Canon EOS Rebel XT

Auto Mode
Although the revised Rebel is designed for added control and advanced manual features, Canon has rightly kept its roots in user accessibility. With a continued appeal to the Rebel’s "core consumer audience," the XT contains a full Auto mode, Program AE, Aperture and Shutter Priority modes, as well as five image presets. The mode selection available grants XT users the opportunity to dictate the degree of involvement or assistance they desire. All added manual controls and settings modified on the XT have corresponding automatic settings to handle the responsibility when the user defers.

In the time I spent with the camera, I found the XT’s automatic focus to be extremely responsive and reliable, even when camera-to-subject distance was shortened. Ample automatic settings are offered for metering and white balance, although the auto ISO range is significantly truncated from the 100-1600 manual range offered, down to a typical 100-400 point-and-shoot sensitivity. All in all, the XT offers a balance between user control and intuitive interface. Automatically inclined users may benefit from the original Rebel with a reduced price of $799 with the kit lens, though the XT is certainly worth the extra investment.

Movie Mode
As with all digital single lens reflex cameras, the unfortunate tradeoff for improved image quality, speed, and lens interchangeability is the lack of a movie mode. While more impressive still image capabilities lie within, video and audio can not be recorded with the Rebel XT.

Drive / Burst Mode
Prosumer users snubbed the original Digital Rebel not only for the near suffocating lack of manual control, but also for its point-and-shoot recording speeds. To offer a more viable option for serious shooters, Canon vastly improved all facets of the Rebel XT’s recording and processing speeds. The continuous recording mode on the XT is a particular area of improvement from its precursor, which recorded a mere 4 consecutive images at 2.5 frames per second in burst mode. The revised Rebel’s continuous recording can now capture subsequent images at 3 frames per second for up to 14 consecutive (Large/Fine) images before writing to the card. The XT’s 3 fps recording rate parallels its Nikon D70 rival, though the D70 still overtakes the Rebel in endurance, persisting for up to 20 images. While the two drive modes are still not quite congruent, the Rebel has gained significant ground in an area that was previously dominated by Nikon in the sub-$1000 digital SLR ranks.

Canon includes a single image capture mode as well as a 10 second self-timer under the general drive settings.

Playback Mode
There is an expansive set of Playback options available on the Rebel XT. With four selectable viewing formats, users can perceive their recorded images as a Single image, 9-image thumbnail Index; Magnified view (zoom); Auto Play or instant Auto Play (following capture). Like all digital cameras, users can protect valuable images and discard extraneous frames. An Erase All feature is included when time conservation is critical. There is also a helpful Highlight Alert feature included that will outline blown-out portions of the frame. The selected region will blink, drawing the user’s attention to the overexposed areas. All previously recorded images are viewable on the Rebel XT’s 1.8" TFT color LCD screen and are accessible by selecting the Playback button (marked by the standard triangular play icon) on the back of the camera, just to the left of the screen.

Custom Image Presets
Often understated (or absent) on digital SLRs, six image presets are offered on the user-friendly Rebel XT (tagged "Programmed Image Control modes" by Canon). In a circular arrangement around the mode dial, the XT displays icons for the offered presets: Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, and Flash Off. Consumers upgrading to a digital SLR from a compact or point-and-shoot model will notice a significant reduction in selection, though the selection does cover all the basics and should assist the transition.