Extender Canon Eos

Extender Canon Eos

Camera 500D - Its A Step In The Right Direction

I consider myself to be more of a technophile then photographer. Every year I seem to pick up a new camera as the manufacturers add megapixels, more zoom, video, HD video, etc... to what I bought the year before at the same price point. I've picked up enough photography skills through out the years just playing with my new toys every year to have a moderate understanding of photography by now. Cameras are also utilized for part of my job where resoulution, zoom, and ability to get quickly on target is important. The advances in technology just in the last 3-4 years are amazing in what you can do with a small camera and the price you pay to do it.

That being said the Camera 500D was my choice this year for my upgrade. (Last year was the Olympus E-510 which I got a great deal on as a year old model and the year before that a panasonic FZ18). Having the option to shoot both pics and video has been a big benefit for me at work and when shooting at home. The FZ18 is still my work staple although the now two years newer FZ35 is looking tempting. As far as what the panasonic bridge cameras can do in good outdoor lighting, it is very similar to what either of my DSLR's can do, and I would say the same thing for zooming outdoors. If you are looking for a great walk around outdoor camera to take daylight pics and video with I would recommend the panasonic series handsdown and you will come out several hundreds of dollars ahead. The upper level superzoom bridge cameras now have many of the manual functions the DSLR's do and do some nice burst shooting as well. Panasonic video is decent.

What a DSLR will give you is much better indoor, portrait, and lowlight shooting. It also allows you to better implement and use advanced skills. The trade off being the higher price of the body, larger size of the body/lens, high priced lens, flashes, etc.... No DSLR accessory is cheap. The DSLR will also require you to better understand photography and especially depth of field, shutter speeds, etc...

The Camera 500D is a nice camera with a beautiful screen and easy to understand menu. The kit lens I would say is just OK. The build quality of the camera body (based on feel in the hand, heft, and visual inspection) seems better then the entry level Nikons and Canon XS, but my E-510 seems to be a more solidly built unit. Ditto for the kit lenses with neither brand of kit lens being all that great, but I think the Olympus lenses take better pictures. However more lens options exist for the Canon both from Canon and third party sources. As Amazon had a good package price at the time I purchased the Camera 500D, I also picked up the 55-250mm IS lens, which I prefer over the kit offering. (I also have the basic 70-300mm Olympus lens which is similar in price to the Canon 55-250mm, and again appears to have a better build in the same price range.)

Indoors the Canon has a better ISO range then the E-510, but both take pictures that look very detailed and there is little if any noticeable difference betwen them quality wise in good indoor lighting or using the flash. Outdoors in low lighting the Canon beats the Oly. The Canon also has a better autofocus system and focuses better in low light. At zoom ranges I think the 5 megapixel difference is noticeable as the Canon with lens at 250mm resolves the same level of detail when fully zoomed as the Olympus does with the fully zoomed 300mm (basically a 400mm equivalent zoom vs. a 600mm, so I think that is impressive.) Both give you a better picture then the FZ18 when you hit the shot, but I think the auto mode for the bridge camera gives novice shooters more consistent results then the DSLR's.

Part of that may be when you get a good DSLR pic you really know it, and when you are just a little off it is easy to see it is missing that DSLR "pop". Those up close or zoomed "potraits" is where even a very new photographer will realy notice the difference when stepping up to a DSLR. That and the lack of picture noise due to the larger sensor. (If this is a family camera purchase and you plan on rarely using a tripod, I would always recomending getting either image stabilized camera body such as the Olympus or make sure you are getting the Canon IS lenses and not the ones without. It really does make a big difference in what you can do with the camera as a novice or amateur photographer.)

As a still camera the Camera 500D is an excellent choice especially if you are getting your first DSLR. If still pics alone are your primary concern though I would say you can get a less expensive DSLR such as the Xsi or E-620 and spend difference in price on better lenses. The Camera 500D is the same price as I paid for my E-510, the two kits lenses it came with, and the 70-300mm zoom lens. I know that some of the differences I mentioned above are due in part to the 2 model year difference in cameras and that those differences would be lessened in the less expensive current model year cameras.

Video however was one of the biggest reasons I went with the Camera 500D. There are just some moments that are nice to capture with video and audio rather then just still pics alone. That you can now have the ability to do that in a limited way, while getting DSLR quality stills is great. Carrying one camera is better then carrying two to do the same thing. I would rate the Camera 500D's video as OK for what it is. Indoors it does shoot with lower noise then a smaller sensored camera would, but the lack of lighting indoors still hurts it as it does all video cameras. I am not sure if a Canon camcorder hot shoe light would work on the Camera 500D or not. If it did I would give Canon props. Outdoors in good light it does better. Where the DSLR gives you a lot of variety in how you shoot still pics it is limited in being able to do the same thing right now with video.

A dedicated HD camcorder will still serve you better for taking shots of scenes in which the focus and range rapidly change and where you need to shoot long sessions at one time. The Camera 500D is not designed to shoot video for extended periods due to the generation of heat which degrades image quality and per the manual will likely give you an overheating warning after about an hour or so of extended use and I think may shut the camera down. (I think the same thing would happen if you set up the camera in live view mode for that long as well). So setting it up on a tripod to record say your kids basketball game is not what it is capable of doing. If you are like me though and find that most video you shoot of everyday events is only a few minutes long at most, this will work. I have been using the 720p video most of the time as the 1080 doesn't handle motion well. I also found that a class 6 card or better (again as the manual states) is a requirement for good 720p video. (a class 4 will work, but you will notice dropped frames and artifacts from its inabilty to keep up with the flow of data. The class 4 works for still shooting just fine although it may lessen some lengthy burst shooting).

I gave this camera 5 stars because you really do get a lot for what you pay. Yes it has limitations in the video mode but when you think about what you get for around $750 in this unit vs. what the same amount of money would have gotten you just 2-3 years ago I think it is a great camera. It takes excellent still pics, and OK HD video. If you have a DSLR that is 2-3 years old and are primarily interested in still pics, I won't say I would upgrade. And like I said above, even if this is your first camera and don't care about video there are less expensive choices for getting great still pics. If it is your first DSLR and you do want the option to do some videos (same with upgraders) there isn't anything better out there right now and this is definetly the way to go. Torn between this and an HD camcorder that will take still pics I would say that the video the Camera 500D shoots (with-in its limits) is a much better secondary option then the still photos a camcorder takes. I have taken a nice HD camcorder on a trip before and relied on its still pics and would have liked to have had what the Camera 500D offers over that, even when considering the larger size of Camera 500D.

About the Author

You Can See My Lens for Canon EOS 500D at www.squidoo.com/Camera500D-T1i

For more great tips and necessary information on similar topics by the author, read his guides on EOS500D.ueuo.com

Just bought a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, where can I buy accessories?

I'm looking for things like the eye extender, cleaning kit, etc. Not for lenses or flashes. Where can I shop online or in the US for accessories?
I bought it from Dell, they don't seem to sell accessories. I'm looking for specific answers, not to be told to ask someone else.

Hi BG. As specific as I can be... two of the largest photo related businesses are Adorama and B&H Photo. Google them and you will find all the accessories you need for your XT... BTW: Nice camera!!! Thanks for reading.

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