Canon EOS 500D Digital SLR Camera Expert Review

The Canon EOS 500D is without doubt, one of the most popular cameras on the market today and has been a runaway success for the company. It's capable of catching simply amazing detail in 15.1 megapixel resolutions and even has the added feature of full high definition 1080p video.

The camera is as versatile as a Swiss Army Knife and has the most amazing collection of features for the price. If you're looking for a camera that can do everything for around £500, this is it. The customer reviews about this product are a testament to its durability and build quality so you won't be disappointed if you jump in and get one.

Canon EOS 500D Front With Lens Canon EOS 500D Top View Canon EOS 500D LCD Screen

The 500D has an ISO range of 100 to 3200 which can be beefed up to 12,800 for when you're in a dark room and don't want to use the flash. It's two high speed settings H1 and H2 at 6400 and 12800 respectively means you can record excellent detail in all manner of light conditions. This makes the Canon absolutely ideal for shooting landscapes, fast-action sports and macro shots with great clarity and colour.

It's also a very useable camera and offers a high-resolution three inch LCD screen to check out your snaps, it even works well even on a sunny day. The anti-reflective scratch resistant coating on the screen offers a crisp, clear picture that makes shooting and playback a great experience. Alternatively you can use the 'Live View Mode' which puts the picture in to the visual feed view finder in real time.

As far as the manufacturer is concerned the key features are as follows:

  • Canon's DIGIC 4 Processor delivering 14 bit image processing
  • A 15.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor
  • A 3 inch Clear View LCD Screen with Live View mode and real-time visual feed view finder
  • A brilliant nine point AutoFocus (AF) system
  • The brilliant EOS integrated cleaning system to avoid dust build up
  • Full HD 1080p movie recording capability
  • An awesome 3.4 frames per second and up to 170 JPEG and 9 RAW images in burst mode
  • A High ISO capability for low light conditions

If you're wondering what these features are for then wonder no more, we'll go into it below.

Canon's DIGIC 4 Processor

The powerful DIGIC 4 processor is a lovely bit of kit that allows the Canon EOS 500D to be up and running very quickly which is a must for most photographers. It also means that users can review their latest snaps very quickly, almost instantly in fact. Very nice.

The 14 bit image processing produced by the chip is fantastic and produce super smooth graduations and very detailed, natural looking colours. It even powers the advanced noise reduction when shooting pictures with a high ISO speed.

15.1 Megapixels CMOS Sensor

Quite simply, the larger the amount of Megapixels there, the larger prints you can make. So having 15.1 million of them means you can use your photos to make massive posters with fantastic detail. You can crop your pictures too and still retain enough detail to print successfully.

It doesn't stop there though. The CMOS Sensor is just brilliant in low light and is capable of producing the most fantastic images with very little noise. Used in the right way, this camera is truly a capable beast.

3 Inch LCD Screen

920,000 dots on a 3 inch screen is pretty impressive we think and really helps when you want to check out a picture in detail and on-the-spot. The durable, scratch resistant LCD screen on the 500d is perfect and means you can see in high resolution what your shooting or reviewing.

You can also make the screen a live representation of what the camera is seeing which is very handy when you're taking pictures from awkward angles that you can't get your head in to. Of course the screen also means that you can show-off your super fabulous images instantly.

Nine Point Wide Area Autofocus (AF)

The excellent Autofocus on the Canon EOS 500D allows for quick, accurate shooting. The system uses nine points in the frame to help it focus which means it deals with off-centre subjects excellently. You can even manually choose your own focus points to make sure it's right. Of course you can set it to automatic which is fine for most uses.

You can use one of three AF modes to get your perfect shot. For very accurate focussing with fast aperture lenses, you can use the central AF point which has a very sensitive cross type sensor.

EOS, Canon's superb integrated cleaning system

Canon is renowned for its excellent EOS cleaning system. In a nutshell, the dust prevention system in the camera offers brilliant ways of saving your pictures from dust. The first is a sensor cleaning mechanism which sorts out the sensor for you. The second is the ability to map dust spots for removal with the included Photo Professional software. It's a brilliant way of keeping your images as sharp as the day you took the camera from its box.

RAW

The Canon EOS 500D comes with the comprehensive RAW image processing software, Digital Photo Professional (DPP). This provides great management and fantastic control of your RAW images. It's the perfect plug and play solution.

HD Movies

In the 500D's movie mode you can shoot amazing detail with full HD1080p. To save space on memory cards though you can opt for 720p or even VGA resolution to get the most from your card. With an HDMI connection you can link the camera straight up to your HD television to see the impressive results. It's a great feature of this camera and highlights Canons commitment to offering as much quality features as possible for the price.

3.4 Frames per second (FPS)

The 500D is capable of shooting up to 3.4 frames per second in continuous bursts (170 JPEG and 9 RAW images). This is brilliant for catching high-speed action and fast paced thrills.

Full EF / EFS / EX (Speedlite) Compatibility

As you'd expect, the camera is fully compatible with Canon's EF,EF-S and EX (Speedlite) series of camera lenses. If you've got old Canon lenses, you can be sure they'll work fine with the 500D.

High ISO for low light conditions

One of the best features of the Canon EOS 500D Digital SLR Camera is its capabilities in low light conditions. Offering an ISO range up to 3200 which is expandable to a massive 12800, you can be sure you'll be able to capture that one last picture as night falls.

Used in conjunction with the camera's picture style settings such as landscape, portrait, neutral, faithful, monochrome or even one of the three user defined settings, you'll find you can get some absolutely astounding results and retain fantastic control over your images.

We love a lot about the Canon EOS 500D and we think it's one of the best cameras in its class. It looks stunning and feels great in the hands which is the first thing you want. After that, it's an endless list of top-class functionality and usability that performs as well as cameras worth three times as much money.

All in all, for the price the Canon EOS 500D Digital SLR Camera is an excellent buy and one that will last you for years to come. You have to ask yourself, what more do I want for around £500? You can check out some of the customer reviews we've received about the 500D here or have a look at some accessories here.