Canon 600D Comparison Review

The Canon EOS 600D (called Canon T3i in some regions) is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was officially introduced in February 2011 and is equipped with an APS-C sensor. It offers a resolution of 17.9 megapixel.

Is the Canon 600D a good camera? The 600D has a Camera Elo of 1530. This rating puts the 600D below average of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the 600D also ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 2.5-star performance rating. – Well, the Canon 600D is more than 12 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2011.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The physical dimensions of the Canon 600D relative to a credit card are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Canon 600D alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Canon 600D	133 mm	100 mm	80 mm	570 g	440	n	Feb 2011	599	ebay.com
2.		Canon 1300D	129 mm	101 mm	78 mm	485 g	500	n	Mar 2016	449	ebay.com
3.		Canon 760D	132 mm	101 mm	78 mm	565 g	440	n	Feb 2015	649	ebay.com
4.		Canon 1200D	130 mm	100 mm	78 mm	480 g	500	n	Feb 2014	449	ebay.com
5.		Canon 100D	117 mm	91 mm	69 mm	407 g	380	n	Mar 2013	549	ebay.com
6.		Canon 700D	133 mm	100 mm	79 mm	580 g	440	n	Mar 2013	649	ebay.com
7.		Canon 650D	133 mm	100 mm	79 mm	575 g	440	n	Jun 2012	849	ebay.com
8.		Canon M	109 mm	66 mm	32 mm	298 g	230	n	Jul 2012	599	ebay.com
9.		Canon 1100D	130 mm	100 mm	78 mm	495 g	700	n	Feb 2011	449	ebay.com
10.		Canon 550D	129 mm	98 mm	62 mm	530 g	440	n	Feb 2010	699	ebay.com
11.		Canon 500D	129 mm	98 mm	62 mm	520 g	400	n	Mar 2009	799	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Canon 600D was launched in the US market at a price of $599. 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. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

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Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Canon 600D features an APS-C sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.6. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Canon 600D among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. 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 table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Canon 600D	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.1	11.5	793	65
2.		Canon 1300D	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.0	11.7	781	66
3.		Canon 760D	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/30p	22.6	12.0	915	70
4.		Canon 1200D	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	21.9	11.3	724	63
5.		Canon 100D	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	21.8	11.3	843	63
6.		Canon 700D	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	21.7	11.2	681	61
7.		Canon 650D	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	21.7	11.2	722	62
8.		Canon M	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.1	11.2	827	65
9.		Canon 1100D	APS-C	12.2	4272	2848	720/30p	21.9	11.0	755	62
10.		Canon 550D	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.1	11.5	784	66
11.		Canon 500D	APS-C	15.1	4752	3168	1080/20p	21.7	11.5	663	63

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but also of capturing video footage. The 600D indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the 600D can use is 1080/30p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the 600D has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 95% and a magnification of 0.53x. The tables below summarize some of the other core capabilities of the Canon 600D in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Canon 600D	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	n	1/4000s	3.7/s	Y	n
2.		Canon 1300D	optical	n	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
3.		Canon 760D	optical	Y	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	5.0/s	Y	n
4.		Canon 1200D	optical	n	3.0 / 460	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
5.		Canon 100D	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	fixed	Y	1/4000s	4.9/s	Y	n
6.		Canon 700D	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	5.0/s	Y	n
7.		Canon 650D	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	5.0/s	Y	n
8.		Canon M	none	n	3.0 / 1040	fixed	Y	1/4000s	4.3/s	n	n
9.		Canon 1100D	optical	n	2.7 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
10.		Canon 550D	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.7/s	Y	n
11.		Canon 500D	optical	n	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.4/s	Y	n
Notes: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Canon EOS 600D is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD is hinged on the side and can be flipped out for odd-angle shots in both portrait and landscape orientation. Also, this fully articulated, swivel type of LCD attachment is often appreciated by videographers for its flexibility. Moreover, v-loggers like the design because the screen can be turned to be front-facing.

One convenient feature of the 600D is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Canon EOS 600D and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Canon 600D	Y	mono / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Canon 1300D	Y	mono / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
3.		Canon 760D	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
4.		Canon 1200D	Y	mono / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
5.		Canon 100D	Y	mono / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
6.		Canon 700D	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
7.		Canon 650D	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
8.		Canon M	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
9.		Canon 1100D	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
10.		Canon 550D	Y	stereo / -	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Canon 500D	Y	mono / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-

It is notable that the 600D has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Further information on the features and operation of the 600D can be found in the free online Canon 600D Manual or on the Canon support site.

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the 600D. 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 following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Canon 600D	3/5	o	..	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2011	599	ebay.com
2.		Canon 1300D	4/5	o	4/5	73/100	4/5	4/5	Mar 2016	449	ebay.com
3.		Canon 760D	5/5	+	..	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	649	ebay.com
4.		Canon 1200D	3/5	+	..	..	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2014	449	ebay.com
5.		Canon 100D	4/5	+	..	78/100	4/5	4/5	Mar 2013	549	ebay.com
6.		Canon 700D	..	..	..	76/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Mar 2013	649	ebay.com
7.		Canon 650D	4/5	+ +	..	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2012	849	ebay.com
8.		Canon M	3/5	+	..	..	4/5	4/5	Jul 2012	599	ebay.com
9.		Canon 1100D	..	80/100	..	69/100	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2011	449	ebay.com
10.		Canon 550D	..	+ +	..	77/100	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2010	699	ebay.com
11.		Canon 500D	..	+ +	..	74/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Mar 2009	799	ebay.com
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The ratings were established in reference to similarly priced cameras that were available in the market at the time of the review. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

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Camera to camera comparisons

If you would like to see a side-by-side review with another camera, just make your choice using the following search menu. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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