It’s that most wonderful time of the year… and it’s also my buy-stuff-as-a-gift-to-myself month.

I’ve always wanted to invest in a DSLR and take up photography as a hobby… as if Magic the Gathering, model kits and Gundams, blogging, gaming and writing weren’t enough eh? Anyways, I was torn between getting a Nikon or a Canon. The war between those two big camera companies is a never-ending battle. Thanks to my friends from Facebook, and my officemates Mark, Ann and Lheng, (and the week or so of non-stop research over the web), the choice eventually stopped at the Canon 500D. Thanks so much, guys! I appreciated all the help.

See my unboxing pics and sample photos after the break…

Unboxing The Canon 500D

The unboxing photos were c/o “Old Faithful”, my Casio Exilim EX-Z80 8MP Digicam

In a nutshell

Basically, it’s not the first tier entry level DSLR for Canon. That belongs to the Canon EOS 1000D (10.1 MP with 18-55 kit lens at SRP P32,950). The Canon 500D retails at around P41,000 to 49,000 depending on the shop and has the following specs/features

• 15.1 MP CMOS sensor
• Full HD (1080p) movies
• High ISO up to 12800 for low-light conditions
• 3.4fps with up to 170 JPEG burst
• 3.0” Clear View LCD with Live View mode
• 9-point AF system
• DIGIC 4
• EOS Integrated Cleaning System
• EF/EF-S and EX Speedlite compatibility

This model is comparable to the Nikon D5000 (12.3MP at an SRP of P50,493.00) or the ever-reliable Nikon D90 (SRP P72,000). So, price-wise, Canon wins in this category with a higher megapixel count and features such as live view and HD video not found in the two.

I especially loved the Live view since I’ll be able to view macro shots of my toys on the LCD screen or connect it to a PC and have a mini-studio right in my attic. Sweet! The HD video 1080P and 720P were an added bonus. I tested the HD video and I was blown away. I promise to post it soon.

Of course, the true test of any digital camera is picture clarity. After researching several sample photos over the web, users said (and I saw) that Canon’s was clearer and the photos were faithful. Nikon’s were ok too but more saturated. Well… there’s Photoshop if I want more saturation anyways.

The pictures will paint a thousand words. Here are sample photos that I took…

More photos in my Facebook test shots album. An while you’re at Facebook, be my fan please. Thanks!

Whooopeedo! I’m a happy dude! I love this cam!

… a photography blog kaya? Hmmmm…

Thoughts?