Canon EOS 400D ( Rebel XTi ) / DIWA Awards review

DSLR kamere

Canon EOS 400D ( Rebel XTi ) / DIWA Awards review
By Matjaz Intihar / translated by: Joze Sveticic
Nov 7, 2006, 13:30

First impressions

It all started with the EOS 300D (That’s the Digital Rebel for you on the other side of the pond). It was the forbearer of all Canon entry level DSLR cameras and after reviewing it on e-fotografija.com, I added another, more personal review, showing that the camera still has quite a few shortcomings, meaning that the potential buyer would be quite disappointed with it if they didn’t think it through. To be more blunt – the 300D didn’t offer quite enough usability to make it the perfect camera for a more advanced amateur photographer.

It soon became known that a few features were simply locked out in firmware. Russian hackers soon overcame this, making the camera gain quite a few points in the usability department. Nevertheless - the EOS 300D was popular and interesting for one predominant reason - an unheard-of price. In 2003, no other manufacturer had a DSLR camera at a similar price point. The pet names* used both by the camera’s owners as by its critics were quite revealing, saying a lot about the camera and its usability.
(* Your humble translator wishes to apologise for being quite unable to convey the exact amounts of Slavic ridicule and disdain for all things unmanly, but in essence, the two most popular names would translate to “the silvery thingy” and “the plasticky thingy”. A few generations of using tank-like Russian cameras took their toll, it would appear.)

In 2004, the 300D got quite a bit of competition from other manufacturers who offered much the same quality for a similar price. This of course meant that Canon had to do something about it. They first started lowering the 300D price, and in the beginning of 2005, they announced a new camera. The technical specifications for the EOS 350D in press releases promised rather more bang for the same buck. And lo and behold, new customers appeared in droves. At the moment, the 350D is the best-selling DSLR camera. Nevertheless, it was replaced just before Photokina 2006. The EOS 400D is here. Interestingly enough, the EOS 350D will remain on sale for some time, with a lower price (about 100 EUR less than before). So, what features did the EOS 400D gain?

The expectations for the EOS 400D were high. This goes for me and the customers. When I finally got the camera, I immediately felt it had a higher value than the EOS 350D. This is especially true for the 350D’s black matte plastic body which was replaced with a smoother material. For that reason, the EOS 400D doesn’t suffer from white nail marks that were the 350D’s trademark, mainly because its small size meant that one's nails were always touching the body. Despite the different finish, the EOS 400D doesn’t feel slippery, as both the hand grip and the left side are covered with a non-slip coating. Furthermore, the thumb rest at the rear is covered in rubber. The shape remains very much the same as with the 350D, as do size and weight. However, shape, size and weight are all a matter of personal preference and say next to nothing about a camera’s quality. They do say a lot about usability. However, this is again a matter of personal preference.

Canon didn’t experiment much when it came to shape and size of the 400D. All the best features of the 350D were kept and a few were added, increasing the new camera’s value and competitiveness.

Canon EOS 400D

As mentioned before, the EOS 400D doesn’t differ much from the 350D when it comes to weight and size. The body is now deeper by one millimetre (127 x 94 x 65 mm) and heavier by 16 g (556 g). Despite the generously sized hand grip, it is initially quite difficult to get used to holding such a small camera. However, I think that most travel photographers will be very much of the opinion that this is a perfect camera for them due to its size. The diminutive weight of 556 g (including the battery) will also appeal to them.

While the two cameras are difficult to distinguish from the front and top (with the biggest indicator being the badge), the difference is easier to spot on the rear. The EOS 400D does away with the separate LCD, instead using only a 2.5 inch screen for displaying settings and captured images. Because an always-on display would be very distracting when looking through the viewfinder due to light spill, the EOS 400D has two IR sensors beneath the viewfinder. As soon as the eye approaches the viewfinder, it activates the two sensors, which in turn shut down the display. Pull back, and the display turns on again.

The buttons on the left side of the screen are now smaller, but they exude an air of quality. This all goes to show that the body underwent some changes, increasing the camera’s usefulness.

When the bayonet cover is removed, the mount seems huge. The camera is small in size, making the metallic bayonet mount seem that much bigger. The sensor used is an APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) size, so internal parts, particularly the mirror, seem quite tiny when compared to the opening.

The other buttons and functions on the front side are well known. To the right, there’s a large lens release button, with a depth-of-field preview button underneath it (also used as modelling light toggle when using an external flash gun), while the upper button raises the built-in flash.

To the left, there’s a small white light. I first thought that it is used as a focus assist light for low-light conditions. This is indeed true for some cameras, however, in this case the light is only used as a signal when using the self-timer. On the front side of the grip, there’s a piece of red translucent plastic. This is the IR receiver for the remote release.

The built-in flash raises high. In order to prevent red eyes, the camera uses pre-flashes.

The top side of the camera saw little change. Still very prominent is the program dial, used to switch between exposure programs. To the left of the dial, there’s the flash hot-shoe and the built-in flash underneath it. To the right of the mode dial is the on-off switch. Both the switch and its functioning were perfect to me. On the top end of the grip, there’s the control dial and the shutter release. Both the top and the front of the camera have well-placed buttons and clear layouts.

The same goes for the left, right and bottom side of the camera. On the left side, a rubber cover is used to protect video out, wired remote release and USB 2.0 ports.

The hand grip is now less slippery than with the EOS 350D.

On the right side, there’s only the CF memory card compartment door. At the bottom of the compartment is the card release button. In case your card gets stuck, press the button again and it’ll pop out just enough for you to grab.

The bottom of the camera has just two things – the metal tripod sockets and battery compartment door. In order to keep the camera small, the NB-2LH Li-ion battery is used.

The rear of the camera is filled with buttons and also has the large display. The layout is a bit cluttered due to the camera's small size. With the EOS 400D, Canon gave up the additional LCD screen used to display the main exposure parameters. This left the camera with the space for a bigger screen (the now standard 2.5 inch size) and two small infrared sensors below the viewfinder.

For this reason, the big TFT screen now displays shutter time, aperture, WB, exposure compensation, shots remaining, metering mode, battery status, custom functions, resolution, compression, focus points and focus mode. After the shot, the captured image is displayed with relevant information (which now include an RGB histogram) and camera settings. The screen is of course also used for reviewing and adjusting settings via the menu.

The left side of the camera saw no changes either. If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t read the manual, just remember that the depth-of-field preview button is used to activate the modelling light when using an external flash.

To the left of the screen, there are six buttons. The uppermost button is used for direct printing. Next there’s the button to turn the display on and off and to display information for the captured image. The third button is used to access the menu, with the fourth button used to jump between menu functions and images. The fifth button is used for image review, while the last one is used to delete pictures.

To the right of the button, there are nine additional buttons. The topmost button is used to set aperture in M mode (the button must be pressed while moving the control dial) and, in much the same way, to set the exposure compensation (+/- 2 EV). The second button is used to set the drive mode (self timer, remote release, burst (3 fps) shooting). Following that, there are four directional buttons used to adjust four settings - ISO, AF mode, WB and metering mode.

The central Set button is used to confirm changes of certain functions. However, with EOS 400D, it is no longer necessary to press the SET button to confirm changes made by the four surrounding buttons. Even if the camera is turned off, the settings will stay the same, providing an additional advantage compared to the EOS 350D, where every change had to be confirmed with the SET button.

The camera’s shape and ergonomics are a matter of personal taste. However, in entry level cameras, smaller cameras usually sell better.

On the right hand side, there are two easily reachable buttons used for exposure lock, focus point change or zoom in and out in image playback mode. The maximum amount of playback zoom is 10 x. Because of this, the camera display can be used to evaluate sharpness with its excellent resolution of 230,000 pixels.

To the extreme bottom right of the screen there’s a LED indicator for CF card activity.

To the right and above of the viewfinder is the dioptre adjustment button.

Features and performance

Many markings on the camera can be traced back to 1986 to the first two EOS cameras, 650 and 620. Digital-specific marks can mostly be traced back to EOS D30. Settings and buttons remain very much the same as with EOS 300D and EOS 350D. The only difference is a few more useful settings and higher quality of the buttons.

The EOS 400D has a new 22.2 x 14.8 mm CMOS sensor with an effective resolution of 10.1 megapixels. The sensitivity range goes from ISO 100 to 1600. The image is then processed by the DiGIC II processor, the same as is used in the professional cameras such as the 1D MkII N and the 1Ds MkII. The new sensor consumes very little energy, as does the DiGIC II processor. Using Canon’s CMOS technology and the excellent DiGIC processor, the image quality is very high even at high sensitivity. Also, by using a new noise reduction technology on the sensor itself and reducing the unused space between pixels, they achieved results that are very much comparable to those of the 350D, despite a higher megapixel count and smaller pixel size.

The kit lens remains the same – EF-S 18-55 mm, F/3.5-5.6 II.

For some years now, Canon has claimed that the final image quality, energy use and processing speed is very dependent on processors and their algorithms. They also claim that noise depends more on the processor than on the sensor. For this reason, it is quite clear why Canon focus on their DiGIC processor so much. In higher-end cameras, it is crucial to achieving high image quality. In lower-end cameras, it makes it easier to control the price/performance ratio.

Recording to CF cards can be done in both JPEG and RAW modes. The colour space can be set to sRGB or Adobe RGB. It is also possible to set the in-camera sharpening, tonality, contrast and saturation. Included are some additional settings for portraits, nature and the like, along with three user settings. Using the Custom functions in the menu, the Set button can be set to show this menu item, making adjustments very quick.

The camera also has B&W conversion with various filter and tonality effects. This is the equivalent to using filters with B&W film and then adding chemicals that influence the tonality in film development, such as sepia.

Both the top and the front of the camera have well-placed buttons and clear layouts.

There are several metering mode - evaluative with 35 fields, centre weighted average and a 9% "fat spot". As with all lower-end EOS cameras, the EOS 400D doesn’t have real spot metering. While such an omission seems odd in light of Canon’s expertise, there’s another way of looking at this. How many entry-level users actually use spot metering? Many photographers think that if most higher-end compact camera have this function, so should an entry-level DSLR. However, experience shows that to the average enthusiast, spot metering is not a very useful thing. Anyone who needs it and knows how to use it is demanding enough to buy a higher-end camera.

The EOS 400D is not meant for the demanding photographer. For this reason, Canon’s entry- and mid-level cameras often lack features available in their high end cameras. And another thing. The lower the price, the worse the AF system (the EOS 400D is an exception to this rule, using EOS 30D’s AF system) and light metering. To the experienced photographer, the meter is just an aid used to evaluate the light conditions. After that, the experienced photographer will adjust exposure manually in case of difficult lighting conditions. The amateur, however, will usually use auto modes, especially the evaluative metering. Those who are unsure about the correct exposure will use bracketing with three shots.

White balance options in the EOS 400D are no different to other cameras and include auto, incandescent, sunlight, flash etc, with an additional custom WB setting which is performed by taking a shot and then pressing a button which saves the optimal white balance for the shot. The EOS 400D also includes white balance bracketing with three successive shots, each using a different, preset white balance. Apparently, this feature is easier to add than real spot metering.

The viewfinder has a dioptre correction of -3 to +1. The viewfinder is very sharp due to the very fine focusing screen. However, due to the smaller mirror which reflects less light, it is darker than what we are used to in full frame cameras. Furthermore, the camera uses pentamirrors instead of a pentaprism, causing even more light loss and a smaller magnification. This makes the camera a bit lighter, but that's not much consolation. However, this is a way to make the camera cheaper. The enthusiast photographers rarely distinguish between the views offered by pentamirrors and pentaprisms. The viewfinder coverage is only 95%, meaning that the sensor will capture a bit more of the scene than is shown in the viewfinder. Viewfinder magnification is only 0.8x, making the image noticeably smaller than it would be in a pentaprism camera. However, in entry level cameras, price is a deciding factor. Increased technical specifications would mean a higher price, which would in turn mean lover sales.

The focusing screen is fixed, so it cannot be exchanged for a different type. In addition to the usual settings from the EOS 350D, the viewfinder display also includes FEC (flash exposure compensation) and high-speed flash synchronisation (above 1/200 s).

Compared to the EOS 350D, the majority of changes are apparent at the back. A larger screen includes all necessary information on image capture. The two IR sensors are used to turn off the display when the camera is brought to the eye.

Autofocus uses the well known TTL-CT-SIR system with a CMOS sensor (not the one used to capture images) and nine focus points, which can be selected manually or automatically. In addition to One-shot AF and AI Servo AF, the EOS 400D also includes auto-AF mode (AI Focus), which automatically chooses either one shot AF or servo AF, depending on the subject. In low-light conditions, the built-in flash is used as a focus assist light that strobes four times in order to enable focus.

ISO sensitivity ranges from ISO 100 to 1600. The shutter speeds are 30 to 1/4000 second, with a synchronisation time of 1/200 seconds and a possibility of Bulb setting.

Burst sped is 3 fps with a buffer for up to 27 JPEG images or 10 RAW + JPEG images. After that, the burst speed decreases until the buffer is flushed. Compared to the EOS 350D, the buffer was increased by 100%.

The buttons are better made than those on the EOS 350D.

After the first impressions

The camera still has a small size and weight. To those who are used to bigger cameras, the EOS 400D might seem to small. However, it offers a decent grip, and with the additional battery grip which contains two batteries, the handling improves markedly.

Most buttons on the camera are well placed and laid out. In the initial phases of getting to know the camera, only a few buttons on the back may prove difficult to get used to. However, this is soon over. The 350D had a somewhat inconsistent interface, which meant that some functions were activated with just the press of a button (such as drive mode), while others require simultaneous use of a button and a dial (such as exposure compensation), and others still displayed a menu used to change the setting which then had to be confirmed by the Set button (such as the four directional buttons). The EOS 400D does away with this nonsense. Buttons now open an independent window, while switching between buttons can be performed using the dial. In addition, the Set button is no longer needed to confirm the changes. All that is required now is to choose the function and it will stay that way even when the camera is turned off and then on. Those of you who are just beginning to get acquainted with the camera, do pay attention to the displayed settings before you take the shot. Some will undoubtedly make the mistake of using the wrong settings, for instance forgetting to switch from ISO 800 you used inside to ISO 100 in bright sunlight.

Having said that, one does grow used to the settings fairly quickly, and then the possibility of changing the most used settings directly rather than in menus is very welcome. On the other hand, most EOS 400D users will just use automatic settings. In case they do decide to change the settings, these will be available to them at the push of a button. All major image capture settings are clearly visible on the screen.

The Li-ion battery remains the same, NB-2LH.

To everybody who hasn’t used Canon cameras before, the icons on the screen will take some getting used to in order to be able to recognise the settings a ta glance. The Info button is used to display the capture parameters, which are set in the menu. By pressing the Info button, the LCD screen displays all major parameters, including time and date of capture, exposure compensation, colourspace choice (sRGB or Adobe RGB), in-camera processing (saturation, tonality, contrast, saturation), ISO sensitivity and free space remaining on the memory card.

The card compartment doors open smoothly. The card eject button has two positions. The first position pops the card out a bit, making it possible to remove. Some cards, however, appear to be more stubborn. In this case, the button must be pressed a bit deeper in order to be able to remove the card. The battery compartment door is opened by moving a latch – usually with a fingernail - that keeps them closed. Similar to a lot of other cameras, this one has a small depression in the latch. It is very easy to get a nail snagged in it. For this reason, everyone, and women with their usually longer fingernails in particular, should be quite careful when opening the battery door.

Canon still uses the industry-standard Compact Flash memory cards.

Despite the battery’s capacity being rather low at only 720 mAh, the camera could take about 450 shots before requiring a recharge. Of course, the battery was completely new. The first charge lasted for several hours, with some Li-ion battery manufacturers suggesting an even longer charge of 16 hours, then it was drained completely and fully recharged twice. After about 50 charges, it probably won’t last as long. In any case, buying an additional battery is highly recommended. This endurance test showed that the EOS 400D consumes slightly more power than its predecessor, the EOS 350D, resulting in a minimal reduction in shots per charge. Of course, the sensor uses up more energy, as do the larger display and the ultrasonic cleaning system, which is activated every time the camera is turned on or off. However, the ultrasonic cleaning can be turned off. It did bother me that the camera only has a three-bar battery indicator. The first bar disappears only after approximately 65% of the charge has been used up. In other words, you may find yourself with an empty battery about 100 shots after the first bar has disappeared.

The menu settings are divided into five subsets. When they first appear on the display, they are quite poorly visible. Off-white writing on a gray background. However, when navigating through the menus, the text colour changes to white, increasing the contrast and making everything very legible. The majority of settings in the first and second screen can be chosen by using the buttons. Each modification of settings in the menu, in contrast to modifications made directly with the buttons, requires a confirmation using the Set button. The majority of users had to grow used to this way of modifying settings with the EOS 350D. Not a few of them were actually rather angry with the camera's interface due to this quirk. In a few days, however, one grows used to this and can use the camera with no ill feelings.

The camera is very well made.

The third menu screen is used to set the functions in image review. Quite unlike the compact cameras, there are very few of these. However, most photographers with DSLR cameras transfer the majority of their images to the computer and process them with postprocessing applications. Despite this, most Canon cameras have a DirectPrint feature, which includes some additional options (crop, date, number of copies, size, red eye elimination, skintone correction etc).

The fourth screen is used for camera settings (automatic shutdown after a period of inactivity, automatic image orientation, display brightness, time/date settings, image count and recording, format card).

The fifth screen has language settings, video-out functions, Custom Functions, reset of all custom function, ultrasonic and software sensor cleaning, manual sensor cleaning with brushes and the like, firmware version display and firmware upgrade.

Using the Custom Functions, it is possible to influence nine settings. Most of these settings are especially useful for the experienced photographers.

The other useful setting is noise reduction with long exposures. There are also other interesting possibilities, such as mirror lock-up, flash shutter speeds and AF/AE lock with various options and buttons.

With the EOS 400D, Canon also introduced a feature that was announced two years ago in an interview (here). The Canon representative told us that they will use the technology when it will be cheap enough to put into entry level cameras. In 2003, Olympus was the first to demonstrate sensor cleaning with the E-1. The system worked well, saving the users from having to bother with sensor cleaning or cloning of dust spots. In 2006, dust became a hot topic on the net. Loads of people were actively looking for it in ways that have absolutely nothing to do with photography. However, there was no changing the fact that dust was there. Canon obviously noticed all this storm in a teacup uproar, especially since its service centres had a lot of work with it, which means that the EOS 400D has a built-in dust removal system. They took a three pronged approach.

In the first line of defence is the special antistatic coating (similar to the one Sony uses), deflecting small and light particles.

The display has a diagonal of 2.5 inch with a good, 230,000 pixel resolution.

Larger and more stubborn particles are shaken off with the piezo element, which causes high-frequency vibration which in turn cause any dust that is not completely stuck on the sensor to be shaken off. This is activated every time the camera is turned on or off. This feature can be turned off in the menu, which means that sensor cleaning will only be performed when it is activated in the menu.

The third approach is software. Simply choose the “Dust Delete Data” function, stop down the aperture and take a picture. The software determines which spots are caused by sensor dust, which are then eliminated in the bundled Digital Photo Pro software. This works for both RAW and JPEG images. Nikon also has a similar feature in their Capture NX software.

All of this shows that EOS 400D offers a lot of things people missed with the EOS 350D. However, lots of people still won’t be happy. This is especially true for photographers who spend a lot of time holding the camera. While this might seem odd, in practice, a big and heavy EOS 1Ds is easier to hold for longer periods of time, as the grip is much better, which means less cramps in the arm than with the EOS 400D. However, you should realise that in different classes of cameras, you only get what the manufacturer thinks you need and what they think you’re willing to pay for it. Canon has proved this on many occasions. If you want more, you’ll have to go into a higher (and more expensive) class. It is a simple logic, however, it seems to be lost on most people due to the rate at which new products are being introduced and especially due to the high demand. In 400D, Canon offers a small, handy camera with improved usability (especially due to the changed function of the Set button) and sensor cleaning. The competition offers other thing that might appeal to other users. Nikon has a larger body with better grip, more possibilities of both pre- and post-capture image manipulation, Olympus is even more compact and has more menu languages, including Slovene, while Pentax and Sony have built-in image stabilisation.

It is imperative that people realise that each camera is built for a certain purpose and for a certain user. This is especially true for the price – you get what you pay for, so you shouldn’t expect too much from lower-end cameras. In 2003, I described the EOS D60, the EOS 10D and the Nikon D100 as “cameras for those who want a bit more and for poor professionals”. Today, every pro simply looks at this and smiles. In 2003, they took this quite differently. Due to the high prices of real pro DSLRs, the newspapers couldn't afford the best cameras. And because of this, mid-level cameras suddenly became excellent for professional reporters. In the film era, they wouldn’t even touch such a camera, let alone sing them high praises.

The lens mount accepts both EF-S and EF lenses.

Veljko Jukič, a Formula 1 photographer, was among those. While he didn’t really take it as badly as the others, it took him a while to realise why such cameras aren’t meant for serious work. He also wrote two articles about his negative experience with such cameras.

Nowadays, it’s not at all different. What I wrote about the EOS 300D/350D is still true – don’t rush into it, if you want something more, and you shouldn’t expect the EOS 400D to replicate the capabilities and the usability of the EOS 30D. All this means that the EOS 400D is an excellent camera for the enthusiast who wants an DSLR camera and knows what it's capable of. To each his own, and everybody must pick the camera that suits them best.

With an external flash, the camera is even more useful.

An SLR makes it possible to use the whole system. This includes more than 50 lenses, external flashes, remote releases etc.

The menu settings in the Canon EOS 400D are divided into five subsets. When they first appear on the display, they are quite poorly visible. Off-white writing on a gray background. However, when navigating through the menus, the text colour changes to white, increasing the contrast and making everything very legible. The majority of settings in the first and second screen can be chosen by using the buttons.

The LCD display is used to display image capture parameters, both before and after the picture is taken, and to display the menus. With the EOS 350D, the settings shown above are displayed on a dedicated LCD screen.

Since most main functions can be set via the buttons, the first menu screen only shows four functions. Personally, I use the Custom Functions (fifth screen) to bind resolution and compression settings to the Set button. You can also turn on the Red-eye reduction function on or off, which means that the camera will use preflashes before taking the pictures. When you’re not taking portraits, turn this off. It helps conserve the energy and makes you less noticeable.

The second screen has more settings. You can set AE bracketing, flash exposure compensation and WB bracketing, as well as a custom WB temperature, colourspace (Adobe RGB or sRGB), picture style and the test shot used for software dust removal from the pictures.

Picture Styles can be used to change the appearance of the image as it’s being processed by the Digic II processor. If you don’t want your shot to look soft and dull on the monitor, you can set additional options here. But as you’ll see on the last page of this article, it’s better to keep to the Neutral style and postprocess in the computer, leaving you with the highest possible quality.

User defined settings can be set here. By pressing the OK button, a new screen is displayed (see below).

These are used to influence the amount of sharpening, contrast, saturation and tonality correction the camera performs.

Using the Custom Functions, it is possible to influence nine settings. Most of these settings are especially useful for the experienced photographers.

The first function, however, is very useful to everyone. It is used to set an additional function for the Set button. There are many choices – image size and compression, sharpening, tonality, contrast and saturation, quick image review and choosing focus points. Since there are already two buttons used to set the AF point (top right at the back of the camera), a button for quick review (second from the bottom next to the display), the two most interesting choices are the two used to set either the image size and compression or set sharpening, tonal values, contrast and colour saturation. To me, personally, resolution and compression adjustment is the most useful of these.

By choosing OK, a new sample shot is taken to record dust spots on the sensor. A screen is displayed, prompting the user o take the shot. After the shot, information on dust that is stuck to the low-pass filter will be recorded. The screen also displays the time and the date when the picture was taken, which will be later used in the bundled Digital Photo Professional software as a master of where the dust spots are.

The fourth screen has the Format function. No need to look for it elsewhere.

The fifth screen contains the Custom Functions and Sensor cleaning.

With the EOS 400D, Canon also introduced a feature that was announced two years ago in an interview. The Canon representative told us that they will use the technology when it will be cheap enough to put into entry level cameras. In 2003, Olympus was the first to demonstrate sensor cleaning with the E-1. The system worked well, saving the users from having to bother with sensor cleaning or cloning of dust spots. In 2006, dust became a hot topic on the net. Loads of people were actively looking for it in ways that have absolutely nothing to do with photography. However, there was no changing the fact that dust was there. Canon obviously noticed all this storm in a teacup uproar, especially since its service centres had a lot of work with it, which means that the EOS 400D has a built-in dust removal system. They took a three pronged approach.

Here’s an article on sensor dust:
http://www.e-fotografija.com/artman/publish/article_706.shtml

In the first line of defence is the special antistatic coating (similar to the one Sony uses), deflecting small and light particles.

The Custom Function screen allows for fine tuning of the camera. These settings include the function of the Set button, long exposure dust reduction, AF activation via the * button etc.

If you get lost in the settings or somebody played with your camera, you can always reset them.

The Sensor Cleaning option is used to either enable the cleaning every time the camera is switched on or off, disable it to conserve the battery and speed up the start-up process or activate it manually with Clean now.

The third approach is software. Simply choose the “Dust Delete Data” function, stop down the aperture and take a picture. The software (the image must be shot in RAW) then recognises the dust spots and removes them later in Digital Photo Professional. Nikon also has a similar feature in their Capture NX software.

All of this shows that EOS 400D offers a lot of things people missed with the EOS 350D. However, lots of people still won’t be happy. This is especially true for photographers who spend a lot of time holding the camera. While this might seem odd, in practice, a big and heavy EOS 1Ds is easier to hold for longer periods of time, as the grip is much better, which means less cramps in the arm than with the EOS 400D. However, you should realise that in different classes of cameras, you only get what the manufacturer thinks you need and what they think you’re willing to pay for it. If you want more, you’ll have to go into a higher (and more expensive) class. It is a simple logic, however, it seems to be lost on most people due to the rate at which new products are being introduced and especially due to the high demand. In 400D, Canon offers a small, handy camera with improved usability (especially due to the changed function of the Set button) and sensor cleaning. The competition offers other thing that might appeal to other users. Nikon has a larger body with better grip, more possibilities of both pre- and post-capture image manipulation, Olympus is even more compact and has more menu languages, including Slovene, while Pentax and Sony have built-in image stabilisation.

When you’re in the menu, press the Disp button and a screen will open, showing all the major settings you set in the menu.

By pressing the ISO button on the back of the camera, you display this screen. The quickest way to move among them is by using the control dial.

AF mode selection

Metering mode selection.