Canon EOS 450D 18-55 IS Kit

All buttons are within easy reach, each of the manual modes remembers the settings that you used last in that mode - not just blanket settings across all manual modes. The body is light, large screen that is easy to see even in bright sunlight, included kit lens (18-55mm) provides crisp images & if you treat yourself to a 58mm macro filter/adaptor it can produce some stunning close up images. Focusing is fast and quiet - the 9 AF points work well and on the whole the auto mode works well. I rarely change to a manually selected AF focal point. In some situations I do use manual focus - but mainly for macro shots. Auto white balance detection seems to work well, again I rarely use the manual selection and this is only if I'm using off camera flash with colour correcting gels etc. The custom user menu is a very useful feature that I use a lot....all the options that I use the most in one place - this can also be setup from your computer using the provided Canon software which makes it incredibly easy to setup. Battery life is excellent - even using the flash. I use the camera most days & can take around 250 shots over a few days before needing to think about charging again...I expect it would last a lot longer past this point. I have also used the camera with a Tamron AF 70-300mm LD Di Tele-Macro lens this is capable of some great photos, but the lens is not as crisp as the kit 18-55mm lens. Despite saying that it is a nice lens and works very well with the camera - its as great lens for everyday shooting, particularly for nature etc If you properly compare the specs on this camera with others in the same price bracket, or even some of the other current Canon models (eg 40d), this camera provides serious power for the money & I would whole heartedly recommend it to anyone looking at getting a DSLR.

Bad may be a little strong - but here are a couple of fussy comments: The depth of field button is tricky to find....I find myself fumbling around trying to find it - I don't use it often so not too much of an issue. No proper auto focus in Live view mode - again not an option I use much anyway, but it would be nice. It would be nice to have some manual control over the built in flash - this is more a wish that a negative. I would also like to see a custom user program mode like some of the higher models have...that would be a very nice addition. I would also like to see a couple more ISO settings - what is provided is fine, I'm just greedy! My biggest negative comment is on the flash synch speed - the built in flash will only synch at 200, and the camera will not let you go faster than this. I also have an external flash setup with remote triggers and two different flash units that I use in manual mode - one of these synchs at 250 & the other at 160. It would be nice if Canon could half this or more and get the synch speed to 500 or faster - as far as I am aware this is the same for all current Canon models (although I may be wrong). One point on software compatibilities - I shoot in RAW and use Adobe Lightroom to manage/adjust my photos. It seems that the set picture style is not taken into consideration by Lightroom, so your colours/contrast can appear off at first. There is now set of beta released profiles for Lightroom 2 that does a good job of addressing this, but even still the colours are not quite the same as they appear in Canon's own software. If you shoot in jpeg, this is not an issue.

I bought this because I have a newborn and I want to capture the best pictures possible. My first DSLR and I grasped it straight away before even looking at the instructions with the automatic mode! My baby looked so gorgeous in the photos - the tone and textures really stand out. Packed with lots of features that I need to play with, but so far I just love the quality of photo compared to my compact digital camera. Particularly like the AF 9 point system which you can change to manual or auto and set the focus to any one of those points - just love it!!!!! Tried the automatic sports mode (for quick moving stuff) on a train passing by and it worked a treat!

The live view (so you can see on screen) takes ages to switch on (a few menus to get there). However, this is only because I'm so used to my compact digital camera. PLUS you can set up your own quick menu buttons to make this quicker, just haven't done this yet! Wish there was a help menu on screen to tell help newbiew into DSLR photography with all the various functions.

1. Very light, the whole package places no strain on my back. 2. It is set up to work straight away for an amatuer like me. 3. The Tamron lens is superb, it really suits what I want to achieve. In many ways the lens steals the show for me. 4. I feel that this camera will give me what I need as I progress into digital SLR. 5. The Handle for portrait with the extra battery is excellent, & makes the camera feel more substatial. 6. The 2 batteries seem to last forever. I have taken over 300 photo's at a time & I have not noticed any power loss at all.

1. The camera feels flimsy. I feel like I have to treat it with kid gloves. ( I do not know if this is true of all modern SLR's). 2. For the money the remote control unit would have just polished off the unit. 3. Also for the money a 16 GB card would have been the iceing on the cake. Over 2800 photo's at max jpeg resolution, this I had to buy seperately.

12m pixels; 3" screen; 3.5 fps; higher battery capacity; IS lens (as standard in package); ISO control more readily available; 'spot' metering; Highlight Tone Priority; easier menu functions. These are the good points that prompted me to upgrade from the 350D - which I rated as 'Excellent' - and they have all surpassed my expectations. Equally impressive with the 55-250 IS lens.

None apparent to date and none expected, bearing in mind that I am nothing more than an enthusiastic, keen, dedicated amateur and unlikely to push the gear beyond usable limits.

image quality is very good, easy to use, different picture settings are good.

didnt see any bad points about the camera

The most-used features are not buried in some difficult-to-find menu, but are easily to hand. Canon have made an excellent camera in the 450D, almost identical to the much more expensive 40D.

None really.

Pleasing to use

3inch LCD a big plus but it's a shame it gets smeary marks from pressing your face against it - could do with some kind of disposable. protective, see-through cover. Instructions book is falling apart already - could be bigger pages and better binding.

With previous experience with Canon EOS cameras, the move to Digital SLR was fairly simple. However, there is a great learning curve to understand all the features available which will take some time and will be "a voyage of discovery".

Up to this point there have been no bad points.

Good weight and size .large LCD screen, lots of features to help get best out of your photos, including Image Stabalizer,sensor/dust cleaner.easy display button shows detailed info. on every photo taken. like all the features, including the cd package to edit photosetc. Excellent once you've learned everything /most of what it can do.

some of the features ie.changing the brightness or raising the sharpness level etc. are buried fairly deep in the menue, could be more accesible.

The camera is quite light, the controls are conveniently placed for easy access. Overall an excellent camera.

I haven't found any yet.

Superb pictures, excellent build quality

Full auto mode is dissapointing, but once you override with manual settings things improve greatly!

Very easy to get used to. Speed of focus and ability to take a number of frames in a very short space of time.

Not compatible with the older EOS TTL flash guns. Download software package includes some items that are not compatibe with camera so trial and error is required to work out which of the programs to use.

I have upgraded from a compact digital and was very pleased that the various automatic exposure features helped me achieve "professional" effects without fuss. I also was pleased at the range (8) of diferent quality images one could take if media space is at a premium.

Nothing really.

Easy to get started. Quick start-up and image view time. Excellent large screen. Fast autofocus.

Live View is a big selling point, but not easy to locate or set up initially.

Light, easy to handle, very good on almost all the automatic features - rapid start-up. autofocus etc. Simple controls for more advanced settings, very intuitive and quick to change. Very good resolution. Image stabiliser is remarkably effective with telephoto lens.

Only fault so far is very occasional hunting on autofocus when going from one extreme to the other with a long lens.

The image quality is excellent, it is easy to use but as it is my first slr camera it is taking a bit longer to get used to.

Light weight (compared to my old EOS300)

High resolution sensor but I find that there is more 'noise' / 'grain' in the photo than with my old EOS300

This camera has got to be the easiest digital slr at the price, for intermediate "snappers" to use, my wife and grown up children can't leave it alone, super, thanks!

For the price, I would have liked a decent camera case, as standard, as for the camera, no critisism.

image quality superb.noise reduction at high iso simple best ever with the digec3 processor,fast responce.and use of functions.

live view,its totally useless without tripod.very slow.

big screen for quick reveiws. Allows settings to be rapidly changed

no protection for the screen. should be provided with protective film

The camera has just about all of the features and user defined choices you could wish for.

I would like to have seen more of the camera constructed from lightweight metal instead of some parts being plastic, but it is a minor point.

For an "amateur" who like to get a bit more out of photographky this is an ideal tool.

I'll need to buy aanother lens to get best value out of this camera.

Multiple features Good hand book with instructions Good value for money

slightly too heavey for day to day use

Really good camera with high specification, if you are looking at this sort of price range. Very good quality photos without too much hassle. Nice weight and very quick start up times. Battery life good too.

Not easy to get to grips with menu when trying to do anything other than auto photos..... but I'm new to digital SLR so it's probably not the cameras fault!!!

Intuitive menu and controls.

For a keen amateur, can't think of any.

fairly straightforward to use for everyday usage. its probably got too many features for me personally but i'm learning slowly(i'm a pensioner so i'm a bit slow with modern technology).otherwise i think it's an excellent camera.

have not encountered any up to now.

Good viewfinder info. Programs spot on. Manual settings inspire confidence and creativity. 400 photo battery life. SD Cards allows media swap from compact camera. So nice to get away from an impersonal LCD screen, to actually look at what you are photographing.

Have not found any yet.

easy to get started really impressed by the quality of photos and the range of options open to the photographer

haven't found any yet, though it is my first SLR camera so I'm still just enjoying the chasmic advantages over having a point-and-click digital camera.

Big screen, great image quality. Easy instructions and logical controls.

Maybe too light! But as it is not a professional camera that is a good point. As a woman I need a light weight camera.

size

build quality

a present for my wife - she used it right out of box to great effect, and it will now enable her to take more complex and challenging photographs over time. recommended

Easy to use, excellent manual.

This camera has all the features I wanted, without having to go through the menu in order to locate them. Most useful features surround the control button.

None

Both comfortable to hold & easy to use. The LCD monitor displays the camera's features very clearly which is a important factor to someone like myself new to an SLR/EOS. Having had a Canon A1 which I bought in The early 1980s and which is still going strong, I decided to go for a canon again & am delighted that I did. I haven't tried other makes of EOS SLR. but would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone.

I honestly have yet to come across any problems

Easy to use - clear settings and easy to navigate round the features. Light weight. Brilliant size lcd display so you can easily see your shots.

A bit hit and miss when taking photos of moving objects. On my non digital model and when placed on sport mode it was impossible to take a blurred picture. The same cannot be said with the digital one but if placed on general mode it does alot better.

fantastic camera

Purchased for my daughter's A levels,slight"overkill" with gadgets built in but a superb camera at a very keen price,even her tutor didn't believe what I paid for it.The only drawback,which all slr's have,is bulk. Otherwise,very,very pleased.

Like all slr's bulky,but still pretty light.

fantastic photo quality

not cheap

for a beginner with a DSLR, it's great. easy to use, and with plenty of settings for me to explore when I have learned more about them.

none really.

Lightweight. easy to use for newcomers to SLR like me. More advanced when I improve my knowledge and techniques. Versatile. I do like an SLR to see what I am taking a photo of. Good image quality

Perhaps too many settings to understand.

Light wieght allows me to use older Cannon lens

Lens supplied only of medium quality

large screen and simply to understand if its too technical switch to fully auto job done, inter changeable lenses very solidly made with a quality feel very pleased i purchased it

no live view on fully auto !!! or have i not found it yet

Great all round quality, and not too heavy!

Image files, .cr2 are not recognized by many photo editing programmes.

Excellent product. Takes great pictures.

Easy to use with many professional options

None

Lots of features (haven't used them all yet), but easy to start using from the box. Quick response time, so you don't "miss the moment". Can also fire off rapid series of photos, from which to choose the best at your leisure.

None as yet

An easy camera to use, the instructions are simple to understand and takes you through from basic operation to more demanding photography in simple steps.

Does'nt come with a case

Large screen Liveview Sensor cleaning IS lens included

liveview focussing issue hunts on focus @ 200mm with my Sigma 18-200mm

all

none

Easy to use and excellent value for money.  A good camera for the keen amateur photograher.

no really bad points

ease of use and quality product

pity they havent produced a CAMERA with anti shake ?

Light, compact and very versitile.

The camera lens mounting should be more universal to make it more compatiable with many other makes of lenses.

Ease of use, live view

Poor quality kit lens

All round excellent camera

None yet

Great upgrade from my 350D HDSD Card is great improvement LCD Screen is larger and much more useful than the 350D The live view function is great

None.

Excellent camera and lens.

Camera feels a bit light, but down to personal preference

Image stabiliser on lens

some learning involved to use it effectively

size

image quality could be better

Picture quality, Size.

1.6 crop factor. Noise at 400 ISO.

Love it. Easy peasy.

Not found any yet !!

Good size for those with smaller hands - More portable than other digital SLRs.

Not quite as good build quality as pre-decessors in this Canon range.

This camerea has a large screen and is Good for anyone who wants to start pgotography.

I have a little bit of a problem at night.

Light and compact for a SLR camera

Price of extra lenses

nearly everything!!!! its awesome!!!!

the image stabiliser is in the lens not the camera

Canon are simply the best when it comes to cameras slr...I have moved from the 350d to the 450d and it is sheer quality

change of memory cards from one modole to another

Spot metering on a non pro SLR. 12+ mega pixel

None

Ease of use, not difficult to upgrade from a film SLR

Haven't found any

Good- easy access to controls especially ISO and white balance.

None to date but looking for decent telephoto zoom lens

Fantastic Camera for Novice or enthusiast

None

great camera higly recommended, especially when price drops a little in the coming months. Does everything you would want from an SLR and is easy to use

none

brilliant features that enable maximum user control. manual option offers full user control. bundled software and lenses an absolute value for money.

very easy to use, good weight and alot of features to keep you entertained

nothing that should put anyone off buying a camera of this league at this price

So easy to use for a novice.

So many functions to get your head around

Everything about the camera is excellent, I bought it for a specific need (astrophotography) and I've found myself just using the camera for all sorts of photography in general.

In my opinion, nothing at all as I bought the camera knowing it would be fit for purpose.