A brilliant camera (Canon EOS 450D)

Member Name: markos9

Product:	Canon EOS 450D
Date:	08/02/09 (81 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Speed, image quality, live view, dust removal

Disadvantages: No in-body image stabilisation (although kit lens does have it)

I have had my Canon 450D for six months now, after previously owning a Canon 350D for two years.

The Canon 450D is a worthwhile upgrade for anyone with an earlier Canon SLR, or indeed for anyone who wants to upgrade from a 'point and shoot' camera to an SLR system.

The 450D is very easy to use. It can be used in completely automatic mode, with all settings controlled by the camera, but, if you want more control over the photography process, there's plenty of different options for controlling your photography.

I bought the camera with the 'kit' lens (18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS), and recommend that buyers choose this option (unless they already have a lens of this type). This lens has image stabilisation to control 'camera shake', is small and lightweight, yet has very high quality optics.

The kit lens is sharp across the focal length range, and really sharp when stopped down. Chromatic aberration (colour fringing) is very well controlled. The only (slight) drawback is significant barrel distortion at the wide angle end of the focal length range (not a problem with most landscapes, but if you take a picture of a building, it's possible to see a curve along the sides). Purchased separately, this little lens is a bargain, purchased with the camera body, it's a steal.

Back to the camera body, and it's almost all good news. The camera, for a 'budget' instrument, is extremely well featured. Live view is implemented, spot metering is included, and the new screen is much bigger than previous cameras at 3 inches diagonal. The camera is capable of taking 3.5 photos per second, a really good rate a camera in its price range. The sensor packs in 12 megapixels and is capable of superb results and, in fact is so capable, that it out-resolves most cheap to medium priced lenses. The sensor is fitted with a dust reduction system which basically shakes the sensor free of dust when the camera is switched on. In six months, I've seen no sign of dust on the sensor (usually visible as small round blotches present in areas of similar colour such as the sky).

Despite the densely packed sensor, noise is superbly well controlled. I can see no sign of noise up to ISO 400. The noise performance is in fact, superior to most cameras in (and above) its price range. When working at higher ISO levels (800-1600), the processor has in-built noise reduction software. This can be switched off if required, but using the noise reduction can give pictures that look noiseless even at ISO 800.

In use, the camera is fast. It is ready to take photos immediately from being switched on. The autofocus is also fast and accurate. With the right lens, action photography is easily achieveable, and the camera always appears ready for use, you don't have to wait for it to 'catch up'.

Overall, this is a brilliant camera for the price. Before buying, I did research cameras from other manufacturers, none of them seemed to match the 450D's specifications or performance. I am really pleased with this camera and would recommend it to anyone in the market to upgrade.

Summary: An excellent performer, well worth the price.

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