Got a New Camera John?

Since picking up my injury, I’ve been taking more photographs and chatting with photographers at the various races I’ve attended. A long time ago I did my Scot Voc in Photography at Leith Academy; the course was based around the manual 35mm SLR (Single Reflex Lens) camera. However a combination of me leaving my camera below the seat in a hired car in Spain and the development of digital compact cameras led to me neglecting this particular hobby. I even had my own dark room when I lived in Edinburgh.


I’ve received a number of favourable comments about my photos but I do know the limitations of my two compact cameras. I’ve therefore decided to invest in a decent Digital SLR and have been researching the various options. Sony is starting to get a good name for entry level SDLRs and they have the advantage of the technology being in the camera body therefore decreasing the cost of the lenses. However Canon remains the market leader and most photographers accept that they need to pay that bit more for quality. Being a scientist as well as a bit canny, when I make a significant purchase I want to know that it’s a Best Buy and although there are various reviews in photography magazines and various internet sites, I’m a firm believer that the Which magazine is the best source for independent reviews.

Which has the Canon EOS 7D, costing from £1,248.99, top of the Best Buys on 83% with the Canon 1000 with 18-35mm IS Lens in second place with 81%*. Asda of all people were offering the camera body at less than £300 but the difficulty appears to be in sourcing the IS lens, as Canon quickly changed the award winning package to one with a non IS lens. Although Which points out that it’s still a very good camera it’s not the one reviewed. I did manage to trace the original package through eBay on sale in Hong Kong. Of course I was a little hesitant to make a purchase of this kind but the seller had good reviews and eBay now offer added protection if you purchase using PayPal, so I decided to bite the bullet and go for it.

The package on offer was a U0834 Canon EOS 1000D+18-55mm IS Lens Kit+16GB+Bat+2Wt+tripod+camera bag.

All for £386.69 with free p&p

I look forward to playing with my new toy and hopefully seeing a radically improved quality of photographs in the months to come.

* Which Review:

The EOS 1000D from Canon is a 10.1Mp digital SLR. At only 450g, it is the lightest Canon DSLR we've tested, but its superb Best Buy performance shows it's still a real heavyweight when it comes to picture quality.

We tested the EOS 1000D with the 18-55mm IS (image stabilising) lens kit that was originally packaged with the camera when it was first available.

Canon has since replaced this body and image stabilising lens package with a kit that includes an 18-55mm non-IS lens. Please be aware that our review and rating is of the 1000D and IS kit lens as a package, and there will be some subtle differences in the performance of the camera when combined with the 18-55mm non-IS lens, including the loss of the image stabilisation function.

The EOS 1000D's 2.5-inch screen allows you to compose shots using the live-view function, which helps when you're adjusting the camera settings, giving you an idea of the final shot before it is even taken.

Our testers were impressed by the speed and accuracy of the viewfinder, and the sharp LCD screen has a good viewing angle - helpful if you are holding it above your head, for example.

In low-light conditions, the EOS 1000D really impressed, delivering images which were satisfyingly low on noise - the grainy effect which can ruin low-light photos. Overall image quality was very good in both automatic and manual modes.

The ISO can be set between 100 and 1600, and there are eight white-balance settings to tinker with, including full manual control.

The EOS 1000D has six preset scene modes that offer different colour responses, and can be altered depending on the subject of the photograph. One example is the landscape mode, which is designed to pick out stronger blues and greens, making it ideal for verdant mountain shots. Within these presets, the user can still adjust sharpness, contrast, colour tone and saturation.

With the camera's Live View function, you can compose a shot using the LCD screen rather than the viewfinder. This allows you to adjust and preview image settings before taking the shot, giving you a handy idea of how the final picture will look.

It has a seven-point wide-area autofocus, which locks onto the subject and keeps a steady focus, even when the subject is moving.

In continuous shooting mode it will manage three Jpeg or 1.5 RAW photos every second. It has advanced anti-dust technology, and Canon claims that the circuitry delivers almost noise-free images.

Pros: Very light, great image quality, Live View

Cons: No movie mode