Canon EOS 1000D is a great, reasonably-priced 10.1 megapixel DSLR which is to compete with Sony A200.
Intro:
Canon 1000D shares many of its features and also a lot from its design with Canon 450D. The cameras have quite similar specifications, size and finishing. They also produce pictures of comparable quality, yet they are aimed at different users and are available at different prices. Canon 1000D’s most important pros and cons are as follows:
Canon 1000D’s pros:
+ Contrast-detect focus in live view
+ ISO indication in viewfinder
+ Great results even with default settings
+ Canon CMOS noise-free images, remain detailed even at high sensitivities
+ Good battery life
+ Configurable “My menu”
Canon 1000D’s cons:
- Continuous shooting ability in RAW small viewfinder limited
- Small viewfinder
- No mass storage USB support
- Limited exposure compensation range
The design:
Canon 1000D measures 126.1 x 97.5 x 61.9 mm and weights approximately 450 gram. On the left side of the camera you will find all of the connectors covered by a rubber cover: Video Out, Remote terminal (E3 type), USB 2.0. On the top of the camera you will find practically the same buttons that are on Canon 450D: comfortable shutter button, main dial, exposure main dial, AE lock, AF point selection and the power switch. At the back of the camera is the 2.5” LCD screen offering 230,000 resolution. To the right of the screen are nine buttons responsible for all camera options. The battery compartment is situated in the base of the hand grip. The camera is made of a stainless steel chasis, engineer plastic and special lightweight engineering plastic thanks to which the entire construction is reliable and without rattles or creaks.
Performance:
Canon 1000D has several quality settings which influence the file size and/or resolution. In the best resolution – 3888 x 2592 pixels photos take less than 4 MB in JPEG, or slightly less than 10 MB in RAW. More professional photographer may manually adjust image parameters such as contrast, sharpness, saturation, or color tone, whereas amateurs will most probably stay with the Picture Styles, or fully automatic mode.
Manually adjusting all the settings is always a good idea as long as you know what you are doing, but even in fully automatic mode Canon 1000D takes excellent photographs. Even automatic noise reduction works really well and is comparable to that of Sony A200. Generally, Canon 1000D produces sharp and colorful pictures without unnecessary noise or oversaturation.
Menus / ease of use:
Menus in Canon 1000D are clear and mostly easy to understand. In the few instances where the screen does not provide enough information you can always refer to the manual. Thanks to the automation settings taking pictures with this camera is as easy as pie and the results great. What I didn’t like about this camera is the need to install the manufacturer’s software to copy the photos to your PC/Mac. The transfer rates are acceptable but still I could do without the software.
All in all, Canon 1000D is worth recommending to those who look for an entry-level DSLR.
Along with the camera in the box you will find:
EF-S 18 – 55 mm F3.5 – F5.6 IS lens
Eyecup
CD-ROM: Canon Digital Camera Solutions Disk (Win/Mac)
LP-E5 Lithium-Ion battery pack
Neck strap
USB Cable
Video Cable
LC-E5 Battery charger
Manuals / Reg. Card
Selected Canon 1000D specifications and features:
Type
Digital, single-lens reflex, AF/AE camera with built-in flash
Recording media
SD memory card, SDHC memory card
Image sensor size
22.2 mm x 14.8 mm
Compatible lenses
Canon EF lenses (including EF-S lenses) (35mm-equivalent focal length is approx.1.6 times the lens focal length)
Lens mount
Canon EF mount
Image Sensor
Type
High-sensitivity, high-resolution, large single-plate CMOS sensor
Pixels
Effective pixels: Approx. 10.10 megapixels
Total pixels: Approx. 10.50 megapixels
Aspect ratio
3:2
Color filter system
RGB primary color filter
Low-pass filter
Located in front of the image sensor, non-removable
Dust deletion feature
(1) Automatic sensor cleaning
(2) Manual cleaning of sensor
(3) Dust Delete Data appended to the captured image
Recording System
Recording format
Design rule for Camera File System 2.0
Image type
JPEG, RAW (12-bit Canon original)
RAW+JPEG simultaneous recording
Provided
File size
(1) Large/Fine:
Approx. 3.8 MB (3888 x 2592 pixels)
(2) Large/Normal:
Approx. 2.0 MB (3888 x 2592 pixels)
(3) Medium/Fine:
Approx. 2.3 MB (2816 x 1880 pixels)
(4) Medium/Normal:
Approx. 1.2 MB (2816 x 1880 pixels)
(5) Small/Fine:
Approx. 1.3 MB (1936 x 1288 pixels)
(6) Small/Normal:
Approx. 0.7 MB (1936 x 1288 pixels)
(7) RAW:
Approx. 9.8 MB (3888 x 2592 pixels)
* Exact file sizes depend on the subject, ISO speed, Picture Style, etc.
File numbering
Consecutive numbering, auto reset, manual reset
Source: Canon.