Jan 21, 2010 10:12 PM
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(Updated Jan 22, 2010 05:48 PM)
I'm not a pro, not even an intermediate. Just a hobbyist who like to get away from the point and shoot world.
I've got this camera Oct 31 2009. This marked the end of my 14 months long hunt for a DLSR.
History
The very first DLSR I thought I'd buy was the D40 from Nikon. If it was't for the exaggerated price the dealer quoted I'd have bought the thing even. This marked the beginning of my "hunt". D40 rolled over and died and from its ashes came the D60 and the D60 with VR lens around same time came the 1000D(Rebel XS in the USA).
The major difference between the Nikon and Canon are the sensors CCD Vs CMOS.
When my mind was fluttering between D60 and the 1000D the new kid on the block came. The D3000 and its bigger brother D5000.
Logic behind the "one"
The deal breaker for D60 was the 3 point AF. 1000D has a 9 point AF system and has better low light performance. The over-inflated price of the 1000D had me looking the other way. So I just prayed for the prices to come down. D3000 from Nikon did't look bad, however it was taking too much inspiration from windows. The wizard thingy that hold the hand of the user ever step of the way and even a simple ISO(sensitivity to light) change required you had to go in and dig deep inside the menu. The swirl screen and the 11 point AF and the live view -(viewing the subject on the LCD screen as in a point and shoot)(which the 1000D has). However the deal breaker for me was the price and the nanny mode from Nikon.
The Camera
So I took the plunge and got myself a Canon 1000D for Rs. 27, 000.
This package included
18-55mm kit lens(Non-IS)
Data Cable, Battery, Charger, Camera strap
Software and Driver CD's
2GB SD card(Free as part of offer)
Welcome Kit(Free as part of offer)(Camera carry case+ Guide on DSLR photography)(which took canon 43 days 4 emails and 5 calls to ship out of delhi, which was supposed to be 3 weeks and 0 mails/calls)
First Look
The camera is fast to start-up and has a decent grip. The viewfinder gives 95% coverage and is clear and with a green information bar that shows you shutter speed, f-stop, ISO, exposure etc.
You can use the DLSR in the fully Auto mode and shoot away as in case of a point and shoot.
But. the real "fun" is the learn the jargon and do it in a mode which lets you play around with the settings. There are lots of forums and sites out there which will help you learn.
The Odd Bits
The one thing that took me by surprise was the "kit" lens was a non IS(Image Stabilization, like VR in Nikon). This is something that is supposed to help you reduce the "camera shake" when taking hand held shots. This was one of the reasons why the price of the camera came down from the 35k range to 27k.
Having said that this is not really a problem in the case of a 18-55mm lens and most of the shots(even low light) came out fine. Most sites will sing praises for the IS lens, this is good in the case of a telephoto lens and not really applicable for a shot range "normal" everyday lens.
The Good
It took around 2 hours for the battery to get fully charged and the I started clicking away. After around 550 shots the battery gave up. This is pretty amazing as I was doing all kind of change is setting and what not in the camera. So battery life is really good. I've taken close to 3500 shots till date and I can safely say I get around 470-550 shots between charges.
The CD that came with the camera has software from Canon that will help you download the pictures from the camera to edit them etc. The camera and PC communication is very fast and is very easy to use.
There is software to covert RAW to JPEG and a fancy bit of software that will help you operate the camera from the computer and shoot pictures.
The "Hyped" bits
Live View is a function that is given so much "hype". But this is not the case in this camera. Canon have actually turned this feature "off" by default and you have to dig into the menu to turn this "on".
However live view is just a part trick and I bet you 99.9% of the time you will not use this.
The other missing feature compared to its higher end cousin(500D) is video recording. Well I still don't know who in the right mind that would want to record 15 mins of video on a DLSR. I'd rather get a video camera for that thanks.
To sum it up. Its a very good buy only if you are serious about taking good pictures and don't mind reading or searching around to find and learn a few photography jargon.
Mind you this is not a "very" simple camera to use and without reading the manual and the associated terms you "will" get intimidated.
Other good thing canon has done is to provide Canon Edge membership that entitles you to attend photography workshops(Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai). I've still not found time to attend one and will update once I have.
Buy this for
Picture quality
Easy in changing settings(provided you know what you want)
Battery Backup
Bundled software
Speed of operation
Not so good features
Weak built in flash(the lowest end speedlights are horribly expensive)
A wider range kit lens 28-100mm would't hurt
A decent carry case+ timely service.
Verdict: Overall I'm very happy with this camera and would recommend this to my friends.
More to come and 55-250mm lens review
Here are some sample pictures:
https://picasaweb.google.com/riju.rajan/ExBruV1#
https://picasaweb.google.com/riju.rajan/ExBruV2#
https://picasaweb.google.com/riju.rajan/ExBruV3#
