Canon eos 800d/t7i 18-55mm Is stm
A better camera with a better lens, this kit is a couple of rungs up the quality ladder from the 2000D
Sitting at the top of Canon’s ‘beginner’ range of DSLRS, the EOS 800D/rebel T7i is a year older than the EOS 4000D/rebel T7 but has a lot more to offer. For starters, it has a Dual Pixel CMOS image sensor, as fitted to all of the cameras on test, apart from the 2000D. This enables vastly quicker and more effective autofocus performance in live view and movie capture modes, with much less hunting back and forth. It’s thanks to the image sensor featuring dual-pixel phasedetection sites across its surface, rather than just relying on contrastdetection for autofocus.
In regular viewfinder-based stills shooting mode, autofocus is again far superior, thanks to a 45-point AF system in which all of the points are cross-type. The metering system is also more refined, and the standard sensitivity range tops out at ISO25,600 compared with the 2000D’s ISO6400. Again, there’s Wi-fi and NFC connectivity built in, but the 800D also adds in some Bluetooth.
Build and handling
Build quality feels good all over and handling is slick. Compared with the 2000D, the 800D adds some useful extra buttons up on top, for direct access to AF area selection, ISO and display options. The ‘display’ itself is a crucial upgrade, as the 800D sports a fully articulated ‘vari-angle’ LCD that’s great for live view and movie
shooting from tricky angles. It’s also a touchscreen, which makes AF point selection and the use of the Quick menu much speedier.
Full ‘intelligent’ auto and Creative Auto modes are joined by the most popular scene modes on the shooting dial, with further scene modes and ‘creative filters’ being available from dedicated positions on the dial. P, Av, Tv and M modes are cordoned off in the Creative Zone section.
performance
The 45-point autofocus system makes it easier to track moving objects. This makes the camera better suited to action sports and wildlife photography than the 2000D. 27 AF points are available at f/8, which is a bonus if you’re using an f/4 telephoto lens with a 2x extender (tele-converter).
The competent autofocus system is backed up by a burst rate that’s twice as fast as in the 2000D, at 6fps, along with a larger memory buffer that can keep you shooting JPEGS. The 800D represents a vast performance increase over the 2000D, and is a better value buy despite costing more. The 18-55mm kit lens is also superior, with a stepping motor autofocus system that’s silent in operation, quick for stills, and gives smooth AF transitions for movie capture.