20 out of 20 people found this review helpful.
Great way to enter into the DSLR world
Date of Review: Dec 18, 2006
The Bottom Line: I highly recommend this camera. I also recommend going to web sites like www.flickr.com to view image taken with this model and others.
This Christmas we upgraded from a Nikon 4500 point and shoot (digicam) to a Canon XTi (Rebel 400D). There were several reasons for this and I will try to explain my decision making logic below:
The first thing to consider for me was cost. I found that the XTi was selling at a few online etailers for around $733 for the black body and an 18-35 zoom (kit). I will tell you that the lens is terrible (more on that later) , but it filled a gap in my lenses and so I wanted to go ahead and get it.
The XT was selling for about $100 less. What does the extra $100 buy you ask?
Well according to my favorite review site (DPReview.com) here are the main changes:
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10.1 megapixel CMOS sensor with improved microlens array, fill factor and lower noise
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EOS Integrated Cleaning System
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Anti-static coatings on sensor surfaces plus anti-dust materials in the camera body
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Separate low pass filter with ultra-sonic vibration
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Software based dust mapping / removal
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Nine point Auto Focus sensor (same as EOS 30D) with F2.8 support
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Continuous shooting burst up to 27 JPEG and 10 RAW images
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Single large, bright, 2.5" LCD monitor with 160? viewing angles (horizontal and vertical)
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Camera settings and adjustment on LCD monitor
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Proximity sensor below viewfinder eyepiece to disable the LCD during composition
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New viewfinder view includes 9 AF points as well as EOS 30D style status bar
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Picture Styles, larger range of image parameter adjustment (same as EOS 30D)
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Improved user interface
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Image magnification available in record review
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Histogram available as brightness (Luminance) or RGB (Red, Green, Blue)
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Three settings for long exposure noise reduction (adds Auto option)
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Auto rotation with three options (not recorded, record don't rotate, record and rotate)
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Additional custom functions (magnified view in record review, LCD display at power on)
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Up to 9999 images per folder on storage card
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Automatic storage of setting adjustments (no longer requires a press of the SET button)
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Improved print / share / direct print features
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Lower introductory list price ($100 lower)
For me these changes were a big factor and well worth the hundred bucks. It also seems to me that when Canon rolled out the 400D they are quietly stating that they will eventually remove the XT from the lineup.
The user experience
Well this is really where the "rubber meets the road" in my book. The XTi is an outstandingly easy camera to use for the un-indoctrinated user. My 7 year old took picture of my wife and I with no training and no problem. He even knew to take off the lenscap! However, with a few lessons and a little practice this camera can really produce some excellent results.
The user has as much or as little decision making control as he or she desires. This enables a level of creativity you would expect to see in a professional grade camera. This camera offers the same accoutrements as most professional DSLRs, without the price. The reason for the discount is mostly due to the construction materials. Professional DSLRs like the Canon 5D are made of composite metal compounds that are significantly more heavy duty and significantly heavier.
The XTi feels light and nimble without feeling cheap or toy-like. This is a camera made for someone who likes the creative flexibility that an SLR offers. That said, the larger LCD screen is really an improvement. A unique feature of the screen is that it turns off when you place your face up to the viewfinder. This helps with the battery life (which is around 2 hours of shooting) and helps your eyes focus on the image in the viewfinder in low-light. Keep in mind that this is a DSLR so you can not get real-time viewing of the image before the image is taken (the mirror is in the way prior to the shot), but that is what the through the lens viewfinder is for anyway.
The LCD itself is bright and loaded with every piece of information a photographer could ask for. Every aspect of this camera except focus is managed through the 2.5" LCD screen. The fact that they added a zoom feature on the image review function makes it easy to tell if focus was achieved after the image is taken.
Something that always annoyed me about my point and shoot was shutter lag. Often when I shot picture of sports there was a slight delay between when I pushed the shutter release and actual image capture. This resulted in many missed shots. No more! The XTi shutter lag is almost non-detectable in manual mode. In the program and AE modes it is slight due to f-stop or shutter adjustments, but not really enough to cause many missed photo-ops.
Equipment investment
The final reason I selected an XTi over something from say Nikon is that I have a 35mm EOS Rebel G which we use for "film" photography. Although I have not even turned the camera on in more than 2 years, I still have a 75-300 Canon Ultrasonic Zoom and a Canon 35–80 zoom and a Canon flash sitting in my camera bag. The XTi uses both these lenses and the flash as if they were made for the camera. The XTi kit came with a Canon 18-35 zoom which feels like a cheap toy. It is not all that sharp and the construction is well, pretty bad, but the lenses all work and as time and money allow I will upgrade to some better lenses. For now, I have the lenses I need.
I highly recommend this camera. I also recommend going to web sites like www.flickr.com to view image by camera and see how creative some people are with the various models. If you go to Flickr look me up!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dkaakdsphotos/
At a price point of less than $800.00 this is a terrific camera.
Adorama
