Canon EOS 1000D

While the EOS 1000D seemed fully equipped at first, on closer look I did notice a few traditional features missing in the camera. There was no light sensor over the camera display to automatically turn off the screen when you got close to the camera's viewfinder. It may not be a very essential feature, but it is a good one nonetheless — something you learn to appreciate, once you miss it. Gone s the IR receiver from the front of the camera, so using a remote control (sold separately) for shutter release is out of the question here.

Spot metering has been taken away from this model, which may or may not be relevant to you depending on your usage. But on the other hand, the 1000D does offer a very useful 7-point autofocus. The camera shoots images up to 10 megapixel in resolution (3888 x 2592 pixels), making it more than sufficient for high quality A3 sized photos even after a bit of cropping. The Li-Ion LP-E5 battery bundled with the camera is the same one seen in the EOS 450D, and gives an impressive 700 shots (mixed with and without flash) on a single full charge.

The EOS 1000D bundles with an EF-S 18-55 mm lens without IS (image stabilization), but some vendors will gives you the IS lens as an option. I suggest you take that option. The slightly higher price tag will save a lot of your precious compositions from that dreaded hand jitter. The camera we got for review, however come with a standard lens without IS.

The color reproduction on the EOS 1000D is very natural, just the way I like it. There's no over-saturation of colors to please the casual users, but it doesn't give you dull lifeless images either. You get the perfectly natural color gradients without the 'happy colors'.

That said, I did notice the auto white balance being a bit warmish by default. This wasn't true for every kind of image, but in most cases I did feel that the images seemed a but warmer than usual. Of course this can be fixed by selecting the right white balance preset or setting it manually.