Help With Picking A Canon Dslr?

6 Comments

1. J-uk says:

   January 4, 2010 at 09:21

   Hello!
   Good questions and as I have used every camera you’ve listed above, hopefully I can be some help.

   If it is a recent interest in photography then I would firstly take the 40D out of the equation It won’t be too advanced for you – it has pretty much the same settings as the other models. But the only real differences are FPS is faster (you take take more pictures in a second), it has better low light performance, and it’s better built. But you only need these extra features if you are a very regular user who is taking photography more seriously. It’s much heavier than the other models, and the extra money would be better spent on accessories for the other models.

   The 500D has only just been released, making it extremely expensive. It is an excellent camera and the HD recording feature on it is very impressive, but is it worth the extra money? It will come down in price later on.

   The 1000D is the new very entry level camera. I’ve only used one of these once. Its slightly better than the 400D in some aspects as it has, with liveview, slightly faster at saving photos (a better processor), But it has less focusing points.

   The 450D Is pretty much the same as 500D (slightly worse low light performance and no HD video). It has a large screen, live view, and works really well. I would recommend this model to you.

   The 400D is the same as 450D/1000D but has a smaller screen, and no live view. You can get a really good price on this camera. But the smaller screen can be annoying when reveiwving your photos. Personally I don’t use liveview anyway (looking on the screen to what you’re taking rather than through the viewfinder). But some people may miss it. I would recommend this camera if on a tighter budget, and again, the extra money may be better spent on accessories.

   Whichever one of these cameras you choose you won’t be disappointed with, as they really are great. But the lenses that come with them are rubbish! They’ll be fine for when you’re learning, but the first thing I’d buy is an EF-S 17-85 IS USM lens. Its a much better general lens.

   Eventaully you may also look at buying an external flash (430EX) which is more powerful and you can move the light source to face different ways making pictures with flash more natural and professional
   Good luck!
2. Petra_au says:

   January 4, 2010 at 12:10

   The latest entry-level EOS dSLR models are as follows…
   400D, released 2006
   450D, released 2008
   1000D, released around 6 months later than the 450D
   500D, released 2009

   The 450D naturally had a few improvements over the 400D. The 1000D (even though released after the 450D) is not better, because it’s missing some features found on the 450D. But, it’s still perfectly ok.

   The 40D (released in 2007) and the newer, 50D (released in 2008) are not necessarily more advanced, but are dearer because they have a stronger, better built body, a few extra features, bells & whistles and better high ISO capability. They also are capable of faster frame rates, so are very suitable if you shoot fast action or sports. They are also larger and heavier than the others, so some people might not pick them for this reason alone.

   As to which camera you should pick. Well, that’s all up to you, because only you can determine which feels right in your hands. The 450D or 500D would make a good first dSLR, so recommend either of them. They are available in a kit with the 18-55mm IS lens, which is ok for starters and once you have mastered your camera’s features and manual controls, you might want to think about investing in a better lens. Lenses are very important to your overall image quality, so make sure you choose wisely and you’ll have a good lens that will last you many, many years…
3. Chase says:

   January 4, 2010 at 17:43

   I don’t have any experience with any of Canon’s DSLRs outside of the Rebel series. I just bought the T1i and absolutely love it! It’s a great camera. The 15 megapixels give you a great deal of bargaining room with editing and print. Also, ISO range is significantly increased since the previous generation. It can go from 100 ISO – 6400 ISO. The image quality suffers at the higher ISOs but they’re nice to have if you have no other option.

   The HD video shooting is also an added bonus. It can shoot full motion 30 fps in 720p and 20 fps in 1080i.
   Also, the camera is compatible with all the Canon EF lenses. Definitely a hearty bargaining chip.
4. Robert C says:

   January 4, 2010 at 23:13

   well truth be told these camera’s will sell for nearly store value after you have used them. this means you can buy the cheapest one. and see what you do and don’t like about it and if you still want this hobby then sell it in 6-12 months and get 90% of your cash back, and then upgrade to the one you really want.

   Second sometimes the “worse” one has mroe advantages over the “best” ones, such as less megapixels, which is actually a light enhancing secret,and noise reducing, and pictures over 6mp are clearer than you can see with your eye. even at 16×20 inches

   Since you have recently taken this interest, i wouldn’t go all out to find out you don’t touch it but once a month for a quick shot of the fam. and one more note, the camera doesn’t make the photo’s the photographer does, these are just fast crystal clear images, i’ve seen amazing photos from 3mp nikon or canon point and shoots.
5. Blue says:

   January 4, 2010 at 23:34

   Canon 500D is the newest model and come with better features than 1000D or 400D.500D have 15.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor and High ISO range up to 12800 that great low-light performance.Fast 3.4 fps continuous shooting and also take Full HD 1080p movie recording.

   However if you are beginner and plan to upgrade to better one in the future I would suggest 1000D.It is user friendly,easy to use but provide great images.Learn every things with it and save your money for another good lens.When you want to change to better,you can change only camera body and use with your good stock lens.
6. Anonymous says:

   January 5, 2010 at 03:39

   I started off using the EOS 40D and it was a little bit challenging for newbie. Over time, i really appreciate the 40D can provide me.