Photo Review Reviews section

Casio Exilim EX-Z600

8.5 Rating

An attractive, well-designed, slimline camera for novice photographers.Available in silver, blue, brown, black and red, Casio’s Exilim EX-Z600 is easily pocketable digicams and offers some handy features for snapshooters. Supplied with a USB cradle/battery charger, it boasts a 2.7-inch Super Bright LCD screen (but no viewfinder) and a fully-retracting, 3x optical zoom lens. Users can call up a rule-of-thirds grid on the LCD along with an intensity/RGB histogram. Multi-point and spot AF modes are provided, the former indicating areas used for focusing.

Canon EOS 550D

8.5 Rating

A lightweight, easy-to-operate DSLR with high resolution for creative photography.Canon’s EOS 550D slips into the company’s line-up between the EOS 500D and the EOS 50D and offers higher resolution than both models without displacing either. It boasts the same 18-megapizel sensor as the EOS 7D but has only one DiG!C 4 processor. A key feature is the addition of a new, high-resolution 3:2 aspect ratio LCD monitor and a redesigned interface. Video capabilities have also been extended to support Full HD movie recording at a range of different frame rates.

Canon EOS 1000D

8.8 Rating

A competitively-priced entry-level DSLR that provides a good price/performance ratio for first-DSLR buyers.Replacing the popular EOS 400D at the entry level of Canon’s DSLR range, the EOS 1000D brings yet another level to Canon’s DSLR nomenclature, reflecting the days of film, when Canon’s lowest-priced SLR cameras had four-figure model names. The 1000D has been designed for photographers who want to upgrade from a digicam to a more capable, better performing DSLR. It boasts the same 10.1-megapixel imager as the 400D but is smaller and lighter and supports Live View shooting.

Canon PowerShot A650 IS

8.5 Rating

An affordably-priced, high-resolution digicam with 21 shooting modes, Face Detect AF/AE technology and in-camera red-eye correction.Canon’s PowerShot A650 IS replaces two earlier models, the 10-megapixel PowerShot A640 and 8-megapixel PowerShot A630, bringing higher resolution (12-megapixels), a longer 6x optical zoom lens and optical image stabilisation. It retains the 2.5-inch vari-angle LCD of its predecessors but has a new DiG!C III image processor. It’s also 55 grams heavier, with a significantly larger body.

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS Lens

8 Rating

A budget-priced tele-zoom lens with built-in image stabilisation.Canon’s new EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS is designed specifically for cameras with ‘APS-C’ sized sensors and combines light weight with a very low price tag for an optically-stabilised lens. On the EOS 400D and 40D cameras we used for our tests, its focal length range is equivalent to 88-400mm on a 35mm camera. It’s a fairly slow lens – and this is apparent in the viewfinder when you’re shooting.

Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Lens

8.5 Rating

A first-rate wide-angle zoom for DSLRs with ‘APS-C’ sized imagers.The ‘EF-S’ designation is Canon’s way of labelling lenses with Short Back Focus, which indicates the distance between the sensor plane and the rear element of the lens is shorter than in an EF lens. Such lenses are designed exclusively for EOS cameras with ‘APS-C-sized’ sensors and cannot be used on Canon’s 35mm SLR cameras – or on the EOS 5D. The new EF-S 10-22mm ultra-wide-angle zoom lens covers fields of view equivalent to 16-35mm in 135mm format. An excellent partner to the EOS 400D we used for our tests, its wide angle of view is great for landscape and architectural photography, especially indoor shots.

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens

8.5 Rating

A new 7.5x standard zoom lens that automatically selects the optimum Image Stabiliser mode. Announced at the beginning of September, this new Canon standard zoom lens was designed to complement the EOS 7D body on which we tested it. Providing a focal length range equivalent to 29-216mm in 35mm format, the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS covers both wide enough angles for landscape photography and is narrow enough for portraiture and sports photography. It’s an excellent step-up from the standard kit lens for buyers who would like a longer zoom range.

Canon EF 70-300mm f4-5.6 L IS USM Lens

8.8 Rating

A high-performance zoom lens that covers a popular focal length range and provides up to four f-stops of stabilisation plus attractive bokeh.Canon announced the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM, on 26 August, 2010 in the lead-in to September’s Photokina Trade Show. Targeted at professionals and advanced amateur photographers it’s surprisingly compact for its specifications and usable with all of the company’s DLSR cameras. The 4.3x zoom range of 70-300mm on the ‘full frame’ models (112-480mm with ‘APS-C sensors), with a variable aperture of f/4-5.6.

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM Lens

9 Rating

A compact, high-magnification zoom lens with few aberrations and effective image stabilisation.The EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM is Canon’s second lens with three-layer type Diffractive Optics (DO). It can be used with both ‘APS-C’ (where it covers angles of view equivalent to 112mm to 480mm) and 35mm-sized image sensors. Using three layers of diffraction gratings enables lens designers to almost completely cancel out chromatic aberration and subdue spherical aberration to a near-negligible point. The resulting lenses are smaller and lighter and can out-perform other zoom lenses with equivalent focal lengths and aperture ranges that use fluorite, ED or aspherical glass elements to controls these aberrations.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens

8.5 Rating

A high-performing lens for general photography.A superb general-purpose lens, Canon’s EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM is equally at home on the EOS 400D and the ‘full frame’ EOS 5D cameras, giving a focal length range equivalent to 38.4 to 168mm on the former. Compact for its specifications, it is relatively light and comfortable to use as well as being very well built. The lens barrel carries switches for IS (on/off) and AF/MF (Autofocus/Manual Focus). They are recessed into the lens barrel itself, which means you’re less likely to re-set them inadvertently.