Its predecessors were the undisputed DSLR market leaders, so the newly-announced Canon EOS-400D or Rebel XTi has a lot to live up to
From the front, the new Canon EOS-400D or Rebel XTi looks just like a 350D/Rebel XT
Read the Press Releases:
Canon announces its next generation D-SLR: the EOS 400D.
Canon introduces two new EF lenses; EF50mm f/1.2L USM and EF70-200mm f/4L IS USM
Discuss the Canon EOS-400D on the DPNow Discussion Forum
It's easy to forget that Canon was relatively late in to the DSLR mass-market, following in the footsteps of Nikon's D1, by some time. But almost exactly three years ago, Canon swept the competition aside with its EOS-300D, also known as the Digital Rebel. The 300D and its successor, the 350D or Rebel XT, has not only hogged the title of best-selling DSLR ever since, but in some markets, like the UK, it has even managed to climb as high as the second best selling digital camera overall, including cheaper compact models. They do say that once you're on top, the only way is down, so the new 400D has a particularly tough job to do for Canon.
Canon launched the 350D/Rebel XT at PMA in Florida, 18 months ago. It was a major step up from the 300D, increasing sensor resolution by a third to 8 megapixels and packaging it in a more elegant and compact design. The 350D was is not a perfect camera by any means and reviewers often commented on softer than expected image quality and a hand grip design that was too small for people with large hands. None of this stopped the 350D from becoming a runaway sales success, though. The 350D has great 'showroom' appeal and the Canon brand is highly regarded. And, frankly, the competition didn't really rise to the challenge that the 350D set.
But things are changing now. Sony is in the picture for the first time with its Alpha A100. Sales figures in Japan show that the A100 initially got close to knocking Canon into second place. Nikon has just launched its D80 and although it's in a higher price bracket, Nikon is confident of making ground on Canon. Meanwhile, Olympus, Pentax/Samsung and Panasonic are all plotting their own strategies to knock Canon off its perch.
A new, larger LCD review and status screen, with eye-level detector, means there is no more room for the 350D's cherished separate status LCD. The left hand side buttons are now smaller and others have been relocated to accommodate the bigger screen.
So what was wrong with the EOS-350D that needed fixing in its successor? From a practical point of view I personally feel it only needed a larger LCD screen and a more comfortable hand grip design. The addition of a spot meter mode would have been welcome too. Well, it's got the bigger screen, but the hand grip is unchanged, which is a surprise. The larger screen has also been at the expense of the secondary LCD status display enjoyed by 350D users. However, as combined status and review LCD displays go, the 400D's is a good implementation, including a face-sensor which turns the screen off when you move the camera to eye-level viewing. Alas, the metering system remains without a true spot mode.
What the 350D did not need was a higher resolution sensor. Eight megapixels remains more than adequate for the consumer market that the 400D is aimed at. Nevertheless, Canon felt the need to up the resolution by 25% to ten megapixels knowing that its rivals would do the same and that customer demand, which some might say was based on ignorance, would weigh heavily. Canon has done an excellent job of keeping sensor noise at bay to date, but the increase in pixel count in the 400D will need ever more powerful image processing to suppress noise without affecting image quality in other areas.
Besides launching the new 400D, Canon also revealed a new 70-200 f/4 image stabilised L-series zoom. It's surprisingly light and compact. Price: £989, available October.
But Canon gets a clear thumbs-up for implementing an ultrasonic dust buster for the 400D's sensor. Apparently, Canon did not have to licence the idea from Olympus, who introduced the first such dust prevention system in a DSLR with the E-1 back in 2003. Both systems from Canon and Olympus appear to be more effective than Sony's Alpha A100 sensor shaking anti-dust solution, which operates at a much slower shaking frequency. On the other hand, Canon feel the need for a 'dust-delete' pixel mapping backup strategy that works using external software, which to some might infer a lack of confidence in the in-camera dust-buster.
The 350D does benefit from an improved in-camera image buffer, which – despite the increased image size produced by the higher resolution sensor – allows up to 27 frames of continuous shooting, in JPEG mode, not RAW, and at the same 3 frames per second as the 350D. There are also a couple of extra AF points, making nine in all.
Not so light and compact, but immensely desirable, is the new 50mm f/1.2 'standard' L-series lens also launched today. It dwarfs the 400D here!
Of course, I have been referring to the 400D as the 350D's replacement. I feel certain that this will eventually be the case, but for the time being the 350D remains in the line up and the 400D will carry a price premium over the 350D. Price, as ever, will be important. The new Sony Alpha A100, on paper, offers more and, judging by street prices here in the UK, for less money than the UK guide price for the 400D, which is £719.99 with the 18-55 kit lens, or £649.99 for the body on its own. Exactly where the 400D's street price will settle is anyone's guess. Currently in the UK you can get a 350D with kit lens for £449 and the Sony Alpha A100 for £599.
Of course nobody has yet reviewed the 400D and final judgment must wait until some reviews are in, but what are your initial impressions? Tell us what you think in the box below and we'll publish a selection of your responses.
