Above you can see a close-up of the controls located on the top of the grip on the T2i. They include the Mode Dial with the Power switch mounted to the right, the Shutter Release button, ISO Speed set button and the main control dial.

Just like past models, the Mode Dial is divided into 2 Zones:

The Basic Zone

• Full Auto - 'Point and Shoot' mode, camera makes all settings automatically including the flash.
• Flash Off - Natural looking pictures without the flash
• Portrait - Sharp subject with blurred background
• Landscape - Scenery, sunsets and open-sky photos
• Close-up - Close up shots of small things
• Sports - Freeze fast-moving subjects with higher shutter speeds and uses Predictive AF focusing
• Night Portrait - Long shutter speed plus fill flash
• Movie Mode - Records 1080p (1920x1080, 20fps), 720p (1280x720, 30fps) or VGA (640x480, 30fps) QuickTime (.MOV) format

and The Creative Zone

• Creative Auto -Much like Full Auto, but now you can easily change the picture's brightness, depth of field, color tone (Picture Style), etc.
• Program AE - Camera selects the optimum shutter speed and aperture for the shooting conditions.
• Tv - Shutter priority; you select shutter speed (1/4000 to 30 seconds), camera matches appropriate aperture
• Av - Aperture priority; you select aperture, camera matches appropriate shutter speed
• Manual - Manual selection of both shutter speed and aperture
• A-DEP - Aperture is determined to maximize depth of field so that all objects in the 9 focus points are sharply focused

The EOS Rebel T2i is compatible with SD/SDHC/SDXC/Eye-Fi type memory cards. Compact, inexpensive and available in increasingly large capacities, these memory cards are a perfect complement to the EOS Rebel T2i's compact and lightweight body design.

The I/O (Input/Output) ports are on the left side of the camera and are covered with a flexible rubber door. Topmost is MIC port for using optional external microphones. Next is the connector for the Canon RS-60E3 remote release switch.




Next is the combination A/V OUT/DIGITAL port, which handles both standard video output (NTSC or PAL format) as well as the USB 2.0 (High Speed) connectivity.

And at the bottom we see the HDMI OUT port for connecting the T1i to you HDTV set.

The T2i is also compatible with Canon's RC-5 and RC-6 wireless remote control units (our old RC-1 did not work), thanks to a small infrared sensor located on the front of the camera.

The Digital Rebel T2i is powered by a Canon Battery Pack LP-E8 7.2V, 1120mAh Li-ion rechargeable battery. At normal temperature (73ºF and above) it's good for ~550 shots without flash or ~440 pictures if the flash is used 50% of the time. At colder temperatures (32ºF and below) these numbers drop to ~470/400. Using Live view mode also effects battery life, the number of possible shots drops dramatically. In normal shooting temps, you can capture ~180 shots or about 150 shots in colder temps. These figures are based on CIPA (Camera & Imaging Products Association) testing standards.

The supplied LC-E8 compact charger requires about 2 hours to charge a fully depleted LP-E8 battery pack. The charger requires no separate power cord as this unit has fold-out prongs; making it a great travel companion.

Power can also be supplied by the optional AC Adapter Kit ACK-E8.

The Rebel T2i is also compatible with the optional BG-E8 battery grip, which offers double the battery life. It obtains this by holding 2 LP-E8 or 6x AA batteries and also provides a shutter button and control dial along with AV/Exposure Comp., AE/FE Lock (Index or Reduce in playback), and AF point selection (Magnify in playback) buttons for vertical orientation. The Canon BG-E8 offers creative flexibility by providing a stable grip for vertical as well as horizontal shooting positions.