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In Photokina 2008 Canon was busy launching its 50D and 5D Mk II DSLR models. The 5D Mk II has caused a stir in the DSLR world. Demand is steadily as high as its supply and clearly video is the new much sought feature to add to new DSLR models.

So now that Canon has taken care of the high end, it comes back to replace its successful 450D with the new 500D/T1i model (how the hell do they arrive at those stupid names for the US market?). The 500D is no longer the entry Canon DSLR body (a role taken by the 1000D) but Canon has traditionally introduced new features via its widely appreciated 300D/350D/400D/450D product line. Here is the features that I find important in the new release:

• Video: You get 1080p@20fps or 720p@30fps, numbers that are better than Nikon D90’s 720p@24fps. Clearly the Digic 4 processor can handle 1080p@30fps, but since the competition is still lagging, I suspect this will be reserved for the 550D or the more expensive 60D (we are looking at approximately 18 months for these models). As has been proven by the 5D Mk II, a DSLR body is not the best form factor, add to that focus issues and suddenly the swallow depth of field because a pain to live with. Since the 500D is a wide public product Canon introduced auto-focus, the slow live view version, it remains to be seen how well it works.
• Sensor: It is the same 15Mp APS-C CMOS sensor used in the 50D. For a DSLR costing €800, this is a lot of resolution. Whether it is required or not is another issue. The fact is that Canon is packing in more and more pixels and ISO goes up to 12800, so it seems Canon is sorting out noise processing as it has always done.

Apart from that, here is a quick summary of what €800 gets you:

• Some beginner helper features for blurring and focusing that I would prefer not to hear about.
• HDMI output.
• A great 3-inch 920K LCD screen.
• Sensor cleaning.
• Face detection (another feature for ex-compact users).
• EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens.

So is the 500D good value? Judging by its predecessors it is a safe bet for anyone, the big volume earner of Canon DSLRs that the manufacturer would never risk getting wrong.

[Wired, Dpreview]