The quality of the images is really great, both in short and long-term exposures. In the dark [little moonlight] photographed plants in a shutterspeed of 30 "look on the screen later pin sharp. Even mild greens of plants come despite darkness to light and fits the atmosphere of the picture.
The 18-55mm lens is quite sufficient for the beginning for good pictures and to get used to the camera. But who wants to make more sophisticated images [eg long distance at moon pictures or wide-angle images], which was to bring a more powerful lens. You have to say that if you look at such equipment wants to buy stock, the camera was soon no longer the most expensive.
The supplied battery is super. At first I expected me go up a second battery [this way, are not very expensive], but even with many images at the highest quality with long exposures the battery lasts a long time. Thus I need currently no second battery.
The camera is a little hard, but still fits comfortably in your hand and the buttons are positioned so that the camera can be operated easily. Settings are made quickly and easily, thanks to a clear menu structure. Depending on the shooting mode you can adjust various settings directly without having to constantly jump from a submenu to the next.
Only downside in my opinion is the auto focus. By day he is lightning fast, but at dusk can not find or often you want to take what my old digicam would have managed. But just when shooting in the dark, one should focus better manually.
Since this is my first SLR and I have these also only a couple of weeks, I think I have the opportunities to take pictures determined not nearly fully exploited. But even in that short time I could get familiar with the operation and have been able to make some great pictures. So I think the EOS 500D is a great entry-level model for DSLR photography.