Canon EOS 1200D Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 III Lens

Product Information

Between the T5 / 1200D and its predecessor, Nikon has had two bites at the upgrade cherry; first with the D3200 then, launched a month before the T5 / 1200D, the D3300. At a sensitivity setting of ISO 100-200, I found both the JPEG and raw files to be almost completely free of any luminescent or colour noise, even when viewing at 100%. Both the T5 / 1200D and D3300 have a hotshoe, as does the Sony A3000, but the latter is Sony’s multi-interface shoe which can take an external flash as well as other accessories. I was able to focus the camera on the subject by half-pressing the shutter, recomposing the image, then shooting. However, the centre AF point in One Shot mode comes into its own when shooting more complex compositions.

As the T5 / 1200D has an optical viewfinder, the screen can be switched off, or display shooting information by pressing the display toggle button. Easily create simple stories with Video Snapshot mode, which records short clips of 2, 4, or 8 seconds that can be played back together as a video slideshow in camera or on your home computer. The Feature Guide provides a brief explanation of each mode when you select it on the mode dial, and gives a one-sentence explanation of Q menu options, but there’s a lack of more detailed in-depth help. It’s capable of shooting at a rather middling 3fps in continuous mode, for a total of 69 Jpegs or six raw files at a time. Canon and Nikon also claim that a lens-based anti-shake system is inherently better too, but the jury's out on that one.For this shot I pre-focussed on one of the boats and the depth of field in the bright conditions was sufficient to keep everything reasonably sharp. Together with Canon's EOS Companion app, capturing images is easier and more enjoyable than ever before. Peripheral Illumination Correction is an in-camera solution designed to reduce the effect of light fall-off in the image corners. Rewind three years and a 12MP sensor wouldn’t have been grumbled at, but by today’s standards the EOS 1100D’s resolution is somewhat pedestrian when you compare it to its key rivals.

There’s also a free smartphone app packed with well-crafted interactive tutorials which will be useful to both beginners and those wanting to confirm certain features or controls. If you need portability and telephoto pulling power, the Micro Four Thirds format is an appealing option. I found that using all nine focus points could sometimes throw the focus off the subject, especially with more complex compositions.

The night photograph was very good, with the maximum shutter speed of 30 seconds and Bulb mode allowing you to capture enough light in most situations. How can it be that Canon’s higher end DSLRs like the 650D and 70D offer scene detect in live view and Creative effects filters when its entry level model doesn’t? Despite this higher resolution, the 1200D’s new sensor only represents a very small increase in dimensions from that of its predecessor, allowing Canon to keep the size of the camera to a minimum (it weighs in at a pokey 480g with battery and card included).

Although the Canon EOS 1200D doesn’t boast Wi-Fi on its spec sheet, it is still fully compatible with Eye-Fi memory cards, and Eye-Fi transfer can be enabled or disabled in the camera’s menu.

Shoot beautiful 18-megapixel photos that are packed with rich detail and natural colours, and capture the mood of any occasion. HD files are encoded at an a average bit rate of 330MB/min so the 4GB mark will occur after around 12 minutes, if you want to shoot for longer than that be sure to use a card with a capacity of more than 4GB.

It keeps the cost down, but makes it impossible to change the card with the camera mounted on a tripod. Also packaged along with the camera are Image Browser EX, Photo Stitch, EOS Utilities and Picture Style Editor. The difference between Canon (and Nikon) and the others is that Sony, Olympus and Pentax have opted for stabilisation via the camera body, rather than the lens, which therefore works with their entire range of lenses. You can get creative with your images and add filters to further your photography prowess with this camera. Instead, users have a designated button located above the D-pad that turns the LCD screen on and off.

It improves upon its predecessor, the T3, by upping the HD video resolution to 1080 x 1920 and the sensor's resolution to 18 megapixels. In addition to the PASM modes there’s Scene intelligent auto, Flash off mode, Creative Auto, five scene mode positions and finally Movie. That’s the same specifications as the earlier T3 / 1100D and similar to the Nikon D3300 which has 95 percent and 0.