Canon Rebel T2i Digital Camera Review

Dynamic Range

The T2i was slightly below average in the dynamic range department. It performed quite well at the lower ISOs (i.e. ISO 100 through ISO 400), but it suffered a sharp decline at ISO 1600 and higher. This is an improvement over last year's Rebel T1i, which proved to have good dynamic range only at ISO 100 and 200.

The Rebel T2i has a dynamic range optimizer function called 'Highlight Tone Priority.' This function which will improve dynamic range, but may result in higher image noise. As such, we do not test or score based on this mode.

The Rebel T2i had a dynamic range of six to seven stops at most ISO settings, dropping to 4.70 at ISO 1600. More on how we test dynamic range.

The Canon T2i has a narrower dynamic range than the competition, but not by a wide margin. Still, though the T2i performed fairly well, it was below average compared to the competition. The Nikon D5000 and the Sony A550 both had a wider dynamic range. Unsurprisingly, the T2i's high-end cousin, the Canon 7D, performed much better in this test.