Canon EOS 450D Digital SLR Review

Canon EOS 450D: Build and handling
The low end SLRs and DSLRs from Canon have always strived to be the smallest and lightest. The EOS 450D is the same at a welterweight 475g compared to some rivals such as the Nikon D60 at 495g or the more portly Sony Alpha A200 at 545g. It's by no means the lightest, though with the Olympus E-420 coming in at a sprightly 395g.

The lack of weight is thanks to the size and to the materials used to build the unit. The insides aren't metal like you'd find on an intermediate model but it's nevertheless well made. It feels solid enough and ergonomically, the contours fit nicely to the hands. The shutter release is sat in a small cut out part of the grip to fit the index finger better and the mock leather found on the hand grip can also be found on the back for the thumb to grip. This is to aid fast one handed shooting and whilst it's possible to do this, it's not the most convenient way to take pictures.

The screen is bright and has a new layout with large icons and letters to make it easier for the novice to understand. The shutter speed and aperture dominate the upper portion of the screen with exposure compensation chart just below. The program you're currently in will display to the left with the White Balance setting across from it.

The Drive, Picture Style setting, Metering and Focusing modes are shown in a row. The battery life,image size and amount of photographs left on the card are at the bottom. The screen is bright and easily visible from all but the most acute angles which is great for the Live View feature.

Live View will give you a histogram while you work and the white box that comes up in the centre of the screen can be moved around which the camera will then meter from. In AI Servo mode the camera will also continuously focus on the box.

Sadly it seems that Canon have gone the way of Sony, Nikon and Pentax with the EOS 450D and changed the memory card to Secure Digital (SD). Does this mean death for Compactflash (CF)? Possibly, what with SD getting larger capacities and faster speeds all the time as well as it being a smaller medium physically.

The battery lid is designed to be removed if you decide to fit the optional battery grip. It's solidly built, but comes away from the body too easily.

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