Canon Digital Rebel XT
July 11th, 2005 | by David J Elrich
Full Review - Setup and Use
The Rebel XT is a breeze to set up and operate. The box includes everything you need to start shooting other than a CompactFlash memory card. After a short time of taking things out of their respective wrapping and charging the battery, we were ready to hit the streets. Like all D-SLRs, no memory card is supplied. For the Rebel XT, we suggest you buy a 1 GB high-speed card, since it improves write times and overall response time. We picked up a 1 GB SanDisk Ultra II card for $89 at Costco with a write speed of 9 megabits per second and 10 Mbps for reading. The results were lightning fast with virtually no lag whatsoever. It reminded me of the old Nikon motor drive 35mm cameras I used years ago. In the carton is a standard neck strap with bold EOS Digital and Canon logos on it. If you don't feel like being a walking billboard, you can opt for a different one for a few dollars. There are USB and video cables for transferring images to your computer or viewing them on a TV screen. Also included are an in-depth 172-page owner's manual as well as a rechargeable battery and charger. The battery is rated for 600 shots without a flash using Camera and Imaging Products Association (CIPA) standards (400 with the flash enabled half the time). There are also three disks with the required software including an EOS Digital Solution Disk, an EOS Digital Software Instruction Manual, and ArcSoft PhotoStudio editing software. If you purchase the kit, a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens is included. Due to the digital factor found on all D-SLRs (since the size of the imaging device is different than the size of a frame of 35mm film), the lens has a true focal length of 29mm-90mm. This is not quite what you're used to with traditional point-and-shoot cameras that typically range between 35mm-105mm, but it's pretty close. Naturally, Canon would love to sell you a shelf-full of interchangeable EF and EF-S series lenses, but that's another story. Setup And Use
Image Courtesy of Canon
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by Tim on October 20, 2005:
“I had a chance to use both the Maxxum 5D and Rebel XT and compare them for a few days. Here is what I found... Both are pretty good in weight, size and feel. In terms of build quality, the XT feels a bit cheap/plastic vs. the 5D, except for the 5D shutter/mirror...” More...