Review based on a production Canon EOS 450D
Four and a half years have passed since the first affordable digital SLR from Canon; the EOS 300D (Digital Rebel). In that time we have witnessed two further iterations (the EOS 350D and EOS 400D) leading up to today's fourth generation EOS 450D, with twice the megapixel count of the original (twelve versus six) in a smaller body with a far wider range of functionality and features and a $200 lower list price. Since those heady days in 2004 when the EOS 300D was the only kid on the block we've seen Nikon, Pentax and Olympus all attempt to hit the same sweet spot of size, features and price at the 'lower end' of the DSLR market, with varying degrees of success. Without a doubt the EOS 450D will have to do more today to prove itself in an increasingly crowded market.
On the third page of this review you'll find a detailed breakdown of all of the changes and updates compared to the EOS 400D but the headlines are; a larger 3.0" LCD monitor, Live View with both passive and contrast detect AF, Spot metering, improved auto-focus, 3.5 fps continuous shooting a larger viewfinder and a switch SD/SDHC for storage (all previous cameras in this range were Compact Flash). Other features appear to be inherited from the EOS 40D; 14-bit image pipeline, Highlight Tone priority, optional High ISO noise reduction, 'My Menu' and display of the ISO sensitivity on the viewfinder status line. There's also the new stabilized kit lens (for review and samples click here).
Note that throughout this review we will refer to the EOS 450D by its European name; if you live in other parts of the world you'll know the camera by (in order of silliness) Rebel XSi or Kiss X2 Digital, but they're all the same.
If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read some of our Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).
Conclusion / recommendation / ratings are based on the opinion of the author, we recommend that you read the entire review before making any decision. Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of them, click to display a larger image in a new window.
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Dpreview use calibrated monitors at the PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally also A, B and C.
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Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera (Black Body Only) | $8,803.49 |
Canon Digital Rebel XSI 12MP Digital SLR Camera (Silver Body Only) | $275.00 |
Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens - Black | $659.99 |
Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera (Black Body Only) | $8,803.49 |
Canon EOS Rebel T3 12.2 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Zoom Lens & EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens + 10pc Bundle 16GB Deluxe Accessory Kit | $544.00 |
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS II Telephoto Zoom Lens (Import) for Canon EOS 7D, 60D, 70D, Rebel SL1, T1i, T2i, T3, T3i, T4i, T5i, XS, XSi, XT, & XTi Digital SLR Cameras + 6pc Bundle Accessory Kit | $177.77 |
Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-Inch LCD and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens | $489.00 |
Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Zoom Lens & EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens + 11pc Bundle 16GB Deluxe Accessory Kit | Too low to display |
Canon EOS Rebel XS 10.1-Megapixel Digital SLR Camera - Black (Body Only) | $489.95 |
Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Zoom Lens + 10pc Bundle 16GB Deluxe Accessory Kit | $599.00 |
Canon Rebel XS 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black) | $429.99 |
Canon EOS Rebel T3 12.2 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Zoom Lens + 16GB Deluxe Accessory Kit | $449.00 |
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