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Live View and Video Shooting
The Live View mode on the 550D is almost the same as the 500D and other recent Canon DSLRs. However, the new LCD monitor provides a sharper, more detailed and colour-accurate view of the scene.  Autofocusing is supported for Live View shooting with a choice of three AF modes.

The Quick mode uses the normal phase-detection sensor, which requires the mirror to flip up and down again each time the camera is re-focused.  Live mode uses the slower contrast detection method, which measures differences with the main imaging sensor. Face Detection AF uses the same system as the Live mode but focuses on human faces in the scene. As in most DSLRs, Live View AF is relatively slow, particularly in low-contrast situations and with subjects that lack detail.

The new sensor supports the same sensitivity range as the EOS 7D, covering a standard range of ISO 100-6400 and expansion to ISO 12,800 when expansion is enabled. Only one expansion setting is offered: H1.

As expected, the 550D supports both JPEG and CR2.RAW file capture, with three JPEG sizes and two compression levels available. Unlike higher-specified models, there is only one raw file option (recording at 5184 x 3456 pixels) and Large/Fine is the only JPEG size available for RAW+JPEG capture. The table below provides a guide to typical file sizes.

Unlike previous video-capable DSLRs, the EOS 550D allows autofocusing ton be engaged in Live mode, by half-pressing the shutter button. This is much more intuitive and faster than using a separate, dedicated button as was required in previous cameras. However, focusing remains relatively slow and hunting for focus is common.

In Face Detection Live mode, the largest face near the centre of the frame is detected initially, but the arrow pad can be used to select any other face detected. In Quick mode, One-Shot AF is set automatically and the AF point is selectable even while the Live View image is displayed.

You can superimpose a grid frame on the monitor in Live View mode and overlay an information display on the live view by pressing the Display button. Toggling through the Display options you can choose from no data (with only the magnification icon and AF point visible), exposure data below the image or a full information display with AF points overlaid and icons for the AF mode, Picture Style, WB, video or drive mode and image quality setting plus a histogram overlay and shooting data below the image.

Video capture options are similar to the EOS 7D, with the ability to select from three different frame rates: 30, 25 or 24 frames/second for Full HD recording and 60 and 50 fps with the other resolutions. The table below shows the options available, along with typical recording times with a 4GB memory card.