Where it may win however is for the undoubtedly significant number of people wishing to upgrade from an EOS 300D or 350D, who already have some Canon lenses and so can buy it body only, avoiding the disappointing kit lens. For these people it offers outstanding performance, superior picture quality and a useful level of control and versatility that will be a good progression from their existing camera. However the semi-useful Live View, larger screen and slight increment in resolution don't offer enough of an advantage over the 400D Canon EOS Camera Charger to make that upgrade worthwhile.
The digital SLR market is fiercely competitive, with the biggest sales and fattest profits in the hotly-contested consumer/entry-level area. Up until very recently Canon, the first company to break the sub-£1,000 barrier with its popular EOS 300D model in 2003, had a commanding lead in DSLR sales with a market share approaching 50 percent, following up the success of the 300D with the EOS 350D and 400D. However holding on to a lead in such a fast-moving game is as much about marketing and strategy as about making quality products, and over the past year Canon has seen its lead eaten away by its main rivals Pentax, Olympus, Sony and especially Nikon. It's not so much that the rivals are making better cameras than Canon, but more that they are offering the right products at the right prices.
In the crucial entry-level area of the market Canon has been relying on the continued popularity of the EOS 400D, a 10.1-megapixel model launched nearly two years ago and still selling well. However the 400D Canon EOS Battery Charger costs around £400 with an 18-55mm kit lens, which is starting to look like a lot of money for an aging model.
Nikon meanwhile has launched a three-pronged assault on the entry-level sector, with the 6.1MP D40 still available at around £280, the new 10.2MP D60 at around £380 and the superb D80 at around £600. Sony is continuing to carve itself a bigger share of the market with the Alpha A200. Faced with competition like that Canon must be worried that its once dominant market position isn't looking as unassailable as it used to.
Earlier this year Canon announced the launch of a new consumer digital SLR, the EOS 450D. It features a new 12.2-megapixel CMOS sensor, a larger 3-inch monitor with Live View mode, nine-point AF system and 3.5fps continuous shooting. Canon has subsequently announced an even newer lower-spec entry-level camera, the EOS 1000D Canon EOS Chargers which we'll be reviewing next week, but even this model is currently around £500 on pre-order. Is Canon in danger of pricing itself out of one of its core markets?
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