Digital Trends

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

Features and Design

The Canon Digital Rebel is a very compact, sturdy D-SLR. Available in all-black or silver accented trim, the XTi is just slightly smaller than the 8MP XT, measuring 4.98 x 3.71 x 2.56 (WHD, in inches) and weighs 28.4 ounces with lens and battery. Since the Sony has a bigger body and a larger zoom, it tips the scales at 33 ounces fully loaded. The front of the XTi has the basic D-SLR look and is dominated by the lens mount. The camera accepts all EF and EF-S lenses and—due to the digital factor—boosts any lens 1.6x. That means the supplied 18-55mm lens is actually 28.8-88mm, a decent range but lacking a bit on the telephoto end. The Sony kit lens translates to 27-105mm, giving the alpha the edge.

Also on the front is the lens release button, a depth-of-field preview key and a red-eye reduction/self-timer light. There are subtle EOS and XTi logos giving the camera an elegant look (we had an all-black model). The Sony looks pretty cool, too.

As noted the Rebel XTi is a 10-megapixel camera offering 3904 x 2598 pixel resolution. Make sure you buy at least a 1GB, high-speed CompactFlash card since a single RAW file can hit 30MB. It uses an APS-C size CMOS sensor compared to the Sony’s APS-C CCD imager. Canon claims CMOS delivers better images and efficiency. We’ll deal with image quality in a bit but the Sony takes 750 shots on a charge compared to 500 with the XTi. Ring up another one in the Sony column.

Canon is touting the fact the Rebel XTi has a self-cleaning imaging sensor. It works automatically every time you power the camera on and off. What this does is prevent specs of dust from settling on the sensor the show up as annoying specs on your prints. I can see this as an issue for shutterbugs who change lenses as often as they take a breath. Most folks who snap the lens into position and never remove it won’t find it the greatest thing since sliced you-know-what. The Sony also has an image sensor cleaning system but where the alpha trumps the XTi is its Super SteadyShot image stabilization that helps you shoot in available light with less chance of blur. To get this with the Canon system you have to buy very expensive image stabilized lenses. Score another one for Sony.

The top of the Rebel is straightforward. There’s an on/off switch, a mode dial, a hot shoe for accessory flashes and the main flash itself which is auto pop-up type. You have to raise the flash manually on the Sony. This is a matter of taste but I prefer the auto pop-up just for quick convenience. The mode dial gives you fast access to the various scene modes (Portrait, Landscape, Macro, High-Speed Shutter (Sports), Night Portrait and No Flash. Turn the dial past Auto and you enter the various manual options including aperture- and shutter-priority as well as A-DEP. The last one is auto depth of field which ensures everything within the nine auto focus points will be in focus. On the top of the pistol grip is the shutter and a jog wheel to make menu adjustments. The Sony has a similar arrangement but since it’s a larger camera overall, the grip is bigger. I liked it better but that’s just me—that’s why it’s absolutely imperative you physically handle any camera or camcorder before you buy it.

The rear of the Rebel XTi won’t surprise anyone who has looked at the back of a D-SLR in recent days. Along with the viewfinder with diopter adjustment, most of the real estate is taken up by a nice 2.5-inch LCD screen rated 230K pixels, the same as the Sony alpha. For this camera when compared to the XT, Canon eliminated the LCD info display above the screen in order to give you a larger screen, an excellent tradeoff, in my opinion. As with most D-SLRs—other than the Live Preview editions from Olympus and Panasonic—the LCD is for reviewing your images and dealing with menu changes. The Canon menu system is very clean and straightforward—and doesn’t take a degree in quantum mechanics to navigate. The same holds true for the Sony. The Rebel XTi offers a few more options for the budding digital photographer than the Sony. As a trickle-down from its more expensive siblings, this camera has Picture Styles that adjusts the “feel” of a photo, depending on the subject. You can adjust sharpness, contrast, saturation and color tone.

Surrounding the LCD are dedicated buttons for Print/Share, Display, Menu, Jump, Playback, Delete, Av (+/-), and Continuous Shooting/Self timer. There’s the ubiquitous four-way controller with center set key. The four keys give you access to ISO (1600 maximum), AF type, White Balance and Metering mode. On the top right are buttons to enlarge images during playback to check your focus. On the right of the camera is the slot for the CompactFlash card, the left has a video and USB outs as well as an input for an optional remote control. They’re covered by a rubber door that fits snuggly. On the bottom you’ll find the tripod mount and battery compartment. It’s a logical design but nothing we haven’t seen a million times before.

The Canon Rebel XTi has a decent kit. As noted, the basic lens that’s supplied is 18-55mm that’ll leave you wanting more on the telephoto side. Also this is not Canon’s finest piece of glass. You really need to buy higher-quality lenses to step up image quality. Consider the kit lens a place setter as you get more comfortable with the whole interchangeable lens world. You’ll definitely want another—or three. The camera comes with all the requisite accessories other than a CompactFlash card (go for a high-speed edition). There’s a nice 180-page owner’s manual, neck strap, lens caps, cables, battery/charger and two software CD ROMs. One has imaging software for PC and Mac and the second has operating instructions for the programs.

With batteries charged and cards in place, it was time to see how the XTi performed and compare it to the alpha.

Image Courtesy of Canon USA