Canon 400D

I was lucky to be able to do this review. We sold out of our stock on this camera in 24 hours, and we wont be getting more into the country until the end of October. It was disgustingly easy to sell, and I will tell you why.

It is very, very good.

Fresh from my disappointing encounter with the Sony Alpha, I was a trifle more wary with this model. This trepidation increased when I considered that while the Sony lacked somewhat in overall clarity, it did have an image stabiliser system and the 400D did not. Added to that, both systems have an anti dust system, but the one on the Sony was discovered to be nothing more than a gimmick.

So, why am I happier with the Canon than the Sony? It comes down to a few crucial things in the end, but I will get to that later.

First of all, the statistics. What does the camera have going for it?

The camera has a whopping 10.1 megapixels, which has swiftly become the standard for an SLR camera. This is from a newly developed CMOS sensor in the camera – it is not using the sensor from the 5D downsized, as that is a full frame sensor designed for film lenses. It has the afore mentioned dust removal system, a 2.5 inch screen on the back and the obligatory slew of settings and modes. It also has an eyepiece sensor, that will turn the menu screen off when you raise the camera to your eye.

Also available in silver

The autofocus system is taken directly from the Canon 30D, a 9 point system that is more precise and sharply sensitive than the Konica Minolta/Sony 9 point array. However, it can be a little 'too' sensitive, picking up subjects that, on occasion, would be preferably kept out of focus. But this is the fault of the photographer, not the camera, and if I took the time to adjust the focus points (which can be done manually and very easily, like all SLR camera's) I would not have looked like quite such a dunce.

The viewfinder is adjustable and covers the greater majority of what the sensor picks up – a bit more than 95%, or so I judged. It conveniently shows you the shutter speed, aperture and exposure bracketing adjustment underneath the TTL (Through The Lens) image.

The camera is the same size as its predecessor, the 350D, or at least very close to it. Its controls are extremely similar as well, with pretty much the exact same layout as before. There is a single scroll wheel near the shutter release at the front for quick settings adjustment – however, I curse the fact that there is not a second at the back as I was expecting – I much prefer the two. It feels good, but not as good as a 30D, but that is hardly to be expected otherwise. The 30D is a behemoth compared to the 400D, a giant of a camera that looms imposing over its smaller cousin.

The metering mode is like its predecessor – centre weighted, partial and evaluative settings, still missing the spot metering mode that the 30D has. Around this time I began to realise that these omissions were deliberate – the 30D has less megapixels than this model, a 'mere' 8.2, but it does have a wide range of options that make it superior to the 400D – which makes sense, because otherwise the 30D would not get sold. So, enough comparing the two.

...another perspective

Looking at the back some more, there are settings for a wide range of camera features – one button presses to access, using either the scroll wheel or the direction pad on the back. Adjustable ISO, autofocus, white balance, metering, continual shooting, timed release, exposure bracketing, exposure lock and focus point selection. Quite a bit, in other words. A few buttons are marked in blue, and these are secondary functions when in playback or, in some cases, menu mode. Such as zooming or simply deleting photos.

On the side is an attachment (hidden with the video and USB out connections) to allow for a corded remote shutter. And you can get an infra-red one as well. There are also battery grip attachments for the bottom, allowing for extra batteries and increasing the size of the unit overall – in case you, like some people, find it too small.

Going through the modes on the top, there are the usual suspects – portrait, landscape, macro, sport, night and no flash, along with the highly simplified automatic mode. My opinion? These might make things a bit simpler for you in the short term, but I reckon that you should banish them from sight and mind and use the other modes – Program, Shutter Control, Aperture Control, Manual mode and Automatic Depth Perception. Maybe not the last one so much. The others are just what you need to get really creative, making shots you normally cannot get, getting your creativity going in ways not normally allowed. Instead of Auto mode, use Program mode. You will have more control over your results, and more opportunity to be proud of them. For night mode, use a tripod and Shutter Control.

On that note, why the hell do Canon designate their Shutter Control different from absolutely everyone else? 'Tv'? What the heck does that stand for? Is an 'S' so very intimidating?

Moving on...

The dust removal system is a bit of, shall we say, damn strange. It is a shake system, like the one in the Sony Alpha 100, where the sensor is vibrated to remove dust. Unfortunately, I hated this system. The logistics of it baffled me considerably. How do you shake off a weightless object brought in by static attraction?? Apparently, Canon thought the same thing. Their system employs an anti static field at all times, and the shaking itself occurs at a very high frequency – apparently this is much more effective. But what really makes this system a bit better is its 'repair' option. By taking a photo of a white background, you can assign the camera to identify points of dust and map them out for future reference. With supplied software, you can easily touch these points up. This is more roundabout than some would like, but the anti dust initial system is exactly the same as the system on the Olympus cameras, and it's the best you can get. The software system makes things a bit better again, meaning that this is the best dust removal system available. And no, this system is not foolproof, but in the world of interchangeable lenses and thrice accursed dust, it is very important that there is at least some defence against such an insidious plague.

Enough, Nemesis, I hear you cry! Get to the photos, damn you!