BUYING OPINIONS ON CANON EOS 350D

Saturday, August 27, 2005

A lot of people ask me for advices on buying entry level digital SLRs. They also ask me about my opinions and experiences on 350D or rebel XT as it is called in some regions. Most of the things in this post have been written elsewhere in this weblog before, but this post tries to answer such questions.

If I am asked to say 'yes' or 'no' about buying a 350D I would comfortably lean towards yes. It has many things going on its side, especially image quality and features. It has plenty to offer - good image quality, good noise reduction and some not so common(but not so used) features like mirror lock up. The user interface is pretty good and very easy to use. Of course it has minimal startup time and shutter lag but it is common in all cameras these days. What I like most about the camera is the image quality and lower noise at higher ISOs. You can shoot at ISO 400 and still manage fairly noise free pictures. And the 8MP sensor is more pixels than counterparts like D70. And the price, which is an important factor for an entry-level buyer looks attractive and the camera has good set of features at the price point.

There are downsides too. Camera size is a big concern. It is too small and lightweight for stable handholding, I have ranted many a times in this blog about loosing good pictures because of camera shake. But it can be compensated to some extent by using higher ISO, and better if you mount an IS lens. The other annoyance is a 3-way shooting mode button that changes between continuous, single and timer modes. I often end up with the camera in timer mode accidentally. But you will get used to taking precaution after sometime.

Most people ask me to compare D70, 20D or 350D as a buying option. Those who are looking forward to compare D70 and 350D are probably trying to look at the larger picture of Nikon vs Canon debate, which could be endless, and I would not want to get into it. But I think there is little doubt about 350D being a feature rich and superior camera, with better image output than D70. And as for 350D and 20D, the choice is much easier. If your pocket says fine with 20D it could be the one to go with.