Value & Verdict

Canon EOS 600D review – Value

In June 2012 the Canon EOS 650D was announced as the successor to the EOS 600D with a launch price just shy of £800 with an 18-55mm kit lens. This has since fallen to around £600. The price for the older EOS 600D (with 18-55mm kit lens), meanwhile, now stands at around £450-500. In other words, investing in the older model will currently save you around £100-150. Of course, the EOS 600D doesn’t come with the unique touchscreen functionality offered by the EOS 650D, and compared to the newer model’s 18MP sensor effective resolution is slightly less at 16MP. However, you’re still getting quite a lot of camera for the money.

Looking at what’s on offer from rival manufacturers, the EOS 600D faces some stiff competition not least from the Nikon D5100 that was launched at much the same time as the EOS 600. Whereas the D5100 launched with a similar £780 price tag (with 18-55mm kit lens), it has since fallen to around £430 – making it slightly cheaper than the EOS 600D. Another big contemporary rival to the EOS 600D was the Pentax K-r, which launched with a £480 price tag. As a discontinued model the K-r is harder to find than the Nikon D5100, and somewhat bizarrely the price has held firm (no doubt due to lack of stock) at around £460. All said and done the Canon EOS 600D is still very good value.

Canon EOS 600D review – Verdict

There’s no getting away from the fact that the Canon EOS 600D has inherited a lot from existing models in the Canon line-up, primarily the 550D and to a lesser extent, the 60D. In essence, the EOS 600D is a 550D with the 60D’s vari-angle screen, with very little in the way of innovation. With the 550D still available for around £150 less than the 600D, you’ll have to ask yourself how desperately you want a vari-angle screen and the other minor additions.

Ignoring its predecessors for one moment, and as a standalone mid-price DSLR, and the EOS 600D is a great camera. Admittedly, the performance can be left a little wanting, especially with certain aspects of the AF and frame advance, but results from the 18-megapixel sensor are great, with bags of detail and well-controlled noise. Then there’s the polished user interface that allows novice users to grow with their new bit of kit, while the list of features shouldn’t leave more experienced users feeling short-changed either. It may not feel particularly cutting edge, but the Canon EOS 600D has been years in the making, evolving into a great camera for the price.