Canon EOS 500D Digital SLR Camera (incl. EF-S 18-55 mm IS Lens Kit)

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Dynamic range also appears to be slightly more limited than the 450D, with burned out highlights and featureless shadows on a number of high-contrast shots. Unusually shooting in Raw mode and adjusting the exposure in post-processing did little to help in these situations, but then the advanced processor should be expected to do a good job of optimising the JPEG output.

On top of this, the 50D offers a bigger, brighter viewfinder, Kelvin White Balance control, faster shutter and flash sync speeds and about 30 extra custom function settings. Of the five main digital SLR manufacturers, Canon has enjoyed the largest market share for a number of years now. Arch-rival Nikon has never been too far behind though, and has recently added some very strong new models to its range. Relative newcomer Sony is in third place and gaining ground with an even larger range of DSLR cameras including some very impressive new models. The Canon 500D handles focusing by a 9-point TTL system, set out in a diamond formation around the centre-point and gives decent coverage of the viewfinder for all but the most extreme uses. The Canon 500D’s metering is equally well equipped, offering the TTL 35-zone system, with choice of spot, partial, evaluative, and centre-weighted options. Exposure compensation is available in third or half-stop measures up to a maximum of +/-2EV.The flash settings on the Canon EOS 500D are Auto, Manual Flash On/Off, and Red-Eye Reduction. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m. Creative Zone modes : ISO 100 - 3200 (in 1/3-stop increments), Auto, or ISO speed can be expanded to ISO 6400 or ISO 12800 Like most entry- and mid-level DSLRs the EOS 500D provides a number of auto shooting modes aimed at beginners, including portrait, landscape, close-up, sports and night portrait and flash off choices. All of these functions performed adequately, apart from the close-up macro mode that did not come near to offering a true 1:1 reproduction (you'll need a dedicated macro lens for that). There are, of course, manual and semi-automatic modes for users who want more advanced exposure control. The Canon 500D’s rear LCD screen may not have grown in size from the 3in model on the 450D (not that you’d need it to) but it has drastically improved in quality. It now boasts a resolution of approximately 920,000 dots, opposed to the 230,000 previously. This has resulted in a much crisper display that is very usable, even in bright conditions, thanks to new anti-glare coatings. This is particularly useful when it comes to composition, as the rear screen can be used with LiveView mode. The Canon EOS 500D has LiveView; allowing for full 100% coverage of the image on the LCD screen, refreshed at 30fps and with real-time evaluative metering.

sec (1/2 or 1/3 stop increments), Bulb (Total shutter speed range. Available range varies by shooting mode) At the minimum ISO setting the image quality is pretty much flawless despite the 1/4-second exposure. You can't set the aperture from the camera in movie mode, so you will want to use lenses that have an aperture ring if possible. Similarly the shutter speed cannot be set by the user in movie mode either, so you will have to rely on the camera's auto-exposure system while filming. You can take a single/sequence of still shots whilst shooting video, but this causes a 1 second delay which you'll need to edit out later. Handholding the EOS 500D and shooting video is very difficult, with the DSLR form factor not lending itself well to controlled shooting at arm's length. It's a much better idea to mount the camera on a dedicated video tripod. Casual users hoping to grab some quality footage of the kids may be put off by the inherent difficulties of shooting video using the relatively alien SLR format. The image quality is quite printable at 1600 ISO, which is about what you need for good indoor no-flash photography.On top of the regular creative shooting modes of Manual, Aperture priority (Av), Shutter priority (Tv), and Program (P), the Canon EOS 500D offers an aperture dependant mode (A-dep), which will highlight the area in focus using the AF points, and creative auto (CA). Creative auto provides the same control as the regular creative modes but in a simplified form to allow new users to experiment with ease.

In summary the Canon EOS 500D is visually very similar to the previous 450D model, but adds a number of key improvements, most notably the higher-resolution LCD screen and expanded ISO range. Video recording is a headline grabbing addition which suffers from some limitations that will put off the casual user.Although the camera doesn’t claim any weatherproof credentials the body and hatches are well protected against dust, and the card slot hatch has a strong metal hinge. I commented in my review of the 450D that the body felt flimsy. This is not something I would say about the 500D, although that may be because I’ve seen more entry-level cameras recently rather than any change in build quality. Although the 500D weighs 5g more than the 450D at 480g that is due to internal changes rather than increased bulk.

Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are a little soft at the default sharpening setting and benefit from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. You can also change the in-camera sharpening level to suit your tastes via the Picture Style options. However, if you like the idea of a high specification, ultra-portable DSLR that'll also let you film family memories, fun stuff for YouTube or more ambitious artistic works, the 500D could prove to be everything you need.The Canon EOS 1000D represents a sub-class of the Rebel series and hence should be considered a parallel series Compared to predecessor - key differences Enjoy high quality performance, low cost prints and ultimate convenience with the PIXMA G series of refillable ink tank printers. Single shooting, continuous shooting, self-timer with 10-sec. or 2-sec. delay and 10-sec. delay with continuous shooting Lenses – Should have no marks on the elements andoptically clear. There may be light dust present that will not effect theimagery. One component that deserves special mention is the viewfinder, which is very large and bright and certainly on of the best in its class. It has a nice bright data display along the bottom, and the nine AF points are indicated by small but bright LED points. The viewfinder has a good wide range of dioptric correction for those of us who wear glasses, and a soft removable rubber cushion. Apparently there is an eyepiece extender available too.