Canon EOS 450D - Unboxing

After a few weeks of deliberation, comparisons, and reading reviews and discussions in forums, I went out and bought myself a new camera.  I had made a list of important criteria that the camera needed to meet:

• best picture quality (but within the budget below)
• take quick shots in succession,
  
• produce good quality photos (least noise) in low light conditions.
  
• manual control over the camera settings.
  
• lcd screen with live view capability (focus and shoot)
  
• Optical image stabilization
• good dynamic range capability
  
• within USD 800 to 900 price range
  

That said, I did not want one of those monster cameras that the pros use.  In addition, one of the things that played in my head was that I had an older Canon EOS 888, and although the body is no longer usable, the lens (38-76mm) was.

So with that said, I shortlisted my choices to two brands.  Nikon and Canon.  A big influence on my decision was the content I found at Digital Photography Review as well as in their forums.  In the end, I settled for the Canon 450D.   Based on the review (read it here), I came to the conclusion that the 450D was, overall, better than the other cameras in its class for the features I listed above (which include the Nikon D60, Olympus E-420, EOS 400D and Sony Alpha 350).  On top of that, it allowed me to continue using my old lens from the 888.

Canon EOS 450D.  This pic was taken with a Sony DSC-T5.

I went to the Canon store at Sunway Pyramid to buy the camera.  For USD 810, I got the following:

• EOS 450D body
  
• Kit lens (EFS 18 - 55mm IS)
  
• 4GB Toshiba SDHC
  
• Transparent LCD cover to prevent scratches to the 3" LCD
  
• Canon Bag
  
• EOS 400D Users Guide
  
• Tripod
  
• One year free membership to Ximplify (photo hosting site offering 500GB of space operated by Sun)

Below are photos of the EOS 450D, as I unboxed it.

Contents in the box included camera body, kit lens, power cable, charger, battery, USB cable, strap, manuals and guides, and Canon software.   The 4GB SDHC was not part of the box, but bundled by the Canon store.  This pic was taken with a Sony DSC -T5

Also bundled at no charge was the camera bag, which could fit the camera with kit lens, two spare lenses, and all the accessories that came in the box, the EOS 400D User Guide and 1 year complimentary membership to Ximplify.  This pic was taken with the 450D.

This tripod was also F.O.C.  This pic was taken with the 450D.

All in all, I felt I got a decent deal although not a great one.  I would have preferred a back pack and more discounts instead of the tripod, as I already have one.  The tripod itself doesn't seem as sturdy as it should, and felt cheap.  In fact, a screw was loose when I unboxed the tripod and I spent close to 20 minutes trying to put it back together.  The one item in the entire package that I felt had no value to me was the 1 year complimentary membership to Ximplify.  They charge around USD 50 per year, although the first year is free.  I didn't see the point to that as there are free alternatives out there like flickr and Picasa.

Having said that, I am still quite pleased with the purchase, overall.  As for the camera and the quality of the photos, some of the photos here were taken using the 450D.    The photos I took in my previous post was also taken with the 450D.  The pictures are excellent and I'm very pleased with it.

I'll share more pics as I put the camera to use and you can have a look at those pictures as I post them at Stolen Moments.  Do have a look there from time to time, and don't forget to come back for my next installation of My First dSLR.