Canon EOS 450D / Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera - Black (Body Only)

Being novice in photography, I was a bit reluctant to spend that amount of money on the Canon 450D. But to my amazement I haven't been disappointed at all. In my opinion it is by far one of the best entry level DSLR camera.

It has a massive 12mp resolution and a huge 3 inch LCD screen.

The plastic outer shell has a refined finish and there's some textured areas on the hand-grip and thumb-rest on the rear of the camera.

Like most entry-level DSLRs the EOS 450D provides a number of auto shooting modes aimed at beginners, including portrait, landscape, close-up, sports and night portrait and flash off choices. All of these functions performed adequately in all aspects, apart from the close-up macro mode that did not come near to offering a true 1:1 reproduction (you'll need a dedicated macro lens for that). There are, of course, manual and semi-automatic modes for users who want more advanced exposure control. Canon refers to these advanced operations as the 'creative zone' and provides all the normal settings including Program, Aperture and Shutter Priority and the full manual mode. Additionally, they provide the 'A-DEP' (Automatic Depth of Field) function that gives a wider depth of field between a near and far subject.

In the creative zone (From 'p' upward to 'A dep' mode) you can use the live view mode, whereby you can look at the subject that you are about to photography through the screen. In the basic mode (from 'full automatic' down to 'flash off' mode) you can not see via the LCD and you would need to use the eye piece to take a picture. But you don't buy DSLRS for basic modes anyway, you have the point and shoot cameras to do that.!

Once you have captured a photo, the Canon EOS 450D has an average range of options for playing, reviewing and managing your images. More information about a captured image can be seen on the LCD by pressing the DISP. button, which brings up an image histogram and all the shooting Exif data, including shutter speed and the time and date it was captured, with a second press displaying an additional RGB histogram. It is simple to get a closer look at an image as users can zoom in up to 15 times, and it is also possible to view pictures in a set of nine contact sheet. You can also delete an image, rotate an image, view a slideshow, protect images so that they cannot be deleted, and set various printing options. Unlike some competitors, there are no digital styles or effects that can be applied to an image after it has been taken - the more subtle Picture Styles are the only way of tweaking your JPEGs in-camera. The camera shows you a preview of what the effect will look like when applied, and the effect is applied to a copy of your image, thus preserving the original intact.

The Canon EOS 450D looks and feels more expensive than it is actually is, and is certainly solid enough for an entry-level DSLR.

In summary the Canon EOS 450D is an all-plastic but well-built, intuitive and very responsive DSLR that makes an excellent camera even better. The only notable fly in the ointment is the Live View mode, which will appeal to more experienced photographers who require technical control, but probably not to the user who wants a point-and-shoot experience via the LCD screen.

For a beginner like me in 'proper' photography, this one is excellent. It cover the basic I am familiar with in most mid range compact digital camera plus some techie camera stuff that I need to get used to.

If, like me, you will want to do all sort of photography, be warned, the 18-55m lens will not be enough. You will, at some point, notice that some indoor shots are spoilt by bad lighting despite the excellent built in flash. To overcome this would require an external adjustable flash unit ... at a cost of some £130! There are a range of lenses to suit all needs though, not all budgets! This is a starter model. For the perfect result you will need loads of extra kit. For that, you should budget way above the asking price of the base camera and 15-55 lens.

Getting focus right in auto focus mode is quite tricky. It is easy to have the camera focus on the wrong subject ruining your desired result. On the plus side, when it is right, and that should be, most of the time, the sense of depth is incredible.

The weight with the 18-55 lens is manageable. The burst shooting grabs some excellent results.

Now, as I understand it, the 'rebel' is a slightly cut down version of the 450D. I believe it lacks such things as wireless technology which is a shame. I think I can manage without for now.

Shop around, the price varies loads, you could save over £100 on exactly the same kit.

What this is not is a convenient camera for the beach. If you need that, get a compact. With this you will get near studio quality photographs. Send off to one of the online printers for best results.

This was my first step toward DSLR having got a box full of 35mm bodies, lenses & bits from yesteryear.
I am not disappointed. The Rebel T21/EOS 450D depending on which country you buy it in has been replaced by the 550D in the UK. For me the 12.4M pixel sensor is fine. It sports a set of Advanced Exposure modes, Fully Automatic & Easy Automatic modes to play with whilst familiarising yourself with its features. Shipping with a 'kit' 18-55mm canon EF-S IS lens is a good starting point. Takes SD mem card. Easy to use, customisable menu. I found the auto switch off of the cam menu as the eye approaches the viewfinder sometimes confusing. Live View precludes auto focus video I believe. Good little flash built in. My first few experiences are of taking pics of items to sell on Ebay & so far they have all sold!!
Would def recommend as a starter DSLR (the 550D has a 18.some mega pixel sensor & I can't spot the fiff in images when side by side on my OC)
Get a few add-ons, (prime 50mm f1.8 lens & maybe the 50-250mm zoom & you have a full range kit. I have yet to try more imaginitive stuff - but so far am well impressed!!

I recently decided to go to digital after falling in love with photography using my Dad's old film camera. My Dad already owns the 400d and I've used it and found it takes some great photos.

However, when it came to me buying my first DSLR I decided to go one step up from my Dad's and get the 450d complete with the 18-55mm IS kit lens. This camera is great! It has all the charm and fantastic features of the 400d with a good few more. The first thing I love is the fact that canon have gotten rid of the 'delete all' option when you press the delete button. I have many friends who have suffered brutally from accidentally selecting this option, on previous cameras, but now it's gone (Yay!).

The 450d feels good in your hands, although those with big hands, such as myself, may want to invest in a Canon BG-E5 vertical grip (or equivalent, as canon's is a little pricey) to give a more comfortable feel. It's also a good weight but not too heavy so it's nice and portable.

The addition of the ISO button on top is another very useful little thing. This allows you, with great ease, to change the ISO setting (Auto or 100-1600) even whilst looking down the view finder.

The larger 3" screen on the 450d is a delight and the added feature of live view (although not my favourite) is useful for getting the focus just right when the camera is on a tripod.

The 18-55mm lens kit has image stabilisation (an improvement on previous models lens kits) which helps in getting the image you want without camera shake. However, buying a 50mm f/1.8 canon lens at just under £80 would be a good call for anyone buying this camera.

There are very few things I dislike about the Canon 450d, but one of them is the built in flash. Built in flashes are notoriously bad and this one is no exception, my solution. I just don't use the flash. It's fine if you want to snap some pictures at a party but if you're looking for a flash that will be useful in creating artistic photographs, this is not it.

In short, it's a great camera and you wont be disappointed!

This camera is my first slr camera since the days of dark rooms and a 35mm film slr way back in the early 90s. Back then my camera was a cosina PM-1 with the standatd lens.

Things have moved on quite a bit since then with the advent of digital cameras. With the array of point and shoot then print from your computer/printer at home cameras you can get now it is pretty easy to get into photography. Or so I thought. I have had a few compact cameras since digital cameras came out from a 3mp at the beginning to a 14mp pentax recently they all seemed great at the time but when I wanted to make a print they came up short compared to the snaps I had taken almost 20 years earlier. I decided to go for a Digital slr. After asking around and reading reviews I went for a Canon 450d.

As an entry level slr it is fantastic. The mode dial has settings you would find on a compact camera from full auto to portrait, landscape etc. The results you get from these settings are brilliant compared to your average compact camera. For the more creative the mode dial has settings from full manual to programe these settings can be manipulated to suit your needs.

The kit lens is fantastic it has image stabilization and auto focus both of which can be switched off. I got a UV filter for it mainly to protect the lens but it also helps keep colours looking natural. The camera has live view and it takes an sd card things I have used on my compact cameras so it is easy to get used to. The camera itself is quite light and its not as big as I thought it would be.

It is a real pleasure to work with producing fantastic images every time.