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Natalie Hitchins is news editor of What Digital Camera magazine and a former editor of Digital Photographer. Here she picks the best of the huge array of digital SLR cameras. Click to view Top 5 Digital SLRs.
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Best for Entry-level Users (Canon EOS 400D) |
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 Compact, high-tech and oh-so-easy to use, the 400D is the ultimate first-time buy for the quality-conscious snapper. The camera packs in a whopping 10-megapixels, compatibility with top notch lenses and a whole host of gadgets including automatic sensor cleaning and a super-bright LCD screen. |
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The 400D is the latest upgrade to the world’s most popular digital SLR camera, the 350D, and was released in October 2006. Dramatically reworked to feature a raft of top specifications and seamless ergonomics, the 400D represents the foundation camera in market-leader Canon’s professional SLR camera line-up.
Thanks to its user-friendly ethos, the camera is as at home in the hands of novices as it is hanging around the neck of adventurous professionals who need a compact and reliable shooter. Indeed, the 400D is packed to bursting with the same powerful technologies that drive renowned high-end beasts such as the Canon 5D and EOS-1D Mark II. |
Image conscious shooting |
 As is fitting for a camera of the 400D's heritage, experts from across the industry have been effusive in their praise for the latest EOS SLR. “The EOS 400D turned out to be everything we expected it to be; a progressive upgrade to the already hugely successful EOS 350D,” concludes DPReview.com's Phil Askey. “For image quality was just as good, with plenty of detail, low noise and sophisticated noise reduction at higher sensitivities and well balanced, and thanks to PictureStyles predictable, color and tone.”
Taking a more in-depth look at the 400D reveals some awesome power and usability at its core. A Canon CMOS sensor and expanded 9-point AF system ensure stunning images, and the camera’s noise reduction system is extremely effective even in low light conditions. A highly sensitive f/2.8 centre point provides exceptional performance, guaranteeing perfect results for novice users. Summing up the tide of opinion on picture quality, Michael Roscoe writing for PhotographyBlog.com says, “Image fanatics will concur that the 400D offers superb value for money and its image quality is excellent with accurately reproduced colours.” |
Style as well as substance |
 But it is the 400D’s design that truly recommends it for new SLR users. The camera’s 2.5-inch high-resolution LCD, nearly twice the size of its predecessor's, is the brightest in the EOS range and displays all key shooting and user interface information along with recorded images. On-body controls are large and easily accessible, simplifying the 400D’s wealth of options with responsive one-touch buttons.
Innovative features include a proximity sensor under the viewfinder eyepiece so the monitor shuts off when you put the camera to your eye. Clearly defined menu screens are simply displayed in black text on a white background, making it ultra-easy to read. What’s more, a highly skilled automatic mode, and several semi-automatic modes, are on hand to take care of all settings for users not ready to tackle full-scale manual settings. It all adds up to a highly attractive and well-rounded camera package, leading the experts at DCViews.com to conclude: “If you want the highest image quality, user friendly operation and sensor cleaning the Canon EOS 400D is your camera.” |
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 And we have to agree. The 400D is a superb all-round buy that offers easy access to the basics while providing enough high quality extras to help users grow in expertise. Our only niggle is the kit lens, which while versatile, is typically (for a bundled lens) not the highest class optical in Canon’s expansive line-up. This aside, and bearing in mind that the 400D is available in a cheaper body-only package, you’ll go along way before encountering a camera better prepared to help aspiring photographers realise their creative potential. |
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For an explanation of technical photographic terms click here
TYPICAL PRICES: Body only: £450 - £750 ($890 - $1480)
Lens kit: £475 - £880 ($940 - $1740)
To buy this product try one of the following retailers. They are competitively priced and reliable:
Amazon.co.uk - The UK arm of the giant online retailer
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