EOS 450D/Rebel XSi

First details are out:

 

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0801/08012403canoneos450d.asp

Yes, memory is cheap these days, but I still would not enjoy having to factor in the purchase of 10GB of memory cards due to the switch to SD/SDHC.

Hands-on is available now as well:

 

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0801/08012404canoneos450dhandson.asp

Remind me, why would I buy a 40D?

 

i. Better body.

ii. 6.5 FPS.

 

What else?

No other new DSLR for PMA, it seems.

I was impressed until I saw the switch to SD memory cards. WTF? Seems like a few nice upgrades but in the end I have these features in the 40D so if I was looking to get this camera body I'd pay the extra few hundred for the 40D most definitely.

 

12.2 MP won't make much of a diff from 10.1 and that's about all I see for an "advantage" compared to the 40D.

 

Looking forward to the new 5D MKII though!

[[# Continuous shooting at 3.5fps for up to 53 JPEG (6 RAW)]]

 

I found this to be rather strange. The 400D has a buffer of 27 JPG but 10 RAW files. The 450D only will buffer 6 RAW files?

Not a bad effort from Canon. I think I will have to get this one. They have ticked my boxes with live view, and a better viewfinder (though it is hard to tell how much better) and the megapixel upgrade will be nice so long as noise is not any worse.

 

Who would have thought they would have put 4% spot metering in a drebel. Pity about the move to SD cards though.

 

As the ergonomics of the 350D has never bother me, and I don't need the fps, I am struggling to see what the 40D has go going for it, except perhaps the pentaprism. Assuming this thing retails for $700-$800 the 40D is now looking pretty expensive.

Well should I or shouldn't I? 12 megapixels would certainly kill anything I get off 35mm, but I'm really not liking the switch to SD cards since I have 5 gigs of memory on Compact Flash. And selling those cards would net me basically little money from what was invested in them. I think I might just wait to see what comes of the 5D replacement, which now looks like it will be fall. The 450D at $799 isn't a bad price, but it is higher then what the XTi has been going for here for a long while now. I can get the XTi body only for $619 here.

$619 for a XTi body? Amazon.com has them for $530...

I wonder when they will announce the new full frame(s)...

Looks like 5D MkII will be @ Photokina in August then. Any new lenses coming this month?

The SD card is a surprise, but not really. SD cards are getting cheaper by the day. . . and are frankly more common than CF cards.

 

But. . . is it my imagination, or is this the second time that a Rebel class camera is sporting a nominally superior sensor to a X0D? If image quality is premium. . .then wouldn't a Rebel class camera be a better choice than a X0D?

 

And no new 5D? Geez, isn't that camera simply *ancient*? Frankly shocked it was not replaced. I guess in a few months its going to retail for $1500.

Jim

 

Yes it is the second time. For most of the 30D's sad life it was outshone in the megapixel count by the 400D. Canon got their prosumer/entry level models out of whack by releasing the 30D with the same sensor as the 20D - the only time I think Canon has released a new camera with an "old" sensor.

I'm still trying to figure out what's wrong with the 5D other than the fact that I still can't afford one. Why is everyone in a hurry for it to be replaced?

Looks like the XSi/450D can only shoot up to 6 RAWs, my XT/350D can shoot up to 9 RAWs with a slow CF card and at ISO 800. Of course if you shoot candid, and family snapshots, it doesn't mean anything to you. I think changing from CF to SD is a wise move on Canon's part, the XSi is aimed at the point & shoot owners wanting to move up to DSLR, and these folks already own SD cards. By looking at the specs, I think it's a very good camera, I just love the price..$899 with the EF 18-55 IS.

For those Aussies out there it has been announced in Sydney on Canon Australia's website for availability in April. It seems to be additional to the 400D rather than a replacement, which means Canon may continue the 400D in Australia, contrary to past practice of only offering one 4xxD series camera in the Australian market.

 

RRP TBC, but sitting between the 400D and 40D. As usual importing from B&H will much cheaper than what is available locally.

[[Looks like the XSi/450D can only shoot up to 6 RAWs, my XT/350D can shoot up to 9 RAWs with a slow CF card and at ISO 800.]]

 

How did you get a 350D to hold 5 more RAW images in the buffer than it can actually store?

With a few wide-ish primes, this could be a heck of a street photography camera.

I think I know why Canon again makes a Rebel camera with higher pixel counts than a x0D. It is because beginner camera owners always always judge a camera by its pixel count. Nice move by Canon Marketing Team.

>>"Looks like 5D MkII will be @ Photokina in August then. Any new lenses coming this month?"

 

They just announced the 200 f/2L and 800 f/5.6L.

 

If they end up not announcing the 5D Mark 2 before PMA 2008, it will be very upsetting to everyone who have been waiting for it. Although the 5D remains a good camera, a classic/landmark design, allowing it to "fight-on" in today's competitive market is really not a wise idea.

 

I suppose things wouldn't look too good once Nikon managed to put a D3 style sensor into a D300 style body and sell it "cheaply". Canon's superiority in terms of electronics will allow them to produce a similar product better and more cheaply, so bad they are just not doing it.

"I'm still trying to figure out what's wrong with the 5D other than the fact that I still can't afford one. Why is everyone in a hurry for it to be replaced?"

 

Rob did you see what Pentax annouced today - K20D, 14.6 megapixles, image stabilisation in the body, weather sealed, dedicated RAW button, in camera RAW processing and a host of other programmability the leaves Canon for dead. It will retail for about half the price of the 5D!

 

The 5D may still edge it out on image quality, but it strikes me that in virtually every other department Pentax and Nikon are putting more thought into giving photographers useful features.

Very nice - I might even buy one to keep in the glovebox as a spare :)

I did see the K20D announcement. I have not seen any test data from the camera yet. To claim it leaves the 5D for dead is overstating it by quite a bit. No doubt technology and competition has changed the field since the 5D was introduced but the images coming out of the 5D are still stunning.

Rob I think you misread me. I the the K20D's feature set leaves the 5D for dead, though I agree the 5D may still have the edge in terms of image quality.