And Canon's Rebel cameras have been strong contenders for several years, offering quite a few different models, ranging from the original Digital Rebel back in 2003 to the Rebel T1i in 2009 to last year's Rebel T4i . Now Canon has released the EOS Rebel T5i, purportedly as an upgrade to the T4i.

Image quality is very high; Extremely fast performance in Viewfinder mode; Very fast start-up; Articulated; high-resolution LCD is nice feature for shooting with a tripod; Touchscreen LCD makes it easy to control camera for beginners; Ports included for both HDMI and microphone; Full HD video output...

Not enough improvements from Rebel T4i; Autofocus works too slowly in Live View mode; creating significant shutter lag; Although autofocus in video mode is improved from past Rebels; it's still slow; Autofocus illuminator lamp only works when the flash is engaged; Camera's on-screen menus should...

Adjustable swing-out display has touchscreen for easily navigating shooting options, even in sunlight. But the Live View focus, flash cycling, and general navigation feel sluggish by comparison.

Display swings out for capturing a variety of angles; Great image quality

Live View focus seems sluggish; Some physical controls are awkward to navigate

Before I move into the primary thoughts in my Canon EOS Rebel T5i review, I need to discuss the biggest issue regarding the T5i: The fact that it's too much like the EOS Rebel T4i.

Canon seems to be on a DSLR launching spree, with two mid-range and one semi-pro cameras (the 70D). With reports of the 650D soon going off production, this segment will soon be spearheaded by the three touch-based entrants - the 650D, 100D and the 700D.

New-gen kit lens is great to work with; Touchscreen is very responsive; 360-degree tiltable screen

Lens takes time to focus in video mode; Optimisation issues; Not too much difference over its predecessor; Expensive

Much like the smartphone market, the camera market has gone through quite a bit of change over the last few years and while many photographers have opted for Micro Four-Thirds and Mirrorless cameras, there are still a large number of photographers who rely on digital single-lens reflex (DSLR)...

Stereo microphones; Good image quality; Easy-to-use Touchscreen interface; Plenty of creative filters

Slow autofocus in live view and video; Always on ISO 400 when using flash

The Canon EOS 700D is a brilliant piece of kit: along with its 18-megapixel sensor, it boasts a quiet focusing lens, an easy-to-use touchscreen, a simple button layout and supreme video skills, but is it too much of a good thing?

With its excellent balance between price, performance, size and image quality, the Canon EOS 700D is a camera that fits in perfectly with its market segment by offering a competitive and very attractive by Photographer's fans, but budget-conscious.

Excellent image quality; Multi-touch screen adjustable; From 5 fps burst; Excellent ergonomics; Good-quality video

Slow AF in Live View; The keys feel cheap

I bought this camera package to take on a vacation to Mazatlan. Every time I brought the camera out of the air conditioned room out into the 85* weather, the lens would fog. Not just the external lens, but internal lenses and body-side lens also.

great body

crummy lenses

The powerful Canon EOS Rebel T5i doesn't offer a large number of improvements over last year's Rebel T4i, but if you have an older Canon Rebel DSLR camera, the T5i is going to give you a great set of features for the price.

The Canon EOS 700D sits in a category of DLSR cameras that Canon says is for beginners. Its apparent stable mates include the tiny EOS M, the 1100D and the 100D, each of which the 700D is superior to in various ways.

Hybrid AF system boosts live view and video focusing speeds; great quality stills from low ISO range; great combination of traditional buttons and touchscreen controls

Small buffer means burst shooting is limited; image noise at high ISO settings; it's a repackaged 650D