It's been a high-flying week for your ever-lovin' Crave: One minute we're 31 stories up looking at the latest tellies, the next we're high above London's bustling Square Mile, with a special invite up to Canon Towers to try out the newly announced EOS 500D. This 15-megapixel camera fits neatly into the Canon range between the 450D and 40D and is the most affordable dSLR to shoot video so far.
We were pleased to see the video feature has been simplified. We're still mystified as to why video isn't placed on the 5D Mark II's mode dial, instead requiring a trip through the menus. The 500D gets a video icon on its mode dial and a dedicated record button, but it still could be simpler: you have to half-squeeze the shutter, then lock focus, and only then can you start recording.
But once you're away, shooting video with a dSLR is instant fun. Being able to zoom and focus manually gives you control over the effects on screen and allows you to be more creative than with many camcorders.
You can capture full high-definition footage, but it's at the slightly odd frame rate of 20 frames per second rather than the 24fps of cinema. For 30fps, you drop to a still-crisp 720p, or lower for Web sharing. Clips can last up to 29 minutes.
Click through our gallery for more of our hands-on impressions of the truly impressive 500D.
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