Coming soon - Canon EOS 450D

Coming soon to the market, not to my collection (I'm a Nikon guy, remember...?).

Anyway, this is Canon's newest entry to the "entry-level" DSLR segment. These days, entry level DSLR's can run circles around the professional film SLR's of the heydays. The 450D is most likely the replacement of the 400D, and ups the megapixel market by offering a 12.2 megapixel resolution. Now, this may look good as a Marketing Flash, but as I have mentioned before in the past on the Nikon D300, more megapixels doesn't necessarily mean a good thing....

So, what's new and great about the Canon EOS 450D (known in some parts of the world as the Digial Rebel XSi)? Here's a short list:-

Marketing flash : New Canon 12.2-megapixel CMOS sensor
Why it's Hot : Ability to crop out unwanted elements and still end up with a useful picture that can be developed. If you want to make posters, more megapixels is what you're aiming for....
Why Not : More megapixels = more storage space. Now your huge 1GB memory card doesn't seem so huge anymore, does it? Sure you can downsize, but if you want to shoot in RAW, you'll have to shoot at the native resolution of the sensor. More megapixels with same chip size will mostly result in higher image noise, unless sensor technology increases in this field as well....

Marketing flash : 14 bit A/D Converter
Why it's Hot : You'll potentially have smoother gradation between colors. More bits = more colors in between. Imagine the difference between a set with 12 color pencils vs 36 color pencils - you have more shades of color with more color pencils.
Why Not : Nothing wrong here, except maybe this would be more helpful if the dynamic range of the camera were wider.

Marketing flash : Auto Optimization
Why it's Hot : The features of the prosumer digital camera are now finding their way into DSLR's. More and more Automation is being introduced, which takes away most of the hassle from the end user, who can stop worrying about exposure settings and focus on taking pictures.
Why Not : Takes away control from the photographer. Not such a bad idea, since not many these days know (or have the time) to fine tune the settings on the camera for each particular shot. In my case, I find it bad for skill to just point and shoot, leaving everything to the camera. Thankfully, you can turn this off if you want.

Marketing flash : DIGIC III Image Processor
Why it's Hot : Just goes to show that once you pick a name, stick with it. 20 years from now, who know's if we'll end up with DIGIC XVI or so. The heart of the camera, responsible for processing all that 14 bit data from that 12.2 Megapixel imaging chip and performing Auto optimization (ties in to all those above....). Assume it does things better than DIGIC II, so the idea is, if you like the old camera, you'll love the new one!
Why Not : None. Just hope that it lives up to all the hype!

Marketing flash : 3.5 frames per second, in bursts of 53 JPEGs or 6 RAW files
Why it's Hot : Never miss a shot. Useful for sports and models on a catwalk. Note you'll need a correspondingly fast lens, otherwise the slower exposure necessary to get a bright enough image will prevent the camera from firing away at maximum speed.
Why Not : Unless you have something moving reasonable fast, most of your shots will be almost the same (so you can play spot the difference). Also, memory card space goes down fast when you're firing away on all cylinders. Be sure you have reloads handy....

Marketing flash : Large 3.0-inch LCD monitor, with 170° wide viewing angle, superior viewing in daylight, and Live View Function.
Why it's Hot : Huge screen, plenty of detail. Good for making out if anyone blinked in that last group photo. The wide viewing angle will allow you to hold the camera overhead and shoot above the crowd (when coupled with the Live View function).
Why Not : If you use the screen often, you'll be draining the batteries, but then again, who keeps this on all the time? Just get a good screen protector so you don't crack this big screen.

Marketing flash : Fast 9 point AF system, can focus during live view.
Why it's Hot : Assume that it's faster than the old system. 9 points allow for flexibility if you're shooting off centered subjects or those that are moving about erratically. Ability to focus in live view mode makes it somewhat like those high end prosumer cameras.
Why Not : I'll trade you 8 AF points for 1 super sensitive and accurate, lightning fast, central AF point. I only use this 1 like 99.5% of the time....

Marketing flash : Compatible with compact SD and SDHC memory cards
Why it's Hot : Hurray! Can use High capacity SDHC's!
Why Not : Huh? Not so good if you're fully stocked with Compact Flash cards.

Marketing flash : Spot metering, external flash settings on the camera’s menu, and a new higher-magnification viewfinder
Why it's Hot : Spot metering allows for accurate metering from a small area, which is good provided you know what you are doing. Setting the flash from the camera will save you the trouble of juggling between the camera and flash. A high magnification viewfinder is good so you don't feel like looking through a long tunnel.
Why Not : No cons. Just need to know how to use them.

Marketing flash : EOS Integrated Cleaning System, Self Cleaning Sensor Unit, Dust Delete Data Detection
Why it's Hot : Added protection against dust, for those who change lens in the field
Why Not : No cons. Useless if you have only 1 kit lens....

Marketing flash : Picture Style Settings
Why it's Hot : Allows you to alter the look of you photos without processing on the PC.
Why Not : Better to post process photos on a PC, if you have the time, so you won't affect the original. Who has time to process photos on a camera, anyway...?

Marketing flash : Highlight Tone Priority
Why it's Hot : More detailed highlights (promised)
Why Not : Let's see how this squares up against the rest. Dynamic range has always been a weak spot of DSLR's, but to be frank, Canon's have always been quite good compared to the rest.

Marketing flash : EF / EF-S lens compatibility
Why it's Hot : Being compatible with EF-S lens opens up more options as opposed to the other Canon DSLR bodies which can only use the EF lens.
Why Not : 1.6X crop factor. Wide angle options are limited (not so bad if you're a wildlife /sports / bird photographer).

Marketing flash : E-TTL II flash metering system
Why it's Hot : Nowadays, TTL flash systems are capable of balancing their output power against the ambient lighting so as not to blow out the subject, and to provide a very balanced fill flash when shooting against the backlight.
Why Not : Auto focus assist using the built in flash (series of flashes), which may be more annoying than the continuous illumination for Nikon DSLRs.

Check out the official link over at : http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=16303

The Canon EOS 450D is scheduled to make its debut on April 2008, meaning you will not likely to see the camera before Q3 2008 unless you are very, very lucky. For those who are making an entry to the DSLR scene (and those who have not heavily invested in other camera systems), this appears to be an attractive choice indeed. It will be available body only or with a EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens for USD$799.99 and USD$899.99 respectively (note the Marketing 1 cent trick in full use!).