Canon 450D?

[AlanM]

I'm thinking of changing my Finepix S602Z to a DSLR, budget is limited at the moment but could go to a 450D seeing as it's still got the £50 rebate.

The 602 is a 3MP with a 6x optical zoom, has fullt manual modes which is why I stuck with it this far. So anything will be an improvement.

Is the 450D worth going for?

Also, I would want a flash for it on a cable rather than on the hotshoe. It makes a big difference and I wouldn't want to loose this. Recomendations please.

[mr-jimbo]

450 is on my list,i already own the 400 but there are many times i miss having the live view that you get on compacts hence going for the 450 the 3" screen is another bonus,kinda sux though why Canon had to change the media card from compact flash to SD cos i have about 8gb in compact flash cards,i can't comment on the off body flash as i very rarely use flash myself.

Jim

[ifranky]

After the 300D/350D/400D, the 450D seems to split up the reviewing scene. Digital Photo says it's only a minor upgrade with little really interesting new features. Other say Canon managed to keep the others (mainly Nikon) away.

If budget is limited and depending on what you want to do, you might whether consider to go for the Nikon D60 which you can get for 325 quid on amazon (if Live View isn't important to you).

Do not forget that additionally to the dSLR you'll probably soon want to upgrade the kit lens. Both Canon and Nikon offer a 50mm prime lense around 75 quid and after that probably you might be looking for a tele and/or macro lens and then you will be happy to have saved the difference as they all are above 200 quid for medium quality.:)

If you mainly shoot in jpeg, then Canon's entry-level dSLRs have a rather poor processing compared to Nikon's. That's my opinion, again opinions are rather split among reviewers. Shooting in RAW mode obviously is the way to go.
I think my next camera will be a Nikon D80 though.

Otherwise the Sony Alpha 350 is winning all entry-level awards lately.
A rather complete review of the 450D can be found here: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/CanonEOS450D/page34.asp (linked immediately to the conclusion)


kinda sux though why Canon had to change the media card from compact flash to SD cos i have about 8gb in compact flash cards,i can't comment on the off body flash as i very rarely use flash myself.

Jim

Jim, I think they did that because of the high amount of broken pins on the CF connectors and of course the speed and price of SD cards nowadays.


greetings,


franky

[Reef bloke]

There are many reasons to upgrade from the 602 but it depends what you want out of the camera Alan.If your happy taking snaps and rarely use a camera you may just want to look at another pro compact or keep the one you have.If on the other hand you are looking to expand on your technical skills and use the camera as a hobby then you wont be disappointed.
With regards to the SD cards my take on that is so the camera appeals to those moving from bridge cameras to their first Dslr.canons support for CF is still very strong further up the line up.

[AlanM]

One of the things I like about the S602 is that it has a flash hotshoe, which has been quite handy.

This appears to have been lost on the more recent pro compacts which is why I was looking towards the DSLR range.

If the hotshoe wasn't an issue then picking up a S5800 (8MP, 38-380mm zoom, good macro mode, fully manual cabable) for £80 would be a simple choice.

Need to work out if spending 6-8x the amount on body, lens and new flash would be worth it.

[jordlr]

Ive just ordered the canon 450D myself. I was very tempted to get the sony a350 because the live view is amazing but i just found the canon more comfortable to hold. The only issue id say about the canon's live view system is that its pretty useless if using it with auto focus, as it uses a contrast focusing system rather than the direct source like the sony. As a result most of the shots i lined up in jessops using the live view with auto were out of focus, in manual though it is fine. The sony's screen, even though it tilts, can get washed out in bright light aswell, just a consideration. I decided that if i wanted to take pictures using live view and auto focus (snap shots) id just carry on using my fuji fd100d compact. Hence why comfort won the contest. £450 from warehouse express with lens, sd card, bag, 2 filters and a tripod!!

[Nath]

Just a quick word on live view... it's only really of use in real terms when using a macro lens (or a reversed lens/extension tube setup). You almost NEVER use autofocus with macro shots.