Canon EOS Rebel T2i / EOS 550D Camera Cheatsheet
This is the first Canon DSLR that actually did full HD video at 1080p, and it shipped back in 2010. A lot of people are still running these as backup cameras or first buys on the used market. Here is what you need to know about getting the most out of one without tripping over the design choices Canon made. The T2i and 550D are the same camera with different regional firmware labels. Nothing changes between them except menu text and pre-loaded demonstration files. The sensor, processor, lens mount, and specs are identical. Sensor: 18-megapixel CMOS (APS-C, 22.3 x 14.9mm)
Processor: DIGIC 4 ISO Range: 100-6400, expandable to H (12800) Autofocus: 9-point AF with center cross-type sensor
Video: 1080p at 30/25/24fps, 720p at 60/50fps, MP4 format with PCM audio Continuous Shooting: 3.7 fps Screen: 3-inch Vari-angle LCD, 1,040k dots, no touch
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Storage: SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot Battery: LP-E8, rated for roughly 440 shots per charge Weight: About 570g with battery and card
Getting Started With Video Mode
Switch the mode dial to the movie camera icon. Press the SET button to confirm. The camera will auto-focus during recording unless you flip the AF/MF switch on the lens to manual. Full-time autofocus works while the recorder is running, which was genuinely new at the time. It does not work on every lens though. The STM lenses that came out years later have silent AF motors that actually make sense here. Older AF-S or standard USM lenses can make loud whirring noise that gets recorded right into your audio track. I ran into this exact issue filming a wedding rehearsal last year. I had my old EF 50mm f/1.8 II mounted and the AF motor was basically recording its own soundtrack. I switched to manual focus and used focus peaking in Live View instead. It slowed me down by about twenty seconds per shot but the audio came out clean.
Recommended Settings for Still Photography
Start in Av mode if you want control over depth of field. Set ISO to Auto with a maximum of 1600. The T2i's sensor starts showing noticeable chroma noise around ISO 3200, and it is not pretty past that point. The H expansion setting is not worth using in practice. Keep your shutter speed above 1/focal length to avoid motion blur from hand shake. Enable the Electronic Level in the menu under the green camera icon tab. It overlays a horizon guide on the screen and saves you from crooked architecture shots that need correcting in post. For faster action, switch to Shutter Priority or Manual. The 3.7 fps burst rate means you should set the drive mode to Continuous High if you are tracking anything moving. The buffer holds about 8 RAW files before filling up. After that, you wait. It clears in roughly 30 seconds on a fast SD card, maybe two minutes on a slower one.
Video Settings That Actually Matter
Use 1080p at 24fps for a cinematic look, or 30fps if you need smoother motion. Turn off Auto ISO in video mode. The camera will hunt exposure constantly otherwise. Set it manually and adjust with aperture and ND filter if needed. Enable Movie Digital IS in the movie menu. It crops into the frame by about 20 percent but stabilizes the image enough to handhold at 24mm wide without looking like an earthquake video. Audio recording level should be set to Manual. The Auto level keeps lowering your volume when someone speaks near the camera because the built-in mic picks up everything. I keep mine at -12dB and monitor with headphones. The camera does not have a headphone jack. You need an adapter cable that plugs into the multi-function terminal on the side. Third-party options exist from companies like Sigure and Hosa. The original Canon accessory is expensive and unnecessary.
Known Issues and Workarounds
The battery door on the LP-E8 tends to loosen over time. After a few years the latch stops clicking shut reliably. I carry a small rubber band wrapped around the grip as a temporary fix, and I replaced the door myself with a $8 part from Canon's service center. Not hard to do. Remove the rubber grip, take out three Torx screws, swap the plastic piece, and reassemble. Takes about twelve minutes. The AF system is slow in low light. The cross-type center sensor helps, but past f/2.8 on older glass it struggles below EV -0.5. If you are shooting indoors at night with the 50mm f/1.8, switch to manual focus and use magnified Live View to lock focus precisely. The focus magnifier button is right on the back near the playback key. Hold it down while turning the focus ring.
File Management and Editing
RAW files come out as .CR2. Canon's DPP software reads them but is outdated and slow. I use Lightroom or Capture One instead. Both handle the 550D's color profile reasonably well. The default rendering is a bit warm. Dial back the white balance temperature by 200-300K in most cases. The auto white balance tends to push everything slightly orange, especially under indoor lighting. JPEG files are fine straight out of camera if you set the picture style to Portrait for skin tones or Landscape for outdoors. Default Neutral gives you the least editorial interference. Fine JPEG quality is worth selecting if you shoot mostly in-camera. Standard compression introduces visible artifacts in sky gradients.
When This Camera Stops Working For You
The T2i lacks WiFi, Bluetooth, or any modern connectivity. Transferring files requires a card reader or USB cable. It also does not support Dual Pixel AF, which means continuous autofocus during video is basically unusable for anything beyond static subjects. If you need reliable video autofocus, you are better off spending the same money on a used Sony A6000 series or a Panasonic GH4. The T2i is great for stills and occasional video, but it shows its age the moment you try to push it into modern hybrid use. The shutter mechanism itself is rated for about 100,000 actuations. I have seen units hit 80,000 with no issues. Beyond that point the shutter sounds louder and the mirror slap gets heavier. Replacement runs about $120-180 depending on your region and whether you do it yourself. A friend of mine replaced his own shutter assembly using a YouTube walkthrough and some Torx drivers. Took him about forty-five minutes. He did it on a kitchen table.
Where to Find a Cheatsheet Download
There is no single official Canon PDF that covers everything in a printable format. The manual is split into the Quick Guide and the full Reference Guide, both available on Canon's support site under the 550D/T2i page. Third-party cheat sheets exist on sites like cameramodes.com and digitalcameraexpert.com. Search for "Canon 550D quick reference guide" and you will find several. Most are one or two pages. I keep a laminated copy in my camera bag. If you want a printable version, the fastest route is to open the Quick Guide PDF from Canon's website, zoom to fit, and print it at 200% scale on A4 paper. It fits on one page if you cut the margins down. I do this every time I get a new-used camera to resell so I can include a basic reference sheet with it.
