Home > Consumer Reviews > Canon EOS 450D Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

I have just received my new 450D (Body Only) from Amazon and must say what a fantastic purchasing experience. I have spent a couple of weeks reading reviews and other customer comments and after much thought took the plunge and I have to say I am not dissapointed !!!. First of all the price is the best you will find it online -I only went for the Body only as I already have a couple of lenses from my previous Canon 300D. The camera was ordered on Friday morning and I had it in my hand by 12.00 on the Saturday !!!. The camera itself is fantastic with it feeling smaller than my previous 300D but certainly punching alot more. The 3" LCD is a welcome addition with the increased size making things alot easier to view and with liveview gives a whole new dimensionto taking photo's with a digital SLR. Initial results have been great with crisp photo's but early days yet. Certainly worth investing in quality, fast lenses as the std lens Canon supply is not great. On the whole great camera, fantastic quality with excellent results. Cannot fault the service from Amazon !!!

I had a EOS 300D and wanted to upgrade. Initially I bought a Canon EOS 40D Digital SLR Camera - Body Only, although not from Amazon. Its advantages are the much faster burst rate (6 fps) and more versatile controls on the rear of the camera, which make it easier to select AF points. It also feels substantial and beautifully made. The downside of the 40D is that it's a lot bigger and heavier than this camera--which although it's made of plastic still feels very well constructed. Since my 40D was faulty I returned it and ordered this instead. It gives me everything I want. Spot metering is a really useful option (which wasn't there on the 400D, but is there on the 40D) and (upgrading from the 300D) the AI servo focus mode for moving subjects makes a huge difference. Live view works really well. It takes a bit of digging to enable it in the menus, but once you've done this if you want it at any time you only have to press 'select' to activate it, and then the * button to focus. I find the 450D almost impossible to distinguish in image quality from the 40D, but both are much more crisp and contrasty than the 300D, and I really feel happy about upgrading. If I was really trying to fault this camera I'd say it's just a fraction _too_ light when attached to an L series lens (though it isn't in any way flimsy, and with EF-S lenses it balances much better), and it's a pain that my old batteries and CF cards don't work with it; but those are the only respects in which I hanker after the 40D. Unless you really need the machine gun speed of the 40D's burst mode for serious sport or wildlife photography I would recommend this camera instead.

This was bought an upgrade for my 400D mainly due to the updated sensor and Liveview. While I checked out the camera I was impressed with the improvments, especially the rear screen. Liveview is also excellent, although mainly for use for macro or tripod based shots ( it isnt designed to be used as per a point and shoot camera ).

I had no focus problems at all and focus was quick and accurate.

Unfortunately the sensor had rather too dust spots or debris to be acceptable in a brand new camera, in fact it was worse than my 2 year old 400D. So I had to return it to Amazon for a refund. Amazon were as always excellent to deal with and I have been refunded.

I will be buying another 450D tho, it has not put me off what is a technically excellent camera and I would definitely recommend one!

Mark

Purchased the Canon 450D from Amazon, thrilled to bits with the camera and very pleased with the service from Amazon. The camera ( body only ) does what it says on the label and it works a treat with the Canon lenses I already possess. If you want an excellent camera buy this one, brilliant.

The 450D is almost exactly everything I was expecting. Moving up from the 300D that had served me well I knew my way around most of the knobs and buttons and was pleasantly surprised by the improvements as well as the increased spec.

My one and only disappointment is the so called 'Live View' feature which has not lived up to expectations in that it most certainly is NOT the same as digital compacts with their live active viewfinder screen. It has some serious limitations if you use 'Live View': you completely lose autofocus for 'point and shoot' amongst other things and it is a rather clunky image. So you have to invent a 'work around' in order to make some sensible use of that feature. I now rarely use Live View at all. For me it is a limited gimmick. But that's just my "view".

Overall it is is still a brilliant piece of kit that has revitalised my interest in digital SLR photography when compacts also have been getting so good and competitive.