8.0-megapixel effective recording * EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens (35mm equivalent focal length: 28-90mm) * 1-13/16" color LCD * eye-level SLR viewfinder (with dioptric adjustment) * wide-area 7-point autofocus *
1 This is one awesome camera
I bought from amazon after being let down by Dell. It arrived next day and on the weekend i gave it a good workout at a local airshow. I took just under 1000 photos and was amazed by how well the shots came out in sport mode. Very quick focus and spot on.
excellent camera and well built , not small as some people have noted, works for me...
2 Awesome!
What an amazing small compact SLR camera! I originally purchased the 20D but I found it a bit too big for my taste. The Digital Rebel XT is small and compact and perfect for my wife and I. Although small, the battery can easily shoot 230 shots in a single charge (20% using flash).
I highly recommend this camera it's perfect for amateur photographers. This is an excellent upgrade from my previous Canon G2. If you are new to photography I would recommend the G6 before this camera. But the best nest step would be this one.
Also, with the $700 dollars that I saved getting this instead of the 20D, I purchased a new Canon 17-85mm EF-S lens. What an AMZING lens!
Hope that this help!
3 Top Notch digital
I bought this camera as soon as it was available on Amazon, and have had it for about a month now. The experience has been fantastic. The pictures are nothing less than stunning. Colors are great, resolution is amazing, and the software package is very complete and easy to use.
Probably the best features are the number of modes that are available, and the ease of use. It can be set to a full program mode, and used as a point and click snapshot camera by anyone at all, or put into full manual mode for the more experienced.
I do have a couple of suggestions. Order this body without the Canon lens. I upgraded to a Sigma 28-300 mm Macro Zoom for about the cost of the original lens, and now have one lens for virtually any situation.
Also, get top notch compact flash card. I bought high speed, 1 GB Lexar 80x flash because I really wanted the ability to take high speed repetative pictures. I was not disappointed. You can either take one picture after another about as fast as you can hit the sutter, or put the camera into repeat-shot mode and hold the shutter button down. This is a great feature.
Also order a spare battery or two. It takes a lot of pictures on a single charge, but seems to go from a full battery indication down to dead real fast, so there's not a lot of warning that you need to charge up.
All in all, a very outstanding bit of technology.
4 Canon Kiss Digital N (Digital Rebel XT)
I'm stationed overseas so most companies won't let me buy cool electronics like the Digital Rebel XT so I went out on the Japanese economy. This is my first digital SLR. I've struggled trying to capture great shots of my daughters playing soccer, basketball, running track..etc., with the "enthusiast" zoom cameras. The Kiss Digital N is made in Japan and has a few minor differences from the U.S. model. The kit zoom 18-55 lens for instance is USM. I bought it as a kit with another Canon lens as well, a 55-200 EF. It's light, cheap, and good enough as I'll get to in a minute. In the end it was between the Pentax istDS or the Digital Rebel XT. After completing all of my research on-line it came down to Canon picture quality, and technology. Am I happy? So far this camera is light years ahead of any digital that I've owned. It's fast, the pictures are sharp if you understand the limitations of the lens you are using, and it's easy. My wife can use it just fine and she doesn't have a digital clue. For the enthusiast, there is plenty of stuff to play with. The 8 megapixel CMOS sensor produces amazing results. The soccer pics tell the story for me. The 55-200 EF produced some incredible shots. It's USM and focuses fast and sharp. It's not an "L" lens but I don't even know what that means! This camera will sell like crazy. Eventually I plan on buying a 35mm EF prime F2.0 lens, the wireless remote, the battery grip, and Canon Flash. Highly recommended.
5 Better than I am
Fabulous camera - incredibly fast and accurate. Pictures are really awe inspiring. Very good software interface as well. Highly recommended.
6 Digital focus processor needs some tuning....
The circle is now complete: I started with film SLRs about 35 years ago, used them professionally in my job, but for personal use, I had gone to point and shoot film and recently point and shoot digital. I have not been happy with the sharpness of the point and shoot cameras so I thought it might be time to try the digital SLRs for sharpness and higher resolution.
I ordered the silver body Rebel XT camera as I like it better than a faux pro black camera (this is afterall not a pro camera), and black cameras look dirty or dusty all the time. It came rapidly from Amazon.com. I have had mostly good pictures with this camera, but there are a few things I would add to the other posters.
Pro: compact, light, fast, good in outdoor daylight.
Cons: in incandescent light the AWB is only fair. The picture color is better if you set this manually in a manual mode rather than using the AUTO mode.
Sometimes the autofocus has a tough time figuring out where things are indoors, and sometimes there is severe hunting, with an occasional focus which is way off. You can fool this autofocus in situations where the subject is further back than foreground objects unless you set the focus point ahead of time, which is usually not what you think about on the spot.
ISO speeds in AUTO mode is 400, and cannot be set higher. You can set this to 1600 with very little noise in the non-auto modes.
Kit lens is a bit soft in my example, despite good reviews. I got in a Tamron lens (28-75) which seems sharper, but some say this lens has a yellowish cast, which I have not seen yet. One other thing pointed out by the professionals: you have to wait till the buffer has saved the picts to the CF card or they will be lost. So long as the little red led has stopped flashing you are OK.
Overall I am happy with this camera. I wish it were a bit more user friendly and intuitive, and there was more control over the ISO and AWB in auto modes. You can't expect the kit lens to be very good considering the price it is, but I would rather have a better prime lense than a cheap zoom which you have to replace anyway. Next time round I will just get a body and forget about the kit lens. For those looking to step up from a point and shoot film camera or a lessor digital, this is the right direction. I do wonder if I should have got the 20D instead, but for the difference in price, I got my Tamron lens and I am happy I did it this way. Good luck and happy picture taking to you all...
Edit 4/10/2005: before doing my 24-75 zoom Tamron lens rebate, I wanted to be absolutely sure there were no front focus issues with this lens in this camera. Some have said the Tamron lens might have a front focus issue, and I spent a lot of time yesterday and today specifically looking for front focus problems, and found none. I took dozens of pictures indoors and out, with flash and without, and found no consistent problem worth sending the lens or camera back for. As I said above the focus is sometimes off indoors, probably due to low light, but much more often than not it is good. Outdoors today I shot some sharp pictures which focussed spot on, and I am pleased with the Tamron len's performance in my Rebel XT.
7 Disappointed with this camera
I have played with the new Digital Rebel XT for a day now and I am growing more and more diappointed with it. I had a Powershot Pro1 and I thought the Rebel XT was going to be an upgrade from the Pro1. So far I have taken over two hundred pictures, side by side, using both the XT and the Pro1. For each picture I used the same settings within the choosable range for both cameras. I have taken pictures in the evening, in the night when the light is very dim, and in a sunny morning in the outside. I set the focal length at 200 mm on the Pro1 and 130 mm on the XT, which were almost exactly equivalent. After I took the pictures I came inside and open them with Microsoft Digital Image Pro to compare side by side the pictures of the same objects taken by the two cameras. Without fail, when auto focus was used for both cameras, the Pro1 produced much sharper images and a much better depth of field. When I switched to manual focus, though, the XT did produce razor sharp image with full details. I am impressed with the speed of the Rebel XT as compared to the Pro1. But I do not want to focus manually all the time. My decision is to stick with my Pro1 and return the XT tomorrow. One word to the Canon engineers, finally. You guys are idiots, wasting such a good camera with such a lousy auto focus accuracy.
8 that last dude is an idiot
first of all, i dont know of many (if any) dSLR's that can shoot using the LCD. second, you obviously don't know how to use the camera, b/c if you're getting "washed out" photo's, that's an easy thing to fix using the exposure control. Also, the color is great on canon dSLR's, you obviously don't know how to control custom WB/saturation (you need to take a photo of a white piece of paper or card at the location and then "set" it as yor custom WB). Next is the fact that you used the kit lens. Don't blame the body for a cheap lens (although I think its decent for the wideangle). Finally, the dust on the sensor is your fault. you obviously don't know how to check and clean your camera. if you want a sealed-tight dSLR, you have to spend thousands.
My advice for you is to stick with point and shoot. You're not ready for dSLR.
9 do not buy this!!
I have had an EOS Elan Canon SLR 35mm for years and was very excited to get the digital equivalent when the Rebel XT came out. I brought the camera with me to the desert in S. Calif during this past wildflower bloom. I figured it would be the perfect camera for the variety of colors on display now in the desert.
I cannot describe my disappointment with the camera. First of all, the camera quickly got a small amount of dust on the sensor (even without removing the lens) and ruined most of my pictures. I could remove it with Photoshop, but I don't want to go through that for the nearly 2000 pics that I took.
Additionally, the color was horrible. I get better color from my Canon s400 elph. I tried using AV,Program mode, manual, landscape....all of them were problematic. Also, many of the pics were washed out.
The main problem is the stock lens that comes with the camera. it is a very slow f3.5 lens. junk. buying a faster lens adds another grand to the total price.
other sources of irritation: cannot use lcd screen to take pics. results in using the viewfinder and your nose squished up against the lcd screen.
I am returning this tomorrow.
10 Great Camera!
After some 400 photos, I have mixed feelings about the camera. I've been using non-DSLRs for four years, and have owned 5 of these. All of the others allow more consistent results than the XT. However, I am relearning my old SLR ways (the hard way). I LOVE the viewfinder and the speed! The housing looks good, but scratches easily. As with all DSLRs, it is exceptionally easy to get dust on the CMOS sensor (and difficult to clean). Sure wish they'd fix this (couldn't they put a charge on the sensor to repel rather than attract dust?)! AWB mode yields varying results (looking at a series of daylight photos taken in different directions seconds apart, it's amazing that some are overexposed, some underexposed, and some have obviously better white balance than others). Wish the ISO extended to 3200. Until a smaller, better build camera comes out, this will be the one!
11 It Is Cool SLR!
I bought this camera right after I have seen it is comming up 2 amazon. This is my first SLR. It is really good and I like it and I am glad to have it! I was really suprised how light is it! If you hold it in your hands.. it just fit really good! I use 1gb flash card II and I can fit about 262 pictures on standart Large size and 118 in RAW format. Thats, I think, pretty good. Camera is really quick. I like the flash (you can change the flash exposure) I like the parameters and b&w filters. You also can change the white balance in many different ways. AF mode and metering mode is good too! In automatic modes everything works properly.
One night it was snowing and I wanted to take some pictures at night about treets with snow on but it didn't let me take picture because of snowing...
It is lot of work to set everything correctly but if you know how the picture look really pretty!!! I am also fine with the battery. Some reviewers criticises it but I like it. I was taking lot of pictures outside all day (without flash) and my battery is still ok.. so I can not say anything bad. The thing I don't like the most is the strap. It is cheap and non comfortable! I also bought the EH18 case for this camera but I am very disapointed, such as I wrote in the review about it. It is really complicated to put the camera out of the case and then after that you have to put the case somewhere because it doesn't have any strap. Also the front lens cap. You have to put it somewhere because it is not connected to the camera by any string or something.
I am really enjoying this SLR. Now I need other accesories... I would love the 17-88 zoom lens but is expensive!
The price of this camera is ok. I found it today $50 cheaper then I payed but it is ok. Also tripod and better case is needed.
In the end, I really like this brand New Digital Rebel XT SLR!
12 Awesome Camera! Totally satisfied!
I purchased this camera a few days ago, and I like it more and more with each passing day. When I first held the camera in the store, I did not like the smallness of the camera. I have average sized hands, but the camera still felt too small. I have the original Canon Rebel, which always felt good in my grip. I purchased the Xt despite the size (i am a megapixel junkie) and I am glad that I did.
This camera is small, but mighty. It is fast, sleek and caputres colors and subtle shadows flawlessly. I settled on the silver finish, which looks classy and solid. The original Rebel, although comfortable to hold, always looked a bit cheap, and too plastic like. The new Xt does not. I have yet to make an enlargement, but I am confident that I can go up to 16x20 inches without feeling a loss of quality.
I am a high school art teacher with a degree in photography, so I have developed an eye for color and texture over the years. I am very demanding of my photographic equipment. I know that I will not be dissappointed with the Rebel Xt.
I use a 512K memory card, which is on the small size, but does not seem to slow down the camera at all. I am delighted with this purchase. Considering the price difference between the Rebel Xt, and the Canon 20D, it does not make sense to spend $500.00 more for 1/2 a megapixel difference. I wouldn't be surprised if the Xt out performs and out sells the 20D. So, my advice is BUY this camera. It is lightweight, fast, sleek and delivers impressive results.
13 The best thing I've ever bought
The XT is amazing. The battery comes partly charged so you can immedietly start using the camera (thank you Canon!) I've already shot about 200 pictures with it and the battery hasn't died yet.
I can't give you a comparison between the XT and the 20D as I haven't owned a 20D, I can tell you a few things you may wish to know before buying.
This camera, is TINY. Extremely tiny. I'm a woman in my early twenties and I have small hands. The camera fits just right in my hands, but honestly, I don't see how someone with bigger hands would be 100% comfortable holding this. If my hands were any larger, they would be slipping off the bottom.
I had tried holding a 20D at a camera shop once and it felt too large in my hands to grip. The camera size is perfect for me, but just beware if you have larger hands. You may want to look into the battery grip, or test out holding the camera at a store before you order it. See the picture I uploaded above to get a size relation and how the camera fits in my hands.
For anyone who is migrating to this camera from a standard point and shoot digital camera, you cannot frame the image you are about to take using the LCD screen on the back. You must look through the viewfinder. The LCD screen is soley for menu use and preview mode after the picture has been taken, nothing more.
Something I've noticed is the camera makes a ratteling sound when moved around. I couldn't figure out what the heck it was, and then I finally reazlized it's the hinges from the pop-up flash. It sounds like they are loose when the flash is closed. I went to Best Buy and looked at their display model, and yep, it has the same problem. Well, it's not really a *problem* but frankly something ratteling around like that sounds cheaply made to me. My Canon film SLR doesn't make that sound.
I use a 420EX Speedlite flash with my SLRs so the popup flash doesn't concern me, but it was something I noticed and thought I would share.
I love that Canon gave the option to have a black finish over a silver one.
The startup time is instantaneous which is absolutely wonderful.
The burst mode is excellent with 3 fps.
It's extremely quiet.
The image quality is excellent. You can get photo quality prints at 20x30, and even then I bet you could push it further.
I really can't elaborate more then what other reviews have said. If you are looking for a step into the digital SLR world, this is the ticket. Or you can even check out the newly reduced original Digital Rebel, but for the extra hundred bucks or so, I would just get the XT. You will not be sorry.
Two upgrades I would make right away: Get a Speedlite flash and the Canon 28-135mm lens.
Also, I don't know why people are submitting bad reviews grading Amazon on shipping for the Rebel XT. When I preordered the XT from Amazon (not from another 3rd party), it said it would be released March 20th. I got my Rebel XT in the mail yesterday (the 22nd) which if you ask me, is pretty darn good. Want something right away? Then walk into a store and buy it instead of ordering from the internet.
14 Nice upgrade from old DIGITAL REBEL!!!
This camera is awesome. I tried it last night at BestBuy. They had it for only $949.00 here in Idaho but no black body. BestBuy only acquired silver body only.
Besides the point, this little DSLR is awesome in my opinion. Eventhough I love my old digital rebel with upgraded firmware, i think I want to add this to my canon collection rather than 20d. Since I do this for my wedding business, the one thing I was impress was is the E-TTL II function. Even if you point the camera for closed up picture, the flash from the camera will fire evenly. It didnt put it to one spot where it's focusing, which is great. I think it works like I-TTL balanced fill flash with Nikon D-70. Flash and wedding is a tough job to conquer. You think you know it, you have no idea that flash fotography is challenging. THat's why you we get paid thousands to have excellent picutres come up with $1k camera. hehehehe...... I only use a cheapo but wonderfully work Sigma EF-500 DG SUPER. Awesome flash!!!
The camera just a little small to hold and a bit not looking pro at all. But i,m gonna add the battery grip BG-E3 for better grip and pro look to it expecially when i add that zoom lens. besides, the battery grip will accept 2 proprietary batteries or 6 AA which i love. only costing me $12.99 for 6 2100mah batteries at costco rather than spending $45 more each for specific battery, which i forget what it is.
But all in all, the camera is awesome, will work magic to someone's wedding. You don't have to go 20D for extra $500.00. Stick with this one, only missing 2 extra focusing point and some software controlled functions and no PC sync. Other than that, Quality just as the same. Awesome camera.
15 Good (and Bad) First DSLR Experience
Pros:
Nearly instant power-on. Extremely fast focusing with kit lens AND sharp pictures at all focal lengths. Fast multiple-frame shots (3 fps) even with slow (4x) CF card. Low image noise at high ISO settings (vs. non-SLR digital cameras).
Cons:
Full Auto Exposure setting predominantly uses ISO 400 (instead of ISO 100) even in bright sunlight. No ability to frame shot using LCD (major SLR shortcoming). Focus screen and mirror dirty after just 3 days use (major SLR shortcoming). Small LCD which is difficult to see in bright sunlight. No retaining strap on lens cover.
Detailed Review:
I purchased Canon Digital Rebel XT with kit lens and 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IS USM telephoto lens a week ago and have shot a wide variety indoors and outside with both lenses - 350 pictures total. The ability to change lenses and low noise at high ISO settings were the primary reasons this long-time non-SLR digital camera user purchased his first DSLR. The very good reported user experiences with the original Canon Digital Rebel, the availability of the new 8.2 megapixel Rebel XT for US$999, and a reasonable total user package price of $1500 after adding an image-stabilized Canon 75-300mm USM telephoto lens clinched the deal. With these two lenses I can cover a 35mm equivalent focal range of 27mm to 480mm and shoot clear, hand-held outdoor shots over entire range at ISO 100-400. Indoor telephoto shots up to 480mm are possible without flash, but I find ISO must be increased to 800 or 1600 for sharp hand-held shots.
Very happy with the image quality of kit 18-55mm EF-S lens and the very fast focus times of this non-USM lens. It is also very light weight. I have found I mostly use Program exposure mode, since I can control the ISO setting, white balance mode, etc. I'm not happy with Full Auto Exposure mode choosing ISO 400 for outdoor shots in full sunlight (and all other shots). Why not use ISO 100? Granted, there is no noise visible in outdoor ISO 400 shots until you zoom in on monitor-displayed image and the noise is not visible in 8x10 prints from my Canon i950 8-color printer except in shadows. Using ISO 100 in Program mode mostly eliminates this shadow noise. I have found the A-DEP exposure mode useful for ensuring wider depth of field and sharp exposures, especially for telephoto shots. I have experienced more than a few grossly underexposed indoor flash pictures under fluorescent lighting (5-15 foot range) in Full Auto Exposure mode. Not sure what the problem is.
Overall, however, I have been very pleased with the quality of the majority of pictures taken so far including: macro shots, portraits, landscape photos, flash macro shots (no camera shadow), indoor flash pictures, and telephoto (all hand-held). Camera is ready-to-go the instant you turn it on. Can review pictures immediately on pressing review button and zoom in up to 10X. LCD can be hard to see (both pictures and camera settings) in bright sunlight. Increasing LCD brightness to maximum helps. Viewfinder is bright and clear (duh, it's TTL optical) with good eye relief for eyeglass wearers.
After an hour of outdoor shooting in windy conditions yesterday, however, a major problem developed. The focus screen located inside the top of the camera body AND the internal mirror got contaminated with dust and yellow tree pollen. I only had the internal camera body exposed for maybe 90 seconds total during the course of 4 lens changes. I was able to get the mirror clean but I could not completely clean the focus screen - it's impossible to access with the dust blowers I have. If I cannot keep camera internals clean over course of 3 days, what will happen over 6 months or a year of use? What if the digital sensor gets dirty? Also, I find the inability to use the LCD to frame pictures BEFORE taking them to be a BIG negative. YES, I realize this is a "feature" of SLR cameras, but it still sucks. For these two reasons, and the small LCD that is nearly unusable outdoors in bright sunlight, the camera has been returned. Guess I'm not cut out for a digital SLR. For those that are - the Canon Digital Rebel XT is a fine camera, and I can highly recommend the 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IS USM lens.
I also advise "try it - before you buy it" if this is possible, and definitely don't buy from a store that does not allow "no-questions-asked" "no restocking fee" returns for some period of time after purchase (2-4 weeks).
16 Well worth every penny.
Bought the black body--which feels sturdy, solid, expensive and comfortable in my hands--with an EF 24-85 1:3.5-4.5 zoom lens. I love this, my first SLR, camera. It's fast, takes big bright sharp pictures and has more features than I can imagine using right now. I'd recommend it to anyone looking to upgrade to an SLR from a point and shoot. Obviously, a pro would be limited by this camera, but not, yet, a regular user like me. My only beef so far is a minor quibble: custom white balance is a 5 or 6 step process I haven't mastered yet.
17 It's like a 20D but smaller and lighter!
The Rebel XT is a joy to operate. As simple as a Point & Shoot when you want it to be, yet as advanced as a profesional level SLR when you NEED it to be!
Now I know there are some features that the 20D has that this camera does not (ISO3200, and an extra 1fps) but thats all software controlled and hopefully will be unlocked soon buy our friends that brought us the Wasia hack for the original 300D Rebel.
Buy this Camera!
18 this is for Larry L Hoffman
If you can't get Amazon to respond by e-mail, call them at 800.201.7575. They don't publicize the number, but they do answer the phone. :)
19 just right
I'm an amature photographer and I've been using the Rebel XT for about a week. I've also used the Original Rebel and the Nikon D70. This is purely an anecdotal review..if you want techs and specs: go to www.dpreview.com
First impressions: the XT is much smaller versus the rebel and D70. plastic body looks a little cheap. Even thought the D70 and Rebel are also plastic...they seem to have a better build quality and finish.
ergonomics: feels a little uncomfortable at first to hold, maybe becuase it is so small. i don't know how balanced the camera wil be with a larger lens than the kit lens.
performance: I feel the XT is better than original rebel and D70. Much faster and more responsive camera. instant power on, which the Rebel doesn't have. Good sized buffer for taking continuous shots. AF is fast and accurate. Controls are easy to access and logically laid out. The LCD however, is very difficult to see in sunlight as compared to the D70 which has a better qulity LCD.
Picture quality: to the naked eye..the pictures are fantastic. On par with the 20D..but i'm sure if you look at more technical reviews, the XT falls short.
overall, i like this camera alot.
20 Wow!! Spend the extra cash!
I used a friends 10d a couple of weeks ago and was really impressed
but was scared off with the price. I saw this come up and wanted to be able to use it for live action and just to take pictures and not wait for all the stuff like my 3.2 mp Olympus. I am not a Photog geek just a dad that had a wife that hated the other camera. I saw this come out and waited. It rocks, there are some nitpicks from web reviewers but this camera is cool! I will eventually get another lense probably the 135mm with IS. I am not a detail person as far as pro and cons go but fast recharge on the battery is great. I can only say it is the coolest thing with photography I have ever bought. I can take picture after picture with no problem or delay and delete want I want. Without paying for my mistakess. Live motion pictures not movies, are possible. It is for taking pictures. I have rambled but is it worth it. Amazon with their Prime is awesome beat Newegg.com on their Lexar 8x 1gb CF cards for their product including shipping!!!
21 To good to be true
This is in response to the "to good to be true", if you think it is to good to be true, it probably is. Amazon should find a way to monitor these vendors cause they are going to rip you off. I don't know what the answer is but it is out there. E-mail one of these vendors, ask them why their prices are so low? You will most likely get a response about "my little secret", "direct form the factory", "very limited offer" - Sucker lines. Also notice that people selling these items are "just launched" with no reviews, and an e-mail address on yahoo or similar easy setup account. I would not trust a $500 purchase to a "just launched", mayby $5 but no more.
In response to the Digital Rebel XT, I don't have mine yet, on order but have played around with one yesterday, positive details all over the web if you want a quality review. For the money it is a great buy, wont be perfect but if you want perfect you will need to spend $2000 plus, so all in all this is going to be a popular DSLR. My main point is spent the $1000 for the Drebel XT don't get suckered by some scam artist.
22 Strong Camera with many improvements. Love it.
I bought this camera about a week ago to replace my film-based Rebel G. My previous digital experience was with a 2MP Canon Powershot S100. I'm not a professional photographer, but I really like taking photographs (vs. snapshots). Canon has bundled a lot of goodies into a small, sturdy camera base that has proven iteself very capable to me.
The contents of the package include a battery, the camera base, 3 CD with software and PDFs, a USB 2.0 connector, a video connector, a battery charger, a 18-55mm EF-S lens, a strap, and a manual. You'll need to provide your own CompactFlash card. I personally selected a 1GB Ultra II card, which will shoot about 70 RAW+JPEG images, or 275 Large JPEGS.
The battery arrives already charged, so I could immediately take pictures. Kudos. That is a favor that I appreciate. I shot a hundred pictures before getting home.
The Digital Rebel XT has the familiar basic mode and creative mode control dial on the top. They have added an "On/Off" switch, which was not present on my film-based Rebel G. The consistency in the controls made it possible for me to shoot my first pictures right away, though there are some features to read the manual for: the TTL flash metering discussion, the nuances of choosing the AF mode, and how the basic mode operation decides which ISO speed to use were the topics I found myself most interested in this week.
Pictures look really sharp and colorful up to the ISO 400 setting. ISO 800 and 1600 can be safely used if you are looking for a particular effect, are shooting where a flash and tripod are not permittted, or in other very low light situations. It's going to be pretty grainy, but with the included software tools, it can be compensated for to a limited extent.
The on-camera flash is not great, but it is very good for a built-in flash. In a pinch, it'll work, but serious picture taking will require an external flash.
The included software products have both PC and Mac versions, a boon to Mac users. My Canon snapshot camera only included PC software. Canon bundles a RAW image editor that is handy if you shoot RAW. iPhoto's RAW "support" isn't adequate for adjusting photos. Otherwise, the included software isn't much better than the iLife suite, unless heavy image manipulation is required. In that case, Photoshop is a better choice anyhow. PC users will get some use out of the photo editing software, though.
TIP: If you are loading pictures onto a newer Mac with iPhoto, set the Communication Method on the camera to PTP/Print, NOT PC Connection. Otherwise, the Mac won't find the camera. That detail doesn't appear anywhere in the manual, though PTP/Print is the default (but not the intuitive) setting.
The lens is OK. It's a decent value for $100, but I wish it would mount to a film camera in addition to a digital EF-S mount. Remember the focal length multiplier when you plan to share your lenses between film and digital cameras. A 50mm all-around lens on a film camera is a 80mm moderate telephoto lens on the Rebel XT.
The strap is lousy. You'll want a different strap unless ithcy, sweaty, rubberized material is your idea of a comfy strap. I decided not to use it.
To sum up, this camera really impressed me. The resolution is great, the images are as good as I could reasonably expect from my camera skills, and the total paackage operates well together. Areas where Canon could improve the package include:
1. Ship it with an EF lens, not an EF-S
2. Ship it with better quality accessories. That strap is terrible.
3. Include a CF card.
4. Ditch the unnecessary tools from the bundle of software. Every OS has photo management software built in. If that's not adequate for someone, they've probably already bought a package that they use.
Otherwise, I loved it.
Followup 25-March-2005:
This is a followup comment to my review on the Rebel XT. The reason I've decided to follow up is that I've seen a lot of people equating the Digital Rebel XT to the Canon 20d because it has similar features and resolution. The conclusion, then, that the 20D is not worth the extra $599 is what has me concerned.
Take note: the Canon EOS 20D has an expected shutter life of 150,000 photographs. The Canon Digital Rebel XT has an expected shutter life of 50,000 photographs. What does this mean to you? Well, if your shutter dies after 50,000 pictures, even within the warranty period, it counts as normal wear and tear, and you have to pay to have it fixed.
If your 20D quits after 50,000 snaps, you get a new shutter free of charge. It turns out that the cost to have a shutter repaired on an XT is about half of the price difference. So figuring in expected depreciation of the camera based on shutter life, the two cameras are similarly priced.
23 Don't trust the guys with cheaper prices nor Amazon!!!
In response to the post about buying from those 'new & used' sites, BEWARE! Make sure you do your homework and don't be drawn into something you can't easily undo (even if you're close to NY city they won't provide a real address). Likewise if you used, as I did, a search to find vendors outside Amazon.
My suggestion is to get into Google and look up as much info as you can on a potential storefront or even a user. Last night I was considering buying from the one offering a Canon 20D for about $750! After checking them out, I discovered multiple complaints and nothing that indicated they were a legitimiate enterprise.
Although I was torn between the XT and the 20D, I decided to place an order with Amazon for the XT. Now, I notice a post that says his delivery date for this item from Amazon is 2 months out! My order was immediately 'processed' so I can't change it, but you can bet I will do whatever it takes if I have to wait that long. The 20D was available for immediate shipment, so I may regret not ordering it.
I'll update this post to share how this works out...
Since my original post, I have sent Amazon 2 messages to try to cancel my Rebel XT order (and then order the 20D). I have heard nothing back in 2 days. Note that the Amazon order page for this item says 'you can cancel your order at any time'. Not true, as mine says it's being processed and no changes can be made. Yet, it has not actually shipped nor do I expect it to anytime soon. Ad also says 'first come, first served' 'as soon as it's available'. So why not let me change my order rather than place it in limbo where I now am stuck with whatever date they decide to ship it? Not good customer relations!
Although I'm a big advocate of Amazon, I feel I'm getting screwed on this transaction. Hope someone is reading this as well as the 2 inquiries I have made...
It's now Friday - 3 days since my order was locked in - and to my surprise the camera has just been shipped!!! I never received a reply to my customer service inquiries, so I'll now have to be content with this purchase. I'm sure this will be a great product but I'm still a bit miffed about the lack of flexibility in changing the order. The morale is to be sure you're absolutely sure about what you want before hitting the 'place order' button.
24 used & new
Did any one tried to buy from the "used & new" section? the prices are too good to be true.
25 *DO NOT* order this item from Amazon.com
The availability from Amazon.com says: "In stock soon"
To you or I, and most people, this would mean a 1-2 week wait but in Amazonian terms, it actually means a 1-2 MONTH wait!!
I ordered mine on March 13, 2005 and isn't scheduled to arrive until May 9, 2005...yep, that's almost TWO MONTHS later!
I'm *REALLY* disappointed in Amazon.com! You would think that a company this large and with the breadth of its distribution channels, that it would have some clout with Canon and be smart enough to be PREPARED and have enough of a hot, new item in stock to satisfy demand and KEEP ITS CUSTOMERS HAPPY?
You would think, huh? Obviously, Amazon.com did not.
Canon Digital Rebel XT: * * * * *
Amazon.com: ZERO STARS
26 Another stunning winner from the bright minds at Canon
I spent three hours yesterday playing with the brand-new Canon Digital Rebel XT digital SLR camera, and man, was I impressed.
I hadn't been too impressed with the original Digital Rebel, except for its revolutionarily low price (for a d-SLR), because it was slow and felt slimsy. The new DR XT is quite different. Even though it's 3 ounces lighter than the original DR -- mostly due to the use of a smaller battery; see below -- its smaller form factor actually makes it feel more solid and "real". In other word, unlike the original DR, this one feels professional, not toy-like at all.
By now you probably already know Canon makes some of the best digital cameras in the world. Even though I'm a Nikon shooter when it comes to d-SLR (sorry, loyal Canon shooters!), I own a couple Canon compact digital cameras and love them, too. The DR XT's image quality is once again excellent. I took a few indoor shots with the camera, both with and without flash, and then the store clerk let me download them to their PC. The JPEG pictures (I didn't try RAW) looked excellent on the Sony LCD screen, on par with the more expensive EOS 20D d-SLR. Color tones were accurate and the resolution was really good. The improvement picture quality over the original DR ("DR Classic"? BTW it's now $200 cheaper) comes from both the 2 extra megapixels and the better color accuracy. BTW, the DR XT reportedly uses a tecchnically different CMOS sensor than the original DR, although I haven't been able to find out exactly how this one is better in technical terms than the old one (other than the two extra megapixels). No matter, my limited true-world testing showed the image quality is indeed better than the already-excellent image quality of the original DR. And, as in the past, Canon does a wonderful job at keeping noise low -- I considered noise acceptable up until ISO 800.
The kit, which I recommend, comes with the same flimsy 3x EF-S lens (which won't work on regular film SLRs) as the original DR. You should most definitely get a better lens, although the kit lens works well as a "street zoom." I didn't get a chance to test the lens outdoors as the store wouldn't let me take it outside, but I have no doubt that this new model can only be better than the original DR, which was already very good even before you considered its low price.
The DR XT is fast: at last, you can turn it on and start shooting without waiting several seconds like you had to with the original DR. The only downside compared to the original DR is the smaller, lighter battery in the DR XT also means shorter battery life. I highly recommend you get an extra battery or two. You won't be able to go through a full day of shooting on just one battery, even if you don't use flash much. (But all pros and pro-wannabes use fill-in flash, don't we?) I also recommend a good camera bag; I personally like Tamrac for that. In addition to the spare battery (batteries), bag and a better lens or two, also consider getting a tripod (Sunpak ones are cheap but ok quality), an external flash as well as filters -- esp. a high-qual circular polarizing filter.
In summary, the Canon Digital Rebel XT is another stunning winner from Canon. It features faster speeds (start-up and shot-to-shot), excellent image quality, and terrific look-and-feel. Despite my personal preference for Nikon pro-level gear, I can recommend this Canon d-SLR to my friends without reservation.
Feel free to e-mail me at gadgester @t hotmail with your questions and commends.
27 My first SLR - a review of a different color
I researched this camera and lenses online, and chose it for my first SLR. I have previously have a Nikon 900 and a Nikon 990, both used for web-product photography, currently I have a Nikon 8700.
When I went in to buy the XT Rebel, they sold me a filter kit and said "with these you'll never need PhotoShop." That was amusing, since I'm not a photog (I'm a computer person) and I love PhotoShop. According to my online research, the filters can double as a lens protector, so I got them in case I ever felt the need to reach for them. This review is not a performance review of the XT Rebel because I don't know how to use the camera well enough to exercise all its features.
What I do wish to convey are the differences between a Nikon 8700 type camera, "P&S" (point and shoot), versus my first SLR camera, this Canon XT Rebel. It took me a long time to realize that these constitute two entirely different kinds of cameras.
Autofocus: this SLR has an autofocus capability on steroids. My Nikon takes great photos, on a tripod or if I'm sitting. But should I try something as simple as pointing it at one of the small furry creatures living here too, it generally won't (auto-) focus. And you can't focus it otherwise, really, because you can't tell through the viewfinder or LCD whether it's truly focused, as compared to viewing it on your computer. FINALLY with the XT Rebel I can point it, hold down the snapshot button halfway, and get an instant autofocus. It's like The Terminator locking in on whatever you're pointing at. I am so happy.
A minor difference is that the LCD monitor on the XT Rebel cannot be used as a viewfinder for shooting, you MUST look through the viewfinder. That means smooshing your face up against the back of the camera. I think they sell little viewfinder hoodies to alleviate that.
Memory: this type of camera allows many shots in quick succession, which I have no plans on using. But this is one of the major differences between the two camera types: this XLR has a large amount of memory in the camera body, else it would be impossible to take so many photos so quickly. It takes a while to load large photos onto a CF card. What I don't understand is why manufacturers and reviewers don't list (or figure out) how much memory is in the camera itself...this would seem like a fundamental spec, like the various levels of cache on different CPUs, even within the same product family. It would certainly have helped me catch on much earlier to the differences between the two camera types, if this spec had been waved around at all.
I purchased a Sandisk 1 Gb Extreme III card, which supposedly has a 133X speed rating. But it seems like you don't need that speedy of a card, given the buffer memory in the body of the XT Rebel. You could just buy a cheap 4 Gb IBM microdrive, I think.
Zoom: on my Nikon 8700 camera, you push a lever to zoom in or out, with an accompanying SHZZZZZ sound as the lens moves in or out, slowwwly. For the XT Rebel, you grab the zoom part of the lens and twist it. The other part of the lens that can be twisted is the focus part...I'll leave that to photogs. On this XT Rebel the lens does NOT MOVE to autofocus. An internal mechanism inside the lens does that, and very quickly too.
The Canon lens can have a USM, Ultra Sonic Motor, which means that the internal focusing mechanism is damn fast. Although I bought the kit version in black with the EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6, I haven't used it yet. It turns out the best Canon lenses have an "L" designation, so I bought a Canon EF 24-70/2.8 L USM (77MM). The first set of numbers, 24-70, means a zoom range (remember that I'm not a photog ;-), and the "2.8" means...well, it's complicated. It's called an "f-stop" and means how big the aperture is, or lens opening to feed the pixel sensor. A larger aperture is denoted by a smaller number, and it means the lens is better in low-light situations. This spec is also (annoyingly) called a "speed" setting. Indeed, I am annoyed at many of the specs being related to a 35mm film camera, a relic of the previous century. There is an apparent purpose though: as the prices keep coming down and the technology has moore oomph, the consumer digital cameras will finally match the historical ratings of film cameras in some way. That's why there's a "(77MM)" spec on that last lens, something to do with comparison to the old film cameras.
The lens I bought, the EF 24-70/2.8 L USM, is heavy, 2.1 pounds. It totally dominates the camera body, and two hands must be used for a shot, one to grab the lens. The kit is much smaller and probably doesn't require two hands. The next lens I might buy is the Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS USM Lens. The "IS" stands for Image Stabilization, which is within the lens itself, and can be toggled on/off.
The thing about having 8 megapixel cameras is that the slightest movement when shooting might cause a blur. I've been able to hand-hold my new camera-lens for indoor shots with no problem though. The IS in the other lens will help fixup such a problem, like stabilization on a camcorder. Otherwise, use a tripod.
Here are detail pages on the two lens:
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-24-70mm-f-2.8-L-USM-Lens-Review.aspx
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-70-200mm-f-2.8-L-IS-USM-Lens-Review.aspx
The second lens is so heavy that it is the lens that mounts onto a tripod, not the camera!!!
This is an excellent site for a hard-core review of the XT Rebel / EOS 350D:
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/canoneos350d/
The Canon Xt Rebel has effortlessly taken great pictures for me, indoors. It hasn't been outside yet.
The download-directly using USB didn't work for me at first try. I am looking forward to getting that working because it means I won't have to pull the CF card in and out.
28 Best selling D-SLR series!
Canon has fully redesigned the Digital Rebel XT series to make it lighter, smaller, better and even more feature loaded.
Pro's,
1. Excellent image quality.
2. Faster than any P&S digicam out there. No perceptible shutter lag!
3. Can change your lens. That may not seem anything new to SLR folks but the P&S crowd has been buying gazillion-MP $500+ digicams with crappy fixed lens.
4. Large image sensor compared to 7MP Sony's or other XMP digicams. Gives you better picture quality and colors.
5. Priced right, unlike some overpriced D-SLR out there, probably because Canon sells many more units.
6. The menu on the Canon cameras is light years ahead of most other manufacturer's. Lots of manual options and image processing features.
7. LCD screen is bright and fluid, although it doesn't use any new technology like OLED etc.
8. Uses standard CF cards, unlike propretary memory cards like Memory Stick or xD card. You can buy 1GB for an affordable price.
9. Lots of lens & accessory options from Canon and other vendors.
Con's,
1. The camera is still quite heavy and big. I guess that will remain so for most D-SLR's, for a while atleast.
2. Not for professional use, only prosumer quality.
3. Quite an expensive camera, out of reach of most people (unlike film SLR's). When other manufacturer's get it right, the price should fall significantly.
4. LCD screen could have been bigger for such a bulky camera.
5. Wish they come up with a way to show approximate picture for framing on LCD before shooting. Viewfinder is too cumbersome & old fashioned.
I am almost sure Rebel XT will be THE best selling D-SLR of 2005, just like original Rebel in 2004. Ofcourse depending on your lens collection and requirements there are very good offerings from Nikon and Pentax too. But compared to original Rebel this a nice improvement and highly recommened. You can read more on professional camera review websites.
