400d
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DSLR dust removal / sensor cleaning shootout
We already know that megapixels don't matter (right?), but an oft hyped (but untested) feature that has emerged on DSLRs is automatic sensor cleaning. The anti-dust capabilities (or lack thereof) of Canon's EOS-400D, Olympus' E-300, Pentax's K10D, and Sony's Alpha A100 were put to the test, and although the methodology was less than scientific, the results were intriguing nonetheless. Essentially, each camera was given a before / after test shot in order to judge the results, and after the digicams sat through a dirtying process, they were "self-cleaned" 25 times and finally rated. Considering that Olympus was given credit as being the first manufacturer to include dust cleaning technology in its products, it's not too surprising that it took home the gold, but even sitting in first place, the E-300's effectiveness was only rated at 50-percent. Canon's EOS-400D came in with high expectations, but received a "poor" rating as the cleaning effectiveness clocked in a paltry five-percent. If you thought these two were bad, it only got worse when the Pentax K10D and Alpha A100 stepped to the plate, as both highly-regarded cams were deemed "useless" in the anti-dust department. So if your number one priority in a new DSLR is how well it cleans up after itself, there doesn't seem to be a standout option just yet, but feel free to hit the read link and decide for yourself.[Thanks, Romain B.]
Darren Murph03.26.2007
Canon gets official with their 400D / Rebel XTi DSLR for Photokina
The actual show is still nearly a month away, but a few trigger-happy camera manufacturers are unveiling their wares a bit early. Canon's EOS 400D / Rebel XTi DSLR -- a followup to their uber-successful Rebel XT -- was already pretty well outed by their Chinese arm, so there aren't really a lot of surprises here, but it's looking good all the same. The highlights are just like before: a 10.1 megapixel CMOS sensor, 2.5-inch LCD (a sizable improvement to the 1.8-incher on the XT), and speedy 9-point autofocus -- the same as that of the EOS 30D. The 22.2 x 14.8mm CMOS sticks with the 1.6x conversion ratio common to EOS cams -- not sure how we were getting that full frame vibe before -- and ISO sensitivity ranges from 100-1600. Canon is introducing a new Self Cleaning Sensor Unit that shakes off dust through ultrasonic vibration, along with a Dust Delete Data feature that embeds dust location in metadata, helping the included Digital Photo Professional software delete dust spots automatically. Of course, it wouldn't be a "Rebel" if Canon wasn't doing their darndest to undercut the competition on price, and the new $899 pricetag, which includes Canon's EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lense, does a pretty good job of said undercutting. You can also nab just the camera body for $799, and Canon has dropped the similar configurations of the XT to $799 and $699 respectively. The XTi is due for release in September, and seems destined for at least a little bit of success in its own right.[Via LetsGoDigital]
Paul Miller08.24.2006
Canon's 400D 10.1 megapixel DSLR
Canon US is still silent right this moment about the 400D DSLR, but it looks like Canon China's spilled the beans on their latest full-frame 35mm digital camera. Or at least we think it's full-frame 35mm, you never know with those translationbots that mention 35mm over and over; we also think it's got a 10.1 megapixel CMOS, 2.5-inch LCD, 9 point focus system, 1600 ISO setting, DIGIC II processor, ultrasonic dust removal, and, of course the Canon EF lens mount (for which they appeared to have announced two new lenses, the EF 50mm f/1.2L USM, and the EF 70-200mm f/4L is USM). They're still holding out on precisely how many Yuan it'll set one back (and when can spend said Yuan), but something tells us by the time we wake up tomorrow morning we'll have a whole lot more to work with.[Thanks, Pete]
Ryan Block08.23.2006