On the whole Canon has held its position near the top of the entry-level tree thanks to continuous innovation, and the Canon EOS 1200D looks like being no different. The model features an 18MP CMOS sensor and 1080p HD video capture, as well as debuting with Canon's new EOS Companion app.
If shutter count is ok: 650D. The only advantage I can see in 1200D: Smaller form factor. 100 gramm less weight. You may get confused because 1200D is the newer cam. But it uses older technology: Digic 4 vs. Digic 5. Personally I would look for a good quality used full frame camera and then get good lenses. I started with a crop sensor camera
Canon EOS Rebel T5 (EOS 1200D) Resolution: 18.00 Megapixels Like other Rebel-series cameras, the Canon T5 also includes a number of scene modes for photos, as well as some special effects such
Canon EOS 1200D: Good performance for current Canon 18-Mpix sensors. With a DxOMark a score of 63 points, the 18-Mpix CMOS sensor delivers a somewhat predictable if slightly underwhelming performance. It ranks in 135 th place overall in our sensor performance database and 111 th of those with APS-C size sensors, ahead slightly of models like
Canon's EOS 1200D was the talk of the town when it launched two years ago, and it continues to be quite popular with first-timers, Colour reproduction is good although the camera doesn't seem to have a very good dynamic range so photos aren't very vibrant. Focusing speed is good but it takes some effort to get a lock on the desired focus area.
To make the most of the light that you have, set the camera to shutter priority and use a shutter speed of 1/30 of a second. This will give the camera more time to gather the light, Again, a Of the two camera you originally mentioned the Canon 500D or the 1200D, the 500D from your friend is an OK camera if all you need the camera for the first reason I just mentioned above. But if you need the camera for the second reason, what I wrote in bold above, you need to take into consideration of many different criteria than just getting a yxcCcs.