New Camera: Canon EOS 650D/Rebel T4i

Canon today announced a new DSLR camera. The 650D/Rebel T4i is a 17.9 mega pixel follow-up to the EOS 600D/Rebel T3i and adds a touch-screen rear LCD, faster 5fps burst rate, smoother and more accurate autofocus tracking during video capture.

Some of the key specifications

• Similar build and weight to the 600D/Rebel T3i.
• New 1.04MP articulating rear LCD with touch-screen capabilities (swiping between pictures, pinching to zoom, pressing to select, etc.)
• APS-C (22.3 x 14.9mm) sized, 1.6x crop, 17.92 million pixel sensor.
• Self-cleaning sensor incorporates phase detect AF points to improve autofocus performance during live view and video recording (similar to the solution first introduced by Nikon in the mirrorless J1/V1 cameras).
• Effective image size is 5184 x 3456 pixels.
• Compatible with both EF and EF-S lenses.
• Maximum frame-rate of 5fps with a buffer size of 30 Large/Fine JPEG, 6 RAW, or just 3 RAW+JPEG frames (when used in combination with a fast UHS-1 card).
• ISO range of 100-12,800 (25,600 in H mode).
• 9-point AF system. All 9 points are cross-type, the centre point add precision when an f/2.8 or faster lens is used.
• New pentaprism viewfinder with 95% coverage.
• Built-in flash that can act as a wireless TTL controller.
• ±5 stops exposure compensation.
• New in-camera processing option allows you to blend four high ISO pictures taken of the same scene, reducing final noise considerably.
• Audio from the built-in stereo microphone or optional external stereo microphone.
• H.264-encoded .mov files up to 4GB per clip:
• HD 1080p: 1920 x 1080 pixels at 30fps (29.97fps)
• HD 1080p: 1920 x 1080 pixels at 25fps
• HD 1080p: 1920 x 1080 pixels at 24fps (23.976fps)
• HD 720p: 1280 x 720 pixels at 60fps (59.94fps)
• HD 720p: 1280 x 720 pixels at 50fps
• SD: 640 x 480 pixels at 30fps (29.97fps)
• SD: 640 x 480 pixels at 25fps
• Continuous autofocus during video recording (first Canon DSLR capable of doing this!)

According to Canon, the new 650D/Rebel T4i will begin to ship at the end of the month at a price of ±$850 (€ prices not known yet but are expected to be similar).