Canon Rebel T2i Review

Canon Rebel T2i Review: This Should Be Your First DSLR

Canon's Rebel T2i is an incredible camera—everything a first DSLR should be. It takes fantastic photos (and, crucially, video) for the price, it's easy to use, and perhaps most importantly, it's a camera you can grow with.

But there's no shame in using it if you really know what you're doing, either.

That's in part because it's a semi-pro camera, dressed down. The $900 T2i is essentially Canon's mid-range $1900 7D, one of the best DSLRs for the money, shoved into a simpler, smaller body. Namely, it uses an 18-megapixel APS-C image sensor that's not too different from the 7D's; the same 1080p/full manual video capabilities; and the same IFCL 63-layer dual-zone metering system, adjusted for the T2i's different autofocus setup.

And for anyone just getting into DSLR photography, the power to package ratio is phenomenal. That said, it still feels like an entry-level DSLR, for better and worse.