At the Photo Marketing Association Trade Show in February 2005, Canon announced the highly-speculated 8 megapixel successor to the Digital Rebel. 18 months after the release of the original EOS Canon Digital Rebel, the Rebel XT improves upon its predecessor with 20 percent more resolution in a 15 percent smaller casing. The trimmed body of the XT packs in a DIGIC II image processor, which translates to faster processing speeds and advanced image control. The start-up time from the original Rebel is dramatically improved upon in the XT, from almost 2 seconds to 0.2 seconds, and it offers an increased burst mode which now captures consecutive images at 3 fps for 14 consecutive shots. Canon’s XT offers a feature set similar to the pricier Canon EOS 20D, but it is aimed at entry-level DSLR users looking for a camera that blends advanced control with a simplified interface.
The original Canon Rebel will remain on the market, stepping down to a lower price point of $799 with an 18-55mm EF-S kit lens (it will no longer be sold as just the body). This will allow more elbow room in the entry-level DSLR market for the new Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, which retails for $899 for the body alone and $999 with the kit lens. To appease different aesthetic tastes, the Rebel XT - also called the Kiss Digital 2e and EOS-350D – will come in both black and silver camera bodies.
