Canon 550D vs Canon 650D Comparison

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Canon 550D

18 MP | APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Canon 650D

18 MP | APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Canon 550D vs Canon 650D Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing 550D and 650D, two Entry-Level DSLR cameras by Canon. Both Canon 550D and Canon 650D cameras have 18.0MP APS-C sensors. Canon 550D was introduced to market in April 2010 and Canon 650D was launched in August 2012. As you can see, 550D is 2 years older than 650D. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

550D and 650D are members of Canon's Rebel series of cameras. Below you can find the latest models from this series.

Canon Rebel Series History

Model	Release Date	Sensor	Max FPS	Dimensions	Weight
Canon T8i	2020	24.0MP - APS-C	7.5 fps	131 x 103 x 76mm	515g
Canon SL3	2019	24.0MP - APS-C	5.0 fps	122 x 93 x 70mm	449g
Canon 4000D	2018	18.0MP - APS-C	3.0 fps	129 x 102 x 77mm	436g
Canon T7	2018	24.0MP - APS-C	3.0 fps	129 x 101 x 78mm	475g
Canon SL2	2017	24.0MP - APS-C	5.0 fps	122 x 93 x 70mm	453g

Here is a brief look at the main features of Canon 550D and Canon 650D before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Canon 550D Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2010-04-01

18MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 6400 ( expands to 12800)

Canon EF/EF-S Mount

3" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder

4 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

530g. 129 x 98 x 62 mm

Also known as EOS Rebel T2i / EOS Kiss X4

Replaced Canon EOS 500D Compare

Canon 650D Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2012-08-20

18MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 12800 ( expands to 25600)

Canon EF/EF-S Mount

3" Fully Articulated Screen

Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder

5 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

575g. 133 x 100 x 79 mm

Also known as EOS Rebel T4i / EOS Kiss X6i

Replaced Canon EOS 600D Compare

Canon 550D was replaced by Canon EOS 600D. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Canon EOS 600D vs Canon EOS 550D (EOS Rebel T2i / EOS Kiss X4)
Canon EOS 600D vs Canon EOS 650D (EOS Rebel T4i / EOS Kiss X6i)

Canon 650D was replaced by Canon EOS 700D. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Canon EOS 700D vs Canon EOS 650D (EOS Rebel T4i / EOS Kiss X6i)
Canon EOS 700D vs Canon EOS 550D (EOS Rebel T2i / EOS Kiss X4)

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Canon 550D and Canon 650D compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Canon EOS 550D over Canon EOS 650D

Viewfinder Magnification	0.55x vs 0.53x	Larger Viewfinder
Battery Life	470 shots vs 440 shots	30 more frames with a single charge
Weight	530 g vs 575 g	45 g lighter
Color Depth	22.0 vs 21.7	higher color depth
Dynamic Range	11.6 vs 11.2	higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO	807 vs 722	better High ISO performance

Reasons to choose Canon EOS 650D over Canon EOS 550D

LCD Screen	Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type	Flexible shooting positions
Touch Screen	Yes vs No	Easy control of camera functions
Max ISO	12.800 vs 6.400	100% higher Max ISO
Continuous Shooting	5.0fps vs 4.0fps	1 fps faster
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD	Yes vs No	Rotate LCD for taking Selfies

Common Strengths of Canon EOS 550D and Canon EOS 650D

Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light
External Flash Shoe	Yes vs Yes	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Yes (Optical) vs Yes (Optical)	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits
Max Resolution	18 MP vs 18 MP	Bigger prints and more details
LCD Screen Resolution	1.040k dots vs 1.040k dots	High resolution screens
Microphone Port	Yes vs Yes	High quality audio recording option
AE Bracketing	Yes vs Yes	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Weaknesses of Canon EOS 550D and Canon EOS 650D

In-body Image Stabilization	No vs No	No Built-in stabilization
Environmental Sealing	No vs No	not suitable for tough conditions
Optical Viewfinder Type	Pentamirror vs Pentamirror	not as bright as Pentaprism Viewfinders
AF Micro Adjustment (Fine Tune)	No vs No	no option to fine tune Auto focus

Canon 550D vs Canon 650D: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Canon 550D and Canon 650D side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Canon 550D has external dimensions of 129 x 98 x 62 mm (5.08 x 3.86 x 2.44″) and weighs 530 g (1.17 lb / 18.70 oz) (including batteries). Canon 650D has external dimensions of 133 x 100 x 79 mm (5.24 x 3.94 x 3.11″) and weighs 575 g (1.27 lb / 20.28 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Canon 550D and Canon 650D. Canon 550D is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 4mm narrower, 2mm shorter and 17mm thinner than Canon 650D.

Comparison image of Canon 550D and Canon 650D Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Canon 550D is 45g lighter than the Canon 650D but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since both Canon 550D and Canon 650D have the same Canon EF/EF-S lens mount and APS-C sized sensors, lenses will not be a differentiator on total size of the system.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

550D

650D

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

550D

650D

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Canon EOS 550D (EOS Rebel T2i / EOS Kiss X4) nor Canon EOS 650D (EOS Rebel T4i / EOS Kiss X6i) provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Canon 550D and Canon 650D's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

On the other hand, Canon 650D sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over the head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. Canon 550D's LCD screen is a fixed type which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to 650D.

Canon 550D vs Canon 650D: Sensor Comparison

Both Canon 550D and Canon 650D have APS-C sized 18.0 MP resolution sensors so sensor size and resolution is not a differentiator between these two cameras.

Below you can see the 550D and 650D sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon 550D and Canon 650D Cameras

Canon 550D and Canon 650D have sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Canon 550D and Canon 650D sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, 550D has scored 66, 4 points higher than 650D.

Model	Overall	Color Depth	Dynamic Range	Low-light ISO
Canon 550D	66	22.0 bits	11.6 Evs	807 ISO
Canon 650D	62	21.7 bits	11.2 Evs	722 ISO

Canon 550D vs Canon 650D Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. Canon 550D and Canon 650D have the same Canon EF/EF-S lens mount and currently there are 326 native lenses available for these cameras.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. None of these bodies have sensor based image stabilization so you have to buy lenses with Optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 112 lenses with Image stabilization for Canon EF/EF-S mount.

Lens Type	# of Canon 550D Lenses	# of Canon 650D Lenses
Standard Zoom	40	40
Standard Prime	19	19
Wideangle Zoom	37	37
Wideangle Prime	49	49
Telephoto Zoom	58	58
Telephoto Prime	43	43
SuperZoom	28	28
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	7	7
Macro Prime	28	28
Perspective Control Prime	16	16
Telephoto Mirror Prime	1	1
TOTAL	326	326

Here are some of the most popular Canon EF/EF-S Mount Lenses on Camera Decision:

Popular Canon EF/EF-S Mount Lenses for 550D and 650D

	Coverage	Weight	Focusing	Street Price
Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II	35mm FF	130gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Canon EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM	35mm FF	670gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Canon EF 50mm f1.8 STM	35mm FF	159gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Canon EF-S 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM	APS-C / DX	240gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Canon EF 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM	35mm FF	630gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Canon EF 15mm f2.8 Fisheye	35mm FF	330gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM	35mm FF	290gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Canon EF 40mm f2.8 STM	35mm FF	130gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo

What types of Photography are Canon 550D and Canon 650D Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Canon 550D and Canon 650D for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Canon 550D for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Canon 650D for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Canon 550D for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Canon 650D for Street Photography

GOOD

Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Canon 550D for Sports Photography

GOOD

Canon 650D for Sports Photography

GOOD

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
Average Continuous Shooting: 4.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Read the details

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
9 Cross Type Focus sensors
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Read the details

Canon 550D for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Canon 650D for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Large Body
530g
Body Thickness 62mm
Read the details

Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Large Body
575g
Body Thickness 79mm
Read the details

Canon 550D for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Canon 650D for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Canon 550D vs Canon 650D: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Canon 550D and Canon 650D, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Canon 550D and Canon 650D scores compare:

Canon 550D

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #37 out of 79 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #281 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Canon 650D

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #28 out of 79 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #218 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Canon 650D has a higher Overall Score than the Canon 550D and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Canon 650D vs Canon 550D Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Canon EOS 550D	Canon EOS 650D
Brand	Canon	Canon
Announced	2010-04-01	2012-08-20
Body Type	Compact SLR	Compact SLR
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CMOS
Size	APS-C	APS-C
Dimensions	22.3 x 14.9 mm	22.3 x 14.9 mm
Area	332.27mm²	332.27mm²
Megapixels	18 megapixels	18 megapixels
Max Resolution	5184 x 3456	5184 x 3456
Max Native Light sensitivity	6,400 ISO	12,800 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity	12800 ISO	25600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 ISO	100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	9	9
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Canon EF/EF-S	Canon EF/EF-S
Number of Available Lenses	326	326
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fully Articulated
Size	3"	3"
Resolution	1,040k dots	1,040k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Optical (pentamirror)	Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder Coverage	95%	95%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.55x	0.53x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/4000s	1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	No	No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	13.00 m	13.00 m
Max Flash Sync	1/200s	1/200s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	4.0 fps	5.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	1920 x 1080	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	H.264	H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Eye-Fi Connected	Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	530g	575g
Dimensions	129 x 98 x 62mm	133 x 100 x 79mm
Battery Life	470 shots	440 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	66	62
DxO Color Depth	22.0	21.7
DxO Dynamic Range	11.6	11.2
DxO Low Light ISO	807	722
	Report a correction	Report a correction