Canon Digital Rebel XSi Digital Camera Review

by Richard Baguley
Published on June 01, 2008

Navigation
Intro	Physical Tour
Testing/Performance	Components
Design / Layout	Modes
Control Options	Image Parameters
Connectivity / Extras	Overall Impressions
Conclusion	Sample Photos
Specs / Ratings

Model Design / Appearance (6.0)
The Digital Rebel XSi has the same slightly cluttered, busy look as the XTi; the controls on the top and back mean the XSi doesn't have the clean, uncluttered look of some of Canon's higher-end cameras, and it looks somewhat lumpy and misshapen next to the Nikon D60. The body is plastic, and feels like it could easily pick up scratches and scrapes. Even more disconcerting, something inside the camera body rattles about when you shake it, which doesn't seem like a good thing to us, and raises concerns about how long the camera might last. Of course, you wouldn't expect a lower-end SLR like this to stand up to rough treatment; if you're planning to climb Everest, get a more robust camera like the Nikon D300.

One thing that does seem to have improved is the seal of the body; we were able to push pieces of paper into the gaps on previous Digital Rebels, which would indicate that dust or moisture could get into the camera body (see the Digital Rebel XTi review for an example). We weren't able to do this with the XSi, so the body seems to be better sealed. However, this is not a camera that's going to stand up to rough treatment.

Size / Portability (7.75)
The XSi measures 5.1 inches wide by 3.8 inches tall. With no lens on, the body is about 2.4 inches deep, and the 18-55m kit lens makes for a total depth of about 5 inches with the lens cap in place. This means that, like all SLRs, it's way too big to fit into a pocket or small bag; you'll really need to carry this one around your neck or in a dedicated camera bag. But the XSi is on the small side for an SLR; only the new Olympus E-420 is significantly smaller. And, at just over 18 ounces, the XSi shouldn't drag you down too much in the standard configuration. Of course, that could all change when you add a flash and a couple of lenses, but the XSi itself is pretty small and portable for an SLR. It is slightly larger and heavier than the Nikon D60, though.


Handling Ability (5.5)
The Digital Rebel XSi has a small body that fits comfortably into the hand for the most part; the thin hand grip means you can keep a tight hold on it with just one hand, and the thumb of the right hand naturally falls onto a textured panel on the back of the camera. The left hand fits comfortably around the lens for two-handed shooting. Those with larger hands might find it a bit awkward, though; the thin grip for the right hand doesn't leave a lot of room for longer fingers to wrap around.
Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (7.0)
The XSi falls somewhere in the middle of the range when it comes to the complexity of the controls: there are fewer buttons than a pro SLR like the D300, but there are many more than you would see on a point-and-shoot. And many of the buttons have more than one function, which can add to the confusion.

The four-way control dial on the back is the best example of this. When in the menu mode (accessed from the menu button above the screen), this works as a standard directional control; the four-way buttons move around the menu, and the set button in the middle selects the option. When you aren't in the menu, the buttons have completely different functions; the top one controls metering, the left one sets the autofocus, the right one controls the drive mode, and the bottom one sets the picture style. The set button in the middle activates the live view. While most of these functions are labeled (with the notable exception of the live view), it's still a lot to take in, and requires some hunting around.

The controls aren't always intuitive; if you press the white balance button (which also doubles as the print button in Playback mode), the white balance modes appear in two rows of four. However, you can't scroll up and down on this list; only the left and right buttons work.

The mode dial is also a little stiff; it is extremely difficult to rotate with the index finger when using the camera one-handed. It also only turns about 275 degrees; if you are in Manual or aperture depth of field mode and want to switch to one of the Scene modes on the other end of the dial's motion, you have to rotate it all the way around. Other mode dials (such as the Nikon D60) rotate both ways through the full 360 degrees, making it easier to switch modes.

Menu (7.0)
The on-screen menus of the XSi are fairly standard Canon fare; a tabbed interface across the top of the screen divides the choices into a number of different areas, and the directional controls allow you to move between tabs and up and down on the menu list. This list of choices doesn't scroll; all of the options are presented on a single screen. When shooting in the Manual, Aperture, Shutter, and Program modes, there are seven tabs, but the full Auto and Scene modes only offer four. We've detailed the menu choices below.

Shooting Menu 1
Quality	Image size and compression. RAW is only available in PASM modes.
Red-eye On/Off	Use a preflash to limit red-eye effect
Beep	Set camera bleepy noises on or off
Shoot w/o card	Allow the camera to shoot without a memory card. If enabled and there is no memory card, the photos are not saved.
Review Time	Controls how long imges are displayed after capture
Shooting Menu 2
AEB	Set exposure bracketing in 1/3 EV increments for 3 frames, at up to 2 stops either side.
Flash Exposure Compensation	Set flash exposure compensation in 1/3 EV steps from -2 stops  to +2 stops
WB Shift/Bkt	Fine-tune white balance, or bracket white balance
Custom WB	Calculates custom white balance from a previously captured image
WB Shift/Bracket	Allows white balance to be shifted and white balance bracketing for 3 frames
Color Space	Set the color space of captured images to sRGB or Adobe RGB
Picture Style	Sets the photo picture style to standard, portrait, landscape, neutral, faithful, monochrome, or one of three user defined styles.
Dust Delete Data	Captures information on dust on sensor
Playback Menu
Protect Images	Protects images from deletion
Rotate	Rotates images 90 degrees clockwise
Erase Images	Erases selected images or all images on memory card
Print Order	Selects images for printing on DPOF printers
Transfer Order	Selects images for transfer to computer
Histogram	Sets whether histogram shows brightness or RGB values
Auto Play	Sets order in which images are displayed
Settings 1
Auto Power Off	Sets auto power off time (from 3 seconds to 15 minutes or never)
File Numbering	Controls file numbering of saved files (continuous, auto reset or manual reset)
Auto rotate	Enables auto rotation of images on screen and on video output
Format	Formats memory card
LCD Auto Off	Enables/Disables the LCD auto off feature from the eye sensor
Screen Color	Changes the screen colors to 1 of 4 different sets
Settings 2
LCD Brightness	Sets the LCD screen brightness
Date/Time	Sets the date and time
Language	Sets the language to 1 of 20 options.
Video System	Sets the video system (NTSC/PAL)
Sensor Cleaning	Can be set to auto, clean now or clean manually
Live View Function Settings	Live View shooting enable, Grid display and Metering timer
Flash Control	Flash control options (flash enabling, built-in flash options, external flash options, external flash custom function settings, Clear external flash settings)
Settings 3
Custom functions	Controls custom functions (see below)
Clear settings	Clear settings (options for clear all camera settings, clear all custom function settings, cancel)
Firmware version	Shows firmware version, and allows for updates
My Menu
My Menu Settings	Allows for customization of menu options.

In addition, the XSi offers the folllowing custom fuctions, which provides deeper access to the features of the camera.

Custom Function
Exposure level increments	1/3 stop, 1/2 stop
Flash Synch speed in AV mode	Auto, 1/200 sec
Long Exposure Noise Reduction	Off, Auto, On
Long Exposure Noise Reduction	Off, On
Highlight Tone Priority	Disable/Enable
Auto Lighting Optimizer	Enable/Disable
AF-assist beam firing	Enable, Disable, Only external flash
AF during Live view	Disable, Quick mode, Live mode
Mirror Lockup	Disable, Enable
Shutter/AE lock button	AF/AE lock, AE lock/AF lock, AF/AF lock, no AE lock, AE/AF, no AE Lock
Set button when shooting	Normal, Change quality, flash exposure comp., LCD monitor on/off, Menu display
LCD display when power on	Display, retain power off status
Add original decision status	Off, On

Whew. That's a lot of menu options.

Ease of Use (5.25)
The Digital Rebel XSi, like most Canon SLRs, is easy to use when it comes to menus. The tabbed approach means there aren't huge long screens of options to scroll through, and the way the camera hides many of the options in the Auto and Scene modes makes it easier to use for point-and-shoot users. But the placement choice of some options just seems odd; why did Canon put the option to shoot images without a memory card right at the top, but leave options that are much more likely to be frequently used (like the noise reduction settings) in a much deeper menu?  To access the noise reduction settings for the XSi, you have to scroll to the third settings screen, select custom functions, scroll to the appropriate custom function, then select the setting. Many users like to try and shoot with noise reduction on and then off to get the best image quality, but that's an incredibly cumbersome process with the XSi.
This is partly ameliorated by the inclusion of the My Menu option, which allows you to pick the most commonly-used options to appear on a single menu. You can choose any of the menu options in any of the main menus, but this only works in the Program, Shutter, Aperture, and Manual modes; the customizable My Menu option does not appear in full Auto mode or in the Scene modes on the mode dial. You also cannot select options from the Custom Function menu, so you can't use it as a quick way to toggle settings like noise reduction.