That's hogwash. The vast majority of 350D/400D buyers are first-time SLR buyers with no investment in Canon lenses, or no attachment to Canon. And the 350D/400D have been top sellers. The 350D was the top-selling DSLR in the world last year. And the 400D, which actually has a modified, slightly larger grip, appears to be continuing that sales success. Clearly, most buyers have no problem with the 350D or 400D's design.The effect on the average human hand of using something with the
Rebel's "ergonics" must be likened to the old Japanese tradition of
binding women's feet.Given the far superior handlilng
qualities of the other 10 megs out there, you'd have to really love
Canon to buy it, or have a major investment in Canon lenses.
If you actually had an opportunity to take a 400D out for a spin, you would probably be quite surprised to find just how well it handles. That was the case with me and the 350D (XT). As a 10D and 20D at the time, I originally thought the XT's grip was way too small for me. But I bought one on behalf of a friend who wanted one as her first DSLR. Before handing it over to her, I took it out shooting, and after a short time I was surprised to find that I aclimated to the smaller size quite easily and quite enjoyed using the camera. I liked it so much I eventually sold my 10D and replaced it with the XT.
The handling on the XT/XTi is actually a lot better than most anti-Canonites make it out to be. All camera functions are right there under your right thumb. There's a prominent hook carved into the grip that grabs onto your middle finger. You don't need a gorilla grasp on the grip to comfortably handle or maneuver the camera. You don't need two hands to operate the camera. Heck, even the mode dial is on the right side of the camera (it's on the left side on most other DSLR cameras, necessitating that you manipulate it with your left hand).
