The Canon EOS 550D is a difficult product to categorize. Ostensibly designed to appeal to first-time DSLR buyers and enthusiasts, it offers a lot more technology, and at a higher price, than we might expect for a camera aimed squarely at this sector. Although it might seem logical for the 550D to replace the EOS 500D, the older camera is set to continue in Canon’s lineup, which leaves the 550D pinched between its entry-level (represented by the still-current EOS 1000D and the 500D) and nominally enthusiast (the EOS 50D) peers. Confusingly however, apart from build quality (which is all but identical to the EOS 500D), the 550D has more in common with the prosumer EOS 7D, and – perhaps even more confusingly – it out-specifies the EOS 50D in many areas.

Central to the impressive specification of the EOS 550D is a high-spec movie mode which offers full HD capture at up to 30 fps, manual control over exposure, and the option to use an external stereo microphone. The new camera also inherits the EOS 7D’s sophisticated metering system (which brings it a lot closer to similarly positioned Nikon SLRs).

The 550D lacks the 7D’s bullet-proof alloy construction and lags behind in the speed stakes. While the EOS 550D can shoot at 3.7 frames per second in Continuous Shooting Mode, it’s restricted to 34 JPEG images, or six RAW files – so sports and action photographers might want to look elsewhere.

But don’t get us wrong; while the EOS 550D is not a professional-spec SLR, the keen photographer will still get a lot of bang for their buck.

Canon’s response has been to expand its range of consumer cameras especially in the mid-range area, launching the 15-megapixel EOS 500D  towards the end of last year, and now following it up with a new mid-range model, the EOS 550D. With a newly designed 18.1 megapixel CMOS sensor, 1080p HD video recording and the sharpest monitor of any current DSLR it has an impressive specification, handily trumping the D5000 and Alpha A550 in all the crucial areas except price. The Nikon D5000 is currently selling for around £500 body-only, while the Sony A550 is around £550. The EOS 550D is available for just under £700 body only, or around £750 with the kit 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 EF-S image-stabilised lens

The primary advantages of having a digital sensor the same size (24x36mm) as a frame of 35mm film are (1) higher image quality, especially in terms of noise and especially in lower light situations, and (2) the ability to use very wide angle lenses. The only disadvantage to having a full-frame sensor compared to a small-sensor digital SLR body (Canon Digital Rebel or any Nikon) is that the small-sensor effectively increases the magnification of telephoto lenses, which can be useful when you are doing sports or bird photography. Of course, the resolution of the 5D is so high that you could pull out the central 8 MP of a Canon EOS 5D image and it would be almost as though you had taken the photo with a Canon 30D or Digital Rebel.

If you are a wide-angle junkie and have a bunch of older Canon EOS lenses designed for film cameras, you’ll love having the EOS 5D. The small sensor Canon bodies turn an exciting 20mm wide angle lens into a boring 30mm perspective. With the 5D, what you got with your 20mm lens on the film camera is what you get with the 5D.

At around $3000, the Canon EOS 5D is currently the lowest cost full 35mm frame DSLR available. In fact it’s the lowest price full frame DSLR that ever has been available. The EOS 1Ds Mk II sells for in the region of $7200 and right now that’s the only other option for a full frame 35mm DSLR. The Kodak 14c had a pretty short life which perhaps say ssomething about it’s practicality and problems with noise and speed of operation. The EOS 5D is not only cheaper, but a far more practical camera with better usability. much faster operation and an ISO range from 50 to 3200 with good image quality.

The EOS 5D will likely be regarded as something of a landmark camera and shows how much digital technology has advanced in only a few years. The first “affordable” DSLR was the Canon EOS D30, a 3MP APS-C sensor camera which sold for $3000+ in October 2000 (Original price 380,000 yen). In only 5 years (October 2005) we now have a 12.7 MP full frame camera selling for about the same price ($3000). In another 5 years I would not be surprised to see a 15MP full frame camera selling for under $1500. However the 5D will be seen as the “full frame” breakthrough camera, just as the D30 is seen as the first really practical and affordable DSLR. 5 years prior to that all you could get was a 1.3MP DCS 3, and it would have cost you almost 2,000,000 yen (almost $20,000) or a 6MP DCS 1 selling for 3,600,000 yen (upwards of $30,000). I’m sure the rate of progress is slowing down now as the technology matures, but it certainly hasn’t stopped!