Digital Trends

Canon Digital Rebel XTi October 16th, 2006 | by David Elrich

Performance

Like any D-SLR worth its pixels, the Canon started up in an instant (less than two seconds). Other D-SLRs are a shade faster since the anti-dust system has to kick in. This response time—start-up and image capture—as well as access to a sea of interchangeable lenses are what separates these cameras from the 300-plus point-and-shoot digicams available. Yes, they cost more but anyone who has a missed a picture waiting for cheaper camera to save a shot will appreciate this speed.

As always, I began in Auto then moved to the many manual options available, taking hundreds of shots. A two-gig Kingston Ultimate card holds 447 hi-res JPEGs or 202 RAW files so I didn’t have to worry about running out. Another difference between the two cameras is the fact the Sony can also use Memory Stick Duo cards with the supplied adaptor. A 2GB MS Pro Duo card was used in that instance.

It was the first days of Fall so leaves were turning some nice shades of red and gold while mums of various colors were out in bloom, a good test for overall color quality and detail. Fluffy cats and art pottery were the challenges for indoor images.

I have to admit that I really enjoyed shooting with the Rebel XTi. Even though the grip is smaller than the Sony, it felt right. Also the camera is a speed demon. There was virtually no shutter lag or wait time as the camera saved the large files. One of the biggest differences between the XTi and the XT is continuous shooting—the XTi can peel off 27 JPEGs in a burst; the XT did 14. The Sony alpha does 3 frames per second up to amount of memory left on the card. The XTi captures up to 10 RAW images while the alpha stops at 6; hats off to Canon here.

Canon also gets a tip of the hat with digital noise—or lack thereof. You really don’t see it tearing apart an image at 800—beyond that stick to snapshot-sized prints. By comparison, noise rears its ugly head with the Sony at 400 and over.

I also enjoyed shooting with the Sony alpha. It’s more substantial and the grip is larger than the Canon. I didn’t find the extra weight to be a problem but I wasn’t trekking in the Rockies, either. Having dials on the top of the camera to quickly get to a function (ISO, Dynamic Range Optimizer and so0 on) and make changes was very convenient. The XTi lets you do that too so it’s not a make or break feature in either case. What was clearly better was the supplied kit lens. I know Canon is looking for profits but they really should upgrade the supplied 18-55mm lens so it at least matches the Sony’s range (18-70mm). I found myself walking toward my subjects with the Canon whereas I stayed in place with the alpha.

Image Courtesy of Sony

Now for the true proof of the pudding—8.5x11 prints with no editing whatsoever. Downloading images to my Dell Dimension with built-in card reader was effortless. Using a middle of the road Canon 5-cartridge printer and Canon Photo Paper Pro, I made prints of similar images taken with both cameras. And the winner was…in fact, there was no clear cut champ with the prints made. I liked the Canon images for overall color accuracy and shadow detail; the Sony’s were a bit sharper and I credit that to the image stabilization system. By themselves, you’d be happy with the results from either one but placing the prints side-by-side the Canon won out. I even gave the prints to an unofficial observer and she picked the prints from the XTi.

Image Courtesy of Canon USA