Expand your creative shooting options with an extensive range of interchangeable lenses and accessories Take complete creative control of your images with PIXMA and imagePROGRAF PRO professional photo printers. See the world through the optical viewfinder and instantly review results on the user-friendly, 6.8 cm (2.7”) LCD screen Sharing to social media and remote shooting is intuitive with Wi-Fi¹ and the Canon Camera Connect app²

While the 400D is unquestionably a very good camera, with superb performance, an excellent control system and wide range of picture control options, and while it is a distinct improvement on the 350D, it doesn’t really stand out in comparison to any of the other entry-level 10MP DSLRs that are currently available. The kit lens is also very weak. If you want a deeper bargain, get a close-out price on last year's Rebel XT. Image quality is the same ( megapixels have little to do with anything) but the smaller LCD on the Rebel XT is a bit too orange for my taste, so I prefer this newer XTi. At 100 ISO the picture is clean, well detailed and noise free, everything we’ve come to expect from a Canon DSLR.At the maximum 1600 ISO there is some visible image noise over dark and mid-tone areas, but the image quality is still good enough to print. The viewfinder is also somewhat improved, with a nine-point focus indicator and a bright green LED information display. It seems larger and brighter than the 350D, and is about the same as the viewfinder on the Sony A100 and significantly larger than that of the Olympus E-400.

The most obvious internal improvement is the CMOS sensor, which is increased in resolution to 10.1 megapixels and now includes an automatic cleaning system, which uses a combination of an anti-static coating on the anti-aliasing filter, ultrasonic vibration and pixel mapping to ensure that dust on the sensor is less of a problem.The EOS 400D is up against some very accomplished competition, but it gets off to a running start by being a third-generation product, with a design that has evolved over several years. Physically it is very similar to the 350D, with a lightweight and compact body made of tough polycarbonate plastic over a stainless steel chassis, although it is in fact a completely new body. Build quality is very good, with none of the cheap and flimsy feeling of the 300D. The battery and card hatches have metal hinges, and although the port cover is a rubber plug it fits well and will keep dust at bay.