Hands on: Canon EOS 1200D review

It's early in the day to be giving a final verdict on a camera such as this, but we haven't been disappointed with any of Canon's recent DSLR output, so we expect more of the same from the 1200D.

In my brief time with the camera I was able to test the autofocus speeds of a pre-production model and they seem to be pretty swift, locking onto targets quickly and accurately. I was testing the camera in a fairly well-lit room though, so it will be interesting to see how the camera compares in less favourable conditions once a full production sample comes in.

Switching to live view to compose images on the screen means switching to the contrast detection autofocusing, which is much slower than the phase detection system available when using the viewfinder. This may be a little disconcerting for those users coming from a compact camera background who are used to using a screen to compose.

Early Verdict

Probably the most interesting thing about the new EOS 1200D is the accompanying app for iOS and Android. That said, Nikon offers something similar in its D3300 directly in the camera, so it may be a little frustrating to some that you need to download something extra to be guided through the camera and its key functionality.

The tutorials and challenges are more interesting though, but that's something which could be used by any camera user, not just those who are working with the 1200D, so it's not something which is particularly special about this model.

Price will undoubtedly be a determining factor for many deciding to purchase their first DSLR, and it is this which Canon has the edge here with the 1200D, coming it at significantly cheaper than the Nikon equivalent.

We'll be keen to put a full production version of the camera to the test once it becomes available, look out for that review soon.