Canon EOS 500D digital SLR camera

Canon's EOS 500D shoots 720p high-definition video in

addition to snapping high quality 15.1-megapixel photos

Plastiras Elias 11/05/2009 14:50:00

BEST_BUYSCanon's replaces the EOS 500D EOS 400D in the company's digital SLR line-up, slotting in between the EOS 450D and the EOS 40D. It's not exactly an entry-level digital SLR, but it's a pretty good option for anyone looking to make the leap from an advanced compact camera to a D-SLR that can also shoot video. What you get in the Canon EOS 500D is a D-SLR with a relatively compact body (approximately 12.8cm wide, 10cm tall and 8cm thick), a 15.1-megapixel sensor, a 9-point focusing engine, Canon's DIG! C4 image processor , and Live View. There is a pop-up flash as well as a hot-shoe, and a dial for changing the shutter, aperture and ISO values on the fly. It costs $ 1499 to buy the Canon EOS 500D body on its own, but it is also available in two different kits: $ 1649 for the single lens kit (18-55mm IS), and $ 1999 for the twin lens kit (18-55mm IS and 55-250mm IS). The twin lens kit represents good value and gives you plenty of versatility with regards to focal range. The quality of the included lenses is a mixed bag: the 55-250mm IS lens produces reasonably crisp shots with minimal distortion and can focus quickly. On the other hand, the 18-55mm IS lens produces soft shots and makes a lot of noise when it focuses. With Live View, you can use the EOS 500D's 3in LCD screen and built-in video mode to capture movies at a high-definition resolution of 720p. Files are saved in the MOV format and can be played on any computer that has QuickTime installed. This is a great feature for anyone who wants a 'hybrid' camera that can capture both high quality still images and video. In our tests, the video mode produced sharp pictures and its colors and exposure were accurate. Motion was handled quite well, but was still a little jumpy. It was definitely better than the Nikon's motion captured by D5000, which skew a lot of straight lines, but you still will not want to use the Canon EOS 500D when you shoot your first action flick. While the camera's built-in microphone does a decent job of recording voices, it also picks up zoom movements and mechanical noises if you use the auto button. Like the Nikon D5000, the Canon EOS 500D does not have microphone input jacks, so you're stuck with the internal microphone. If you want a digital camera with external microphone jacks, you'll have to upgrade to the more expensive Canon EOS 5D Mark II, which will also give you Full HD recording at 1080p. We wish the Live View mode worked better for still images, as autofocus is slow and the screen does not pop open to let you shoot from funky angles and make self-portraits easier. To autofocus in Live View mode you have to use a separate button to the shutter, and this is unintuitive. It also means that you can not frame a subject and shoot quickly. In some cases it is probably quicker to manually focus. The EOS 500D's LCD screen is of a high quality so you can clearly see if your subject is in focus or not. The implementation of Live View on the Nikon D5000 is far superior, however. For still images, the Canon EOS 500D has seven shooting modes: manual (M), Aperture Priority (AV), shutter priority (TV), program mode (P), creative auto mode (CA), full auto (square), and a depth of field mode (A-DEP). It also has six scene modes to choose from, which is far fewer than the 19's Nikon D5000. It does not have the extensive in-camera filters and editing of the D5000, either. Nevertheless, inexperienced users can make good use of the full auto mode, which decide all of the camera's settings, and creative auto mode can be fun to play with, too. For best results use the semi-automatic aperture and shutter priority modes, or the manual mode. It's relatively easy to change the exposure values, but the controls could have been better laid out. To change the shutter speed, you simply move the control dial, to change the aperture, you have to hold down the + / - button while moving the control dial, to change the ISO speed, you have hold down the ISO button while moving the control dial. The problem is that the ISO button is right next to the control dial, which makes it very uncomfortable to change. The ISO button would have been better off on the back of the body, in the position where the video record button is. In fact, the ISO and video record buttons should have been swapped around. The performance of the Canon EOS 500D still image during our tests was excellent. It's a camera that can produce soft, natural-looking tones and it does not Overd red, green and blue colors when there is plenty of light. Its low-light performance is also stellar, you can use up to ISO 3200 to take photos in a dark environment, without worrying if your photos will end up looking noisy. We could not notice any noise at ISO 3200 unless we scrutinize the images at their full size 15.1-megapixel, even then the noise did not ruin the image. The Canons EOS 500D's low-light performance is especially pleasing because its size is only 22.3x14.9mm sensor compared to the Nikon D5000's 23.6x15.8mm, yet it packs almost three million more pixels (15.1 megapixels compared to 12.3 megapixels). So despite the higher density of pixels on the smaller sensor size, which is a good recipe for noise at high sensitivities, the EOS 500D performed just as well as the D5000 in low light. Its speed was also very good, although it is a little slower than the Nikon D5000. We clock it at 3.2 frames per second, and it was able to take up 32 shots in burst mode before its buffer filled and it had to write the photos to memory. All things considered, the Canon EOS 500D is a nice step up from the 400D and is a good model to consider if you also want the ability to capture high quality video with a still camera. It's not perfect - it could use a better control layout, a flip-down screen, and an easier to use Live View mode - but at $ 1499 for the body, it's just as good an option as Nikon's D5000, although the latter is the better camera. ReferencesCanon EOS 400D Canon EOS 450D Nikon D5000 digital SLR camera

Read rest of entry

new Canon EOS 500D,

An entry level out of the choir for professionalism and accuracy. An opinion on TommyNavara Canon EOS 500D 21 May 2009

The new Canon EOS 500D, which I had the accasione to test first hand the past few days, too much detail, is the top of the range of entry-level SLR. It has a sensor CMOS APS-C by 15.1 Megapixel, HD video recording in 1090p at 20 fps, 3.0 inch LCD display by 920,000 points, ISO range expandable to 12800, precessore DIGIC 4 with less noise at high ISO, gust from 3.4 fps.

This new SLR from Canon's technical characteristics would seem to overcome the enemy, triggering a struggle for market does not matter with the other brand that rivals all know.
Every detail of the shutter is immediately visible through the display of 3 inches at 920,000 points, excellent position of the buttons, clear access to the menu system EOS.
The 500D is also practice at the time, has the help step by awkward camera angles and how liveview. Interestingly the presence of an HDMI connection that allows playback of high definition video and images on HD televisions.
Great way to 9 AF points cross type sensor for high sensitivity, suitable to the objectives and fast with big opening. Classic and still functional is the EOS cleaning system to prevent dust.

Just take the hand demonstrates the robustness and reliability of all products canon,
feels to have a massive machine and the dimensions are all things contained.
What struck me personally are the finishes and the bill, professional canon wanted to give this machine.
The shots speak for themselves, imaging eos has a new stgandard reference:
500D

Read rest of entry

Canon EOS 450D

Here's a new heir to the most famous of Eos (the "old" known as the 300D Rebel), Canon Eos 450D, this new version is full of valuable technologies and a comparison with the 300D is merciless, even though they are just past 4 years or little more: more pixels, the monitor (which now also serves as a viewfinder!), better viewfinder, faster autofocus and 9 points, the higher operating speed, ISO sensitivity auto mode from 100 to 800, you can manually get to 1600 with ISO increments of 1 / 2 stop, shutter speed between 30 and 1/4.000 sec. in increments of 1 / 2 or 1 / 3 stop, with flash sync at 1 / 200 of a second, and of course the availability of laying B (= Bulb or because you think you're exposed to!). ... I have in mind to speak also of the Nikon D60, which include the Hello on the site to tell you what you think of that other jewel. CAR BODY The cover car is very similar to what we have seen on the Eos 400d, or a compact and lightweight body. It weighs 475 grams and takes up 129 x 98 x 62 mm, then little more than a high-end compact. The grip I have to say is not up to my old D70, although compared to the old 400d has improved as a feeling of solidity and stability. Obviously, the discourse changes dramatically when the battery is inserted grip BG-E5. This last is an accessory (can be bought separately) that attaches to the bottom of the camera and can accommodate 6 alkaline batteries or two LP-E5 batteries (the batteries that are used by this camera, but only seen from this that have been specially designed for this model). With battery grip connected to the feeling is true reflex ... 80 years! DISPLAY The display is an excellent 3-inch LCD and 230,000 points. Obviously, it's repetitive, but you say: Nikon and Sony with the new LCD have 900,000 points off all competition for a long time ', and this camera is no exception ... in the sense that with his 230,000 points is far excellence Nikon -Sony, but if the quarry dearly and feel Canon is 50% brighter than the previous screen supplied with the 400D. E 'equipped with Live View function, which lets you frame the scene on display. This makes it easy shots from angled positions, eg. if you want to photograph a flower, but you have sciatica and effort to lower!, or if you use a tripod and do not go to be with your eye glued to the viewfinder. The feature in my opinion more important than the live view is that we observe directly the effects of various settings. Eg. lifted if the ISO sensitivity or abbassate il tempo di esposizione, lo schermo mostra già (più o meno) come verrà la foto dopo lo scatto. Quando avevo la Sony F717 questa caratteristica mi permetteva di effettuare dei controluce perfetti! Quando si attiva questa funzione la scena inquadrata vi verrà mostrata sul display sotto forma di video con un rate di 30 fotogrammi al secondo; potrete attivare l'istogramma delle luminosità (in tempo reale) e la classica griglia per aiutarvi nella composizione (tanto per fare un esempio, con la griglia potrete evitare orizzonti storti). E' possibile anche zoomare fino a 10x in modo da avere una messa a fuoco perfetta, che può avvenire sia facendo sollevare lo specchio per attivare il sensore autofocus (modalità Quick AutoFocus), sia utilizzando il contrasto dell'immagine (Live View - ma per attivare questa seconda modalità occorre montare ottiche Canon AF).
E' regolabile quanto a luminosità (7 livelli selezionabili) e offre un angolo di visione di 160 gradi sia in orizzontale che in verticale. Le foto possono essere riprodotte con un fattore di zoom fino a 10x.
Anche il mirino se la cava bene, è un Pentaspecchio fisso con copertura del 95% e ingrandimento4 0,87x, eyepoint 19 mm, con correzione diottrica da -3 +1 diottrie e schermo di messa a fuoco fisso.Segnala, tra le tante informazioni, anche la sensibilità ISO impostata, davvero bene!
SENSOREIl sensore è un CMOS da 12,2 megapixel, e questo lascia un po' perplessi. Le dimensioni del sensore sono le stesse di quelle viste sulla ottima Canon Eos 40d (formato 22.2 x 14.8 mm, quindi con un fattore di conversione altino di 1,6x), ma qui ci sono ben 2 megapixel in più. Sembra quasi che Canon ritenga il pubblico cui è destinato questa fotocamera meno intelligente del pubblico cui è destinata la 40d! Sappiamo ormai tutti che non basta e anzi può essere dannoso imbottire un sensore di pixel per avere foto belle! Le dimensioni sono fondamentali, tant'è, appunto, che il compratore "medio" della canon 40d è evidentemente un soggetto con esigenze più elevate rispetto a chi compra una 450d, e come è pur avendo esigenze più professionali si accontenta di 10 megapixel? Forse perché questo utente ha uno sguardo abbastanza "tecnico" da accorgersi del rumore? Vabbè lasciamo stare le polemiche…Perché CMOS? La tecnologia CMOS, almeno quella Canon, incorpora un circuito di riduzionedel rumore per ciascun pixel, quindi diciamo un sistema di riduzione del rumore "analogico" prima che intervenga quello digitale. Non è un caso che praticamente tutti stiano andando verso il CMOS nelle reflex, abbandonando il vecchio e caro CCD. Nel CMOS la conversione del segnale è gestita direttamente sui pixel (diciamo che gli "amplificatori" del segnale sono…sul pixel), garantendo minori trasferimenti di carica elettrica, quindi meno dispersione, ergo meno consumi e maggiore velocità.
Il sensore è dotato di un sistema di pulizia integrato EOS Integrated Cleaning System, che non solo previene la formazione della polvere sul sensore, ma elimina anche le eventuali particelle che in qualche modo riescano a depositarsi su di esso. Inoltre i meccanismi interni sono stati progettati in modo tale da ridurre la formazione della polvere. Sapete infatti che, ad esempio, che l'otturatore a furia di aprirsi e chiudersi può produrre delle microparticelle laddove i suoi componenti vengono in attrito. Ebbene, la progettazione di tutti i componenti vicini al sensore e che possono produrre di queste microparticelle ha tenuto conto di ciò.
Inoltre, il filtro passa-basso che si trova davanti al sensore è composto da materiali antistatici in modo da non attirare la polvere.Infine, ci sono degli elementi che vibrano ad alta frequenza (in realtà fanno vibrare il filtro IR) per togliere la polvere eventualmente accumulatasi magari nel cambio di obiettivo. Tale movimento avviene per circa un secondo dopo ogni accensione, per cui è consigliabile disattivarlo e attivarlo di tanto in tanto, per evitare che al momento di scattare una foto all'improvviso dobbiate aspettare quel secondo che può farvi perdere l'attimo. Ad ogni modo in Canon hanno pensato a tutto, e se si preme il pulsante di scatto la "pulizia" si interrompe.Sempre in tema di polvere, il sistema Dust Delete Data rileva la presenza della polvere sul sensore, in modo tale che in postproduzione sia possibile eliminare ogni effetto sgradevole. Il sensore è stato creato appositamente per EOS 450D ed utilizza la tecnologia CMOS Canon. Non è un dettaglio da poco, se considerate che alcune reflex utilizzano sensori prodotti da terzi (ogni riferimento a Nikon e Sony è puramente voluto!).
PROCESSOREIl processore utilizzato su questa 450d è l'ormai celebre DIGIC III, che ci ha abituati a tempi di risposta molto rapidi, con l'avvio in 0,1 secondo e l'elaborazione dei dati delle a 14 bit. La raffica continua dichiarata è di 3,5 fotogrammi al secondo, con una memoria tampone che dovrebbe consentire fino a 53 scatti continui in formato JPEG (6 in RAW).

Read rest of entry