KUALA LUMPUR, 5th MAY 2009 – Canon Marketing (Malaysia), a global leader in photographic and digital imaging solutions has today wowed the DSLR photo enthusiasts with its latest EOS 500D. Having pioneered the DSLR industry since 50 years ago, Canon continues to lead the way with this new model that comes packed with powerful 15 megapixel sensor and high definition (HD) movie recording capability.

Launched in conjunction with Canon’s 50th year anniversary for its SLR technology, the new entrant promises leading performance and a host of innovative features that would entice even the digital compact photographers to step up into the world of DSLR.

Big features, Powerful results
EOS 500D comes with an all new 15 megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor, paired with Canon’s latest DIGIC 4 imaging processor. The result of this powerful combination is a fast-operating camera loaded with advanced features that are able to capture ultra-sharp, high quality images with fine detail and life-like hues, while affording creative control to the photographer, with enhanced ease of use.

Thanks to more than 50 years of solid R&D, Canon’s new models are all equipped with its proprietary DIGIC 4 technology. The EOS 500D equipped with this latest technology is capable of a continuous shooting speed of 3.4 frames per second despite the higher processing load of recording 15 megapixel images.

Compared to earlier models’ performance, under low-light conditions has been improved. EOS 500D is the first in its segment to feature an expanded ISO range and able to capture images at up to ISO 12800. This is accompanied with improved high ISO speed noise reduction, which can be set to Standard, Low, Strong or Disabled.

More advanced features in the EOS 500D have been made possible by the DIGIC 4 processor. Auto Lighting Optimizer with face detection helps improve contrast and brightness of captured images. Earlier cameras offered options to enable and disable, while with the EOS 500D, the user can select from three settings to achieve the most ideal exposure.

DIGIC 4′s lens peripheral illumination auto correction feature uses specific lens data to automatically correct for vignetting, thus achieving even brightness and saturation across the whole frame without the need for post-editing.

Some of the best features have been packaged in the EOS500D, such as 9-point autofocus, spot metering, 14-bit A/D converter. These solid elements have been further enhanced with a 3-inch Clear View LCD screen of approximately 920,000 dots VGA resolution, with anti-reflective & scratch-resistant coatings for improved viewing and smudge protection. Custom functions have also been expanded to allow an even greater degree of customization; and novice photographers can now exercise greater creative control through the Creative Auto mode which lets users change camera settings via a graphical, self-explanatory interface.

All new HD Movie recording
EOS 500D shoots brilliant video, even in Full HD with its new movie mode. Encompassing powerful image capture capabilities of a camcorder, the EOS 500D is also capable of capturing high quality HD movies at 640×480 at 30 frames per second, 1920×1080 at 20 frames per second, or 1280×720 at 30 frames per second. As an added function, users can capture desired still shots while on the movie mode.

Convenient playback is possible with both conventional A/V Out terminal, as well as HDMI output. The EOS 500D can be connected to today’s large screen TVs, making the EOS 500D extremely versatile and convenient for users. The EOS 500D is a perfect photo and video combo with an affordable price tag.

Live View shooting, which allows the photographer to frame his shots from either the EOS 500D’s monitor or a computer screen, has also been refined from that in earlier models. In the EOS 500D, most menu options are now available in Live View mode; one can freely change shooting mode, AF mode (which now includes face detection AF), AF point, or even playback images.

The EOS 500D is a comprehensive suite of features and capabilities coupled with a wealth of creative options in a user friendly system.

Flash to match EOS 500D: the Speedlite 270EX
Though the EOS 500D’s built-in flash is adequate for most situations an external flash unit can enhance the experience. Among the numerous choices available, the Speedlite 270EX which succeeds the Speedlite 220EX, is an ideal pairing for the EOS 500D.

Targeted at beginners and enthusiasts, the Speedlite 270EX is lightweight at 145g, and supremely compact, requiring just two AA batteries to power. Yet it can be articulated to bounce the flash, at 60, 75 or 90 degrees, which can be determined with precision by referring to the bounce angle index on the flash.

With Guide No. switchable from 22/72 (28mm) to 27/89 (50mm), the Speedlite 270EX provides a larger flash output level than the built-in flash. It is also compatible with E-TTL II/E-TTL, for fully automatic flash photography, with quick and silent recycling.

50 years of Technological Excellence
2009 marks 50 years in Canon’s journey to being the leading SLR brand in the world with over 53 million SLRs sold and as the #1 DSLR brand in Asia (Source GfK Asia, 2008)*.The Canon brand name is now synonymous with digital SLRs as well with the introduction of various models beginning from its EOS 300D till the EOS 500D launched today. EOS has achieved exponential sales of more than 10 million DSLRs as photography becomes more accessible to amateurs and professionals alike.

The new model launched today is a reflection of Canon’s future path towards another 50 years of solid user friendly technology and its move to simplify lives. The 50th anniversary will have signature efforts like the EOS Virtual Community which functions as a common venue for Canon users to share photography knowledge online as well as for networking. The re-launch of Canon Professional Services (CPS) membership & EOS Photographer of the Year Award is also in store to commemorate the 50th Anniversary.

The launch of EOS 500D was made even more memorable with the presence of its 15 year EOS brand ambassador, renowned Hong Kong Superstar Simon Yam.

A veteran user of Canon’s SLR & now DSLR cameras, the superstar has been the face of the EOS cameras in its journey to achieve the status as a leading professional camera. Besides being present at the launch, Simon has his itinerary full with hospitality events on behalf on Canon throughout his 4 day stay in the country.

Pricing and Availability

The pricing for the EOS 500D with 18-55mm kit lens is priced at RM 3663.00 and the 18-200mm kit lens will also be released soon. The Speedlite 270EX on the other hand will be available at a recommended price of RM549. All units will be available at Canon’s authorized dealers.

“L” stand for “Luxury“, L Lens or normally called L-series lens is the most expensive and highest quality lens among the lenses made by Canon.

In general, L lenses are
- Tough build (made to withstand the trials on the fields, and some incorporating dust and moisture resistant rubber seals)
- Focus faster (The wide maximum apertures and fast, quiet USM motors enhance focusing speed)
- Offer higher optical quality (contrast, sharpness, color, background/foreground blur quality, flare, Chromatic Aberration)
- Normally the lens come with white color (according to Canon, this reduces heat gain when a lens is used in bright, direct sunlight)
- Full time manual focusing, FTM (you can let the camera autofocus, then manually adjust focus yourself prior to the shot)
- At least one fluorite or ultra-low dispersion glass element (fluorite crystal rather than normal glass), combined with super-low dispersion glass and ground aspherical elements
- Non-rotating front elements, which are optimal for some filters
- Expensive.

The presence of a red ring around the end of lens barrel that indicates an L lens, if it is made by Canon.

I am looking for my 1st digital SLR camera for a period of time. The only two manufacturer in my consideration list is Canon and Nikon. For Canon, EOS 450D and EOS 1000D is very suitable for the entry-level or the beginner of digital SLR camera. For Nikon, D60 and D90 is the better choice so.

Just after few weeks I decide to buy my 1st digital SLR camera, the two manufacturer announced their new digital SLR camera: Canon EOS 500D, and the Nikon 5000D. Before Nikon released the Nikon 5000D, Canon EOS 500D is my first choice rather of 1000D, 450D, D60 and D90. But afterwards, I indecisive to buy Canon EOS 500D or Nikon D5000. That’s why I have to make a comparison between them according to what I actually want on the digital SLR camera.

Now, talk about what is the great feature of each digital SLR camera!

Nikon D5000

The most significant feature of Nikon D5000 is the 2.7? tilt and swivel LCD monitor. This is the first ever LCD on a digital SLR which can rotate 180 degrees. This kind of novel LCD enables you to compose stunning photographs in angles which you can not take with any other digital SLR cameras.

Canon EOS 500D

The most significant feature of Canon EOS 500D is the video recording ability. Canon EOS 500D can record 1080p full HD videos at 20fps and 720p video at 30fps with AF. Although only 20 frames for full HD video recording, but it still great with 30 frames for non-full HD video recording.

For me, I still prefer Canon EOS 500D. May be the variable angle LCD monitor of the Nikon D5000 is not enough to allure me, while the great video recording ability of Canon EOS 500D is more attractively. Other than that, 15.1 megapixels is still a big advantage of Canon EOS 500D compare to the 12.3 megapixels of Nikon D5000. And the rest, is just bagatelle and not so important for me on choosing a digital SLR camera.

If you are looking more for comparison on this two incredible entry-level digital SLR camera, Canon EOS 500D and Nikon D5000, you can refer to here for feature comparison table.

Source: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/digitalcameras/0,39001469,62052998,00.htm

The camera industry and photographers, having just gotten accustomed to the arrival of video in point-and-shoot cameras, are just now beginning to grapple with its arrival in the more serious dSLR realm.

Chuck Westfall (Credit: Canon)

Chuck Westfall, technical adviser for Canon’s professional products marketing division and a 26-year veteran at the Japanese company, is in the thick of it. Nikon was the first to market a dSLR camera equipped with video, the D90, but Canon offers video in two dSLRs: The high-end EOS 5D Mark II with a large sensor the size of a full frame of 35mm film, and the EOS 500D, a more affordable mainstream model.

These cameras combine high-definition video–1,900 x 1,080 pixels at 30 frames per second in the case of the 5D Mark II–with dSLRs’ advantages when shooting in dim conditions and with a broad variety of lenses. But even though today’s video dSLR features hold some appeal to enthusiasts and professionals, they’re something of an awkward afterthought. dSLRs and those who use them that haven’t yet had much time to adapt.

Welcome to the world of digital photography where change is incessant. In an interview with CNET, Westfall talked not just about video, but also OLED displays, the arrival of rival full-frame dSLRs from Sony and Nikon, and the changing flash card format.

Q: The age of the video dSLR has begun. A lot of people using high-end cameras are set in their ways, and video is a radical difference for a lot of them. How does that change the camera design, the marketing, and everything you have to do to sell a camera?

Westfall: Right now we’re at an early stage for all this. Actually, the camera design itself has not changed that much yet. If you look at a camera like the 5D Mark II, it’s really been intentionally designed as a still camera first and foremost. The video feature is definitely a very important addition to the camera, but it really is an option as opposed to the main purpose. One of the things we’re hoping to accomplish with this approach is to give our still photographers–the bread and butter of our business–the opportunity to try something different without necessarily taking them out of their comfort zone in terms of the camera shape, size and layout. I’d say that a very key element, at least in terms of the 5D Mark II, is that it does have a full-frame sensor. This has a big impact on image quality in terms of low noise and angle-of-view issues, but it also has tremendous importance to a still photographer in that the look and feel of the movies are very similar in terms of perspective, angle of view and depth-of-field. The familiarity that photographers already have developed in terms of what lenses they’re going to pick can be carried forward.

Q: We pretty rapidly went from “Wow, freaky, video!” to “How come it can’t do all the things I want it to do?” For example, setting the aperture or locking it at a certain ISO–why are those features not there?

Westfall: In the beginning, we had to take into account that there is going to be a fair amount of users out there who are into the customization aspect, but the overall customer profile on this camera (the 5D Mark II) includes a lot of amateurs as well. Anything we can do to give those customers automation on the basics of video, including exposure, shutter speed, aperture, and ISO are things that will make it easier to produce high-quality footage without that much experience.

One of the other issues is that adding the full range of manual controls on this camera makes it a much more complicated instrument. It’s not necessarily that we’re never going to do it, but it’s a generation 1.0. We’d like to get some market feedback, which we’ve already received now, before we start making any serious changes to the overall feature set or design.

The video-enabled EOS 500D from Canon

Q: Do you think video is going to be pretty much standard in every dSLR henceforth?

Westfall: We don’t want to guarantee that. It is going to depend on the overall market strategy. But at this stage, the image processors we’re using, especially DIGIC 4, are powerful enough that it really makes it very easy for us to add that feature without increasing the cost.

Q: How’s the low-light performance compared with reasonably high-end HD video cameras?

Westfall: It’s actually a lot better. In part it has to do with the size of the pixels on the sensor. Compared to a camcorder, they’re huge. We’re looking at 6.4 micron pixels on this camera (so each pixel is 6.4 millionths of a meter on edge). By comparison, on the CMOS sensor in the Vixia series’ 3-megapixel CMOS we did, that was only a 1.7-micron pixel pitch. The difference between 6.4 and 1.7 is quite substantial. As a result, you’re going to see an improvement, especially in the noise quality.

Q: The 5D Mark II debuted a notch cheaper than the 5D, and everybody wonders what the trajectory is for full frame. We have Sony and Nikon providing some competitive pressure in the full-frame market. Is the low price because of the competition, because the technology is cheaper, or some other factor?

Westfall: I think there are elements of all those things involved in pricing. You’ve got to be competitive in the market. On the other hand, the manufacturing issues that have been developing over time have worked out in our favor as far as lowering costs. We’ve a lot more experience than any other companies in terms of developing full-frame CMOS since we were the first out there back in 2002 with the EOS 1Ds. All that experience including the design as well as the manufacturing have really worked out in our favor to make the costs more reasonable.

Q: What’s the future trajectory? Are prices going to come down further? Are the people buying a 50D today–the higher-end enthusiast market–going to be making the jump to full-frame? Or is there always going to be big quantum leap between APS-C (the smaller sensor size used in mainstream dSLRs) and full-frame?

Westfall: We’re going to evaluate the market overall in terms of pricing issues and try to offer the best combination of features for the money. Value is very important to everybody, especially in this economy. That doesn’t necessarily mean we would avoid a full-frame sensor just to cut cost. On the other hand, we can’t really say that a low-cost full-frame camera is going to be something we’re definitely pursuing. We generally take it as it comes to see if we can find a spot in the market for the lower-priced full frames.

Q: With 21 megapixels on Canon’s high-end dSLRs, are we reaching practical limits for resolution? There’s discussion that image quality now is limited by lens optics, even with pro-grade L lenses, regardless of the technical challenges of higher sensor resolution.

Westfall: As always, Canon’s bottom line for digital imaging is the ongoing improvement of overall image quality, especially for printed output. With that goal in mind, Canon does not consider 21 megapixels “a practical limit” for sensor resolution in the 24 x 36mm imaging format. Higher sensor resolution is only one element of overall image quality. However, the evolution of the EOS-1Ds series from 11.1 megapixels in 2002 to 16.7 megapixels in 2004 and 21.1 megapixels in 2007, together with advances in digital image processing, has clearly shown improvements in terms of lower noise and finer detail in printed output at any comparable ISO speed setting. The larger the print, the more noticeable the improvement. I would expect this trend to continue in future products. I would also expect to see further improvements in the optical performance of Canon EF lenses over time.

Q: How about Sony? I think it is up to No. 3 in the dSLR market. Does it strike terror into your heart, or has Sony not made enough gains to make you lose any sleep yet?

Westfall: On the dSLR side, the company are making some headway, but it’s still according to our information slightly below 10 percent of the market. So Sony is an important factor, but it is not as frightening to us at this point as it could be, theoretically. We’re watching the company and seeing how it holds.

Q: Can you be more specific about the issues they have?

The first dSLR to record full-HD video clips, the EOS 5D Mark II.

Westfall: One of the things that is an issue for any company besides Nikon or Canon is the huge installed base of owners that already own our lenses. Has Sony, being a relative newcomer, got enough user base to be able to chip into that share? The SLR market is not just camera bodies, it’s also the lenses. For some customers it’s even more so the lenses.

Q: Canon a few years ago demonstrated a 5D with an OLED (organic light-emitting display) screen. I just saw some cheap OLED keychain displays that cost US$60 or so. What’s the timeframe for building OLEDs instead of LCDs in the cameras? It’s a much higher-quality image and there might be battery advantages as well.

Westfall: It is a higher-quality image, no question about it, and the power consumption is lower because of the design. It’s a very efficient design. Canon has been developing that technology for quite some time. We showed our prototype in 2005, and here we are four years later. I think the bulk of what’s been going on in that interim is perfecting that technology not just in terms of performance but also in terms of manufacturing process. I can’t give you a timeline today, but we’re a whole lot closer now.

One of the things I could tell you about is that in 2008, we purchased a manufacturing facility for OLEDs, so in Japan, we’re creating the infrastructure to be able to bring this online. The issue for us is not just the perfection of the technology and lowering of the manufacturing costs, it’s also being able to generate the quantity of these devices to satisfy our needs across an entire range of consumer products. If you look at our global production, we are somewhere in the vicinity of 25 million or so compact cameras every year, and it’s growing. For digital SLRs last year, we did 4.4 million. That’s just cameras. Then you could start talking about the Pixma inkjet printers–a great many of them have LCD displays.

Q: The overall camera market, on the compact side, is flat or down overall. How’s that affecting Canon specifically?

Westfall: We’re still very optimistic. We’ve been No. 1 since 2004, and we’ve been building our market share recently. We see that as opportunity for further growth even if the overall industry is shrinking slightly this year. The fact is that even in these tough economic times, people still need to record their memories. The use of digital photography for that is not going to go away.

Why don’t we have a snappy compact digital camera. One that focuses quickly and shoots very quickly. There’s a big lag still.

Westfall: It’s actually gotten a lot better. Every year, it keeps on getting better. The one thing that is always going to be an issue is the autofocus system being part of the actual image sensor instead of a separate module. The so-called contrast-detect autofocus simply takes a long time to execute. We’re making some inroads on that from the processer speed and the intelligence of the focusing algorithm to cut that down to the minimum level.

Q: It’s also an issue once you have Live View in a dSLR, especially with video. That seems to me a major disconnect when people move from the point-and-shoot world. You can use Live View, but it’s really not very satisfying because of the focus problems. When are we going to see that fixed?

Westfall: It’s clearly a need that’s going to be addressed. My guess is that in the next stage the product design engineers will have to think about a dedicated ASIC-type chip (application-specific integrated circuits are tailored for specific functions) that is really geared primarily to that task so you can speed up that operation without affecting other camera performance issues.

Pretec’s 32GB SDXC card, a world’s first.

In storage, CompactFlash and SD seem to be the winners. You support both, and all your compacts use SD. What’s the timeframe for the new SD standard, SDXC, arriving?

Westfall: I’m pretty sure it will be available in the industry by the end of next year.

Q: What are the big advantages of that besides just capacity?

Westfall: There is really an advantage in terms of data writing speed. That has a big impact on performance issues such as shooting movies. If you’re going to be shooting high-resolution, 30 frames-per-second HD video, you really need speedy data transfer. I’m very interested from a personal perspective when this standard comes out if they will get past this existing file format issue where the maximum individual clip is limited to 4GB. I think that should go away, and hopefully, the SDXC standard may offer us a path to accomplish it.

Q: Is SDXC good enough that you could get rid of CompactFlash and move solely to XC and its successors?

Westfall: Theoretically there’s no reason why you’d have to stick with any of the legacy formats if SDXC is all that it’s hyped out to be, but we don’t necessarily want to change our entire strategy at this point.

My quick review regarding Canon EOS 500D

Good

- 15.1 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor

- High speed DIGIC 4 performance and superb image quality

- 3.0” ClearView LCD with Live View mode

- compact, lightweight body and it is portable

- large and bright viewfinder

- 30 frame per second for 720P video record ,excellent for sub-$1000 market

Not Enough Good

- 20 frame per second for full HD(1080P) video record

- Live View focus can’t keep up with fast action

Full review below source from: http://www.pocket-lint.com/reviews/review.phtml/3931/4955/canon-eos-500d-dslr-camera.phtml

26 March 2009 – With the Digital SLR market still growing, and models flying off the shelves, Canon has added yet another DSLR model to its range, this time sitting at the top of the entry-level models on offer above the 450D but below the 40D. But can the new 15.1-megapixel video sporting camera deliver the goods? We had a brief play with a prototype at Canon’s London offices.

Based on the EOS 450D casing with some tweaks and changes, the compact DSLR (if that’s possible) is solid in its build and design. The handgrip on the right hand side has been designed to be a little deeper for a better grip and the changes work. You can now get your hand on and around the camera and this combined with a light weight means you aren’t going to be struggling to keep it steady.

The screen on the rear has been increased to 3-inches – it’s actually the same as the company’s flagship model the 5D mark II – and it’s big, bright and glossy. Supposedly coated in substances to stop major reflections, even on a mild day we experienced plenty of glare (see images). That said the extra real estate is welcomed and with the new DIGIC 4 menu interface, scrolling through menus and changing the options is lovely. It’s a good job too as the 500D is missing a secondary LCD as found on 40D and earlier entry-level models.

Packed in tightly on the back of the camera is the usual array of buttons, while the top panel features a mode dial, the ISO button and of course the all important shutter button.

The mode dial gives you access to all the usual presets such as Auto, aperture priority and so on, and a range of landscape and portrait offerings as well as the new welcomed Video function. A new addition is something Canon has called Creative Auto.

Creative Auto is designed for beginners to the wonderful world of DSLR photography and puts things like Depth of Field, F-stops and aperture into easy to understand non-technical terms. So instead of mentioning f-stops you get asked the question “Do you want your backgrounds to be sharp or blurry?” A quick press of the set button and a scroll of the jogger wheel and you’ve got your setting. It’s as easy as that.

The mode will be great for photographers starting out, however it would have been nice if there was an option to explain what was actually happening so you could progress your knowledge further. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach him how to fish and he’ll eat forever.

New to the model is the introduction of video. Here you’ll get 1080p resolution at 20 frames a second and 720p resolution at 30 frames a second. The camera does sport autofocus although even Canon admit that it’s slow to react and you’re probably going to be better off doing focus pulls on your own. Trombone shot here we come. There is a built-in mic for recording sound, but no way of adding an external mic for a better performance, not even via the hot-shoe.

Canon blame the lack of an external mic on size and cost factors, which is a shame because but it means this is a handy feature rather than something that gives you a complete package: they’ve still got to protect their camcorder range after all.

You do however get an HDMI socket on the camera to allow you to playback content on your TV quickly and easily. The video results are good, although clearly depending on what you are doing and what lens you are using. We would recommend upgrading from the kit lens if you are planning on doing any real video work.

Although our test was brief, we were able to take plenty of shots. Unfortunately we weren’t able to keep those shots to analyse later or post here. However we were able to look at them on a large screen at Canon’s offices. The results using the kit 18-55mm IS kit lens where very good (even though they were prototypes) and while we still question the need for 15.1 megapixels, it will allow you to crop in hugely. I suppose it’s one of those things: you don’t know you need 15.1 megapixels until you have them.

With an increase in resolution the file size increases to around 6MB a piece and this is saved to an SD card. Following previous models’ the size reduction doesn’t allow for CompactFlash, instead you have SDHC support up to 32GB.

Related Article you may interest (Recommended):

1. Canon EOS 500D Review
2. Canon EOS 500D HD Movie
3. Canon EOS 500D – Picture Test
4. 500D rather better than 450D
5. Canon EOS 500D on Youtube
6. Canon EOS 500D sample
7. Canon EOS 500D