Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens for Canon EOS SLR Cameras

Product Features

* 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens with f/4-5.6 maximum aperture for Canon EOS SLR cameras
* 3-stop Image Stabilizer for reducing camera shake; ring-type ultra-sonic monitor (USM)
* Electro-magnetic diaphragm (EMD) helps create attractive background at large apertures
* Super Spectra lens coating and lens element shaping suppresses flare and ghosting
* Measures 3 inches in diameter and 5.6 inches long; weighs 22.2 ounces; 1-year warranty

Technical Details

* Brand Name: Canon
* Model: 0345B002
* Lens Type: Zoom lens
* Mounting Type: Canon EF
* Minimum focal length: 70 millimeters
* Maximum focal length: 300 millimeters
* Minimum Focal Range: 5 feet
* Maximum Aperture Range: F/4.0-5.6
* Camera Magnify Power: 0.26
* Lens System Special Functions: Zoom
* Focus Type: auto-focus, manual-focus
* Real Angle Of View: 34
* Weight: 1.81 pounds
* Item Display Diameter: 3 inches
* Length: 6 inches

Product Description
EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM telephoto zoom lens * Image Stabilization allows in-focus shots with longer exposure times (up to three stops slower shutter speed) * Micro Ultrasonic Motor for fast autofocus * compatible with all Canon EOS SLR cameras * minimum focus distance: 4.9 feet * lens is 5-13/16" long, 3" in diameter *

Quite happy with the lens, March 21, 2006

After debating between this and the 70-200 L series I decided to purchase this lens. I have been pleasantly surprised by the results. I also own the 17-85 and the 50mm 1.8 lenses and I have found that I have gotten the "most pleasing" results from this lens. The pictures have been very sharp from my 20D - even in the 200mm - 300mm range. I've also been happy with the quality of the bokeh.

The primary drawback I see is that the AF tends to hunt a fair amount when confronted with low contrast images. That being said, I used it for some flying bird shooting at the wildlife refuge and was surprised to see how many of the shots were in sharp focus. However, it was a little bit of all or nothing. Several shots were also wildly out of focus. Since the lens is fairly slow to focus, you never know what you're gonna get with such a fast moving object against the distant sky.

I had much more consistent results when shooting soccer, softball and football in the park. The AF speed did not present an issue for any of these activities and the results were excellent.

I wish the lens were a little less expensive but I the prints I have gotten from my 13 X 19 printer have been worth the extra money.
By pveman (New York)


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Canon EOS 5D Mark II 21.1MP Full Frame CMOS Digital SLR Camera with EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens

Product Features

* 21.1-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, 14-bit A/D conversion, wide range ISO setting 100-6400
* Includes Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens
* DIGIC 4 Image Processor; high-performance 3.9 fps continuous shooting; Live View Function for stills
* Full HD video capture at 1920x1080 resolution for up to 4GB per clip ; HDMI output
* Updated EOS Integrated Cleaning System specifically designed to work with a full-frame sensor


Technical Details

* Brand Name: Canon
* Model: EOS 5D Mark II 24-105 IS
* Optical Sensor Resolution: 21.1 MP
* Optical Sensor Technology: CMOS
* Optical zoom: 4.3 x
* Maximum Aperture Range: F/4.0
* Minimum focal length: 24 millimeters
* Maximum focal length: 105 millimeters
* Lens Type: Zoom lens
* Optical Sensor Size: 24 x 36mm
* Included Flash Type: None
* Display Size: 3 inches
* Light Sensitivity: ISO auto (100-3200), ISO 50, ISO 12800, ISO 25600, ISO 100-6400
* Image types: JPEG, RAW
* Shooting Modes: Landscape, Portrait mode, Neutral, Faithful, Portrait, Monochrome
* Exposure Control Type: Landscape, Portrait mode
* Viewfinder Type: Optical
* Width: 6 inches
* Depth: 3 inches
* Height: 4.5 inches
* Weight: 1.8 pounds

Product Description
Compact, lightweight with environmental protection, EOS 5D successor boasts a newly-designed Canon CMOS sensor, with ISO sensitivity up to 25,600 for shooting in near dark conditions. The new DIGIC 4 processor combines with the improved CMOS sensor to deliver medium format territory image quality at 3.9 frames per second, for up to 310 frames. Triggered from Live View Mode, HD video capture allows users to shoot uninterrupted at full 1080 resolution at 30fps -- for amazing quality footage with outstanding levels of detail and realism. The integration of HD movie capability into a high-end 21.1-megapixel camera opens a multitude of new possibilities for photojournalists and news photographers. With its full frame CMOS sensor and outstanding ISO performance, the EOS 5D Mark II will appeal to any photographer in search of the finest camera equipment available -- from studio and wedding to nature and travel photographers.

Great Camera for my First Full Frame, December 27, 2008

This was my first full frame camera. Prior to it I had owned and operated a 40D, 30D and Rebel XTi. I am a wedding and sports photographer primarily, so I have been able to test the 5D Mark II out under both of these conditions.

For basketball I used it with AI Servo, Center Point focus, but went into custom settings and enabled the AF assist dots. It worked like a dream, focusing faster and more accurately than my 40D ever had. While no, the FPS aren't ideal for sports, if you can lock on focus like this from the start, you can still achieve amazing sports photographs. Plus the fact that I was able to shoot at ISO 4,000 and not have noticeable noise was just incredible. The shots auto-white balanced correctly too which normally in the arena I shoot at is not what happens on my 40D.

My first wedding all I could say all day was wow. I was getting available light photographs I never would have dreamed of before. The new screen also made it incredibly easy to determine if something was in focus or not. When I would switch between my 40D and 5D2 I found out just how spoiled that screen had made me, since the 40D screen looked terrible to me now when previously I thought that had a great screen. I sure was wrong! 920,000 pixels is definitely the way to go on this LCD. I primarily shot with center point (one shot) for my focus and it nailed focus every time. I did a mix up of manual, aperture priority and some program (Program mostly for the formals)

What else do I love about it? The 98% view finder is awesome. I like being able to use UDMA cards in it...

Video! Although I'm not a video / motion person by nature, I prefer stills, I've been testing out the video quite a bit. At Christmas I took a few short clips of my nephew and was really happy with how they look. It's very neat to be able to take high definition video of a little kid and have that awesome affect of a wide aperture blurring out the background. The only downside is that the files are huge. My 1 minute clip was over 300MB, but that's what I get for shooting in 1080!

The batteries this camera use really do hold a charge for a while. I used mine with the battery grip at the wedding, and the two batteries after going for over 500 shots (maybe close to 600 shots that day?) still had about 72% charge each left on them. I could easily have shot 3 times that much and still have had left over charge on the batteries. Also the new battery info screen is really nifty since you can see what serial number battery has what charge, making it a lot easier to keep track of.

So far I've used a 35 1.4/L, 135 2/L, 70-200 f2.8/L, 50 1.4, and 100 2.8 Macro on this camera body and all have performed wonderfully. I don't miss the pop up flash that my 40D has since I never used it anyway, I always throw my 580 EX II on top when I need flash.
By Catherine Hoffman "Cat" (Valparaiso, IN)

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Canon EOS 7D 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-inch LCD and 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens

Product Features

* 18.0-megapixel CMOS Sensor and Dual DIGIC 4 Image Processors for high image quality and speed
* Kit includes 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM standard zoom lens
* Advanced HD movie mode with manual exposure control and selectable frame rates
* Intelligent Viewfinder with 100 percent field of view; 19-point, all cross-type AF system equipped with dual diagonal cross-type sensors
* Capture images to CF Card Type I and II, UDMA-compliant CF cards (not included)

Technical Details

* Brand Name: Canon
* Model: EOS 7D 28-135mm Kit
* Optical Sensor Resolution: 18 MP
* Optical zoom: 3 x


Product Description
A Whole New Class of EOS. With a host of brand new features designed to enhance every facet of the photographic process, from still images to video, the new EOS 7D represents a whole new class of camera. Made to be the tool of choice for serious photographers and semi-professionals, the EOS 7D features an all-new 18.0 Megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor and Dual DIGIC 4 Image Processors, capturing tremendous images at up to ISO 12800 and speeds of up to 8 fps. The EOS 7D has a new all cross-type 19-point AF system with improved AI Servo AF subject tracking and user-selectable AF area selection modes for sharp focus no matter the situation. The EOS 7D's Intelligent Viewfinder, an entirely newly-designed technology, provides 100% coverage and displays user-selected AF modes as well as a spot metering circle and on demand grid lines. New iFCL Metering with 63-zone dual-layer metering system uses both focus and color information to provide accurate exposure even in difficult lighting. The EOS 7D also captures Full HD video at 30p (29.97 fps), 24p (23.976 fps) and 25p with an array of manual controls, including manual exposure during movie shooting and ISO speed selection. The EOS 7D features a magnesium alloy body that is dust- and weather-resistant and shutter durability of up to 150,000 cycles. Compatible with over 60 EF and EF-S lenses as well as with EOS System accessories, the creative opportunities - not just with stills but also with video - are beyond amazement.

Does the 7D beat full frame cameras?, October 13, 2009

No, but it's so good that one starts to contemplate this question, which was never the case before the 7D was introduced. Both systems, crop and full frame, have their pros and cons and place in photography. But before I get into that let me say I have not been as excited about a camera since the introduction of the 5D MK I four years ago. That's because the 7D raises the crop camera bar to the point where crop users will not feel at a disadvantage to full frame camera users, especially if coupled with awesome ef-s lenses such as the 17-55 f2.8.

How so? The 7D sets a new standard in four major ways.

1. It produces whopping 18MP pictures, which are just 3MP shy of the current top of the line full frame Canon cameras. Just few years ago most pros were producing stellar results using the 1Ds MKII 16MP camera. Now you have more MPs in a crop sensor, that's a major achievement. This achievement translates into bigger prints and, perhaps more importantly, cropping power. Out shooting wildlife with a 300mm instead of 400mm? You can crop the 7D files down to 50% of their original file size and still obtain sharp pictures. It's just not that easy with the 1D MK III 10MP files.

2. Many worried that extra MPs in small crop sensors would translate into nosier pictures, but the amazing thing is that this camera produces images with what seems to be less noise than the 1Ds MKII. The noise level is very good. At ISO 1600 I still prefer pictures coming from my 5D MKII, but below ISO1600 they are very close. Frankly, I can go with either camera because most of my professionally shot portraits and product pictures are shot at ISO100. At ISO100 both produce very clean files and are practically indistinguishable.

3. Focus is the one area that was lacking on the previous 1.6 crop Canon cameras and this camera changes that. It's not a 1D in focus speed and accuracy, but it's the next best thing compared to them. It's faster than the Canon 5D MKII, which is known to be slightly faster or around the focus performance range of the 50D and 40D.

4. The drive chain is fast, so fast it's beyond anything I needed in my professional work in portrait, commercial, and product photography. Going through pictures taken at 8fps produces very little difference from frame to frame. One probably has to shoot a very fast moving subject/object to see the advantage of such fast drive system.

There are obviously many other things that I have not covered in this review. But based on the above, all I can say is that this camera has really raised the bar for all cameras and made it much more affordable to obtain a professional level camera for all types of photography. If you were considering buying the 5D MKII as an upgrade give this camera a test because it might be all you need.


As for the advantages of crop cameras I always find it odd that casual users who shoot many things but focus on landscape think they need a full frame to realize their potential. Crop cameras such as the 7D and 50D are fine for most users and offer many advantages including:

1. greater depth of field at lower aperture for landscape photography

2. greater tilt and shift effect because of sensor size relative to effect (8mm in shift is greater in effect relative to a 22mm sensor compared to a 35mm sensor)

3. greater magnification with micro lenses and extension tubes because of smaller sensor (1:1 in full frame equals 35mm, 1:1 in crop equals 22mm)

4. smaller lighter lenses with wider aperture that achieve greater reach (such as the 17-55 2.8 vs the 24-70 2.8 similar reach but much lighter and smaller)


Traditionally the three areas full frame cameras outshine crop cameras are a bigger brighter viewfinder, shallower depth of field for portrait photography, and better ISO performance, which on the last point the 7D has proven not be an issue anymore.
And for the second point really, most beautiful low depth of field portraits are done around f2.8-2.0 in full frame (going wider will make depth of field too narrow to place two eyes in focus). Hence, if one is using a wide prime, a crop sensor will produce the same depth of field at 2.0-1.4. Considering an affordable 50mm f1.4 lens on crop has the same field of view as 85mm lens on full frame there is really no reason to discount a crop camera any more as the 7D levels the playing field
By Abdulrahman Aljabri (Jeddah)
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Canon PowerShot A480 10 MP Digital Camera with 3.3x Optical Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD

Product Features

* 10.0-megapixel resolution captures enough detail for prints up to 13 x 19 inches
* 3.3x optical zoom and Optical Image Stabilizer; 2.5-inch LCD screen
* DIGIC III Image Processor; 15 shooting modes
* Uses 2 AA-size batteries
* Compatible with SD/SDHC, MMC/MMC Plus/HC MMC Plus (not included)



Technical Details

* Sensor: 10 Megapixel
* Size: 1/2.33 CCD (1.1cm)
* Image Resolution: 3648 x 2736
* Storage Media: MultiMediaCard
* Storage Media: HC MMC Plus Card
* Storage Media: SD/SDHC Memory Card
* Storage Media: MMC Plus Card
* Compressed Format: JPEG/EXIF v 2.22
* Movie File Format: AVI (Motion JPEG)
* Optical Zoom: 3.3x
* Digital Zoom: 4x
* Focal Length: f= 6.6 - 21.6mm
* Focusing Range: Normal: 1.6 ft. / 50cm - infinity
* Focusing Range: Macro: 1.2 in. - 1.6 ft./3 - 50cm
* Focusing Range: Macro: 9.8 in. - 1.6 ft./25 - 50cm

Product Description
Affordable, intuitive and fun, the PowerShot A480 uses Canon know-how to let everyone take great 10 megapixels photos. Its compact, lightweight design slips easily into any pocket.

Nice Camera with a small price tag., May 23, 2009

I have a canon digital SLR camera, and wanted to go on a hummer 4x4 extreme off road adventure. Rain was in the forecast and several days of rain on the trail already, taking the digital SLR was totally out of the question.

I picked this nifty device based on the price, the batteries, storage on the SD card, and the 10mp really perked my interest. The gentleman at the camera shop showed me the easy access on/off button, and where the "press here for picture" button is located. 20 minutes after the purchase, I was in the hummer taking photos and within the hour, I was being bounced around, getting muddy water all over me, I was able to laugh and press the button to take pictures without problem.

Ease of operation:
I use my cameras in the auto mode, (the if SLR is for my wife), and the auto mode does work. I was able to view the pictures I took using the 2.5" view screen with ease. I did not even need the instruction manual.
The batteries and memory card were easy to install too, without the need for instructions. The camera does boast a host of different shooting modes, but auto is all I use.

Picture quality:
Not a fine as my digital SLR camera, but the price difference is over 1000.00 dollars.
Compared to my old 5mp camera, this camera does a very good job for the price. Image stabilization is WONDERFUL. I was trying to take picture of the hummer tires while we were in motion bouncing everywhere (the tire at times was in the air) and the pictures look almost as if the tire is still. You can read the manufacturer on the tire

Battery life:
After two days of use, the camera was still able to go. To save battery life, the LCD screen turn itself off and the followed by the camera (the auto shut off was annoying some times)

Summary:
The camera is very easy to operate, image stabilization works very well. Time from button press to picture taken is almost unnoticeable.
Picture quality is pretty darn good.

By Thomas M. Taylor "runman" (Phoenix, AZ)


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Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Standard & Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

Product Features

* 50mm standard lens with f/1.4 maximum aperture for Canon SLR cameras
* 2 high-refraction lens elements and Gaussian optics help eliminate astigmatism
* Delivers crisp images with little flare at the maximum aperture
* Extra-small Micro USM focus adjustment and full-time manual focusing
* Measures 2.9 inches in diameter and 2 inches long; 1-year warranty

Technical Details

* Angle of view (Horizontal, Vertical, Diagonal): 40 degrees, 27 degrees, 46 degrees
* Lens construction: 7 elements in 6 groups
* Number of diaphragm blades: 8
* Minimum aperture: 22
* Closest focusing distance: 1.5 feet
* Maximum magnification: 0.15x
* AF actuator: Micro USM
* Filter diameter: 58 millimeters
* Maximum diameter by length: 73.8 by 50.5 millimeters
* Weight: 10.2 ounces
* Magnification with Extension Tube EF 12 II: 0.39 to 0.24
* Magnification with Extension Tube EF 25 II: 0.68 to 0.53
* Lens hood: ES-71II
* Hard case: LHP-C10
* Soft case: ES-C9, LP1014
* GF Holder III (Hood III): 2
* GF Holder IV (Hood IV): 2
* Warranty: 1 year

Product Description
Canon offers this standard lens featuring superb quality and portability. Two high-refraction lens elements and new Gaussian optics eliminate astigmatism and suppress astigmatic difference. Crisp images with little flare are obtained even at the maximum aperture.

A review for parents, August 23, 2006

I bought this lens to take indoor portraits of my nine-month-old daughter using available light. I was tired of the harsh photos produced by the built-in flash on the Canon 20D or Digital Rebel. A bounce flash improves matters great deal, but I wanted to see what could be done with a fast lens.

The Canon 50mm 1.4 gobbles light. It opens up a world of indoor photography that is not possible with a 4.0 lens. The 50mm focal length combined with available light produces natural-looking results. It is exactly what your eye sees. Shadows and highlights are intact. It is a revelation if you're used to the harsh drop shadows and evenly-lit faces produced by flashes. This is a jarring step up in quality from snapshot to "wow"

As noted, focus is soft at /1.4 and begins to sharpen at /2.0 to /2.8. Not a bad thing, though. Some of my favorite pictures have been produced with the aperture wide open. The depth of field is so narrow at this point, that the subject's face is in focus, but the shoulders start to blur.

I use this lens with a 20D. The balance is perfect, the combination feels very professional and responsive. Operation is very simple. Move the camera into aperture priority mode (Av), look though the view finder and adjust the aperture until you see the shutter speed is faster than 1/30th a second (30).

I agonized over the 1.4 vs. the 1.8 versions of this lens. The additional stop does provide more shooting options. Often I'm shooting at the edge of acceptable shutter speed, and juggling both aperture and ISO. Many reviews comparing the two talk about build quality, focus motor speed/noise, etc, but the bottom line for me was the extra stop was totally worth it. If you want to shoot indoors without a flash, get the 1.4. If you simply want a nice sharp lens at this focal length, the 1.8 is for you.

As a father, my only regret is I wish I had this lens earlier. From one parent to another, I'll tell you the price of the lens is irrelevant, as the pictures it produces are priceless.

Now, go make a backup of your photo library.
By Matthew Davidson (Cambridge MA)

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Canon PowerShot A1100IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD

Product Features

* 12.1-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality poster-size prints
* 4x optical zoom and Optical Image Stabilizer; 2.5-inch LCD screen
* DIGIC 4 Image Processor with evolved Face Detection Technology; Face Detection Self-timer
* Uses 2 AA-size batteries
* Compatible with SD/SDHC, MMC/MMC Plus/HC MMC Plus (not included)

Technical Details

* Brand Name: Canon
* Model: A1100IS Green
* Optical Sensor Resolution: 12.1 MP
* Optical Sensor Technology: CCD
* Optical zoom: 4 x
* Maximum Aperture Range: F/2.7-5.6
* Minimum focal length: 6.2 millimeters
* Maximum focal length: 24.8 millimeters
* Lens Type: Zoom lens
* Optical Sensor Size: 1/2.3"
* Included Flash Type: Built-in flash
* Display Size: 2.5 inches
* Light Sensitivity: ISO 100, ISO 800, ISO 400, ISO 200, ISO 80, ISO auto, ISO 1600, ISO 3200
* Image types: JPEG
* Shooting Modes: Frame movie mode
* Exposure Control Type: Beach, Kids & pets, Night snapshot, Snow, High sensitivity, Landscape, Portrait mode, Aquarium, Slow shutter, Fireworks, Night scene, Sunset, Indoor, Foliage
* Viewfinder Type: Optical
* Width: 3.8 inches
* Depth: 1.2 inches
* Height: 2.5 inches
* Weight: 0.35 pounds


Product Description
From the Manufacturer

There’s nothing more satisfying than taking great pictures! And with the Canon PowerShot A1100 IS it’s so effortless. The 12.1-megapixel resolution and 4x optical zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer ensure radiant, detailed images. Plus, you’ve got an advanced DIGIC 4 Image Processor with evolved Face Detection Technology and the Face Detection Self-Timer for extraordinary control and performance. Smart AUTO lets you handle challenging conditions with ease.

Fun and easy to use camera!, July 11, 2009

I purchased this camera just before a 19-day trip to the East Coast and gave it quite a workout...nearly 2800 pictures taken during the trip, and only about 5 of them were unclear due to my unsteady hand. The rest were great, even zoomed out to a ridiculously large size on my computer, with crisp lines and faces, and vivid colors, far exceeding any 35 mm or digital camera I have used in the past.

The camera itself and the software included with it are incredibly intuitive. Though there are many manual settings possible, I set the camera in Auto mode and just clicked away. Many places I took pictures required me to turn off the flash, but even those were very clear and bright, and I had to do nothing but aim and shoot.

The delay time between pictures was negligible, and the rechargeable AA batteries I used were good for around 200 pictures a charge, even using flash and with frequent zooming in and out. I used a 16 GB SDHC chip and had the capacity to take 5,000 pictures! I'm still working on filling the first chip!!

The provided software is also very simple to use...as easy as plugging in the provided USB cable, and turning the camera on. All pictures are quickly and automatically saved in folders by date regardless of how many times in a day you download them, and renaming or tagging pictures is a breeze. I have not even begun making full use of the picture touch-up features, but the software includes a fun and easy slideshow application that makes sharing pictures via desktop or projector a snap.

Overall, I could not be happier that I purchased this camera! I look forward to mastering all its features, but as a user-friendly, versatile, and inexpensive point-and-click camera, it blew away all my expectations. It does all that Canon says it does and makes taking pictures fun and easy, right out of the box!
By Jon H.
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Canon EOS 50D 15.1MP Digital SLR Camera

Product Features

* 15.1-megapixel CMOS sensor with improved noise reduction
* Body only; lenses sold separately
* Enhanced Live View shooting includes Face Detection Live mode
* New Lens Peripheral Illumination Correction setting; HDMI output
* Capture images to Compact Flash Type I or II memory cards (not included)


Technical Details

* Color: Black
* Camera type: Digital single-lens reflex AF/AE camera with built-in flash
* Image sensor size: 22.3 x 14.9mm
* Compatible lenses: Canon EF lenses (including EF-S lenses)
* Lens mount: Canon EF
* Sensor type: High-sensitivity, high-resolution, large single-plate CMOS sensor
* Effective pixels: Approximately 15.10 megapixels
* Total pixels: Approximately 15.5 megapixels
* Aspect ratio: 3:2 (horizontal: vertical)
* Color filter system: RGB primary color filters
* Low-pass filter: Fixed position in front of CMOS sensor
* Dust deletion feature: Yes
* Recording format: Design rule for camera file system 2.0
* Image type: JPEG, RAW (14-bit Canon original), sRAW, RAW+JPEG
* File size: Large/fine: 5 MB (4752 x 3168); large/normal: 2.5 MB (4752 x 3168); medium/fine: 3 MB (3456 x 2304); medium/normal: 1.6 MB (3456 x 2304); small/fine: 1.7 MB (2352 x 1568); small/normal: 0.9 MB (2352 x 1568); RAW: 20.2 MB (4752 x 3168); RAW+large/fine: 20.2+5 MB (4752 x 3168); sRAW 1: 12.6 MB (3267 x 2178), sRAW 2: 9.2 MB (2376 x 1584); sRAW 2+large/fine: 9.2+5 MB (2376 x 1584)
* Recording functions: With WFT-E3A attached, image recording to the WFT-E3A will be possible as follows: standard, automatic switching of recording media, separate recordings according to image-recording quality, recording images having the same size
* Backup recording: Enabled with WFT-E3A attached
* File numbering: Consecutive, auto reset, manual reset
* Color space: sRGB, Adobe RGB
* Picture style: Portrait, landscape, neutral, faithful, monochrome, user defined 1-3
* Image processing type: Auto, daylight, shade, cloudy, tungsten light, white fluorescent light, flash, custom, color temperature setting
* Auto white balance: Auto white balance with image sensor
* Color temperature compensation: White balance correction: +/-9 stops in full-stop increments; white balance brackeing: +/-3 stops in full-stop increments
* Viewfinder type: Eye-level pentaprism
* Coverage: Approximately 0.95x (-1m with 50mm lens at infinity)
* Eyepoint: Approximately 22mm
* Focusing screen: Interchangeable (Ef-D: grid lines, EF-S: point of focus, EF-A: standard focusing screen)
* Mirror: Quick-return half mirror
* Depth-of-field preview: Yes
* Autofocus type: TTL-CT-SIR AF-dedicated CMOS sensor
* AF points: 9
* Metering range: EV 0.5 to 18
* Focusing modes: Auto, one-shot AF, predictive AI Servo AF, AI Focus AF, manual
* AF point selection: Automatic, manual
* Selected AF point display: Superimposed in viewfinder and indicated on LCD panel
* AF-assist beam: Small series of flashes fired by built-in flash
* Metering modes: 35-zone full-aperture metering: evaluative, partial (9 percent of viewfinder at center), spot (3.8 percent of viewfinder at center), center-weighted average
* Metering range: EV 1-20
* Exposure control: Program AE (shiftable), shutter-priority AE, aperture-priority AE, depth-of-field AE, creative auto, full auto, programmed image control modes (portrait, landscape, close-up, sports, night portrait, flash off), manual exposure, E-TTL II autoflash program AE
* ISO speed: Automatically set: ISO 100 to 6400 (in 1/3-stop or 1-stop increments); basic zone modes: ISO 100 to 3200 set automatically; extension settable: ISO 12800; high-tone priority settable: ISO 200 to 1600
* Exposure compensation: Manual: +/-3 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments
* AE lock: Auto and manual
* Shutter type: Veritcal travel, mechanical, electronically controlled focal-plane shutter
* Shutter speeds: 1/8000 to 1/60 second, X-sync at 1/250 second; 1/8000 to 30 second, bulb
* Shutter release: Soft-touch electromagnetic
* Self timer: 10- or 2-second delay
* Remote control: Yes, with N3-type terminal
* Flash type: Retractable auto pop-up
* Flash metering: E-TTL II autoflash
* Recycling time: Approximately 3 seconds
* Flash-ready indicator: Viewfinder icon
* Flash coverage: 17mm lens angle of view
* FE lock: Yes
* Flash exposure compensation: Up to +/-2 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments
* Compatible flash: EX-series Speedlites
* Drive modes: Single, high-speed continuous, low-speed continuous, and self-timer
* Continuous shooting speed: 3 shots/second to 6.3 shots/second
* Live View shooting modes: Live View, remote Live View (with a personal computer installed with EOS utility)
* Live View focusing: Manual, autofocus
* LCD monitor: 3-inch TFT color LCD
* Resolution: Approximately 920,000 pixels
* Coverage: Approximately 100 percent
* Brightness adjustment: 7 levels
* Interface languages: 25
* Display format: Single image, single image + image-recording quality/shooting information, histogram, 4- or 9-image index, magnified view (approximately 1.5x to 10x), rotated image (auto/manual), image jump (by 10/100 images, index screen, by shooting date, by folder), slide show (all images/selected by date/folder)
* Image protection: Yes
* Erase: Single, check-marked images, or all (except protected images)
* Compatible printers: PictBridge
* Printable images: JPEG compliant to design rule for camera file system and RAW/sRAW images
* Interface: USB 2.0, NTSC/PAL selectable, HDMI mini out
* Battery: Rechargeable battery pack or AA alkaline batteries
* AC adapter: ACK-E2 adapter kit sold separately)
* Camera width: 5.7 inches
* Camera height: 4.2 inches
* Camera depth: 2.9 inches
* Weight: 25.7 ounces (body only)
* Warranty: 1 year
* In the box: EOS 50D body, eyecup, wide neck strap, video cable, USB cable, battery pack, battery charger, Great Photography Is Easy booklet and Do More with Macro booklet, EOS Digital Solution CD, software instruction manual

Product Description
Canons new EOS 50D bridges the gap between the novice and the seasoned pro with a perfect combination of high-speed and quality. It features an APS-C sized 15.1-megapixel CMOS sensor for tremendous images, new DIGIC 4 Image Processor for fine detail and superior color reproduction, and improved ISO capabilities up to 12800 for uncompromised shooting even in the dimmest situations. It features a refined 3.0-inch Clear View LCD (920,000 dots) monitor, supercharged Live View Function with Face Detection Live mode, plus a number of new automatic Image Correction settings and HDMI output for viewing images on an HDTV. Pick up the EOS 50D and youll experience true digital inspiration!

Detailed Review of the Canon 50D - I love this Camera!!!!!!!!!!!!, October 8, 2008

SECTION 1: WHO IS THIS REVIEW FOR
This review is close to 10 pages long because it was written for people who are not proficient with the terms and concepts used in the DSLR world. If you are a proficient DSLR user then I would recommend that you check one of the much shorter reviews here or dpreview. For example, you already know what vignetting is and therefore understand the importance of the new lens peripheral illumination correction feature. However, a new DSLR buyer does not know what this means and this is why I therefore explain what each feature really is so these people can then decide if the feature is really important to them.

If you have not done so as yet, be sure to also check out my reviews of the Canon 7D and Canon 40D as well.


SECTION 2: INTRODUCTION
It has been just over a year now since I purchased my Canon 40D. At the time, I was just beginning to take my photography really serious. Since then, a lot has changed. I have now become a semi-pro. I still have my full-time job as an IT Manager here in Miami. However, I do a lot of photography work, especially events, on the weekends.

I really love my 40D but as I started doing more and more professional work I realized three things:

1. I needed a second camera body
2. I needed a camera with a more professional focusing system.
3. I needed a camera with even higher ISO performance

It was rumored back then that the replacement for the Canon 5D would be out in the first quarter of 2008. I decided to wait for it. However, when the time came there was no news from Canon about the 5D replacement. This was back in March 2008. The Nikon D300 had now been out for a while by then. I thought about buying it but I decided to wait until it was fully reviewed by dpreview as I wanted to see if Nikon had really finally addressed the high ISO performance issues. I ordered it one day after it was reviewed by Phil Askey on dpreview.

Since then, I have been using both the Canon 40D and the Nikon D300. I know it is a bit of a strange combo. People are always surprised when they see that I am using a Canon and a Nikon together.

I took all three cameras - Canon 40D, Canon 50D and Nikon D300 - over the weekend to the Miami Seaquarium to see how the new Canon 50D compared with both of them.



SECTION 3: NEW/CHANGED FEATURES
A. High-resolution LCD Screen
The LCD screen is still 3 inches. However, Canon has now increased the resolution from 230,000 dots to 920,000 dots which is the same as that found on the Nikon D300. Of course, this makes it a lot easier to check images on playback to see if they are sharp and in focus. More important, however, is the fact that Canon added a two layer anti-reflective coating which makes it way easier now to review images in bright sunlight. It is a lot easier to review images on the Nikon D300 than the Canon 40D. However, the Canon 50D definitely surpasses the Nikon D300 when reviewing images in bright sunlight.

B. 15.1 Megapixel CMOS Sensor
I think the MP increase is the biggest surprise to me since Canon has always been conservative when it comes to this. However, this increase now seems to be the trend as the new Canon EOS 5D Mark II has gone from 12 MP to a whopping 21 MP. I was always puzzled by the fact that the baby Canon Rebel had more MP than its big brother.

I can clearly see the difference in the resolution of the images produced by the 15.1 MP Canon 50D and those from the 10 MP Canon 40D. For a casual shooter this is not a big deal. However, for professionals shooting events this is really useful. Whenever I shoot an event I try not to turn it into a photo shoot. People are there to have fun. That is the first priority. I need to be able to get my shots fast. Many times this means getting the shot and then doing some cropping to make it perfect. Having 15 MP to play with can be a life savior here. Of course, if I only did portraits where I have time to pose my subjects this would be less important to me.

There is a small difference in the resolution of the images from the 15.1 MP Canon 50D and the 12.1MP Nikon D300.


C. High ISO Performance
The ISO setting control how sensitive the image sensor is to light. As the light gets lower you can increase the ISO to avoid using the flash. This is really important when you want to shoot in available natural light such as at dusk or at dawn when the light is really beautiful. Another example is when you want to photograph a bride and groom during the first dance without using the flash so you capture all the romance. The downside to increasing the ISO is that the resulting photos will tend to get grainier as the ISO increase.

The Canon 40D allowed me to go to ISO 1600 and then expand it to ISO 3200. When I just started out doing casual shots this was okay. However, I find that I often needed to go higher than 1600 and of course I was forced to use ISO 3200. On the Nikon D300 I could go all the way up to ISO 3200 standard so if I needed to use anything higher than ISO 1600 I would use the Nikon D300. That way if I only needed ISO 2000 I could use that setting rather than use ISO 3200. I must let you know that Nikon did fix the high ISO performance issues that plagued its DSLRs prior to the Nikon D300.

The Canon 50D now comes with a standard range of ISO 100 to 3200 just like the Nikon D300. However, the concern that I had was that with the big increase in MP count there would be much more noise (grain) at the higher ISOs. The more MP you have the more noise you tend to get at higher ISOs. I would have much preferred a smaller MP count and better high ISO performance. However, the engineers at Canon have really outdone themselves this time. The high ISO performance of the Canon 50D is just as good as the Nikon D300 even though it has 3MP more. Much of this is due to the fact that Canon is now using gapless micro lenses on the image sensor. This seemed to have really increased the light gathering capabilities of the pixels.

The Canon 50D ISO can be expanded to 6400 (H1) and 12800 (H2). The Nikon D300 can only be expanded up to 6400. However, on the Nikon D300 you can go from 3200 to H0.3 and then to H0.7 before you get to H1.0 which is 6400. This is more flexible than having to go straight to 6400 since you should generally try to use lower ISO speeds.

You might be thinking that it is absurd that anyone should want to use ISO 6400 and worse ISO 12800. However, there are times when getting the shot is more important than the quality of the shot itself. A good example here is when shooting sports. If the light becomes very bad for whatever reason you will need to increase your ISO as much as possible to get high enough shutter speeds to freeze the action.

D. Auto ISO Range (100 to 1600)
I have been to Butterfly World on several occasions to get photos of butterflies, birds and the tropical plants there. It is normally very sunny so to save time I shoot in Aperture priority mode. This allows me to simply set the aperture and then let the camera automatically set the shutter speed based on the current ISO and aperture settings. One thing about South Florida is that one minute it can be very sunny and then in just a few minutes it can become real cloudy. The problem this pose is that when it becomes real cloudy the shutter speed selected by the camera can be so low that it would result in camera shake which in turn results in blurry images. When I just started out my photography this actually happened to me as I would simply forget to check the shutter speed that was selected by the camera.

The auto ISO feature lets the camera automatically change the ISO to suit the shooting mode. For example, when in aperture priority mode if the camera detects that the shutter speed selected would result in camera shake it automatically increases the ISO. This feature is available on the Canon 40D. However, the maximum ISO it would automatically set is 800. The Canon 50D will now set ISO up to 1600 which is a lot more flexible.

The Nikon D300 actually takes the auto ISO concept further by allowing you to set the maximum ISO you want the camera to set and the minimum shutter speed you are willing to work with before the camera start to automatically set the ISO. This gives ultimate control to the photographer.


E. Burst Buffer
Another concern I had with the big increase in MP count was the impact it would have on the burst rate. With the MP count going from 10 to 15 this would normally result in a much slower burst rate. However, the new DIGIC IV image processor is a lot faster than the previous DIGIC III processor so the burst rate is pretty much the same at 6.3 frames per second from 6.5 frames per second. If you use a UDMA card with the Canon 50D you can buffer up to close to 90 large/fine JPEGs versus the 75 on the Canon 40D. The Nikon D300 can store up to 100 large/normal JPEGs at a burst rate of 6 frames per second. With the optional MB-D10 batter pack you can get 8 frames per second.


F. Lens Peripheral Illumination Correction
It is just a fact of life that the light entering a lens tends to fall off around the edges. This tends to be more pronounced when the lens is wide open. The resulting photo will appear dark around the edges. You will see it sometimes referred to as Vignetting. It is more common on cheaper lenses. However, even the most venerable and expensive lenses are not immune to this problem. I have sometimes seen it on my professional grade lenses such as the Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS lens and even the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 G lens.

By Jodi-Ann Richards (Mia, FLA USA)
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Canon PowerShot SX200IS 12 MP Digital Camera with 12x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-inch LCD

Product Features

* 12.1-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality poster-size prints
* 12x optical zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer; 28mm wide-angle lens
* HD movie shooting capability plus HDMI output
* 3.0-inch LCD screen; Face Detection, Blink Detection
* Compatible with SD/SDHC, MMC/MMC Plus/HC MMC Plus (not included)

Technical Details

* Brand Name: Canon
* Model: SX200IS Black
* Optical Sensor Resolution: 12.1 MP
* Optical Sensor Technology: CCD
* Optical zoom: 12 x
* Maximum Aperture Range: F/3.4-5.3
* Minimum focal length: 5 millimeters
* Maximum focal length: 60 millimeters
* Lens Type: Zoom lens
* Optical Sensor Size: 1/2.3"
* Included Flash Type: Pop-up flash
* Display Size: 3 inches
* Light Sensitivity: ISO 100, ISO 800, ISO 400, ISO 200, ISO 80, ISO auto, ISO 1600, ISO 3200
* Image types: JPEG
* Shooting Modes: Frame movie mode
* Exposure Control Type: Beach, Kids & pets, Night snapshot, Snow, High sensitivity, Landscape, Portrait mode, Aquarium, Stitch assist, Fireworks, Night scene, Sunset, Indoor, Foliage
* Viewfinder Type: None
* Width: 4.1 inches
* Depth: 1.5 inches
* Height: 2.4 inches
* Weight: 0.48 pounds

Product Description
Creating gorgeous images is more fun than ever with the sleek, impressively equipped PowerShot SX200 IS. Capture close-up, wide-angle shots with stunning 12x optical zoom. Experience the unprecedented image quality and point-and-shoot convenience of Smart Auto, along with enhanced operability and an intuitive new menu. HD shooting at 1280 x 720 pixels with HDMI output lets you see all the beauty of your HD images and movies on your HDTV.

Rebutting the Cons, April 3, 2009

This review is based off of several days of use and a THOROUGH review of the manual. If you are interested in seeing specifications and actual pictures of this camera (which I suggest you do) I recommend visiting websites that offer extensive these types of reviews [...]First, lets review what seems to be common CONS to the camera.

POP UP FLASH. Contrary to some reviews, this camera is not hard to handle/hold nor does the pop up flash get in the way or feel flimsy. Notice Canon has made three designs to combat this problem (e.g. indented thumbprint above controls on back of camera, curved body on right side of camera, and about 3/4 inch space to place finger behind the flash. As I right this review, I am playing around with the flash and notice it feels sturdy; not flimsy. Also, the further the distance between the flash and the lens allows for a better red-eye reduction.

NO VIDEO (optical) Zoom. This camera offers excellent video quality for a "point and shoot camera". It is 720 so expect that quality - no more no less. As for the zoom, it only has a digital zoom (i.e. less quality than optical). Nonetheless, it should not be a deal breaker - unless you are in the market for a digital videorecorder. I recommend a stand alone video recorder at this point. Would it be nice to have a zoom, sure, but honestly, this is not a big deal.

NOISE - Indoor use. PLEASE believe me when I say I find very little if any noise on indoor shots (when using the camera correctly (e.g reading the manual!!!). There are many ways to adjust this camera - MANY ways! Again, I am reviewing pictures I just shot today inside my local library and find them very pleasing and no noise!

FIT/FEEL of Camera. This camera does not feel flimsy. This I think I can promise you. Actually, when I got the camera in my hands, I was suprised to feel and see it was thicker than I thought - but not too thick. Still able to put in pocket (although not if you are wearing tight jeans). If you are looking at this camera, chances are you doing so because of the aesthetic body - and you are right. When/if you put it in your hands, you'll understand that it is, well, sexy and fashionable.

I have put forth what I saw as potentially "deal breakers" to some people and find all of these supposedly negative points not so negative. After thorough research and an extensive review of the manual, I find this camera to be excellent.

Finally, let me try to state what I believe to be the absolute best features of this camera.
1. Quality. The only way to defend this point is to recommend doing research. Many websites have posted pictures this camera has taken - many of them stunning. I even saw a side by side comparison with the SX200IS rival - the TZ7. It was a picture of a night time view of a major city. This camera won hands down. And as for video quality, I was happy with the quality - if you expect 720 and not blu-ray quality. It honestly is great- oh yea, and I notice that when shooting with video, the image seemed to have little or no shake ( I was suprised about this).
2. Function. You can immediately use this even if you never used a camera before. Thank canon for the "easy" function which lets you only hit the shutter button: it does ALL the work for you, and has hints/tips on the screen as you shoot. Or if you are not so novice, you can turn this camera into a complete manual function and create your own aperture, shutter, and ISO values. (This is the reason I bought this camera; so I could go more manual while my wife could just point and click).
3. After having this camera, I have noticed that CANON has not marketed this camera well enough. It has LCD image brightness control that changes on screen depending on how bright it is where you are shooting. Very nice to view the lcd. Also, the LCD has been layered with a scratch resistant coating!
Finally, in my opinion, this camera's best feature is its versatility. What I mean by this is that it takes excellent pictures and allows you to grow with the camera - this point needs to be emphasized.
I suggest that you truly do your research (as you are doing!!:) and you may see as I did that no matter how many cameras I reviewed, I kept coming back to the SX200IS. I am glad I have it.
One final point. If you do get this, please review the manual. It is your bible and will really help you understand the camera if you want to turn it into more than a point and shoot. I wrote this review because I was SHOCKED at the criticisms this camera received. I agree that this camera can be fine tuned (longer battery life.....etc...) but these are by no means deal breakers. Don't worry, whatever camera you get, it will be soon outdated - all cameras get their annual tweaking. Having said that about camera's getting outdated, note that I chose this camera for the features it has for the price it is. Having taken it home, I realize that I am more than getting my money's worth. I am honestly concerned about answering any questions you may have. I wish I could ask people questions before I buy things, so please feel free to comment and/or ask. Best wishes.

***Updated 4-6-08****
For those interested in comparisons, I have recently compared the SX200IS vs the Panasonic TZ5 [...]. Unbelievable, I was able to find same scene shots taken by these two different cameras. This is hard to find. Plus, being that the TZ5 is really the main competitor to the SX200IS, it makes for an interesting comparison. If you do review this website, particularly notice the "city night shot" and ISO 400 setting. In my opinion, the SX200IS is much clearer and offers a more accurate picture. Again, the SX200IS is a winner to me!

***Updatd 7-26-09***
After 4 months of extensive use, this camera is now having power issues. When the camera is turned on, and then turned off, it automatically turns on when I do not want it too! :( It will go back to be fixed. So in terms of reliability, I am a little disappointed. Nonetheless, given the quality and features of this camera, I will GLADLY keep the camera and GLADLY have it fixed. Even with this electronic issue, it is still the best camera out there.
By Jacqueline Buemi "Be the Light you Wish to See" (Ohio)

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Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

Product Features

* 75-300mm telephoto zoom lens with f/4-5.6 maximum aperture for Canon SLR cameras
* Improved mechanism makes zooming smoother; front part of zoom ring sports silver ring
* Measures 2.8 inches in diameter and 4.8 inches long; weighs 16.8 ounces; 1-year warranty
* 4.9-foot closest focusing distance; 32- to 8-degree diagonal angle of view

Technical Details

* Brand Name: Canon
* Model: 6473A003
* Lens Type: Telephoto zoom lens
* Mounting Type: Canon EF
* Minimum focal length: 75 millimeters
* Maximum focal length: 300 millimeters
* Minimum Focal Range: 5 feet
* Maximum Aperture Range: F/4.0-5.6
* Camera Magnify Power: 0.25
* Lens System Special Functions: Zoom, Tele
* Focus Type: auto-focus, manual-focus
* Real Angle Of View: 32.2
* Weight: 16.9 Ounces
* Item Display Diameter: 2.8 inches
* Length: 5 inches

Product Description
f/4-5.6 III EF telephoto lens with 35mm equivalent of 75-300mm * compatible with all Canon EOS SLR cameras * minimum focus distance: 4.9 ft. * constructed of 13 elements in 9 groups * lens is 5-3/8" long, 2-13/16" in diameter *

First Time Zoom lens, December 16, 2001
I'd just got into SLR photography and the first few months with the 35-90 lens that came with the Canon Rebel 2000 were outstanding. I never realised there was SO much difference between a point-and-shoot and an SLR. After reading p on some of the books about photography, I reaslied an important point was getting the right framing and getting close to the subject. So I set out to look for a cost effective zoom lens that would give me that flexibility. I tried the cheeper rip off lens in the loal camera store and found their mechanisms stiff and slow focussing. I stuck my neck out for a canon make lens, and this one jumped out at me. It's perfect, the shot are crystal clear, the zoom is smooth and the autofocus is just as good as with the smaller lens. How do they make these lenses so cheap when competing lenses are more that twice the price? highly recommended for a novice like myself whodoesn't want to sped too much for telephoto zoom capability. I'm now looking for a canon 2x teleconverter to add to my range.

By Duncan F. Davidson "Duncan San Diego" (La Mesa, CA United States)



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Canon EOS 50D 15.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens

Product Features

* 15.1-megapixel CMOS sensor with improved noise reduction
* EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM standard zoom lens included
* Enhanced Live View shooting includes Face Detection Live mode
* New Lens Peripheral Illumination Correction setting; HDMI output
* Capture images to Compact Flash Type I or II memory cards (not included)

Technical Details

* Color: Black
* Camera type: Digital single-lens reflex AF/AE camera with built-in flash
* Image sensor size: 22.3 x 14.9mm
* Compatible lenses: Canon EF lenses (including EF-S lenses)
* Lens mount: Canon EF
* Sensor type: High-sensitivity, high-resolution, large single-plate CMOS sensor
* Effective pixels: Approximately 15.10 megapixels
* Total pixels: Approximately 15.5 megapixels
* Aspect ratio: 3:2 (horizontal: vertical)
* Color filter system: RGB primary color filters
* Low-pass filter: Fixed position in front of CMOS sensor
* Dust deletion feature: Yes
* Recording format: Design rule for camera file system 2.0
* Image type: JPEG, RAW (14-bit Canon original), sRAW, RAW+JPEG
* File size: Large/fine: 5 MB (4752 x 3168); large/normal: 2.5 MB (4752 x 3168); medium/fine: 3 MB (3456 x 2304); medium/normal: 1.6 MB (3456 x 2304); small/fine: 1.7 MB (2352 x 1568); small/normal: 0.9 MB (2352 x 1568); RAW: 20.2 MB (4752 x 3168); RAW+large/fine: 20.2+5 MB (4752 x 3168); sRAW 1: 12.6 MB (3267 x 2178), sRAW 2: 9.2 MB (2376 x 1584); sRAW 2+large/fine: 9.2+5 MB (2376 x 1584)
* Recording functions: With WFT-E3A attached, image recording to the WFT-E3A will be possible as follows: standard, automatic switching of recording media, separate recordings according to image-recording quality, recording images having the same size
* Backup recording: Enabled with WFT-E3A attached
* File numbering: Consecutive, auto reset, manual reset
* Color space: sRGB, Adobe RGB
* Picture style: Portrait, landscape, neutral, faithful, monochrome, user defined 1-3
* Image processing type: Auto, daylight, shade, cloudy, tungsten light, white fluorescent light, flash, custom, color temperature setting
* Auto white balance: Auto white balance with image sensor
* Color temperature compensation: White balance correction: +/-9 stops in full-stop increments; white balance brackeing: +/-3 stops in full-stop increments
* Viewfinder type: Eye-level pentaprism
* Coverage: Approximately 0.95x (-1m with 50mm lens at infinity)
* Eyepoint: Approximately 22mm
* Focusing screen: Interchangeable (Ef-D: grid lines, EF-S: point of focus, EF-A: standard focusing screen)
* Mirror: Quick-return half mirror
* Depth-of-field preview: Yes
* Autofocus type: TTL-CT-SIR AF-dedicated CMOS sensor
* AF points: 9
* Metering range: EV 0.5 to 18
* Focusing modes: Auto, one-shot AF, predictive AI Servo AF, AI Focus AF, manual
* AF point selection: Automatic, manual
* Selected AF point display: Superimposed in viewfinder and indicated on LCD panel
* AF-assist beam: Small series of flashes fired by built-in flash
* Metering modes: 35-zone full-aperture metering: evaluative, partial (9 percent of viewfinder at center), spot (3.8 percent of viewfinder at center), center-weighted average
* Metering range: EV 1-20
* Exposure control: Program AE (shiftable), shutter-priority AE, aperture-priority AE, depth-of-field AE, creative auto, full auto, programmed image control modes (portrait, landscape, close-up, sports, night portrait, flash off), manual exposure, E-TTL II autoflash program AE
* ISO speed: Automatically set: ISO 100 to 6400 (in 1/3-stop or 1-stop increments); basic zone modes: ISO 100 to 3200 set automatically; extension settable: ISO 12800; high-tone priority settable: ISO 200 to 1600
* Exposure compensation: Manual: +/-3 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments
* AE lock: Auto and manual
* Shutter type: Veritcal travel, mechanical, electronically controlled focal-plane shutter
* Shutter speeds: 1/8000 to 1/60 second, X-sync at 1/250 second; 1/8000 to 30 second, bulb
* Shutter release: Soft-touch electromagnetic
* Self timer: 10- or 2-second delay
* Remote control: Yes, with N3-type terminal
* Flash type: Retractable auto pop-up
* Flash metering: E-TTL II autoflash
* Recycling time: Approximately 3 seconds
* Flash-ready indicator: Viewfinder icon
* Flash coverage: 17mm lens angle of view
* FE lock: Yes
* Flash exposure compensation: Up to +/-2 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments
* Compatible flash: EX-series Speedlites
* Drive modes: Single, high-speed continuous, low-speed continuous, and self-timer
* Continuous shooting speed: 3 shots/second to 6.3 shots/second
* Live View shooting modes: Live View, remote Live View (with a personal computer installed with EOS utility)
* Live View focusing: Manual, autofocus
* LCD monitor: 3-inch TFT color LCD
* Resolution: Approximately 920,000 pixels
* Coverage: Approximately 100 percent
* Brightness adjustment: 7 levels
* Interface languages: 25
* Display format: Single image, single image + image-recording quality/shooting information, histogram, 4- or 9-image index, magnified view (approximately 1.5x to 10x), rotated image (auto/manual), image jump (by 10/100 images, index screen, by shooting date, by folder), slide show (all images/selected by date/folder)
* Image protection: Yes
* Erase: Single, check-marked images, or all (except protected images)
* Compatible printers: PictBridge
* Printable images: JPEG compliant to design rule for camera file system and RAW/sRAW images
* Interface: USB 2.0, NTSC/PAL selectable, HDMI mini out
* Battery: Rechargeable battery pack or AA alkaline batteries
* AC adapter: ACK-E2 adapter kit sold separately)
* Included lens: EF 28-135mm IS USM standard zoom
* Focal length: 28 to 135mm
* Maximum aperture: f/3.5 to f/5.6
* Lens construction: 16 elements in 12 groups
* Diagonal angle of view: 75 to 18 degrees
* Focus adjustment: Inner focusing system with USM
* Closest focusing distance: 1.6 feet
* Zoom system: Rotating type
* Filter size: 72mm
* Lens dimensions: 3.1 inches in diameter and 3.8 inches long
* Camera width: 5.7 inches
* Camera height: 4.2 inches
* Camera depth: 2.9 inches
* Weight: 25.7 ounces (body only); 18.9 ounces (lens)
* Warranty: 1 year
* In the box: EOS 50D body, lens, lens cap, eyecup, wide neck strap, video cable, USB cable, battery pack, battery charger, Great Photography Is Easy booklet and Do More with Macro booklet, EOS Digital Solution CD, software instruction manual

Product Description
Canons new EOS 50D bridges the gap between the novice and the seasoned pro with a perfect combination of high-speed and quality. It features an APS-C sized 15.1-megapixel CMOS sensor for tremendous images, new DIGIC 4 Image Processor for fine detail and superior color reproduction, and improved ISO capabilities up to 12800 for uncompromised shooting even in the dimmest situations. It features a refined 3.0-inch Clear View LCD (920,000 dots) monitor, supercharged Live View Function with Face Detection Live mode, plus a number of new automatic Image Correction settings and HDMI output for viewing images on an HDTV. Pick up the EOS 50D and youll experience true digital inspiration!

Detailed Review of the Canon 50D - I love this Camera!!!!!!!!!!!!, October 8, 2008

SECTION 1: WHO IS THIS REVIEW FOR
This review is close to 10 pages long because it was written for people who are not proficient with the terms and concepts used in the DSLR world. If you are a proficient DSLR user then I would recommend that you check one of the much shorter reviews here or dpreview. For example, you already know what vignetting is and therefore understand the importance of the new lens peripheral illumination correction feature. However, a new DSLR buyer does not know what this means and this is why I therefore explain what each feature really is so these people can then decide if the feature is really important to them.

If you have not done so as yet, be sure to also check out my reviews of the Canon 7D and Canon 40D as well.


SECTION 2: INTRODUCTION
It has been just over a year now since I purchased my Canon 40D. At the time, I was just beginning to take my photography really serious. Since then, a lot has changed. I have now become a semi-pro. I still have my full-time job as an IT Manager here in Miami. However, I do a lot of photography work, especially events, on the weekends.

I really love my 40D but as I started doing more and more professional work I realized three things:

1. I needed a second camera body
2. I needed a camera with a more professional focusing system.
3. I needed a camera with even higher ISO performance

It was rumored back then that the replacement for the Canon 5D would be out in the first quarter of 2008. I decided to wait for it. However, when the time came there was no news from Canon about the 5D replacement. This was back in March 2008. The Nikon D300 had now been out for a while by then. I thought about buying it but I decided to wait until it was fully reviewed by dpreview as I wanted to see if Nikon had really finally addressed the high ISO performance issues. I ordered it one day after it was reviewed by Phil Askey on dpreview.

Since then, I have been using both the Canon 40D and the Nikon D300. I know it is a bit of a strange combo. People are always surprised when they see that I am using a Canon and a Nikon together.

I took all three cameras - Canon 40D, Canon 50D and Nikon D300 - over the weekend to the Miami Seaquarium to see how the new Canon 50D compared with both of them.



SECTION 3: NEW/CHANGED FEATURES
A. High-resolution LCD Screen
The LCD screen is still 3 inches. However, Canon has now increased the resolution from 230,000 dots to 920,000 dots which is the same as that found on the Nikon D300. Of course, this makes it a lot easier to check images on playback to see if they are sharp and in focus. More important, however, is the fact that Canon added a two layer anti-reflective coating which makes it way easier now to review images in bright sunlight. It is a lot easier to review images on the Nikon D300 than the Canon 40D. However, the Canon 50D definitely surpasses the Nikon D300 when reviewing images in bright sunlight.

B. 15.1 Megapixel CMOS Sensor
I think the MP increase is the biggest surprise to me since Canon has always been conservative when it comes to this. However, this increase now seems to be the trend as the new Canon EOS 5D Mark II has gone from 12 MP to a whopping 21 MP. I was always puzzled by the fact that the baby Canon Rebel had more MP than its big brother.

I can clearly see the difference in the resolution of the images produced by the 15.1 MP Canon 50D and those from the 10 MP Canon 40D. For a casual shooter this is not a big deal. However, for professionals shooting events this is really useful. Whenever I shoot an event I try not to turn it into a photo shoot. People are there to have fun. That is the first priority. I need to be able to get my shots fast. Many times this means getting the shot and then doing some cropping to make it perfect. Having 15 MP to play with can be a life savior here. Of course, if I only did portraits where I have time to pose my subjects this would be less important to me.

There is a small difference in the resolution of the images from the 15.1 MP Canon 50D and the 12.1MP Nikon D300.


C. High ISO Performance
The ISO setting control how sensitive the image sensor is to light. As the light gets lower you can increase the ISO to avoid using the flash. This is really important when you want to shoot in available natural light such as at dusk or at dawn when the light is really beautiful. Another example is when you want to photograph a bride and groom during the first dance without using the flash so you capture all the romance. The downside to increasing the ISO is that the resulting photos will tend to get grainier as the ISO increase.

The Canon 40D allowed me to go to ISO 1600 and then expand it to ISO 3200. When I just started out doing casual shots this was okay. However, I find that I often needed to go higher than 1600 and of course I was forced to use ISO 3200. On the Nikon D300 I could go all the way up to ISO 3200 standard so if I needed to use anything higher than ISO 1600 I would use the Nikon D300. That way if I only needed ISO 2000 I could use that setting rather than use ISO 3200. I must let you know that Nikon did fix the high ISO performance issues that plagued its DSLRs prior to the Nikon D300.

The Canon 50D now comes with a standard range of ISO 100 to 3200 just like the Nikon D300. However, the concern that I had was that with the big increase in MP count there would be much more noise (grain) at the higher ISOs. The more MP you have the more noise you tend to get at higher ISOs. I would have much preferred a smaller MP count and better high ISO performance. However, the engineers at Canon have really outdone themselves this time. The high ISO performance of the Canon 50D is just as good as the Nikon D300 even though it has 3MP more. Much of this is due to the fact that Canon is now using gapless micro lenses on the image sensor. This seemed to have really increased the light gathering capabilities of the pixels.

The Canon 50D ISO can be expanded to 6400 (H1) and 12800 (H2). The Nikon D300 can only be expanded up to 6400. However, on the Nikon D300 you can go from 3200 to H0.3 and then to H0.7 before you get to H1.0 which is 6400. This is more flexible than having to go straight to 6400 since you should generally try to use lower ISO speeds.

You might be thinking that it is absurd that anyone should want to use ISO 6400 and worse ISO 12800. However, there are times when getting the shot is more important than the quality of the shot itself. A good example here is when shooting sports. If the light becomes very bad for whatever reason you will need to increase your ISO as much as possible to get high enough shutter speeds to freeze the action.

D. Auto ISO Range (100 to 1600)
I have been to Butterfly World on several occasions to get photos of butterflies, birds and the tropical plants there. It is normally very sunny so to save time I shoot in Aperture priority mode. This allows me to simply set the aperture and then let the camera automatically set the shutter speed based on the current ISO and aperture settings. One thing about South Florida is that one minute it can be very sunny and then in just a few minutes it can become real cloudy. The problem this pose is that when it becomes real cloudy the shutter speed selected by the camera can be so low that it would result in camera shake which in turn results in blurry images. When I just started out my photography this actually happened to me as I would simply forget to check the shutter speed that was selected by the camera.

The auto ISO feature lets the camera automatically change the ISO to suit the shooting mode. For example, when in aperture priority mode if the camera detects that the shutter speed selected would result in camera shake it automatically increases the ISO. This feature is available on the Canon 40D. However, the maximum ISO it would automatically set is 800. The Canon 50D will now set ISO up to 1600 which is a lot more flexible.

The Nikon D300 actually takes the auto ISO concept further by allowing you to set the maximum ISO you want the camera to set and the minimum shutter speed you are willing to work with before the camera start to automatically set the ISO. This gives ultimate control to the photographer.


E. Burst Buffer
Another concern I had with the big increase in MP count was the impact it would have on the burst rate. With the MP count going from 10 to 15 this would normally result in a much slower burst rate. However, the new DIGIC IV image processor is a lot faster than the previous DIGIC III processor so the burst rate is pretty much the same at 6.3 frames per second from 6.5 frames per second. If you use a UDMA card with the Canon 50D you can buffer up to close to 90 large/fine JPEGs versus the 75 on the Canon 40D. The Nikon D300 can store up to 100 large/normal JPEGs at a burst rate of 6 frames per second. With the optional MB-D10 batter pack you can get 8 frames per second.


F. Lens Peripheral Illumination Correction
It is just a fact of life that the light entering a lens tends to fall off around the edges. This tends to be more pronounced when the lens is wide open. The resulting photo will appear dark around the edges. You will see it sometimes referred to as Vignetting. It is more common on cheaper lenses. However, even the most venerable and expensive lenses are not immune to this problem. I have sometimes seen it on my professional grade lenses such as the Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS lens and even the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 G lens.
By Jodi-Ann Richards (Mia, FLA USA)
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Canon PowerShot D10 12.1 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD

Product Features

* 12.1-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality poster-size prints
* Waterproof to 33 feet, cold resistant from 14-104 degrees (F) and shockproof up to 4 feet
* DIGIC 4 Image Processor; evolved Face Detection Technology plus Face Detection Self-timer
* Smart AUTO intelligently selects the proper settings
* Compatible with SD/SDHC, MMC/MMC Plus/HC MMC Plus (not included)

Technical Details

* Brand Name: Canon
* Model: D10
* Maximum Aperture Range: F/2.8-4.9
* Minimum focal length: 6.2 millimeters
* Maximum focal length: 18.6 millimeters
* Lens Type: Zoom lens
* Included Flash Type: Built-in flash
* Display Size: 2.5 inches
* Image types: JPEG
* Shooting Modes: Frame movie mode
* Viewfinder Type: None
* Width: 4.1 inches
* Depth: 1.9 inches
* Height: 2.6 inches
* Weight: 2.6 pounds

Product Description
For those with a taste for adventure, there’s a camera as bold as the active life you lead. It’s the Canon PowerShot D10. Waterproof, freeze-proof and shockproof; it’s tough enough to take what you dish out. Plus it’s got all the high performance features you expect from a Canon digital camera. You’ve got 12.1 megapixels of resolution plus all of Canon’s powerful, state of the art imaging technologies so you can capture your epic experiences in breathtaking color and awesome detail.

Great waterproof camera, May 26, 2009

I've been playing with my new Powershot D10 for about a week and really like it. I have been using Canon SLRs for 25+ years, AE1 Program, A1, Elan 7e, and Digital Rebel. When I started looking for a waterproof camera to take snorkeling, my first choice was Canon, based on my many years of satisfaction with their products, and I was very lucky that this camera was released two weeks before leaving for vacation. (Amazon had been showing the camera as available for pre-order until earlier today. I purchased mine from a local camera store.)

I'm very impressed with the picture quality on this camera. The 12 megapixel sensor, coupled with a dozen shooting modes, produce an excellent image. I'm used to controlling aperture and shutter speed on the SLR, so simply selecting "portrait" or "night exposure" mode and letting the camera do all the work just seems too easy. Or, if selecting "portrait" is too difficult, you can select "auto" and just let the camera do it all. Movie quality is also quite good. The LCD screen on the back of the camera seems huge compared to the 1" screen on my old Digital Rebel. It's a great display.

The controls are conveniently arranged, and easy to use, and the associated icons displayed are both informative and intuitive. You can choose to display all the settings or turn them off and just see the image. One of the useful display options is a grid overlay on the screen to assist with shot composition and the "Rule of Thirds." The optical zoom works great. By the time you get to 12x with the digital zoom, the image is kind of grainy, but that's to be expected.

You can take macro photographs an inch or two from your subject. I've had trouble focusing my Digital Rebel in the dark, but Canon seems to have improved low-light focusing quite a bit. It has a manual focus feature that indicates the distance to the subject as you adjust the focus, just in case it can't get the focus right.

I like the Panorama feature, which displays the previous shot on the viewfinder while you're composing the next shot, allowing the photographer to closely match subsequent shots, resulting in panoramic photos with less distortion when they're stitched together. Panorama mode also locks in the exposure value of the first shot so that the exposure in subsequent shots all match the first shot.

The face recognition and blink detection both seem to work well. As the camera focuses, it will zoom in on one of the faces so the photographer can verify correct focus. After the shot is taken, if someone blinked it will identify the face of the person blinking so you can take another shot. These can be turned on or off according to user preference. Images seem very crisp, which I attribute to the image stabilization features, which can also be turned on or off.

I've had the camera in the sink, and it handles six inches of water with no problems. I'll see how it does with thirty two and a half more feet of water when it meets the Atlantic Ocean in a few weeks! The wrist strap attaches to any one of the four corners of the camera (convenient for carrying in either left or right hand) and seems to be pretty secure, so no worries about losing it if you get knocked over by a wave.

I use Photoshop Elements, so I haven't loaded the Canon software and can't comment on that. And since I edit photos on the computer, I doubt that I'll use some of the in-camera editing features, such as black and white, sepia, color swap, and the various color enhancements. I could see that would be useful to those who print directly from the camera, without editing on a computer.

The camera doesn't allow you to shoot in RAW. I generally don't shoot in RAW with my SLR, so that doesn't worry me. It has a number of white balance modes, custom white balance, and auto white balance. It seems to do a good job selecting the correct shooting conditions in auto mode. Colors appear correct.

A couple of drawbacks: The camera isn't threaded so you're not able to attach filters. There's also no lens cap, and I worry about the lens surface getting damaged. For a rugged "adventure" camera, I'm also surprised that there's no GPS chip so that photos can be tagged with the exact location. I look at old slides taken while I was hiking and think "that's neat, why can't I remember where I took that." It would be nice if the EXIF data included lattitude and longitude. (Watch Canon come out with the Powershot D10 "Gold" six months from now that incorporates these features. The curse of being an early adopter.)

The microphone picks up every movement your fingers make as you hold the camera, so it's difficult to capture movies without some camera noise. The speaker on the bottom of the camera is also difficult to hear when playing movies back on the camera, but movies sounds fine when I pop the memory chip into the computer and watch in Quicktime. Movies are produced in the .mov format, so you'll have to do some conversion if you want to do anything with it in Windows Movie Maker. You can also choose between higher quality 640 x 480, or lower quality 320 x 240. (I should post a video review, but look like a dork in movies, so I'll spare everybody that.)

Tried to take a few infrared photos, but the image has the Hot Spot typical of many Canon cameras and lenses. I held a Hoya R72 filter over the lens and took several shots. Bright sunlight is about a 4" exposure, and all shots have a bluish circle in the center.

The drawbacks are very minor compared to the great images this camera produces.

I'm very impressed with this camera. It feels very sturdy, takes great photos, and seems very easy to use. Although I'll probably continue to use my Digital Rebel as my primary camera, I certainly look forward to many years of fun with this camera
By D. Bell (Phoenix, AZ USA)




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Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-Inch LCD

Product Features

* New 15.1-megapixel CMOS sensor with DIGIC 4 Image Processor
* Body only; lenses sold separately
* Full HD video capture at 1920 x 1080 resolution; HDMI output
* 3.0-inch Clear View LCD; Live View Function for stills (Quick, Live and Face Detection AF modes) and video
* Capture images and video to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)

Technical Details

* HDMI output for HD viewing of stills and video.
* 3.0-inch Clear View LCD
* Auto Lighting Optimizer
* Wide range ISO setting 100-3200
* Compatible with over 60 Canon EF/EF-S lenses
* Recording Media: SD memory card, SDHC memory card
* Continuous Shooting Speed: Max. 3.4 shots/sec. (with One-Shot AF or AI Servo AF)
* ISO Speed (Recommended Exposure Index): ISO 100-3200 (in 1-stop increments), H1: 6400 H2: 12800; Basic Zone modes: ISO 100-3200 set automatically
* Dimensions (WxHxD): Approx. 5.1 x 3.8 x 2.4 in./128.8 x 97.5 x 61.9mm
* Weight: Approx. 16.9oz./480g (body only)

Product Description
Canon's EOS Rebel T1i is packed with features, both refined and new. In addition to its admirable performance with a 15.1-megapixel Canon CMOS sensor, DIGIC 4 image processor, a 3.0-inch clear view LCD with anti-reflective and scratch-resistant coating, and compatibility with the EOS system of lenses and speedlites, the EOS Rebel T1i adds remarkable Full HD video capture at resolutions up to 1920 x 1080. An HDMI port allows for quick connections to high definition TVs and monitors for easy viewing of your stills and video. The entire operation is simple and easy even if you are a beginner. You'll have uncompromised EOS digital performance with power and flexibility right in the palm of your hand.

A wonderfully full-featured camera at an unbeatable price, April 29, 2009

I've had the T1i for about almost week now and after some extensive use, here are my thoughts:

1. 15.1 megapixel sensor. Yes, the high megapixel count is impressive, but keep in mind that, as you approach higher resolutions, you need to ensure the lens on the SLR can resolve that much detail. Sadly, the included 18-55mm IS lens is functional, but the high resolution really shows the so-so quality of the lens. Even if taken at the proper focus, pictures can appear soft with this kit lens. Shots I have taken with Canon EF-S 17-85mm and EF 70-200mm L lenses are crisp. I don't have any gripes on image quality. There are some issues with noise on the higher ISOs that don't seem to show up on the Nikon digitals, but overall, the quality is amazing for the price. Skin tones, textures, colors are reproduced very accurately.

2. Digic 4. The Digic 4 processor appears to process/save the 15 megapixel images in the same time (if not faster) than the Digic III processor on the XSi (even in RAW+Jpg mode). I have also noticed that at higher ISOs, the sensor and the Digic 4 produce images with less overall noise compared with its predecessors.

3. LCD. The 920,000 pixel LCD screen is large (3"), crisp, vibrant and fully visible even in bright sunlight. In comparison, the Canon XSi SLR (which the T1i replaces), also has a 3" LCD, but with 230,000 pixels. The viewing angle is great as well and the LCD can easily be seen nearly 180 degrees around.

4. ISO 12800. Canon and Amazon are correctly identifying that the T1i maxes out at ISO 3200. Some less reputable dealers are listing an ISO 12800, which you should disregard. The ISO 6400 and 12800 settings are expanded ISO settings. The pictures taken on these two settings are ISO 3200 images pushed to ISO 6400 or 12800 by the Digic 4 chip before saving to the memory card. These pictures are extremely grainy and contain a lot of noise to the point of only being usable as for snapshots or adding an artistic effect to certain compositions.

5. Penta-mirror. That Canon is still using one in the T1i is disappointing. The penta-mirror viewfinder image is functional, but still noticeably darker than that of the penta-prism viewfinder in the Nikon D90 (which is the T1i's main competitor). I really would have preferred if Canon had kept the XSi's 12.2 megapixel sensor, forgone 1080p video altogether, and maybe upped the cost of the camera slightly to cover the production cost of using a penta-prism in the T1i. Honestly, unless you are massively cropping your images, or creating large photos, the difference between 12.2 and 15.1 megapixels really is negligible.

6. Size. This is the same body as the XSi, and therefore a bit on the smaller side compared to other digital SLRs. I have small hands, so the T1i is comfortable for me. If you have big hands, I can see this being a very difficult camera to use over an extended period of time. If you haven't handled a Canon XT, XTi or XSi, I would suggest you go to a store and hold the T1i yourself before purchasing it online. (I will upload a picture of the T1i in my hands to the user gallery for a size reference.)

7. HD Video. Yes, the Canon marketing department made a horrible marketing decision and pushed the T1i onto shelves limiting the 1080p recording to 20fps (frames per second). Recognize this as a marketing gimmick that allows them put a 1080p sticker on the camera box. The 1080p @ 20fps is fine most times, but seems a choppy if you have a lot of action in the frame or are panning quickly. The T1i's 720p video is recorded at 30fps and is clean, smooth, and sufficient for all but the most discerning consumers. One major criticism though is that the sound is recorded in mono, AND there is NO input for an external microphone.

A lot of pre-production reviews of the T1i criticize its inability to automatically autofocus while recording. I wouldn't put much weight in this criticism, mostly because neither of the other two SLR cameras with HD recording capabilities (Canon 5D Mark II and Nikon D90) can automatically autofocus while recording either. What you can do with the T1i is pan/zoom the lens and then press the AE lock (*) button to make the camera autofocus on the new subject (all while recording). A problem with using the AE lock button to have the camera autofocus is that the microphone for the camera is on the front upper left of the body near the lens mount. Therefore, the lens motor noise is picked up just as much as ambient sounds. Even with my quietest Canon USM (ultasonic motor) lenses, this lens motor sound is pretty loud in video playback. Although, remember, you can always manually turn the focusing ring on the lens to get your subject back into focus. It's not easy, but after a little practice, it's not all too hard, either.

Ultimately, you shouldn't let the HD recording limitations sway you one way or the other. This is an SLR camera -- not a video camera. The HD video is a great feature, but if you're looking for something primarily to take video, look elsewhere. There are much better, cheaper VIDEO cameras out there which can record true 1080p.

8. Record button. For some reason, the record video button is next to the LCD screen (the same button used for direct printing). The first few times you take video, you'll intuitively find yourself using the shutter release button used to take pictures. The reason for this switch is that you can take a still picture while recording video, although, doing so will interrupt the recording.

9. Battery life. My first fully charged battery only lasted about 250 shots (no flash), but all charges since have given me in the range of 500-700 shots per charge. I'm guessing the first charge had such a short life because I spent quite a bit of time learning the camera, its menus, and settings.

10. Live View. I honestly can't review this as I haven't used it too much yet -- I prefer using the viewfinder. One feature I can say is nice is that, on the LCD, you can digitally zoom in (up to 10x) on a section of your shot to ensure it is properly focused. This, and the fine focusing, can really help if you're into macro-photography.

11. HDMI cable. The T1i has an HDMI Type C output on the body to allow you to directly display pictures and video on an HDTV. A minor criticism is that the HDMI Type C cable is not included in the box. You have to buy it separately. It would have been nice if it were included, as it's not an expensive cable.

Conclusion. The T1i is a bit on the light end, yet the construction still feels solid. For the camera's price point, you'd be hard pressed to find any digital SLR out there which gives you all the capabilities and growth range of the Canon T1i. The camera is intuitive enough for those new to photography to pick and learn easily, yet configurable enough for advanced amateurs. If video is not a big deal for you, then get the Canon XSi. There is very little the T1i has (other than ISO 3200 and a sharper screen) that the XSi doesn't. Plus, with the release of the T1i, you can probably pick up a used XSi for a great price on eBay. My wife recently gave birth, and I'm not looking to record endless (never to be watched) tapes of video footage of our son, but I do want several minute clips of him as he grows through the years. I've always been more inclined towards photography, so this camera gives me a very versatile digital SLR that I need with the wonderful capability of recording HD video that I want.
By Rimesh Patel (Washington D.C.)

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Canon PowerShot SX120IS 10MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Images Stabilized Zoom and 3-inch LCD

Product Features

* High-powered 10x wide-angle optical zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer
* 3.0-inch PureColor System LCD; Smart AUTO detects and analyzes faces, brightness, colors, distance, and movement
* Easy Mode takes all the guesswork out of the equation by determining the right shooting mode
* DIGIC 4 Image Processor; 10-megapixel resolution for poster-size, photo-quality prints
* Powered by AA batteries (included); capture images to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)

Technical Details

* Brand Name: Canon
* Model: SX120IS
* Optical Sensor Resolution: 10 MP
* Optical zoom: 10 x
* Display Size: 3.0 inches
* Width: 4.4 inches
* Depth: 4.5 centimeters
* Height: 2.8 inches
* Weight: 0.5 pounds

Product Description
An impressive 10x Optical Zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer keeps you sharp and steady. Everything about the Canon Powershot SX120 IS Digital Camera is easy. The Smart AUTO feature makes every shot picture-perfect. There's even an Easy Mode that makes shooting super simple. So be sure to pick up the Canon Powershot SX120 IS Digital Camera today!

Great Camera, though a bit noisy, September 15, 2009

My needs for a camera are as follows:
1) It needs to fit in my pocket
2) It needs to turn on quickly
3) It needs to shoot "decent enough" photos on auto mode
4) It needs to have enough options to tweak lighting settings.
5) It should have both good indoor and outdoor performance.
6) I'd like something that can do automatic exposure bracketing or otherwise support HDR photography.

I've gone through various cameras over the years, and have borrowed some others to mess around with, and until last week was using a Canon A620, which was a surprisingly good camera, capable of taking shots as good as a DSLR, especially when tweaked correctly. It also could do automatic exposure bracketing for HDR photography when using the CHDK firmware for it. Then I accidentally left my A620 on a bench on South Beach when visiting last week, and so I suddenly found myself in the market for a new camera.

I was seriously looking into the Fuji 200EXR and the Ricoh CX2 for the HDR photography mode, but they didn't have the tweakability settings I liked... the 200EXR was great except it always blew out the ISO levels to compensate for its limited image stabilization capabilities, which made auto mode shots almost always unacceptably grainy. I ended up settling on the SX120IS because it matches all my needs except for HDR photography. That, I'll hold off on until a new generation or two of HDR cameras has come and gone.

It has very good low-light performance, as long as you're willing to put up with a certain amount of graininess Indoors, with the curtains drawn and just a couple normal lamps lighting the living room, it was able to take quite decent photos at ISO200. Without a flash. The IS was quite helpful in this regard, and the only downside was that the image had a noticeable level of noise in it. This will bother some people. Myself - I'm happy that it doesn't do what most P&S cameras do, which is reduce the shutter speed to such a low level that everything blurs into nothingness. This is rather the opposite - quite crisp images with no blur, but you pay for it with a little bit of noise. I'm fine with that, really. I never carry a tripod, instead carrying it around in my pocket whenever I travel, and I like to be able to whip it out and photograph something on the spot, indoors or out.

The camera turns on quite quickly, and the auto mode does a generally decent job for taking those quick shots that would otherwise pass you by (the bird posing on the branch). The camera also has a the right amount of manual settings for tweaking your shots just the way you want them. (Another poster on here complained it was too complicated for him, and I suppose that could be a fair criticism, but for me it's the right level of complexity.) Like with my other Canon, it allows you to tweak ISO, aperture priority, time priority, or all three, as well as something the A620 couldn't do - a manual focus setting, which has been quite fun to play around with.

As far as all the vaunted features on this camera (auto face recognition, Digic 4, etc.), I didn't really notice it taking photos noticeably different from my A620. Image quality was about the same with the experimentation I did replicating several shots around the neighborhood. However, since I had no complaints about the A620, this is not a criticism. The one thing I do miss, though, is the flip out viewfinder. I much prefer a viewfinder that can flip around for self-portraits, or flip backwards to protect itself over the always-out LCD viewfinders which always get scratched up very quickly. But all of them are that way nowadays, so I am not really complaining that much about it.

All in all, a great camera.

Edit: After more experience with the camera (I've taken several thousand shots with this camera in different settings now), I have an update to this review.
1) The SD card is very inconveniently located under the unwieldy battery door - I much prefer separate memory card doors on my cameras, so I can pop it out and into a computer easily.

2) The smallish sensor size is not fully compensated for with the IS system. It has the noise of my previous camera at two ISO settings higher, and the auto mode tends to take shots in much higher ISO settings than needed, meaning you need to manually control the ISO mode most of the time, which is a minor annoyance.

3) The zoom lens on this camera rocks. Much better than most P&S camera zoom lenses. It makes a 100 yard shot look like it is 10 feet away, with no visible distortion or chromatic aberration. Macro shots also look very nice.

4) At first I was annoyed by the wheel on the back of the camera, since it would tend to move when trying to push up or down, but it does make browsing through lots of old photos a snap.

5) I've seen some people complaining about the fact that the SX120IS has a manual pop-up flash, whereas the higher level SX200IS model (which my father has, and I've used) automatically pops up the flash when you turn the camera on. However, believe me when I say that I greatly prefer the manual popup - it means you never take a flash photo when you don't want to. And flash sucks for a lot of shots since it wipes out depth in a photo and annoys people, like curators at museum. The camera knows the flash is disabled, and sets its properties accordingly. You can manually disable flash on other cameras, but if you set those cameras to auto mode, a lot of models will automatically re-enable the flash. With this camera, it'll never happen. I love it.

6) I don't quite like the form factor on the camera. It seems easier to drop than other Canons that I've used.

7) Being able to turn on auto-histograming and zebra highlighting over- and under-exposed parts of a photo on every shot out of the box is a very nice feature. I used to have to use CHDK to enable that on my older Canon.

By William Kerney (San Diego, CA)
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