Canon EOS Rebel XSi

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EOS Rebel XSi Prices

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Wired Review: Canon Rebel XSi is ... Imaging Resource Canon EOS 450D Rebel XSi CNET - Cameras Canon EOS Rebel XSi Camera Labs Canon EOS 450D / Digital Re... DPReview Canon EOS 450D / Digital Re... More

Viewfinder
The XSi has an eye-level pentamirror viewfinder with 95 percent coverage and a magnification of 0.87x, like the consumer Canon 40D camera. The XSi viewfinder displays AF points, shutter speed, aperture, exposure on a traditional scale view, ISO, and a frame counter. The viewfinder displays the 9-point AF points as a diamond, each as a small cross and highlighted red when selected.  The AF points through the viewfinder look like extremely tiny red dots – sometimes too small to view focus points when shooting light-colored subjects. In those cases, users are better off using the LCD Live View to focus. 

LCD
The Canon XSi features a 3-inch LCD, up from the 2.5-inch screen on the XTi. Monitor resolution remains the same at a standard 230,000 pixels. It’s a toss up between whether or not the larger LCD is a good thing or bad. The bigger screen helps with viewing, especially for those who have to squint to view pictures on the screen. The downside is the LCD causes a redistribution of buttons that might confuse longtime Canon users.

 

Coverage equates 100 percent, meaning what you see is what you get. LCD framing is proportional to real-life. As a result of user feedback, Canon toned down the brightness of the LCD screen and included seven brightness settings to adjust for indoor and outdoor shooting. The brightness settings cater to personal preference, just like setting brightness on your home television set.

 

The LCD displays autofocus points similar to the diamond-shaped 9-point AF design through the viewfinder. Instead of crosses, though, each AF point is rendered as a box shape that is easier to view. The LCD displays shooting information, including exposure, ISO, shooting mode, white balance, shot mode (drive or single), focus type, file format, and battery indicator.

 

More significantly, the LCD now incorporates Live View, a feature pulled from point-and-shoots so users can shoot by looking at the screen and not through the viewfinder. Canon introduced SLR Live View with the 1D Mark III in 2007, followed by the Canon 40D and 1Ds Mark III. Although spearheaded by Olympus on its EVOLT consumer SLRs, other manufacturers have followed suit with SLR Live View, including Nikon, Panasonic, Pentax and Sony. The Live View, now in its third generation at Canon, completes the series in the Canon lineup, adding live view in the consumer SLR gap between pro SLRs and compact digital cameras.

 

Flash
The Canon XSi has a built-in flash that pops up during automatic and program modes. It takes about 3 seconds to recharge the built-in flash. Users do have some manual control with flash exposure compensation of 1/3 or 1/2 increments up to 2 full EV stops either way. Some customers in this consumer SLR bracket might decide to upgrade to an optional external flash. In those cases, the E-TTL-compatible XSi is compatible with all Canon EX Speedlite flashes.

Lens
Customers will appreciate the upgraded lens bundled with the Canon XSi kit. Whereas the previous XTi had a non-image stabilized lens, the XSi comes with an EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens. It has the same mount and focal length as the previous model, but the added lens-shifting stabilization will help reduce blurry photos during zoom photography. The lens promises compensation for up to 4 full stops of shake correction. When converted, the lens has a 1.6x focal length conversion factor when compared to traditional 35mm format. The EF-mount on the XSi is also compatible with Canon’s EF and EF-S lenses - a choice of 60 of them - including the new EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS lens Canon announced with the XSi.