Canon's new 600i series of digital video cameras doesn't offer any major changes to the 500i series, just a continuing improvement in quality and a few nice extras.
The cameras still look the same and are just as easy to use, but the new top of the range 650i is about as good as you are going to get in its price range.

No camera is worth a pinch of salt without a decent lens and the 2.8-61.6mm f/1.6-3.6 22x optical zoom that features across the 600i range is a beauty. The optical zoom remains sharp even at high magnification and in only average light. However, you can forget about the 440x digital zoom – its only there as a gimmick and hardly worth the trouble.

The 650i comes with Super Night Mode for recording video to tape in dark areas, and Low Light Plus for stills and video to memory card. However, you don't need to switch either on until it gets really dark. Normal room lighting, and even candle light, will usually suffice in standard shooting modes.

Any hand movement is ironed out with the electronic image stabiliser, which works well even when shooting from a train or other moving vehicles. Dull overcast days don't phase the 650i or lessen the capabilities of either the optical zoom or image stabiliser, and it handles bright glare and reflection reasonably well.

The built-in microphone is at the front of the camera, which can present problems if shooting into a head wind, but otherwise does a good job. The wind noise can always be edited out using the editing software that comes with the camera, which is version 2 of Canon's own VideoPresenter.

Still mode (to SD or MMC card) generates photos good enough to produce postcard size prints and Canon has included direct print capability so the 650i can be linked directly to a photo printer and the images printed from the card. It can also be used to record brief video clips in 320 x 240 or 160 x 120 mode.

Overall it's a nice package at the upper end of the consumer range, but has the features and quality to justify its positioning and price.