Last year may have been the year that mirrorless Evil cameras grabbed the headlines and the attention of serious photography enthusiasts, but Canon’s first launch of 2011 is all about the evolution of its existing DSLR cameras, rather than revolution. Its two new DSLRs, the EOS 1100D and EOS 600D are updates to the 1000D and 550D respectively.
The 1100D updgrades the ageing 1000D by bumping up the pixels on its CMOS sensor to 12.2 megapixels, increasing the size of its LCD screen to 6.8cm, and adding HD video recording, albeit at 720p rather than the 1080p available on other Canon DSLRs. ISO sensitivity runs from 100 – 6400 and images are processed in-camera using Canon’s Digic 4 software.
The 1100D has nine-point auto-focus and the same iCFL metering system that was developed for the semi-professional EOS 7D. And there’s a new kit lens too, the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II which Canon says ‘offers EOS 1100D users the flexibility to shoot everything from sweeping landscapes to portraits.’
The 600D represents less of an upgrade the popular 550D, an admission, possibly that topping that camera is a tough job. It has the same 18-megapixel sensor, Digic 4 processor, and maximum, 12400 ISO sensitivity. Its 7.7cm LCD, however, can now be swivelled and rotated, making it easier to frame those awkward shots. It also records video at 1080p, shoots stills at 3.7 frames per second, has a nine-point auto-focus system, and includes iCFL metering. 
Those new features which have been added are designed to make the 600D more appealing and easy to use for snappers new to SLR photography. There’s a new fully automatic Scene Intelligent Mode which analyses the scene your shooting and chooses the optimal settings. Auto Picture Style adjusts the colour balance. There’s also a Basic+ setting, which Canon says allows you to choose the mood of your image from options including, Warm, Cool, and Intense.
For those more interested in video, a digital zoom function allows for magnification between 3x and 10x, by cropping the centre of the sensor. And Video Snapshot mode shoots clips in segments of two, four, or eight seconds and saves them to a snapshot album before combining them into one movie.
LIke the 1100D, the 600D is available with the new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II kit lens.
At list prices of £499 and £769 respectively, with the new kit lens, the 1100D and 600D represent a substantial hike from the current street prices of the 1000D and 550D. And for Canon users who plan to make 2011 the year they replace their 350D, 400D, or 450D with something newer and shinier, the choice is a tough one. The 1100D offers plenty over those three for significantly less money than the 600D. Both cameras will be available in April, and, of course, we’ll have reviews of both in MacUser.
