Canon XSi / 450D best price, reviews, best lenses, accessories and tutorial
Canon XSi or 450D is the best selling digital SLR on amazon. Here I collected some good reviews, best lenses, essential accessories and tutorial DVD and books on Canon XSi or 450D.
Canon XSI / 450D reviews:
Dpreview by Simon Joinson and Phil Askey: “The EOS 450D has a feature set that offers an excellent balance between beginner-friendly ease of use and the manual control / customization demanded by those wanting something a little more serious.
Popphoto by Dan Richards “Great image quality: It scored Excellent image quality throughout its ISO 100-1600 range, based on Excellent resolution (2265 lines average), Excellent color accuracy, and noise levels that ranged from Very Low at ISO 100 to Moderately Low at ISO 1600
Canon XSi or 450D manual and firmware can be downloaded here.
Please update the firmware to the newest version 1.1.0. Firmware Version 1.1.0 supports the AF assist beam features of the new flash, Speedlite 270 EX, which is scheduled to be released in April 2009.
Order Canon XSi now: best deal: $475
Best lenses for Canon XSI or 450D
For beginners, the most affordable options are the kit lens Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS with Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS. Canon EF-S 55-250mm uses Canon ET-60 hood and 58mm filters.
However, the best walk-around lens to go with Canon XSi would be Canon EF-S 17-55 mm f/2.8 IS USM.
This lens is very sharp with constant aperture and 3-stop image stabilization. Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 uses Canon EW-83J hood and 77mm filters. One of the best telephoto lenses is Canon EF 70-200 mm f/4L IS USM. This lens is one of sharpest lenses around. It is relative light with 4- stop image stabilization. Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM uses 67mm filters. More details on canon lenses: Best Canon lenses
Canon XSi Accessories:
- An extra battery: Canon XSi uses a Canon LP-E5 battery pack
- Opteka Battery Pack (best price $69.95 )
The battery grip is great for Canon XSi or 450D. It not only provides 2x battery power, but also can balance the weight when using heavy lenses on the light T1i body. when shooting in portrait orientation, the grip comes with its own shutter, aperture, AF lock and AF select buttons as well as another selector dial. To prevent accidental use of these buttons, the grip is also equipped with an ON/OFF switch. If the battery is out of power, you can use 6 AA batteries in the grip. For $70, this five star rated battery grip is a steal!
- Digital SLR bags: many people like the photo backpack. A good shoulder bag: Lowepro Rezo 170AW camera bag. If you like a compact bag, Lowpro Rezo TLZ10 is an excellent one.
- Filters: circular polarizer is one of the most useful filters read here. For best polarizer filters, read here. For UV filters and where to buy, read here.
- SDHC/ SD Memory cards: You need at least a couple of memory cards with at least 4G-8G each. Canon T1i uses SD/SDHC cards. The recommend brands are lexar, SanDisk or Kingston.
- External flash: Canon 430EX II or Canon 580EX II or 270EX
- Tripod: Bogen Manfrotto 190XPROB and Bogen-Manfrotto 322RC2 ball head.
- Remote control: canon wireless remote for digital rebel RC1
For Canon XSi or Canon 450D tutorial DVDs, read here.
The best Canon Rebel XSi guide I’ve seen online so far. This is exactly what I’ve been searching for. Thank you so much!
Thanks! I was looking for confirmation that the Lowepro TLZ10 is an exact fit on the XSI with kit lens. This site rocks!
Ben Long’s “The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D Companion” is an EXCELLENT book for a beginner that owns the XSi. It incorporates Photography 101 with the XSi.
Thanks for the list of recommended accessories. I pretty much bought all of them when I ordered from Amazon and I got a great deal. I’m not quite sure if I need the external flash yet. That seems a bit much for a beginner. Perhaps when I get a bit more experience I’ll consider it.
A couple cheap accessories I’d also recommend are a cheap SDHC card reader (about $5) because most computers only read SD cards. I’d also recommend a lens cap keeper so that you don’t lose your lens caps.
Thanks very much for your recommendations!
I would second Paul’s recommendations as well on the cheap accessories. I have all of those. One strap for each lens and cap, also the card reader. It is important to have those.
Paul, I would recommend getting the external flash. The built in flash sometimes is just too harsh on your subject. It is really quick and simple to learn how to bounce a flash off the wall. You will enjoy it really quick. I would also recommend two defusers as well. One for the built in flash, and one for the external flash. It will soften the light and works wonders.
I am also looking for an extender (I know I am using the wrong term, just getting back in to the SLR camera thing with the XSi from a POS). It is the adapter that you put on your lens that will double the telephoto range of it. Anyone know what I am talking about?
I have troubles in the auto focus giving shots.
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 SLR Lens AUTO FOCUS GOT STUCK. When I press the shutter to take a shot, it doesn’t work. Why?
Please help!
Ed
Hello
My EOS 450D that I have been using for 8 month
remove the violet color when taking photo of the violet flower.Is it malfunctioned or is it natural?
Hi,
What telephoto lens can I get for my Canon Rebel XSi and is there a teleconverter that will fit it?
The best bet is Canon 70-200mm f/4 which is not very expensive and you can use a Canon x1.4 teleconverter.