Digital Trends

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

Conclusion

This one is a toughie. Usually your intrepid reviewer has no problem calling winners and losers. Here there really aren’t any losers in the negative sense—there are trade-offs. The Sony has the heft and features including image stabilization for every lens. This makes it easier to shoot in available light with less chance of blur. And the Sony has a more powerful kit lens. Even though the Canon doesn’t have IS, it has better noise handling capability so shots taken at ISO 800 are much more useable. In general, the Canon delivered slightly better images although like wines, you could lean to one over the other simply as a matter of taste. A quick search found the Sony alpha kit going for the same as the Canon--$899. If you have Canon lenses in your closet, there’s no issue—buy the Digital Rebel XTi. If you own any Konica Minolta lenses, buy the Sony alpha DSLR-A100 since it uses a KM mount. If you don’t have either one, the Canon takes it but just barely. It all came down to the prints--and the Canon won by a Jessica Simpson-sized nose.


Pros:

• Very nice photos and prints
• Excellent LCD screen/menu system
• Rapid high-speed shooting


Cons:

• Weak kit lens
• Below average battery life