Canon EOS 500D Review

#1 Randy

This is a great little camera for point and shoot photography.  We try to keep easy to use cameras around for family, etc. so we don;t have to lug our big pro DSLRs everywhere.  With a kit lens, it’s hard to beat.

4:14 pm - Wednesday, May 13, 2009

#2 johan

I was disapointed that the sample pictures were all in the 100-400 ISO range, with one exception.

5:17 pm - Wednesday, May 13, 2009

#3 Bob

Randy, that has to be the most ignorant or arrogant comment. Haven’t decided yet.

6:01 pm - Wednesday, May 13, 2009

#4 ky

in the home use DSLRs this is a only DSLR of CANON which better than nikon’s.

1:03 am - Thursday, May 14, 2009

#5 luc

The iso and jpg/raw comparison shots look horribly awful, even at iso 100 !!!
They are showing some random pattern in the red parts. Could you make sure, this is not a mistake?

3:38 pm - Friday, May 15, 2009

#6 Randy

Actually, I stand by my comments.  In professional life, we use Nikon DSLRs..D3 and D2x bodies with high end lenses.  But as nice as they are, it is difficult to always carry a big body and lens around…so we shopped a lot of small cameras that would suffice for every day photography…and since we bought the 500D, we’ve been very happy with it.  Is it a pro camera?  Absolutely not…but for every day point and shoot photography, we have been very happy with the results, so please don’t throw insults.  You don’t know me any more than I know you.

3:37 pm - Monday, May 18, 2009

#7 Dan

i have a question:

i am just about to purchase a 450d, but am now wondering, should i pay a more for the 500d?...

im not particuarly interested in the hd movie facility (because its only 20fps, & if i was id go for a nikon, say d90/d5000), so is the extra money worth the improved processor, higher pixel count, more af points, modes, etc?...

im fairly new to photography but want a camera that i can, at first, point & shoot, then as i learn/experiment more with the parameters, use in more advanced modes.

please let me know what you think…any advice would be helpful, but please do not suggest other cameras as im only interested in these two models…

regards

9:33 pm - Tuesday, May 19, 2009

#8 lokman

I am looking for a replacement for my old EOS 10s. Right now looking seriously at 40D and 500D. Need advice on which to buy.
I’ve tried both in a Canon shop, but found the color reproduction (from the LCD anyway) not very faithful, especially the 40D. Have tried all the different white balance settings but still could not find an acceptable one. I also find the controls of the 40D not as simple to use as the 500D.
Overall I do not find much to like about the 40D and my shooting preferences do not call for its ‘pro’ level features (high frame rate, rugged body, bulk [my hands are not so big anyway], etc). I am more into candid family photos at home, outside, travel, etc, rather than take complex nature/artsy photos.
However, since the price (body only) is the same for both and of course the ‘pro’ tag of the 40D, should I just get 500D which suites my preferences now? Or will I regret it after some extended use and wished I had bought the 40D instead?

2:26 am - Saturday, May 23, 2009

#9 Joyce Tenneson

Randy please keep play with your nikon
in the pro world , i mean in the real pro sector there is almost only canon
every 20 shooter , 19 are canon 1 nikon

again keep playing with your nikon and don’t forget to watch shows and movies (there nikon is the king of the fools)

4:51 pm - Saturday, May 23, 2009

#10 Mike

Joyce, what a sad little person you must be.

You act as if Canon is your own company.
What is your vested interest? (Besides owning a Cannon)
Photography is not a sport where you need to support a team!
Both Nikon & Cannon produce great great cameras, and to be choosing sides is beyond petty. It pathetic!

Get a life

5:49 am - Monday, May 25, 2009

#11 Dárion

Actually, you can shoot 170 jpegs in a row with the EOS 500D, not just 70 as the review claims.

I’m really looking forward to getting this camera, this week. Finally a good enough digital system camera without an insane price… have been waiting for a while. One thing that is a bit strange with this camera, however, is that it only allows you to take RAW in max resolution. Hopefully, Canon will fix that in a future firmware update. It’s also a real shame that you only can record full HD video in 20 fps, and hardware limitations probably wouldn’t allow it to be increased to 30 through a firmware update, and even if it was possible, I doubt it’d be in Canon’s interest to improve that, anyway. :/

By the way, does anyone know how weather resistant this camera is? Can you take pictures in the rain without protecting it and just wipe it dry shortly afterwards? If so, about how heavy rain can it handle and what should be kept in mind when you use it in the rain?

11:04 am - Monday, May 25, 2009

#12 Neill

The price has just been slashed in the UK. Kit price is now £649 and body only is £599. These are high street prices as well. Makes the 500D a much more attractive upgrade proposition!

3:58 pm - Tuesday, May 26, 2009

#13 Nik

@ #9 Joyce

Many pros are switching to Nikon, you can see more and more black lenses in the field,
there’s a good article, from the last Olympic games, showing that many photographers are switching to Nikon.
No doubt that Canon got a sesnible advantage in the sport world due to his good AF from the early 90s

6:56 pm - Tuesday, June 2, 2009

#14 Anton

Cool!

12:40 am - Thursday, June 4, 2009

#15 CxxC

As a couple of people have already stated here, the EOS 500D can only record full HD (1920x1080) at 20 frames per second.  If you want 30 fps, you are limited to recording video at only 720 resolution. However, your review still incorrectly says this:

“This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 1920x1080 at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 7 second movie is 36.7Mb in size.”

You may need to change that. 

3:52 pm - Saturday, June 20, 2009

#16 careless

not bad for its price but is it gonna satisfy you at all
? thats the question

11:31 pm - Saturday, July 4, 2009

#17 Repair-Man

I was thinking of getting this camera for my son; he is pre-teen. Is it simple enough for a beginner or should I go with something like the cyber-shot? He currently uses a little Kodak - nothing to learn on that- ‘point-and-shoot’

1:22 pm - Thursday, July 23, 2009

#18 daman

you all a bunch of losers…

3:25 pm - Tuesday, August 4, 2009

#19 Tim

WOW   ! ! !  catty….  I use a 400D at the mo and it is starting to show its age a little. So the upgrade has to be a 500.

I use it to take scenes in mountains where an EOS 1DS MkIII and fuul lens fit would be too heavy.
I also use it for social photography.

So the 500 looks a good bet.

looking at some of the previous comments,I am sure that someone will tell me that I don’t know what I’m talking about. But then I haven’t refered to it as a “Point and shoot” . I find that the manual options are as capable of producing excellent results when teamed with a quality lens, as most others. But then I know how to use the manual options (Like most people who have actually used this…)

8:01 pm - Monday, August 10, 2009

#20 Freemason

Innocent me came to this blog to find out about a camera I had been offered, and some of the comments were very helpful, and thanks for that.  But why do so many comments consist primarily of insults regarding perfectly innocent postings by other people (complete strangers?).  Apart from exposing the writer’s personality problems, these comments waste the time of those with a genuine interest in the topic.  I am also surprised to find that photography can be such an emotional subject. I find this a little sad.

5:55 am - Friday, October 9, 2009

#21 Tim

Hi Freemason (and everyone else), and welcome to the catty, bitchy, backstabbing world of personal opinions. Firstly Photography is a very emotive subject and if you want people to stand face to face and wax lyrical, it is a great place to start. Of course if they can’t see each other and there is no danger of getting a punch on the nose then as with C.B. Radio (Remember that?) or driving in the high street, People who would otherwise be charming, educated, and really very pleasing, go on forums/blogs and tend to forget their manners and go for each other like rabbid dogs (not JUST photography either).
I have bought my EOS 500d and am VER impressed with it. The HD movie facility is one that I THOUGHT that I would never use. And while you are restricted to 720 if you want 30 Frames per second, this is very usable. If you require more then a camcorder is designed for just such people.
The kit lens supplied is a good and capable lens which produces results way in excess of a compact camera and is way more versetile (Spelling, sorry). When top quality glass is used (I have tried an EF 50mm 1.4 USM, an EF 300mm 2.8L IS USM, an EF 35-350mm 3.5-5.6 L USM and an EF100-400mm 4.5-5.6 L IS USM.on mine), the results are frankly mind blowing.
Printing at A4 there is no discernable difference between this and my EOS 5D MkII. Although by A2 the differences are apparent to the qualified examiner. For £600 it is an absolute bargain, and far easier to lug up Helvellyn (3000 odd feet) than an EOS 1 DS MkIII.
As for Nikon these too are blindingly brilliant cameras, but PERSONALLY I prefer Canon, They are what I know.

6:50 am - Friday, October 9, 2009

#22 Tim

Could I just add that I also wanted the power Grip. The Canon version is very expensive for a plastic tube, and a friend suggested the “OPTIKA” version. I found it at less than half price on the 47th Street Photo site. Frankly I was not expecting much, A cheap tube for batteries from a supplier 1/8th of the way around the planet.
What I got was a huge suprise. It arrived in 48 Hours well packaged and despatched by FEDEX (Who use a tracking system which ACTUALLY shows you where it is… I opened the box and found 2 Batteries included and a goody box of lens cleaning/Screen protecting gear and a Very light small compact tripod.EXCELLENT service.
The Grip is the same as the Canon equivalent except for the Canon Logo on the front and FAR superior to the EOS 400 Canon grip which I also own and is the real McCoy.
HIGHLY reccomended.

7:18 am - Friday, October 9, 2009

#23 Robert

Just to let anyone who is looking for a battry grip that the Opteka grip is on e-bay at £49.99

6:24 pm - Sunday, October 18, 2009

#24 Richard

I am looking at moving up from my Panasonic FZ28 to a DSLR and am stuck between the Canon D500 and Nikon 5000.

I won’t be shooting videos and so just want the best camera for stills photography. They are both more or less the same price now & so would welcome some recommendations.

10:54 am - Monday, November 2, 2009

#25 Nikki

Hiya

I dont know why people put so much pay in the camera anyway. Yes it must take good images, but i have never used the auto settings or autofocus, Id rather do it all myself. I thought photography was all about seeing the picture and working out how to frame it, not letting a camera do it all for you. My thirteen year old son can take a great picture on auto settings, anyone can.

I have been using a 350D from canon for a good few years now and i get shots that still sell over other peoples. I had a Nikon before and that died after getting rained on once, I do a lot of outdoor photography, and a lot of night work thus my cameras always get battered to death by the elements. The 350D has been soaked two or three times, dropped a couple, nearly blown up and blown over on its tripod and is still working fine!

That is my reason for always sticking with Canon… they are very very good if you do outdoor work!!! Plus its been round the clock 22 times and still hasn’t needed to be serviced…...

Find a camera that you feel happy with weight wise, and that you can set up and use easily…. all the extra electronics arnt that needed !

6:49 pm - Tuesday, November 10, 2009

#26 Tim

That is EXACTLY why I bought the 500D (It was the same as my old 400Ds but with more metal pixies… Then I kept the 400Ds as it doesn’t matter too much if they get misused a bit. Frankly they are so battered that I couldn’t sell them anyway, and so bullit proof that they still work as well as the day they were made.

8:06 pm - Tuesday, November 10, 2009

#27 sailesh

having used this camera now for a good three or four weeks, i have to say i am impressed. i was going to get the eos 50d but as this one cost less i settled for the 500d and any disappointment i thought id suffer was lost when i took my first hundred or so shots - really clear, crisp, impressive and vibrant colours. now im happy.
as for the ranting and raving on these comments, it all seems pretty silly really…

8:13 am - Saturday, November 14, 2009

#28 tabby

Really helpful review and convinced me to nip out and buy this camera as soon as i have clicked ‘post comment’ !

I am probably never going to be anything but a point and shooter, just want to take great pics of my toddler and i miss the shot every time with my current regular digital cam. It’s the shooting 170 jpegs in a row that clinched it for me. Surely i can get at least 1 out of 170 as a decent pic?!

3:56 pm - Friday, November 20, 2009

#29 josh

“Randy

This is a great little camera for point and shoot photography.  We try to keep easy to use cameras around for family, etc. so we don;t have to lug our big pro DSLRs everywhere.  With a kit lens, it’s hard to beat. “

Retard!

8:19 pm - Friday, November 20, 2009