Canon's position at the entry level DSLR market has not been like the firm hold they have on the top end but that does not mean they are willing to leave it at that. The new Canon EOS 1000D is a sign that Canon means business and we found it to be an excellent choice for any budding photographer who wants to follow the Canon EOS system.

Look and Feel
The layout is identical to the Canon EOS 450D with the only obvious difference being the smaller LCD (2.5 inch on the 1000D against 3 inch on the 450D), the missing eye-start auto-focus and the simpler grip - this includes the missing thumb grip near the LCD. With the new grip more simple and smooth, it provides adequate hold without giving you too plastic a feel. While some may prefer the more weather resistant grip of the 450D, many of the ladies from the office preferred the smoothness of the new grip.

EOS 1000D versus EOS 450D: Direct Competition?
Before the EOS 1000D came out, there were much talk about it being a replacement EOS 400D or that it might be significantly inferior to the EOS 450D, and if not, then a competitor. Well, at first glance the two cameras may look very familiar but it's obvious that Canon put much thought in the design of the 1000D and its placement in the market.

When the 450D replaced the 400D, it was obvious that a vacuum has been left behind that Nikon, Sony and other brands were very quick to exploit. However, keeping the 400D with its older technology was no solution and hence the introduction of the EOS 1000D. Cheaper than the 450D, the 1000D is not an inferior model but more of a standard entry model. It simplifies the focusing with its 7-point AF rather than the 9-point AF system of the 450D to make it easier for the first time user to explore. In most case, the buyer of the EOS 1000D will not be particular about the difference between the two AF systems.

The more than adequate 10.1 megapixels CMOS sensor will provide excellent quality images even for printing up to A4 sizes and quicker save times between images as well. So much so that when using continuous shooting mode at 3fps, you could take a maximum burst of 514 JPEG images. That is almost long enough for you to continuously shoot an entire 3 minute round of a boxing match.

The display-off sensor is one of the extras that are not included with the EOS 1000D. However, other than potential power saving, it is unlikely to make you feel deprived - ask the owners of any other Canon DSLR.

The Nikon D60 killer?

When first hearing about the EOS 1000D, the idea of a "cheap" DSLR to undercut the Nikon D60 comes to mind. This was not what Canon was thinking though. They looked long and hard at the competition and identified a few areas that are crucial to the success of a true entry level DSLR - Compatibility, Ease of Use and Affordability.

The success of the Nikon D40 and D40x cannot be questioned but one of the major complaints from new owners was about the limited range of lenses that they could use, this of course applies to the D60 as well. The EOS 1000D is compatible to the full range of EF and EF-S lenses from Canon so you won't have to worry about what works and what doesn't. Furthermore, if you are using it as a lightweight second camera on travel, you can be confident of your full arsenal of lenses at your disposal. This is even more important when you think about how many photographers are keen to invest money into their lenses rather than "upgrading" to a "better" model. Sure, sometimes the new camera really has something which you need to upgrade for but why upgrade when you haven't tested the limits of what you've got? The EOS 1000D is a solid camera that you grow from.

Ease of Use is really something that cannot be overstated. However, we will not start any arguments on which system is better and more user-friendly. Let us focus instead on Live View. Most users of point and shoot are bred to using the LCD. While the viewfinder of the DSLR is the holy path to photography sainthood, Live View has its attraction in shooting as well. This is especially true when applied to those who are making the transition to DSLR so that they can get better image quality while sticking to Auto mode.

At the first look at the price tag, there may be an outcry about what Canon construes by affordability but if you look closely, you may see why. Priced somewhat between the Canon EOS 450D and the Nikon D60 (at time of writing), what Canon has effectively done is reduce the cost of entry to the EOS system. There is obviously a mindset over at Canon that the EOS system is better than the Nikon system, especially at lower end cameras and that the only barrier is the higher price of the Canon 450D. Therefore, by delivering close to the same level of camera functionality as the 450D, they expect the compatibility and ease of use factors to more than compensate for the now not-so-higher price to the Nikon D60 and other entry level DSLRs.

Canon 1000D ISO Test

With ISO sensitivity very much on par with the Canon EOS 450D, we can see that the EOS 1000D matches it with high image quality from ISO 100 to ISO 400. While noise is more obvious at ISO 800, the image is still very much usable before significant noise at ISO 1600 degrades image quality. Canon maintains a very healthy noise handling on the 1000D mainly thanks to the same DIGIC III processor as in the 450D.

Canon EOS 1000D: Revolutionary 4-digit model?
Well, as much as we like the Canon EOS 1000D, we can't see it causing a huge stir as there are no bells or whistles on this camera to make it really stand out. What it does offer is what you would expect from a Canon EOS DSLR and at this new price point, there will be many more who would consider joining this biggest family of DSLR users.

Canon EOS 1000D Test Shot Gallery