Canon EOS 550D

MORE: Click here to watch our video review of the Canon EOS 550D

The EOS 550D from Canon follows on from the company's 350D, 450D and 500D, being at the lower end of the company's range.

It shares its body design with the company's cheaper cameras but it's relatively expensive – the kit we looked at costs £1,100 with an 18-135mm Canon lens, although other kits are available as is the camera on its own.

There's a mode dial at the top-right where there's a second screen on the higher-end models, and it lacks the wheel of the higher-end models, which means it's not quite as easy to control the camera in some of the modes. It does have some high-end touches, though: in addition to being able to shoot high-definition video at a resolution of 1080p, it has a microphone input, making it a lot more flexible for video shooting.

There is a ‘live view’ mode in which the rear screen can be used for composing pictures as well as reviewing them. This is also how movies are shot, using the screen to see what’s being taken. Movie quality was very impressive – you can see some footage we shot here.