While Canon's 400D and 450D has impressed us with its solid performance as an entry level DSLR camera, we can't help but feel for what Nikon has done with its D40 and D60 where small size and lightweight has won the hearts of many first time buyers. The price tag will no doubt have had something to do with it as well. Therefore it's no surprise that Canon's R&D people finally meets market demands and gives us the Canon EOS 1000D.

Keeping the camera extremely lightweight at only 450g and without any compromises on its compatibility with the full range of EF and EF-S lenses, Canon's EOS 1000D is a camera that could easily act as your second camera without restricting you on your choice of lenses. This is one lesson which they have obviously learnt and improved over from the rivals. For first time users, this also has the great advantage of not having to worry about whether the lenses you are looking at would work with your camera.

With the reduced size of the camera, we were definitely wondering whether its performance has also been watered down. Going through the specifications, we were pleasantly surprised that the major areas which it seems to defer to its elder sibling, the 450D, are the sensor resolution and the LCD. The 2.5 inch LCD is understandable for its small, compact body, but this does come with the added perk of Live View. While the 10.1 megapixels CMOS sensor is more than sufficient for most photography needs, delivering enough details for A4 size prints.

The EOS 1000D's continuous shooting performance is phenomenal for a camera of its class. Capable of delivering burst speeds up to 3 frames, you can go on and on until you run out of memory on your card. This is in part thanks to the powerful DIGIC III processor that powers even the top of the range professional DSLRs from Canon. Memory should not be an issue either with support of the popular SD/SDHC memory card formats which most compact digital cameras also supports. Simply use the SD or SDHC cards from your old digital camera and you're all set.

The now very much "standard" EOS Integrated Cleaning System is also available in the EOS 1000D so you won't have to be overly concerned every time you change lenses. Furthermore, you can enjoy the same in camera image control of the 450D with the Picture Style presets in the EOS 1000D.

In some ways, the Canon EOS 1000D isn't really groundbreaking with its 10.1 megapixels, DIGIC III processor and sensor cleaning which its older siblings all boast. However, it is shaking up the entry level range of DSLRs by posing as a serious competitor to the Nikon D40 and D60. While our verdict won’t be out until we get our hands on this new camera, it does seem to us that this low cost version of 450D will give the D60 a run for it's money and give consumers another choice in the range of entry level DSLRs available.