Canon has announced the 650D - a follow-up to the 600D it launched in 2011 - promising more features, better imaging results and giving owners of any of the previous models a feeling that their camera just got a little bit less exciting.

Key features of the new camera include an 18-megapixel APS-C Hybrid CMOS sensor with a DIGIC 5 processor and 9-point wide-area AF borrowed from the Canon 60D, meaning you should have no problem locking on to your subjects.

Also new to the 650D is 5 fps continuous shooting capability and like previous models a vari-angle 3-inch Clear View LCD II screen, only this time it’s touchscreen just like your phone - a first for DSLRs.

“Touch control adds a different dimension to Live View shooting,” says Canon. “You can select AF points, track faces and objects, and fine-tune image settings via the camera's Quick Control screen. Navigation is instant and intuitive, while pinch-zooming in playback provides a great way to check the finer details of a shot.”

You also get Full HD and a stereo microphone in the top of the camera, plus a port to connect an external mic. There is an integrated mini-HDMI port, making it easy to share the results on any HDTV.

As this is aimed at making things easier for the photographer who is just starting to get serious, with Canon introducing two new shooting modes located on the mode dial.

HDR Backlight Control is basically a HDR mode that lets you capture three different exposures - under, correctly, and over-exposed - combining them into one HDR image for you. Handheld Night Scene mode should help take pictures well at night without a tripod. How? By rapidly shooting four different images before combining them into one detailed, blur-free picture, says Canon.

The Canon 650D will cost around £800 when it launches in the UK in June.

In the US it will be called the Canon Rebel T4i and cost $849 without a lens. Yes UK customers will have to pay a premium of around £200 for not living in America.