Introduction

“Welcome to the playground” – it’s time for the fourth version of Canon’s most favorite toy and our chance to check how much plaything is inside the Canon EOS 450D (Rebel XSi in North America).

The compact and lightweight Canon EOS 450D features a big 12.2 MP CMOS sensor, a 3.0” LCD with Live View mode and a 9-point wide-area AF. The new DIGIC III processor manages 3.5 frames per second and the EOS Integrated-Cleaning-System is supposed to ensure clean shots without dust and debris on the sensor. Furthermore Canon promises a larger and brighter viewfinder compared to previous models. The Canon EOS 450D is available for ~480€ (body only), ~550€ combined with the EF-S 18-55mm IS kit lens or ~850€ with the EF-S 18-55 IS and EF-S 55-250mm IS - obviously very attractive offers in the sweet spot (mainstream) of the DSLR market.

We will not bother you with the full specifications but here're some of the key features:

• 12.2 MP CMOS sensor
• 3.5fps
• 9-point wide-area AF
• EOS Integrated Cleaning System
• 3.0” LCD with Live View mode
• DIGIC III processor
• Larger, brighter viewfinder compared to its predecessors
• Total image control
• Compact and lightweight
• Compatible to EF/EF-S lenses and EX Speed-Lites

... and this is actually the thing that we'll talk about in this report ...