Canon EOS Rebel XT

Front (8.0)
The following tour may not be applicable to all models because of the camera’s look and compatibility with accessories; the Rebel XT sells in both black and silver colored housings, different lenses can be attached to the EF-S lens mount, and the additional battery grip will add an extra inch and a half or so to the camera’s base. This tour will simply cover a silver-colored Rebel XT without lens or grip.

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When looking at the camera from the front, the extending right-hand grip runs down the left side of the frame. The bottom of the grip is coated with rubber and the top plastic element protrudes slightly beyond, then slants to the top side of the camera. The shutter release button sits at the tip of the slanted edge, with a protruding jog dial just above it.

The area between the top of the grip and the lens mount is occupied only by a circular AF illuminator light. Directly above the lens mount is the pop-up flash, which extends taller than the original Rebel’s flash unit when opened. The flash element is rectangular and supported by two skinnier legs that attach at opposite sides of the Canon logo below. To the right of the lens mount is the EOS logo with a square-shaped lens release button below it and a Digital Rebel XT logo at the bottom.

Back (8.5)
The back of the Rebel XT is primarily constructed out of plastic and it is brushed silver in color. The viewfinder protrudes from the top of the camera, slightly left of center. There is a thick black eyepiece around the viewfinder, with a tiny diopter adjustment dial sticking out of its top right corner. Below the viewfinder is a set of two LCD screens surrounded by a black frame with a white Canon logo at the bottom. The top LCD screen is the metering display and shows shutter speed, aperture, white balance, and other image parameters. The 1.8-inch screen below this is the main LCD display.

There are buttons on both sides of the LCD screen, so users will probably use both hands when reviewing images. Down the left side are five oval-shaped buttons that stick out of the slightly slanted surface. From the top to the bottom, they are Menu, Info, Jump, Playback, and Delete. The first three buttons are labeled with text, while the bottom two are represented by icons.

The buttons along the left side are all neatly aligned and vertically arranged; this is not the case on the right side. These buttons are mismatched in shape and size, but are still unified by the raised panel around the LCD screen. The top two buttons are both circular and labeled by a score of icons. The top button controls the exposure compensation; the bottom button activates the self-timer and continuous shooting mode. Below these two buttons is an oval-shaped button with a sun graphic embossed into it and a print icon next to it. This Print/Share button lights up with an LED when files are being transferred to a computer or printer.

Just below this button and slightly to the right – but still on the raised panel – is the four-way navigational dial, which consists of five separate buttons. The outer four buttons have arrows imprinted on them and icons printed next to them to represent the image adjustments that can be made when in recording mode: the top button sets the ISO, the right changes auto focus modes, the bottom adjusts the white balance, and the left button switches metering modes. In the center of these buttons is the Set button. Below this set of buttons and directly to the bottom right of the LCD screen is an LED that indicates when a CompactFlash card is in the camera and when images are being written to it.

Beside the raised panel, the camera body flattens out except for a crescent moon-shaped portion in the top right behind the right-hand grip. This corner is slightly slanted to provide a comfortable gripping contact for the user’s thumb. On this raised panel, there are two buttons horizontally aligned. The auto focus lock button is on the left; this button also zooms out and activates the thumbnail view in playback mode. The button to the right selects the auto focus point and zooms in during playback.

Left Side (7.5)
From the left side, several planes on the camera body are visible. The outermost left panel of the Rebel XT has a rubber port cover to the A/V and USB jacks, as well as a divot to easily pry open the door. At the top of this panel is a wide loop for the included neck strap. Behind the panel on the side of the flash housing is a small circular button with the traditional lightning bolt flash icon next to it; this is obviously the button to press to activate the flash. On the left side of the lens mount is a protrusion where the lens release button is housed. Clearly visible from the left side is the depth of field preview button, logically placed near the bottom of the lens barrel.

 

Right Side (8.0)
The right-hand grip makes the right side of the Rebel XT far thicker than the left. The gripping protrusion is covered with a black rubber material for added comfort and control in handling. CompactFlash cards can be inserted in the slot behind the plastic door to the rear of the camera’s right side. At the top of this panel is a matching wide loop for the included neck strap.

Top (8.0)
The top of the camera is framed with the neck strap loops, visible on each side. Slightly left of center is the pop-up flash with a hot shoe located in its center for accessories. Behind the flash and atop the viewfinder’s eyepiece, the protruding diopter adjustment dial is placed. To the right of the flash section is the circular mode dial, which is large and constructed of a solid metal material. Icons and letters dot the sides of the dial. An LED light sits on the left side of the dial to show which mode is in use. The power switch extends out from the right side of the mode dial and slides up to turn on and down to turn off. The right-hand grip extends outward just above the mode dial. At its tip, the shutter release button is clearly visible on its slanted surface. A protruding jog dial is located below this; it has notched edges and an indentation for comfortable depressing.

 

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