By Leonard Goh
01/09/2008
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/digitalcameras/0,39005881,43579278p,00.htm

As point-and-shoots become more mainstream and affordable, more people are getting interested in digital photography and wants to learn more about it. When compact shooters no longer suffice, some of them want to turn to a dSLR but will be held back by the cost and complex operations. This is where budget dSLRs come into play, and recently there has been an increased influx of such models.

Canon's EOS 1000D was announced in June and to date is the company's most affordable, lightest and smallest dSLR. Targeted at novices, the shooter has only the most basic set of functions to help them start shooting. While we were not exactly impressed with its build and features, we have to admit the image quality was on par with the cameras's more expensive siblings.

Design

The EOS 1000D was styled after the EOS 450D, and a non-discerning eye may not be able to tell the difference between the two if not for the label on the front of the camera that states the camera's make. We found the placement of certain buttons, like the one for adjusting ISO, slightly awkward and had to fumble to find it. However, this shouldn't pose a big problem for first-time dSLR users who are not accustomed to any particular dSLR button layout. Canon also kept the rear interface neater by mapping more than one operation to each button, and they were clearly indicative of their functions.

While the shooter has a relatively decent grip, its build was too compact and we found our pinkie dangling from the shooter, which didn't feel too secure. However, ladies had an easier time holding the dSLR as most of them liked the small size and weight. Those with larger hands may want to consider attaching the optional BG-E5 vertical grip for a better grip.

In terms of build quality, the 1000D felt too plasticky for our liking. Although its competitor, the Olympus E-420, doesn't have as deep a grip as the Canon, it does have a more solidly-built body.

If we had it our way, we would put a scroll wheel on every camera we designed, and this is exactly what the 1000D lacks. Call us fussy, but navigating menus via a scroll wheel is often a much easier affair compared to using the four-way directional pad. Some compact cameras come with them, so why not a budget dSLR?

Features

Being a scaled-down version of the 450D, the 10-megapixel 1000D has, of course, fewer features compared with its bigger brother. But these shouldn't keep first-time users at bay because we found them to be quite sufficient for beginners.

Picture Style is a good introduction to the world of dSLR photography. There are six presets (Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful and Monochrome) and three user-defined settings. If this is baffling, think of them as more advanced scene modes where you have control over the sharpness, contrast, saturation and color tone. Although we could easily access Picture Style with the down button, we were quite irritated that we couldn't make any adjustments to the presets but instead had to dive into the menu to get to that. Once you get more comfortable with this feature, you can download more fancy Picture Style presents on Canon's Web site.

For shutterbugs who are used to point-and-shoots, one of the main reasons for holding back on a dSLR purchase in the past was complex operation. But the 1000D aims to ease this transition and the Live View implementation is one of them. It is coupled with an autofocus function, but not right out of the box. Instead, it is hidden in option 7 under Custom Function and we had to refer to the user manual to find that out. The refresh rate for Live View was snappy but we found the 2.5-inch LCD a tad too small for our liking. We preferred the 2.7-inch display found on the E-420.

Autofocus is driven via a seven-point AF system. A dot within each box will flash briefly when that spot is in focus. However, we found the dot to be too small and the duration which it flashed too short for our liking. It's almost as if we had to fully concentrate on them while autofocusing or miss knowing which area is sharp.

The ISO sensitivity for the 1000D maxes out at 1,600. Some critics flawed the camera for this, but we think that most people (or at least beginners) wouldn't use an ISO setting beyond this unless they are shooting fast moving subjects--these are shots which require faster shutter speeds that typically comes with higher ISO sensitivity.

Metering wise, the shooter comes with evaluative, partial and center-weighted average. It lacks spot metering, which is useful for tricky lighting situations such as backlight or scenes with high contrast.

Unlike its competitors such as Sony or Olympus which have incorporated sensor-shift image stabilizers (IS) into their camera bodies, the 1000D relies on optical IS for sharper shots. The shooter comes with an 18-55mm F3.5 to 5.6 IS-enabled optics, but to enjoy this feature on other lenses, it means you'll have to dig deeper into your pockets for Canon's premium.

To keep the footprint compact, the 1000D utilizes SD/SDHC format media to store images. Canon also claims that it has increased the capacity for the Lithium-ion battery to allow more shots to be taken.

Performance

The 1000D goes from power off to first shot in less than 0.2 seconds, and this speedy performance is quite impressive. But note that we did the test with manual focus, and the time may be slightly longer in autofocus mode.

Focusing was fast and accurate most of the time, except on occasions where the shooter was faced with bright foreground/background and tended to focus on that instead of what we wanted. But this can be easily overcome by manually selecting the focus point.

The metering system was spot on for all our shots, balancing exposure well for both highlight and shadow regions so there were still details in these areas.

The IS lens that came with the camera did well, too. We were able to shoot sharp pictures at 1/4 second under dim lighting conditions.

According to the specification sheet, the Lithium-ion battery for the 1000D can take up to 600 shots, but this figure is dependant on your usage. Activating Live View will definitely reduce the number of pictures you can take. We used this feature sparingly over a weekend and managed about 200 shots before we drained half the battery.

Image quality

Canon's dSLRs have always been known for their image quality and low noise level at high ISO sensitivity. It is also this aspect where the 1000D shone.

At ISO 100 sensitivity, we will say the image is virtually clear of noise, even in the shadow regions. We detected only a very slight hint of digital artifacts in the grey area in our color charts, and you really have to scrutinize the image to see them. From ISO 200 to 400, the noise suppression algorithm did its job well and the pictures looked clean, too. But what we were impressed with was that details were not smeared and a 100 percent crop looked very decent.

Once we boosted the ISO sensitivity to 800, we realized the image was a tad gritty but passeable for printing large pictures. We cranked up the sensitivity one more notch to ISO 1,600, and found the noise suppression algorithm working on a delicate balance to retain details and reduce noise. While the image was quite grainy, we could still make out fine lines. Most cameras' noise reduction system would favor lesser noise and compromise on the rendition of details, but the 1000D managed a good job to keep both aspects in check.

The camera can capture RAW format as well, and this gives photographers more control during post processing on the computer. The company provides Canon Digital Photo Professional with the shooter to convert RAW files to more common formats like JPEG and/or TIFF.

Conclusion

The EOS 1000D is a very capable shooter for novices, and the image quality is, as per Canon's standard, superb. However, the build has a lot of rooms for improvement and we hope to see the next iteration work on this aspect. Canon has been known to create some really fine cameras, and for its first budget dSLR, the company is on track (though we want to see more features).

Priced at S$1,099 with the lens, the 1000D is one of the lowest-priced dSLRs on the market currently. Other worthy (and more affordable) contenders include Olympus E-420, Nikon's D40 and Pentax's K200D.