The 1000D marks the introduction of a brand-new line of EOS models for Canon, coming in below the range that’s culminated in the 450D (see below). The body shape is slimmed down compared with the 450D and looks more like the old 350D, released in 2005.

In terms of features, it’s somewhere between the two. With 10.1 megapixels, sensor-dust removal and a live-view mode, it’s up to date with the features the market expects of new models. But elsewhere, it’s crippled by cheaper competition.

To begin with, there’s no spot-metering facility. A bigger drawback than this, however, is that when you shoot in RAW mode rather than JPEG, the available burst rate falls. In RAW mode, it halves to 1.5fps – barely more than a decent digital compact can offer. That makes it next to useless if you want to dabble in action photography.

In the 1000D’s favour, the compact body is also light at just 708g including the kit lens – only the Olympus E-420 is lighter – making it a fine holiday carry-around. The lack of spot metering will rarely be an issue, and as compensation you get dedicated depth-of-field preview and ISO selection buttons. You also get Canon’s logical button layout and operation, which makes changing settings quick once you’ve had a day or two with the camera.

Making up for the lack of in-body image stabilisation is also the 18-55mm image-stabilised kit lens. It isn’t as sharp as the equivalent offering with Nikon’s D60, but it beats the Sonys in the image-quality stakes. In addition, Canon’s CMOS image-sensor technology is second to none, with low noise that makes shooting at up to ISO 1600 possible. Detail rendition is also good, so if you want to trade up to one of the EF-compatible aftermarket lenses on offer, the body won’t let you down.

It’s cheaper than the EOS 450D, admittedly, but it’s priced above the Sony A200, Nikon D40 and Olympus E-420 – all of which are gunning for the same market. With the 450D on one side and the low-cost competition on the other, the 1000D isn’t quite on the mark for an award.