Canon 550D versus Canon 1300D

The Canon EOS 550D (called Canon T2i in some regions) and the Canon EOS 1300D (labelled Canon T6 in some countries) are two digital cameras that were revealed to the public, respectively, in February 2010 and March 2016. Both are DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras that are equipped with an APS-C sensor. Both cameras offer a resolution of 17.9 megapixel. Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their size, their sensors, their features, and their reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison: Canon 550D vs Canon 1300D

The physical size and weight of the Canon 550D and the Canon 1300D are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter. You can also toggle the display to switch to a percentage comparison if you prefer that the measures are being expressed in relative terms (in this case, the camera on the left side – the 550D – represents the basis for the calculations across all the size and weight measures).

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size, the Canon 1300D is somewhat larger (3 percent) than the Canon 550D. However, the 1300D is markedly lighter (8 percent) than the 550D. In this context, it is worth noting that neither the 550D nor the 1300D are weather-sealed.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete since they do not consider the interchangeable lenses that both of these cameras require. In this particular case, both cameras feature the same lens mount, so that they can use the same lenses. You can find an overview of suitable optics in the Canon EF Lens Catalog.

Concerning battery life, the 550D gets 440 shots out of its LP-E8 battery, while the 1300D can take 500 images on a single charge of its LP-E10 power pack.

The following table provides a synthesis of the main physical specifications of the two cameras and other similar ones. If you would like to visualize and compare a different camera combination, just use the right or left arrows in the table to switch to the respective camera. Alternatively, you can also navigate to the CAM-parator app and make your selection from the full list of cameras there.

Camera Body Specifications

	Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life (CIPA)	Weather Sealing (yes/no)	Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Canon 550D»	129 mm	98 mm	62 mm	530 g	440	n	Feb 2010	699	-		Canon 550D
	Canon 1300D«	129 mm	101 mm	78 mm	485 g	500	n	Mar 2016	449	-		Canon 1300D
	Canon 2000D« »	129 mm	101 mm	78 mm	475 g	500	n	Feb 2018	449			Canon 2000D
	Canon 4000D« »	129 mm	102 mm	77 mm	436 g	500	n	Feb 2018	399			Canon 4000D
	Canon 77D« »	131 mm	100 mm	76 mm	540 g	600	n	Feb 2017	899			Canon 77D
	Canon 750D« »	132 mm	101 mm	78 mm	555 g	440	n	Feb 2015	749	-		Canon 750D
	Canon 760D« »	132 mm	101 mm	78 mm	565 g	440	n	Feb 2015	849	-		Canon 760D
	Canon G9 X« »	98 mm	58 mm	31 mm	209 g	220	n	Oct 2015	529	-		Canon G9 X
	Canon 1200D« »	130 mm	100 mm	78 mm	480 g	500	n	Feb 2014	449	-		Canon 1200D
	Canon 700D« »	133 mm	100 mm	79 mm	580 g	440	n	Mar 2013	649	-		Canon 700D
	Canon 650D« »	133 mm	100 mm	79 mm	575 g	440	n	Jun 2012	849	-		Canon 650D
	Canon 600D« »	133 mm	100 mm	80 mm	570 g	440	n	Feb 2011	599	-		Canon 600D
	Canon 1100D« »	130 mm	100 mm	78 mm	495 g	700	n	Feb 2011	449	-		Canon 1100D
	Canon 500D« »	129 mm	98 mm	62 mm	520 g	400	n	Mar 2009	799	-		Canon 500D
	Nikon D5100« »	128 mm	97 mm	79 mm	560 g	660	n	Apr 2011	749	-		Nikon D5100
Convert to Imperial

The price is, of course, an important factor in any camera decision. The listed launch prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The 1300D was launched at a markedly lower price (by 36 percent) than the 550D, which puts it into a different market segment. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down.

Sensor comparison: Canon 550D vs Canon 1300D

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tend to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

Both cameras under consideration feature an APS-C sensor and have a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.6. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the review cameras among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability. Both cameras have a native aspect ratio (sensor width to sensor height) of 3:2.

Technology-wise, the 1300D uses a more advanced image processing engine (DIGIC 4+) than the 550D (DIGIC 4), with benefits for noise reduction, color accuracy, and processing speed.

The two cameras under review do not only share the same sensor size, but also offer an identical resolution of 17.9 megapixel. This similarity in sensor specs implies that both the 550D and the 1300D have the same pixel density, as well as the same pixel size. It should, however, be noted that the 1300D is much more recent (by 6 years and 1 month) than the 550D, and its sensor will have benefitted from technological advances during this time.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for many cameras. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of comparator-cameras.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. Both cameras under consideration have a sensor with sufficiently fast read-out times for moving pictures, and both provide the same movie specifications (1080/30p).

Feature comparison: Canon 550D vs Canon 1300D

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The 550D and the 1300D are similar in the sense that both have an optical viewfinder. The latter is useful for getting a clear image for framing even in brightly lit environments. The adjacent table lists some of the other core features of the Canon 550D and Canon 1300D along with similar information for a selection of comparators. The full specs-sheets can be found in the camera manual or in the dpreview camera hub.

Both the 550D and the 1300D write their imaging data to SDXC cards.

Both the 550D and the 1300D have been discontinued, but can regularly be found used on eBay. The 550D was replaced by the Canon 600D, while the 1300D was followed by the Canon 2000D.

Review summary: Canon 550D vs Canon 1300D

So how do things add up? Is there a clear favorite between the Canon 550D and the Canon 1300D? The listing below highlights the relative strengths of the two models.

Arguments in favor of the Canon EOS 550D:

• Better sound: Can connect to an external microphone for higher quality sound recording.
• More detailed LCD: Has a higher resolution rear screen (1040k vs 920k dots).
• Faster burst: Shoots at higher frequency (3.7 vs 3 flaps/sec) to capture the decisive moment.
• More heavily discounted: Has been available for much longer (launched in February 2010).

Advantages of the Canon EOS 1300D:

• Better jpgs: Has a more modern image processing engine (DIGIC 4+ vs DIGIC 4).
• Longer lasting: Gets more shots (500 versus 440) out of a single battery charge.
• Easier file upload: Has wifi build in for automatic backup or image transfer to the web.
• Easier device pairing: Supports NFC for fast wireless image transfer over short distances.
• More affordable: Was introduced into a lower priced category (36 percent cheaper at launch).
• More modern: Reflects 6 years and 1 month of technical progress since the 550D launch.

If the number of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a guide, the 1300D emerges as the winner of the match-up (6 : 4 points). However, the relative importance of the various individual camera aspects will vary according to personal preferences and needs, so that you might like to apply corresponding weights to the particular features before making a decision on a new camera.

In any case, while the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the 550D or the 1300D. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, photographyblog). The full reviews are available by clicking on the site logo in the table header.

Review Scores

	Camera Model						Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Canon 550D»	HiRec	77/100	4/5	5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2010	699	-		Canon 550D
	Canon 1300D«	rev	73/100	4/5	3.5/5	4/5	Mar 2016	449	-		Canon 1300D
	Canon 2000D« »	rev	-	3.5/5	-	3.5/5	Feb 2018	449			Canon 2000D
	Canon 4000D« »	rev	-	3.5/5	-	3.5/5	Feb 2018	399			Canon 4000D
	Canon 77D« »	-	82/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4/5	Feb 2017	899			Canon 77D
	Canon 750D« »	-	75/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	749	-		Canon 750D
	Canon 760D« »	Rec	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	849	-		Canon 760D
	Canon G9 X« »	HiRec	-	4.5/5	4/5	4.5/5	Oct 2015	529	-		Canon G9 X
	Canon 1200D« »	Rec	-	4/5	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2014	449	-		Canon 1200D
	Canon 700D« »	-	76/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Mar 2013	649	-		Canon 700D
	Canon 650D« »	HiRec	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2012	849	-		Canon 650D
	Canon 600D« »	rev	77/100	4.5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2011	599	-		Canon 600D
	Canon 1100D« »	80/100	69/100	4/5	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2011	449	-		Canon 1100D
	Canon 500D« »	HiRec	74/100	4.5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Mar 2009	799	-		Canon 500D
	Nikon D5100« »	HiRec	76/100	4.5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Apr 2011	749	-		Nikon D5100

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Other camera comparisons

Did this review help to inform your camera decision process? In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities of other camera models, just use the search menu below. Alternatively, you can follow any of the listed hyperlinks for comparisons that others found interesting. If you do not see the camera that you are looking for, please send me an email, and I will try to add information on that model to the database.

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