For amateur digital photographers starting into the genre while looking at the art and creativity of the ubiquitous digital SLR cameras, the best and the most costly models currently available may not necessarily be the best for you. The options may cost you dearly, the camera's advanced features too complex to handle, and keeping up with options and accessories digs deep into your resources. Starting low (financially) and simple instead, with vintage DSLR choices from online auction sites or brick-and-mortar stores may allow you to develop your style and technique while looking for the best brand to fill your needs.
I started with the Canon marque just over a year ago, with a 6MP CMOS entry-level Canon EOS 300D introduced in 2003, found the camera a savior to work with, and decided to explore the series further. My next stop was an equally beat-up EOS 400D, courtesy of an elderly family member. While images captured with the camera were simply exhilarating and beyond expectation, the LCD screen on the camera was so frosted that it was almost impossible to view. I had to keep the camera aside, but my interest in the marque continued.
My latest GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) buy is a low winning bid on an EOS Kiss X3 (EOS Rebel T1i in the US, EOS 500D in Europe) which I won recently. The camera kit, looking spanking new and hardly used, came boxed with a just as clean and looking almost new EF-S 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS lens The kit is further complemented with a battery, battery charger, cables, shoulder strap, CDs, instruction booklets, a small camera bag, and a 2 GB SD card. Setting the camera up was easy enough, once you were done with the hassle of looking up the instruction booklet on how to get to the English-language menu setting.
Canon EOS Kiss X3
The Canon EOS Kiss X3 (EOS Rebel T1i in the US, EOS 500D in Europe) is a mid-range entry-level digital SLR camera with a 15.1MP CMOS ASP-C sensor, launched by Canon in 2009. The camera is Canon's third digital single-lens reflex camera, which features a movie mode, and the second features a full 1080p video recording (at 20fps). It has a new high-res LCD and shares a few features with the high-end Canon EOS 5D Mark II (movie mode, Live preview, fast Digic 4 processor). Like the EOS 450D and EOS 1000D, it uses SDHC media storage instead of CompactFlash.
Technical specs for the EOS Kiss X3 include an electronically-controlled, focal-plane shutter with a total shutter speed range from 30 to 1/4000 second, with x/sync at 1/200 second, ISO sensitivity from 100 to 3200 (expandable up to 12800 equivalent), wide and selectable nine-point AF with center cross-type sensors, 35-zone TTL full-aperture metering with Evaluative, Partial, Spot, Center-weighted average metering options, and continuous shooting of up to 3.4 fps.
Exposure controls include Program AE (Full Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, Flash Off, Creative Auto, Program), Shutter-priority AE, Aperture-priority AE, Depth-of-field AE, and Manual. The 3.0-inch 920,000-dot Clear View LCD monitor features a multi-layer coating that reduces reflections while protecting it against scratches and dirt.
The Kiss X3 is powered by a 1080 mA 7.4 V DC rechargeable lithium-ion battery, the LP-E5, which incidentally also powers the EOS Kiss F (EOS Rebel XS, EOS 1000D), and EOS Kiss X2 (EOS Rebel XSi, EOS 450D). CIPA rates the battery as good for 380-400 shots at normal temperature for viewfinder shooting and 160-170 for Live View shooting.
The Kiss X3'd build quality is robust and solid, with a stainless steel core beneath the polycarbonate resin casing, and glass fiber reinforcement for additional strength. Series-wise, the camera updates the 12.2MP Kiss X2 (EOS Digital Rebel XSi, EOS 450D), launched in 2008 and was later superseded by the 18MP Kiss X4 (EOS Rebel T2i, EOS 550D), launched in 2010.
In Use
Lounging around with the Canon EOS Kiss X3 is fun and easy. The camera is comfortable in the hand, functions flawlessly, and is lightweight at only 677 grams with a battery and lens. Buttons and controls are logically laid out within easy reach of the fingers, specific to their functions. When powered up, the LCD (adjustable to four background shades) displays the shooting mode and camera settings, and the menu system is a sequence of seven display screens with parameters adjusted with the joystick pad.
As seen from the eye-level pentamirror, the viewfinder readout, with 95% coverage, is a fixed, precision matte screen etched with a spot metering circle, and the 9 AF display points and indicators. The LCD bar below the screen shows the camera settings that are currently applied. Additionally, the Live View shooting incorporates Face Detection technology for more precise focusing, and the X3's camera functions can be quickly adjusted via the Quick Control screen, activated by pressing the SET button on the joystick pad.
One of the appeals of Canon EOS DSLR cameras with the EF-S lens mount system is that the camera can be used with either EF or EF-S lenses, meaning that you can use the X3 as a competent backup when you already have a full-frame EOS and a set of EF lenses to work with. The reverse, however, is not viable as EF-S lenses will not mount on full-frame Canon EOS (with EF lens mounts) cameras.
Another ease of use, which can be said of other Canon EOS cameras with EF and EF-S lens mounts, is the easy adaptability of the camera for use with other makes of legacy lenses. A properly mounted AF-confirmed chip on an M42-EOS lens adapter, for example, will permit the camera to be used with M42 manual focus legacy lenses with focus confirmation supported by the camera's AF system.
Early Images
Using the pancake EF 40mm 1:2.8 STM (instead of the kit EF-S 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS) for these early images is the perfect solution for me. The Canon EF 40mm 1:2.8 STM, said to be sharp even at its widest, has a minimum focusing distance of 0.3 meters, meaning that you can get properly focused subjects as close as 20 centimeters from the front of the lens. Image renders from the Kiss X3 are rich in color gradation.
On the X3 the EF 40mm 1:2.8 STM prime is equivalent to a 60mm lens on a 35mm full-frame camera, a focal length still within the standard lens category, recommended for street, travel, and portraiture. There are no reasons, however, that you cannot or should not use the camera and lens for other genres as well.
What I find the most assuring with the Kiss X3 is the wheeze and sneeze of the shutter actuation and the fully damped clasp of the mirror flip. The actuation is soft and subtle, yet assuringly firm, a statement that eschews confidence in the brand and model. For the unit I was testing, though, it could be that the camera is still almost new, and was used only sparingly by its previous owner.
Presentation-wise, the images here are displayed in the 5:4 format. The 5:4 image aspect ratio, not normally available as a frameset setting on digital cameras, is perhaps the most traditional film format of all. It reminisces the sheets of 4x5in or 8x10in film used in large-format cameras, once the preferred choice for portrait photographers.
Rather than going for the Scenes option, my preference for night shots in Live Mode is to stick to the standard Auto Exposure mode with the camera supported on a tripod or solid support. Night Scene mode tends to overblow highlights and put images in pseudo-artificial colors.
End Note
While the 2009 Canon EOS X3 is definitely not the most advanced digital SLR camera available today, and may not be as complex to handle, it is a very competent performer with all the bells and tinkles that can be put to good use by newbies and advanced amateurs alike. Cameras within this category, vintage as they have been bypassed and made redundant by advanced manufacturing technology, are still easily available from online auctions or brick-and-mortar stores, some in prime hardly-used conditions, at prices for the asking.
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