Connectivity
Software (6.0)
Version 17.1 of Canon's EOS Digital Solutions Disk is included with the XSi. This includes software for both Windows and Mac computers, including the ImageBrowser photo management software, PhotoStitch (which combines photos into panoramic shots), and the photo editor program Digital Photo Professional 3.3. This is a decent selection of software that provides the basic functions most users will need, but none of the individual packages are outstanding. Serious photographers will be better served with a more powerful image editing tool, such as Photoshop.
Jacks, ports, plugs (4.0)
The XSi has a fairly minimal selection of ports and sockets; on the left side of the camera are the video output, the remote control socket, and the USB port. The video output supports only composite video, which provides a rather low-quality image. This won't make your images look great if you plug it into a fancy new HDTV, especially compared to some more expensive cameras (like the Nikon D300) that offer digital high definition video outputs.
Direct Print Options (5.0)
Again, the usual selection of options are supported here: the XSi can create DPOF print orders on the memory card, as well as connecting to PictBridge printers through the USB connection. When directly connected to a printer, you can also edit the image by trimming, adding red-eye correction, or altering colors. Images can also be printed out as black and white prints. Index prints can also be easily created.
Battery (7.0)
The XSi uses a 7.4V, 1080 mAh lithium ion battery, which had an excellent battery life in our tests. One important thing to note here; the design and connections on the battery have changed from previous models, so batteries purchased for the XTi or other Digital Rebels will not be compatible. This is something of a kick in the face for die-hard Canon fans; previous Rebels had maintained compatiability with the batteries from older models.
Memory (4.0)
Another change is the shift from the CompactFlash memory cards used on previous models to the SD cards now supported by the XSi. Both the older SD card and newer and faster SDHC card format are supported. This format change is both a good and a bad thing; on the upside, SD and SDHC cards are smaller than their CompactFlash cousins, and the capacities they offer are comparable. But the downside is that if you've invested a lot in buying a big pile of CompactFlash cards, you'll have to buy a new set of memory cards. However, the price of the two types of cards is not much different these days; you can buy a 2GB SD Card for less than $20, and the capacity of the newer, faster SDHC cards is now up to 32GB and climbing. You'll pay a lot for the high capacity cards at the moment (16GB models are priced at around $120), but the price is falling.
The XSi is the first Digital Rebel to use SD/SDHC
cards instead of CompactFlash cards(
2.0)
Dust Reduction – The XSi uses an ultrasonic dust reduction system that shakes the dust from the lens, as well as a redesigned adhesive dust trap inside the camera it claims helps to trap dust and stop it from getting back onto the sensor. If some dust does get stuck on the sensor the XSi also has a dust delete data feature, where the camera makes note of where dust is on the sensor and stores data with the image that can be used by the ImageBrowser software to try and remove the dust. This will not, however, work with other photo editing packages such as Photoshop.
