Canon EOS 450D

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Features

The kit lens with the 450D is relatively slow, which necessitated shooting this at ISO 800 (1/100 sec, f/5.6). As you can see, however, the results are quite sharp.
(click for larger image)
Photo credit: Lori Grunin

On some counts, the 450D offers some pretty nice specs, highlighted by the 12-megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor (for Canon's traditional 1.6x focal-length multiplier) and 9-point user-selectable autofocus system. The latter wouldn't be much of a standout if Nikon hadn't dropped to three-area AF in the D60. We also mark the switch from CompactFlash to SDHC in the plus column. The camera includes the same Highlight Tone Priority mode found in the 1D Mark III, which helps preserve detail in the brightest portion of a scene. Also, the 450D includes Canon's Auto Lighting Optimizer, which automatically adjusts contrast and brightness if the image you captured isn't quite perfect. Introduced last year in the 40D, the Auto Lighting Optimizer is now available in all exposure modes and employs face detection to prevent the underexposure of backlit faces we complained about in the 400D (it works). Remaining specifications are in line with the previous EOS digital lineup. For example, shutter speeds range from 30 seconds to 1/4000 second with a flash sync speed of 1/200 second and the camera employs a 35-zone TTL metering system. Canon also offers the BG-E5 battery grip.

On the other hand, it lacks common perks Sony, Pentax, and Olympus include in their cameras, like in-body mechanical stabilization and a wireless flash controller in the body, a feature that I occasionally find quite useful. The inclusion of an image-stabilizing kit lens doesn't quite compensate, since additional optically stabilized lenses tend to cost more in the long run. The 450D's sensitivity range also tops out at ISO 1600, when others routinely reach as high as ISO 3200, and a spot meter that uses a whopping 4 percent of the viewfinder--that's even larger than the 3.8 percent we complained about for the EOS 40D. Though it offers a Live View shooting mode with contrast-detection AF, Live View's usefulness is limited without support from an articulating LCD. Furthermore, all the manufacturers seem to incorrectly think the equivalent of Canon's Picture Styles, custom contrast, sharpness saturation, and color tone, are more important in this market segment than the ability to save groups of custom exposure, white balance, metering, drive mode settings, and so on.

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