A world of change

Still pictures? That’s so 20th century.

Camera makers must figure by now that if they don’t have high-definition video, they don’t have squat, and Canon’s latest models are no exception.

Canon added to the pile of pre-PMA 2010 announcements on Monday with its newest low-end SLR, the EOS Rebel T2i. This camera has a new 18-megapixel sensor, a Digic 4 processor, and can shoot full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) at 30fps. It can also shoot standard-def, 640 x 480 video at 60fps, or blast out full-size 18 megapixel stills at 3.7fps.

It’ll cost $800 for the body only, or as a kit with Canon’s popular, low-end EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens for $900.

The press release doesn’t state the size of the T2i’s image sensor but it’s almost certainly the APS-C standard used in previous Rebels, or 22.2 x 14.8mm.

The T2i follows on the heels of last year’s not-so-surprising hit camera, the Canon 5D Mark II, which was one of the first single-lens-reflex cameras to shoot HD video, following the pioneering Nikon D90.

But the real power feature of the 5D Mark II was its low-light sensitivity, which let you take decent pictures in low light by dialing the ISO up as high as 64,000. While the T2i doesn’t go quite that high — and the quality of its images at high ISO levels remains to be seen — it does support ISO settings up to 12,800.

Not in the market for a big-ass SLR? Canon’s also got a handful of pocket cameras that shoot HD video, although these only do 720p: the PowerShot SX210 IS, PowerShot SD3500 IS, and PowerShot SD1400 IS. (A fourth model, the SD1300 IS, doesn’t shoot HD video.)

The $350 Canon PowerShot SX210 sports a 14x optical zoom lens that goes from 28mm (equivalent) at the wide end to 392mm equivalent.

The $330 PowerShot SD3500 has a more modest 5x zoom range but starts at a very wide 24mm equivalent, and its 3.5-inch LCD is bigger than most.

Both cameras have 14.1-megapixel image sensors.

The SX210 and T2i are scheduled to be available in March, and the others in February.

Press release: Canon Rebel T2i
Press release: Canon’s four new PowerShots