If you were a firm fan of Canon's EOS 450D Digital SLR camera then you'd be forgiven for doing a double-take when investigating the new successor, the EOS 500D, as on the surface the two cameras appear identical.

Apart from a silver coating on the top of the mode dial, the 500D not only has the exact same body but possesses the same dimensions (128.8 x 97.5 x 61.9mm) and weighs just 5g more than the 450D.

A glance at the back reveals the same size ClearView LCD (3.0 inches) and the layout of the controls is a perfect match, with Menu and Display buttons above the LCD, the cross keys and Set button bottom right just above the playback and erase buttons, and the AE lock and AF point selection controls top right, beside the rubber thumb grip. However it's only on closer inspection that the significant improvements emerge and some of those are even less immediately visible.

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For instance, the 500D makes use of a 15.1-megapixel CMOS sensor as opposed to the 450D's 12.2-megapixel one, so you can have even greater detail when it comes to blowing your images up to, say, poster size.

Also, the DIGIC III processor of the earlier model has been supplanted by the new DIGIC 4 which still delivers 14-bit image processing, but now has advanced Noise Reduction when shooting at higher ISO speeds as well as much faster start-up times and virtually instantaneous image review after shooting.

The other major change is the introduction of Full HD (1920 x 1080p) video recording, in keeping with the increased trend towards ‘all-in-one' cameras. The frame rate has been lowered to 20fps, ostensibly so you can get more footage time on your SD card, but probably as a limitation of data throughout. You can also shoot at 720p or VGA resolution at 30fps.

Using Live View mode via the LCD you now have 100 percent coverage and considerably increased clarity as the pixel count has been boosted from 230k to 920k, and there's an HDMI port to playback directly to your HD TV. The only drawback is that you'll be reliant on the AF-On button to set the focus before you start video recording and may have to fall back on manual focusing when you're under way, which wouldn't be an issue with a dedicated digital video camera.

Other significant alterations are the ISO range, which now stretches from 100 to 3200, expandable to 12,800, and the continuous shooting capacity which slightly reduces the speed (from 3.5fps to 3.4fps) to increase the image quantity from 53 JPEGs to 170 and from 6 to 9 RAW images.

Alongside Full Auto mode on the Mode dial there's a Creative Auto setting which gives you some control over brightness, depth of field and colour tone. What remains the same, on the other hand, is the EOS Integrated Cleaning System which both removes any internal dust and highlights persistent dust spots on your photos that can be later removed via the supplied software.

The resulting quality of the still images remains exceptionally good, with excellent detail and authentic colour tones. If you're taking your first steps into the world of DSLRs, then the EOS 500D is a great place to start.

Canon's DSLR range continues to go from strength to strength with this considerably enhanced upgrade of the EOS 450D, which manages to keep almost all of the previous physical features while improving the processor and the ISO range and adding a new Full HD video facility.