ISO and the camera would choose a really too high ISO – say, 3200 – to get what it deems as an acceptable shutter speed. This can result in images that could have been perfectly fine using a lower ISO, and thus have an overall better image quality. Now you can set an ISO threshold so you know the camera will never go to those higher ISOs unless you want it to.

‘Real World’ Winner:

The 550D takes the crown on this one, especially if you’ll be shooting with ISO set to Auto most of the time – the ability to set a max ISO means you’ll never be shocked by an incredibly high ISO again!

Action Photos / High Speed Continuous

Comparison:

The 550D can take more shots in a second – 3.7 compared to the 500D’s 3.4. On the other hand, the newer camera has a smaller image buffer of 34 JPEG/6 RAW, compared to the 500D’s 170 JPEG/ 9 RAW.

What will that mean for my photos?

Both cameras will enable you to take lots of photos really quickly, enabling you to hold the shutter down and take nearly 4 photos a second – perfect for getting that amazing action shot.

Although the 550D has a slightly higher rate, you would be hard pushed to notice any difference between the two models’ performance – the slight increase in 0.3 photos in a second is just not going to make any difference. If we were comparing 3.4 fps to an 8 fps model, which obviously takes more than twice the amount of photos in the same timescale, then that would definitely increase your chances of getting the perfect shot – but the small difference between the 550D and 550D is not worth the upgrade at all.

Likewise, one of the only on-paper ‘cons’ of the newer model, the smaller buffer size (which means the amount of photos the camera can keep in its memory before slowing down operations by having to write to the memory card) is not going to be noticeable – who takes more than 34 continuous photos anyway…?!?

‘Real World’ Winner:

A definite draw – the slight increase in frame rate on the 550D is not going to be noticed in the real world at all, and, likewise, its smaller buffer will go unnoticed too.

Storage / Memory Cards

Comparison:

Both cameras accept SD and SDHC memory cards. The 550D can also use the new SDXC format.

What will that mean for my photos and videos?

It means you’ll be able to take lots of photos before your memory card filling up, especially if you’re using an 8GB card or higher. For people who want to take a truly mammoth amount of photos and videos (I’m talking to you, Mr Spielberg wannabe!) then the new 550D supports SDXC cards, which can go up to a massive 2 TB – that’s 2000GB of storage!

In the real world, though, this is not an advantage at all – for instance, I use a 16GB SDHC card on my 500D, and can take days and days worth of photos and videos, on the highest quality settings, and still never come close to filling it – I can’t see why anyone would ever want more than 16GB on a card. I’d actually say it’s more dangerous to rely on one huge memory card anyway – if I was going travelling for a month, for instance, I would take a few 16 GB cards, and if one of those cards ‘failed’ then at least I’d have my other 2 to shoot with. If I’d just taken 1 200GB SDXC card, and that ‘failed’ on me, then I wouldn’t have anything else to shoot with, and thus no more ‘memories’ of my trip…

‘Real World’ Winner:

Another draw – the extra storage offered on the new SDXC cards, that only the newer camera accepts, is not needed at all.

Conclusion

In short, both of these are fantastic cameras, that will enable you to take professional quality photos and video.

If price is of absolutely no concern to you, or you want the camera as much for video as you do for photos, then I would definitely go for the newer 550D – the 1080p frame rate of 30fps compared to the 500D’s 20fps, and external mic support, makes the 550D a truly great video tool.

On the other hand, if you’re on a smaller budget, or just won’t be using the video mode all that much (and, hey, the older 500D still has 1080p video!) then I would definitely go for the 500D, as the 550D will not take noticeably better photos at all.

You can buy both cameras at Amazon:

If you’re in the UK you can get the new 550D via this link, and the older 500D here.

If you’re US based, the new 550D (known as the T2i) can be ordered here, and the older 500D (known as the T1i) here.

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