Cheap shot: Canon EOS 1000D

After a period of relatively cheap D-SLRs, new models have recently been creeping up in price again. Thus, the new 1000D is designed to be a budget option that should sell at around £400 on the street. The full specification is just a gnat's proverbial away from the more expensive 450D - there's a slightly smaller 2.5in screen and two fewer mega-pixels, for a still more-than-adequate total of 10.1 million. You get full Live View mode too, rather than just having to rely on the viewfinder. The only real disappointment is a lacklustre burst rate, especially if you want to shoot in RAW mode, the setting that offers most flexibility in post-production. It's not Space Shuttle technology, but it ticks all the right boxes to be a solid, not-many-frills budget choice.