Equipment Canon XSi 450D

afaik the current fastest CF is twice as fast as the current fastest SD - for a large chunk of pros (sports, paparazzi etc.) that is an important consideration.
I therefore don't see CF going away from pro level cameras in a hurry.

 

Current SD cards won't suit the professional photographer, but as you know technology is constantly evolving...faster SD cards are bound to appear. That being said, I don't think Canon would make the mistake of investing in SD if they knew it wasn't going anywhere. At this point in time, I don't see the mark/pro series switching over entirely to SD in the near future, then again who knows what the future will bring. Anyhow, I think CF will be around for a long time...at least it will in my camera.

 

Meh, to me this is a good rehash of what has become the truly entry camera. Adding LiveView is cool, face recognition and auto contrast/blah blah correction isn't - for the SLR crowd of us. Then again, I see people using a 400D that don't even know you can change the lens - and to be honest, they DO take better pictures than they did with a crappy point & shoot. The auto is better on the 400d's worst day than many cams at their best. And for that, I think it's great. Hopefully, a couple of those people get an interest in photography and move up the ladder a bit - if not, it's nice when I just want a quick snap to not have to fiddle. I'm far from a purist - more people buying lowers kit prices and the hobbyist I am becomes that much more happy.

Personally, this camera isn't of interest to me, but more based on my style of shooting. Bindi got me hooked on a proper status LCD separate from the big viewscreen, and I've not looked back since. I bought a 350d (instead of a 400d) for that reason, and I probably won't buy another body that doesn't have it. Having shot a dark press conference or two before, it's nice to not have my eyesight blinded by the big LCD when I need to check settings. I find it hard enough to get re-used to ambient that I can't clearly see in my viewfinder for a second - sometimes the second I need for that great shot.

That being said, a live-action histo? I'd kill for that at times!! so when these changes make their way up the chain a bit, I might be enticed.

 

If you shoot in dark/low contrast conditions the Auto Lighting Optimizer and face recognition should come in handy. Obviously, liveview is of no concern for you, but the more and more you continue to shoot, the more and more you will find it pretty comforting to know you have it as an option. The 3" screen will also help in more instances than one. Clearly liveview is one, but if you tend to shoot with the histogram and highlight priority on, it gives you a much larger picture of whats happening rather than switching back and forth. Also, remember, you can adjust the brightness of the LCD at will, so you shouldn't have a gripe with that. Sure a lot of people don't see enough of an improvement to upgrade from the 400D, but many consider the revisions to be large enough for them. I for one think that it is worth it...12mp Digic III (14 bit), Liveview, 4% spot metering, new body/grip design, new longer life battery, larger VF, larger LCD, new 'my menu', Dust vibration, built in noise reduction, quicker AF system, and ALO for a reasonable price. All of these additions/improvements I find to be useful. Compared to when the 350D first appeared, given it was some 3 years ago, for $700+ (first listed for $900 body only), if i recall correctly, so $800 for the 450D is not bad price for all the additions.

 

true but the market has also become larger, a lot more competitive & of course technology has advanced giving better performance at lower cost than a few years ago.

 

Exactly...and the price between the two hasn't changed much, even with the improvements. Non the less, it is a good deal.

 

From what I understand the live view is taken off a secondary cmos sensor (bounces light from the flip mirror for the eyepiece to another sensor). Hence it dosnt lag to take a picture (like every basic digital camera).

And if you've ever used a DSLR in the field you'd be grateful for the live view at some point (I know there have been occasions where I wanted it).

If anything that bothers me is the info LCD's removal. They did this on the XTi too and its just plain annoying to bring up the monster LCD for basic shooting info.

I still want a 5D.... :/

 

Don't get me wrong, Vers, I think it's pretty cool. I'm not really all that thrilled with the 12mp (that actually adds noise, since the sensor isn't getting any bigger - just more divided), but I LOVE the 14bpc. And I have not a bit of fuss with the price, I think it's right where it should be.

My only complaint, and you'll see this echoed by quite a few who do lower-light stuff, is that I HATE that the industry is walking away from doing a second, proper status LCD. It's just how I shoot, and it's a personal niggle - but I like having that separate from the picture. Screen size hasn't ever been much of an issue to me, though - again, it's personally how I shoot. I've shot on a 400d and d80, and the extra screen real-estate over the 1.8" wasn't necessary to how I work..so I saw little point. When I was looking, it was honestly a toss-up solely between the 350d and the Nikon D80 just because of the LCDs. I eventually bought the canon due to its low-light CCD sensitivity being better than Nikon.

I personally think the changes to the 450 are great - they just aren't enough to entice me to buy one. But, I think that's kind of how this works - once you've bought the entry level, you really don't consider another body of the same 'class' - you look upwards. My next purchase will likely be the 40d - or, it'll be after they release the 50d!

 

Sounds like a great advance to me.
I think this body will be the next thing on my wish list of things to acquire.

Everything that moves from P&S to DSLR does it because it has proven useful. The only argument EVER for bickering would be if you couldn't disable it at will. So stop being purist.

And to the notion of "the general public" buying expensive DSLRs to be able to take good pictures while still holding the camera 2 feet from their face? - The image quality will still be higher and with better colors and detail even though the composition might still suck.

In short I think some of you are just scared of change. Even if you have the possibility of completely ignoring the changes... *sigh*

I applaud Canon for the upgrade and wish they'd offer me a great trade-in.

 

Meh. They may get sharper photos that are a higher resolution and the highlights not blown as badly, but at the end of the day they'll still be full-auto shots. Don't get me wrong -for a lot of work, that's quite sufficient. When I'm working in a controlled environment, it's full manual with an off-camera strobe set at just the right settings. It takes time. When people ask me to do something a bit more action-packed, I just go into P-mode with my 580EXII on with a diffuser set to +1.3ev or so aimed up 45-degrees. It's relatively thought-free, allows me a lot more flexibility than a P+S, and I don't have to screw with metering. The shots are going to have relatively bland lighting, but at the end of the day it's better to have a few OK shots of just what you needed than a great shot of something you don't need because you were spending all your time screwing with manual settings. Auto-ISO in that kind of situation is even better for me, as it's a fourth level of exposure control and I rarely think about it.

If I could upgrade to this body for $100, I probably would. It doesn't offer enough reasons that are really compelling for me to get it over my current body, but then again going from entry-level to entry-level doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Like Brett, I'm waiting for either a 40D price drop or perhaps a 50D. If I was shooting auto/P-only, then its extra features over what I have now wouldn't make sense as they're really geared towards more manual work. The reverse is true - as I tend to shoot manual most of the time, the features the 450D offers over my 400D aren't of huge benefit to me as they're really more important (in general) towards auto/P-mode shooters.

 

You make it seem as though the new features are confined only to Program mode. These extras will alter the way the camera acts in every mode and all for the better. 4% spot metering, live view histogram, NR, HTP and ALO will all benefit the user in M, Av, Tv...and yes P modes. Not to mention the body is built around a 14-bit Digic III processor and improved AF system. The lines between pro-sumer and semi-pro are becoming more and more blurred. When you look at and compare the specs between the 450D and the 40D, many will easily justify the price difference:spec:ergonomic ratio and upgrade from entry-level to entry-level. But, if you want to take photography to a more 'professional' level, sure the $400 difference between the two may seem negligible but there is nothing that says you cannot achieve professional images from a non-professional camera. And for someone so hell-bent on DSLR's gaining from p&s technologies, you still use Program mode...seems a bit hypocritical doesn't it? The only time it should be on P-mode is when the bottle of jack is empty and you can still manage to use your hands, otherwise why bother with a DSLR? Just use grammies P&S.

 

I'm not at all saying that the new features are confined to program mode - just that I think many will be of more benefit to those that are shooting in those modes. The 14-bit, improved AF, and bigger res are of course good for everyone, but I don't imagine a whole lot of people who never take the camera off auto modes will get a whole lot of use out of spot metering or live histograms.

You're absolutely right that the lines are blurring, but that only really applies to features rather than the users themselves.

Whatever. More features are always a good thing, so long as they don't get in my way if I don't want to use them.

 

Quite the contrary in my opinion as these functions facilitate easier and better exposures at M/Av/Tv modes.
Live spot metering is something I've really been longing for on my 350D.

But besides from all that you are quite right that this isn't revolutionary. But who said it had to be ;-) As with all hardware evolution if you close your eyes for a couple of years it will seem as a revolution :-D

 

You read that wrong, OleJ He was saying that people who use the all-auto modes won't see uses for spot metering or live histos. M/Av/Tv would be non-auto.

 

Exactly. I'd use spot metering all the time, as I expect you would too. But you don't have the dial set to the little green box.

 

LOL
No I actually read it right.
My point was that options making it easier to go beyond auto will result in more people venturing further than just that green box.

And I don't think the EOS / Digital Rebel series is suitable for those NEVER ever ever ever ever venturing beyond auto.
But I DO think that the options will make it easier (and more likely) for me and other eos owners to do manual instead of just auto mode when we want a snap that is just a little better than P&S.

In short: I don't think it's likely that someone who buys a 450D will never try anything else than auto. I rather believe that with these further aids he/she will be less scared by manual/value modes.

 

But if you don't know how to use spot metering, you're going to frequently blow your exposure. In such a case, you're going to get much more consistent results (though I can't say better) with whatever the all-zone metering mode is called. If I need someone to grab a quick snap for me for some odd reason, I'll just throw it in full auto and ETTL flash metering. It's a boring and usually poorly framed shot, but it's sufficient. If nothing else, it doesn't usually blow the highlights like you would with many point and shoot models, but then again I also stick a diffuser on the flash (but even with the pop-up flash, it still doesn't blow out as badly as most P+S)

Dunno, it really doesn't do a whole lot for me anyways. I really just eyeball everything, as I'm always firing off-camera flashes at manual power settings. I just start with an educated guess and then dial things in a bit.

The options have always been there for people - the only thing that's going to make them more accessible to more people is menu structure. People that only use the green box aren't likely to start venturing outside of there unless someone gives them a compelling reason to learn how to use their camera properly. As a purist, my thought is that no camera is suitable for people that are never ever going to venture out of full auto. As someone acting reasonable, the internal auto-metering and such is still better in an SLR than a P+S and while the difference won't be nearly as much as doing things manually and actually being creative, you may have slightly fewer subjects that are practically glowing on your screen from the full-power-only flash.