Canon obviously listened to its customers and researched the market thoroughly when designing its latest DSLR camera, the EOS 400D. While this model will replace the successful EOS 350D, it's quite a different beast and offers significant improvements on its predecessor. Gone is the 350D's small grip that caused photographers with large hands so much grief; it's replaced by a slightly deeper hand-hold that's much more comfortable.
Available in black or silver, the 400D retains the compact size and light weight of its predecessor, which makes it a great camera for travellers, bushwalkers and anyone who wants to take great pictures but doesn't want a heavy load. Build quality is generally sound - although the 400D's plastic body is not in the same class as the metal bodies of the EOS 30D and 5D. An optional portrait battery grip is available for photographers who require a bit more to hold onto.
Sensor
Sensor resolution is a little higher then the 350D at 10.1 megapixels effective, putting it into direct competition with Sony's Alpha A100 model and the soon-to-be-released Nikon D80. The sensor is a new design in which Canon has halved the spaces between the on-chip microlenses to increase light capture from the photosites, which at 5.7 microns square are somewhat smaller than the 6.4 micron pixel pitch of the EOS 350D's sensor.
These redesigned microlenses, plus an on-chip noise reduction circuit and improved amplification of the image output signal allow the EOS 400D to operate at a wide ISO speed range with low image noise. Noise reduction processing automatically engages when noise is detected in Auto mode, and can be switched on for exposures longer than one second.
Recognising the importance of some kind of dust elimination system, Canon bettered Sony's two-way strategy with a three-way system that, on paper, looks to be more effective.
The new EOS Integrated Cleaning System works in three ways:
- Dust-resistant materials and structures have been used to dramatically reduce dust generation within the mirror box and sensor chamber. The low-pass filter is also treated with an anti-static charge process to repel static-charged dust.
- A piezo-electric element vibrates the low-pass filter (LPF) in front of the sensor ultrasonically to shake off dust particles. This is collected by an absorbent material surrounding the low-pass filter.
- For welded-on dust that cannot be removed by vibration, a special Dust Delete Function allows reference images of recorded dust to be tagged to images. These can be used in the bundled software to remove residual dust spots after shooting.
To ensure the sensor remains as dust-free as possible, the ultrasonic vibration of the LPF is activated for about one second when the power is turned on or off. By pressing the shutter button you can disable the self-cleaning operation and return the camera to shooting mode. We're betting this system becomes the norm in future Canon DSLRs.
Monitor and Viewfinder
Another welcome feature is the replacement of the 350D's 1.8-inch LCD with a much larger, higher-resolution display that is adjustable through seven brightness levels. It's much easier to use both indoors and outdoors and the camera's data display (accessed via the new Display button) has been redesigned to provide quick access to key camera controls without having to toggle through menu pages. The lettering and graphics are black on white, which is easier to read than white on black (which is retained within the actual menu system). All key shooting settings are shown and when you raise the camera to your eye a new Display Off proximity sensor under the eyepiece turns off the LCD.
The 400D's viewfinder is functionally similar to its predecessor's but there are differences in its data display. However it uses the same 9-point AF sensor as the EOS 30D and is the first entry-level EOS DSLR camera with a new cross-type, centre AF point that works with lenses that have apertures of f/2.8 and larger. The base line of this AF point's vertical-line sensitive sensor is double the length of an AF point compatible with f/5.6 to make focusing detection more precise. Cross-type focusing is now possible with any EF lens.
The standard shutter speed, aperture, exposure compensation, AE lock, flash, flash compensation, focus and shots remaining in the buffer icons are joined by a new white balance correction icon, while the red-eye reduction icon has been removed (although the EV scale animates if this feature is active). No metering mode or ISO data is displayed in the viewfinder but, since these data are shown on the LCD, additional display is unnecessary.
The viewfinder display appears briefly and, if you need to re-activate it, you simply half-press the shutter button. Alternatively, you can remove the camera from your eye and check the display on the LCD, which carries more information.
Camera Controls
The 400D is designed to be easy for novice SLR photographers to use, while at the same time offering the creative freedom and control most serious photographers demand. DiG!C II image processing ensures the 400D is responsive to users' commands. The camera powers up in just over one second, including the sensor-cleaning cycle and supports continuous shooting at three frames/second for up to 10 raw images, eight raw + JPEG or 27 large JPEGs.
The above schematic, sourced from a Canon White Paper on the EOS 400D, shows how the sensor cleaning integrates with the camera's powering-up system.
Metering options are the same as the EOS 350D, with Evaluative, Centre-weighted and Partial - but no Spot metering. A new addition is a small green LED just behind the command dial that indicates when the camera is powered-up and ready to go, regardless of whether the LCD is on or off. The same shooting modes are also provided on the mode dial: five 'Creative Zone' shooting modes (P, Av, Tv, M and A-Dep) plus seven 'Basic Zone' pre-sets (including full auto, portrait, landscape, close-up, sports, night portrait and flash off). New functions include white balance auto bracketing of +/- three levels along blue/amber and magenta/green axes and the provision of an RGB histogram display.
Above the arrow pad are the drive mode and EV compensation buttons, while the Direct Print button lies left of the viewfinder. The pop-up flash is output-adjustable across the same exposure value range as exposure compensation. It pops up automatically in certain Basic Zone modes but has to be popped up manually when you're shooting in the Creative Zone modes. A hot shoe lies behind the flash head for fitting EX-series Speedlites.
Significant improvements have been made to continuous shooting, with the buffer memory accommodating twice as many images as the 350D's buffer could hold. Up to 10 raw images, 8 RAW+JPEG or 27 Large/Fine JPEGs can be captured per burst. When white balance bracketing is used, up to six shots can be taken continuously, a big improvement over the two-shot capabilities of the EOS 350D.
Some photographers may complain about the lack of a second command dial but the overall design and layout of most controls makes them easy to operate with just one dial. Flash metering is also very accurate and our user tests showed the metering system effectively balanced the light from the flash against the ambient light to produce good-looking exposures in all but very dim lighting (where more flash light was required).
Connection ports for USB, video and the optional RE-60E3 remote control are hidden under a rubber flap on the left hand side of the 400D's body, while a door on the right covers the CF card slot. The 400D will take Type I and Type II cards of all capacities, including above 2GB and the file numbering system can store up to 9999 images/folder. A compartment under a lift-up door on the base of the camera houses the NB-2LH rechargeable Lithium-ion battery, which is CIPA rated for 360 shots per charge. The optional BG-E3 portrait grip can accommodate two NB-2LH packs.
As well as the proximity switch for turning off the LCD, the EOS 400D has several other power saving facilities. The default setting for auto power off is now 30 seconds, down from a minute on the 350D. And, because the LCD can now be turned off/on with the DISP. button, battery power can be saved even if auto power-off has been disabled or set to a long time period. You can also set the C.Fn-11-1 (custom function) to Retain power OFF status and then use it with the DISP. Button to display camera settings only when necessary and further conserve battery power.
Picture Style
The 400D comes with Canon's Picture Style colour control settings, which allow photographers who shoot JPEG images to set colour reproduction to match six pre-set 'looks' via either the menu button or directly by pressing the Set button on the arrow pad. Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful and Monochrome pre-sets are provided and users can define up to three custom configurations to suit particular needs. Pressing the Jump button when a particular Picture Style is selected takes you into a menu page with four linear adjustments covering sharpness, contrast, saturation and colour tone. To save a custom set of adjustments, simply press the menu button to register the new User Defined style.
Using the colour tone and contrast adjustments in the Monochrome Picture Style you can replicate the effects of coloured filters with B&W film. Filter effects include yellow, orange, red and green, while selectable 'toning' effects cover sepia, blue, purple and green options. Fine-tuning like this is only accessible through the menu system.
Software
Supplied with the camera is Canon's EOS Digital Solution Disk (Ver. 13.0) includes the upgraded Zoom Browser EX (Ver. 5.7, Windows)/Image Browser (Ver. 5.7, Mac), Digital Photo Professional (Ver. 2.2), EOS Utility (Ver. 1.1), Photostitch (Ver. 3.1), and the PTP TWAIN/WIA driver (Windows). A second CD contains explanations of the use of the application software.
We had to use Digital Photo Professional to convert raw files into editable TIFF images for our tests because Adobe Camera Raw is not yet compatible with the 400D's raw files. The latest version of DPP is a competent enough raw converter - and certainly better than the average bundled application - but it lacks the facilities and ease of use of Camera Raw. We can only hope that Adobe gets the SDK for the 400D soon. However, photographers will probably need to use DPP for dust deletion, should their camera's sensor collect any welded-on dust.
The rest of the software is already well-known. Whether you use it will depend on the type of photography you do and your preferred workflow.
Performance
Preliminary shooting tests on a camera that was very close to a production model showed the EOS 400D to be a fine performer and this was backed up by Imatest testing, which revealed some excellent results. Image resolution was generally excellent, with little difference between the centre and edge of the field at full, mid and small apertures. Barrel distortion was evident with the kit lens at the 18mm position but not to a degree that would be noticeable in general photography. No coloured fringing was found in outdoor shots and lateral chromatic aberration, where detected by Imatest, was at such a low level as to be negligible.
White balance performance was competent, although the auto setting failed to totally eliminate the orange cast of incandescent lighting (although it came very close). The manual presets and custom measurement settings produced good colour accuracy. Flash performance was good; fill-in flash particularly so as the camera managed to produce an attractive balance between flash and ambient lighting under most shooting conditions.
Low-light performance was also impressive, with little visible noise up to ISO 800 and well-contained noise at ISO 1600. Resolution deteriorated slightly at both these settings. Colour reproduction in night shots was also very accurate. We measured an average start-up time of 0.25 seconds, which is good when you take account of the Self Cleaning Sensor Unit (which has to be de-activated if you want to shoot immediately on powering-up). With the lens pre-focused, average shutter lag was 0.1 seconds. Shot-to-shot times were also brief, averaging 0.2 seconds in single shot drive mode. The burst mode recorded images at 0.4 second intervals, regardless of file size.
Conclusion
With respect to sensor resolution, user-adjustable controls, dust minimisation and overall handling, the EOS 400D is shaping up as a leader in the current entry-level DSLR market. The only thing missing is a low-priced lens with image stabilisation - and we're sure Canon won't take long to plug that gap! Although we have yet to get our hands on a Nikon D80 (which also lacks built-in anti-shake controls), on paper at least, the Canon appears to offer more - and we predict it will be more competitively priced.
IMATEST GRAPHS
SAMPLE IMAGES
Shot using the Landscape Pictue Style, this image shows the vibrancy and accuracy of the colours recorded with this setting.
Slow shutter speeds can be set via the Tv or M shooting modes.
A close-up with the 18-55mm lens.
A tele shot, using the 75-300mm lens at full tele extension.
Image sensor: 22.2 x 14.8mm CMOS sensor with 10.5 million photosites (10.1 megapixels effective)
Lens mount: Canon EF and EF-S series
Lens multiplier factor: 1.6x
Image formats: Raw, JPEG, Raw + JPEG
Image Sizes: 3888 x 2592, 2816 x 1880, 1936 x 1288
Shutter speed range: 1/4,000 sec. – 30 sec., Bulb; maximum flash sync at 1/200 sec.
ISO range: ISO 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
Focus system/modes: TTL-CT-SIR type. Wide area AF with 9 selectable focussing points. One-shot AF, Predictive AI Servo AF, One-Shot /Predictive AI
Servo AF switching and Manual Focussing
Exposure metering/control: Evaluative, Partial, and Centre-weighted average metering (metering range EV1-EV20); Auto, P, Av, Tv, M and A-Dep modes plus 6 Programmed Image Control modes
Colour space: sRGB, Adobe RGB
Exposure Compensation: +/- 2EV in 1/3 or ½ EV increments
White balance: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash and Custom
Flash: Auto pop-up, retractable, built-in flash in the pentaprism plus hot shoe
Flash GN (m at ISO 100): 13 at 100 ISO (m)
Sequence shooting: 3 frames per sec for up to 27 in a single burst
Storage Media: Compact Flash™ (CF) card Type I or Type II standard; 1 slot
Viewfinder: Eye-level pentamirror (95% coverage)
LCD monitor: 2.5-inch TFT colour LCD (230,000 pixels)
PC interface: USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
Power supply: NB-2LH rechargeable Lithium-ion battery, ACK-
700 AC adapter
Dimensions (wxhxd): 126.5 x 94.2 x 65 mm
Weight: Approx. 510gms (body only)