Canon EOS 500D

Recommending a DSLR camera over its immediate predecessor is not usually practical. Most of the times, the new features or the improvements in performance are not significant enough to warrant an upgrade. And considering the prices attached to these cameras, upgrades in camera bodies don't usually happen on a whim. Can the EOS 500D possibly feature enough to be an exception? That's what we're going to find out.

Build
At first look, the EOS 500D seems quite similar to the 450D, but on closer scrutiny you'd notice some of the newer features like the new movie mode on the top dial. More on that later.

Most of the buttons required during a shoot are placed on the right, but just like in its predecessor, the placement is not exactly optimized for a single handed shoot. But of course, shooting with one hand is not really recommended for DSLRs, so there's no cutting points for that.

The handgrip is a bit too small and cramped for my taste, so even though I do get a good grip of the camera, it's not exactly very comfortable. That said, I like the idea of the AV button placed right next to the screen, which helps in changing the aperture size without much finger-yoga.

The screen is nice and big in its 3-inch glory and the best part is that the live view on it is extremely functional now.

Though it isn’t much different in design and build quality from the EOS 450D, it is still strong and sturdy with functional physical features.