Canon EOS Rebel XT

Viewfinder
While the Rebel XT’s compact casing has been compressed, Canon has not significantly minimized the size of the viewfinder. The pentamirror viewfinder displays 95 percent frame coverage with a 0.8x magnified perspective across a fixed laser matte screen. All crucial exposure and focal information, as well as memory options, can be displayed within the viewfinder. The eyepiece is surprisingly large for such a condensed body. For a digital SLR, a comfortable viewfinder is a necessity; users pressed to an awkward eyepiece for prolonged periods of time will quickly become resentful of the camera and should be cognizant of this when shopping for a digital SLR.

A -3.0 to +1.0 dioptric adjustment mechanism is applied to the outside of the viewfinder, allowing users to synchronize the camera’s focus to their personal vision. Since all shooting and composing will be done with an eye in the viewfinder, shooting information must be visible. Within the viewfinder window, users can perceive information regarding the following:

-Aperture and Shutter Speed settings
-Exposure level display and Exposure compensation
-Burst and continuous shooting
-Focus confirmation (AF/MF)
-AF points, AE lock
-AEB settings
-Flash status and settings, Flash exposure compensation
-High-speed Sync
-CF card status
-Data processing indicator

LCD Screen
The back of the Rebel XT houses a 1.8" TFT color LCD monitor composed of 115,000 displayed pixels. The screen offers an approximated 100 percent frame coverage with five adjustable brightness levels (accessed within the menu, by selecting "LCD brightness"). With the much-anticipated success and demand for the Rebel XT, Canon has included 14 selectable languages; English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Italian, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Simplified/Traditional Chinese, Korean, Russian, and Japanese are all recognized by the Rebel XT.

Flash
The Rebel XT contains a fixed pop-up retractable flash unit that utilizes the E-TTL II auto flash system (launched in the EOS-20D and Mark II series cameras). The stock flash provides coverage correlating to roughly a 17mm focal length (27mm equivalency in 35mm format). There are four selectable modes: Auto, Manual On/Off, and Red-Eye Reduction. The flash takes roughly 3 seconds to recycle.

For the more engaged photographer, there are eight customizable flash metering modes as well as a flash compensation function to enable users to control the intensity of the lighting. When further illumination or atmospheric overtones are sought, engaged users can apply EOS external Speedlites and accessory flash units using the camera’s hot shoe.

Zoom Lens
Trying to decide whether to purchase the kit lens or not? The EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, which adds $100 to the cost of the Rebel XT, is a remarkable value. In a word, it's sharp. But some buyers may want to consider purchasing the body alone because other lenses offer even greater capability. Independent manufacturers are starting to introduce lightweight but sharp lenses that cover the Rebel XT's sensor size. I have a friend who raves about Sigma's new 18-125mm f/3.5-5.6 DC lens. I may give it a try; my neck gets sore from carrying the Canon 25-70 f/2.8L. Sigma also has an 18-50mm f/3.8 EX DC (large aperture) lens and a 30mm f/1.4 EX DC (really large aperture) lens. Tamron has also announced an 18-200mm f/3.6-6.3 lens that has drawn significant interest, though lenses with such extreme zoom ranges usually involve some quality compromise; yet they're getting better. I look forward to testing some of them with Imatest. Without question, the array of compatible, independent lenses along with full Canon EF and EF-S lens accessibility significantly adds to the appeal of the XT and makes the camera an extremely attractive sub-$1,000 option.

The focus speed on the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 EF-S version II kit lens (which is not a super speedy USM lens) is surprisingly good, better than I expected. It seems to be almost as fast as an actual USM lens. The XT kit is virtually identical to the lens included with the original Digital Rebel, other than a minor exterior alteration to the focus ring. The rubber support grooves on the zoom ring have been placed a bit closer together for added texture and enhanced grip.