Canon EOS 600D

**Hombre de Maiz** · 17-07-11, 20:39

So I took the plunge and bought me a Canon 600D camera body. So far, so good. The most impressive thing so far is the ISO performance. No hesitation or dramas from using ISO6400. This camera with a 18MP sensor offers better ISO performance than my 8MP 350D from a few years ago. Amazing performance from the sensor.

The Auto ISO feature, something that Nikon cameras have had for while, is nice too. Takes 1080p HD video (with manual audio control) too, but I haven't tried it yet.

The flip screen is only mildly useful. What I don't care for is the small sidegrip, and the layout of some of the buttons in the back. Other than that, thumbs up!

**El_Goretto** · 17-07-11, 20:49

It's nice little camera but how is the weather proofing? I recommended this one to a colleague and he absolutely loves it.

In regards to the swivel LCD, you will find it useful for taking video. Unless you go all out and rig it up with a shoulder mount and external monitor.

**Hombre de Maiz** · 17-07-11, 20:53

Weather-proofing is the lowest level among the three-tier Canon camera line...

**beebop** · 19-07-11, 07:17

i use the 60D (same sensor as your camera) and i find the noise to be quite a lot. but its my first camera ever so maybe you can compare the noise i am getting and tell me what im doing wrong or if it is acceptable? this picture was taken in natural light at ISO 800, and there is also a 100% crop. they are unedited so i know the noise can be reduced in PP but i want to share the out of camera image. meta data should be intact:

**lone_ranger** · 19-07-11, 08:16

Beebop, for a camera with a pixel pitch of 4.3 micro-m in an APS-C sized sensor, that is actually very, very good (about the same pixel pitch as the Olympus micro 4/3 Pen). That noise would virtually disappear with some minor post-processing in Lightroom or Photoshop. However, anytime you're shooting ISO 800 or higher you may want to go raw instead, since it is more amenable to noise reduction. I switched to LR 3 recently and it's like I've gained another extra stop with my current SLR! Highly recommended. Better than the Nik Dfine plug in that I used previously. Personally I think Canon lost the plot when they started designing APS-C sensors with more than 12 megapixels, which is why I love the big fat virtually noiseless pixels in my Nikon D700 (only 12 MP but more than enough for my needs). You get the same in the original EOS 5D Mark 1.

**Hombre de Maiz** · 19-07-11, 09:49

My first DSLR was an 8MP Canon 350D in late 2005, and I can tell you that despite its lower resolution (a full 10MP less), it had worse noise/ISO performance than my current 600D. Perhaps we have different perception/tolerance for noise, but I don't see a problem with the picture and crop that you posted. Nice pic, by the way. Those are the moments when a large aperture prime shines. Shooting RAW will help, as well as over-exposing a bit(without blowing out highlights, of course), and then pulling back in PP. On the other hand, pushing an underexposed shot in PP will increase noise in the shadows, precisely in the area that you posted as a 100% crop.

**lone_ranger** · 19-07-11, 11:07

I think Canon made some significant strides with gapless microlens sensors in the interim. That was almost required to match the performance of large pixel full frame devices. I just wish they had given the option of using the latest sensor technology in a lower pixel count camera (10-12 MP), on the order of perhaps 7 to 8 micro-m pitch size. That would give crazy high ISO performance.

**beebop** · 19-07-11, 11:31

Originally Posted by lone_ranger

I think Canon made some significant strides with gapless microlens sensors in the interim. That was almost required to match the performance of large pixel full frame devices. I just wish they had given the option of using the latest sensor technology in a lower pixel count camera (10-12 MP), on the order of perhaps 7 to 8 micro-m pitch size. That would give crazy high ISO performance.

that would be one good selling camera. i only got the 60D because i lost out on a 5D mk1 deal. btw i only ever shoot in RAW and from all the softwares i have tried, ACR (adobe camera raw) has given me the best noise reduction results. i dont like exposing to the right. i find it ruins skin textures even if it doesent blow out any highlights. and in outdoor photography the sky can even get blown out at 1 stop under exposure in most scenes. outdoor is my weakness. i think Mr. El_Goretto has that department pinned

**rabbit_39** · 19-07-11, 11:41

ETTR is just a tool to be applied appropriately. :-D I find that +0.7 on my old D50 works 75% of the time without thought. When I remember that the scene is high dynamic range, I have to think about which other tools to apply to expose properly.

**El_Goretto** · 19-07-11, 14:01

Originally Posted by beebop

that would be one good selling camera. i only got the 60D because i lost out on a 5D mk1 deal. btw i only ever shoot in RAW and from all the softwares i have tried, ACR (adobe camera raw) has given me the best noise reduction results. i dont like exposing to the right. i find it ruins skin textures even if it doesent blow out any highlights. and in outdoor photography the sky can even get blown out at 1 stop under exposure in most scenes. outdoor is my weakness. i think Mr. El_Goretto has that department pinned

Thanks for the compliment

In regards to the sky, it all depends on the location and time of the day. If you shoot into the sun, your sky will be very bright compared to your ground. The range between the brightest area and the darkest area of your seen will be really wide and way outside of the camera's range. So you have to choose: expose for the sky or for the ground. If you expose for the ground, your sky will be too bright. If you expose for your sky, the ground will be too dark. I say ground but it could be any subject other than the sky itself.

3 solutions:
1. Shoot with the sun in your back. This way the scene will be lit more evenly. Also shooting on a bright day at noon makes it very difficult. Overcast sky is best.
2. Expose for the sky and fill your subject with a flash.
3. Shoot multiple exposure from -2 to +2 and merge in Photoshop or other programme dedicated to HDR merge (like photomatix). Does not really apply to portraits though.

In regards to the noise on your camera, I find it ok. I second lone_ranger about Lightroom 3. The new noise reduction processor is very powerful and LR also has many other added benefits that Camera Raw doesn't. It's pretty much a mix between Camera Raw and Bridge + many extra features. Highly recommended. I usually import and manage my pictures in LR, then edit them in LR and rarely use Photoshop anymore (unless I need to do some heavy lifting or HDR merge).
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