Yesterday I held the Canon 350D in my hands in a local photography shop. It had the kit-lens (EF-S 18-55 USM-II) on it. Being used to the Fuji FinePix S2 Pro with a modified MB-16 I can only say: the 350D is conveniently small and light. Auto-focus is very fast and quiet. The viewfinder is bigger than the viewfinder the S2 Pro has, and it’s a little brighter.
The camera makes a nice sound (the flipping of the mirror) when releasing the shutter. From shutterrelease to preview on LCD is extremely fast and the LCD is a little better than I was used to.
Being in all-auto, I must say the whitebalance was not always spot on, but that’s what I already read on the internet: don’t use Auto-WB. On my other camera’s I never did, so why start doing that on the Canon?
The command-dial on top needs to get used to. Nikon camera’s (and so the S2 Pro as well) have a maindial where your indexfinger is, and a sub-dial where your thumb is. Canons only have one dial and it’s on top. No big thing, but one needs to get used to it.
The camera is small: too small for people with big hands. No problem for us, but it can be a serious problem for others.
Now I have to sell my S2 Pro and all the Nikon-mount lenses I have. And fast, since I need to “practice” with the camera first, before going on holiday in September. So if any of you is interested, send me an e-mail.
Update: …or look here for a part of the stuff I’m selling.