Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi First Impressions Review

The anticipation for the Canon Rebel XSi, or previous Rebels for that matter, has photo nerds’ hearts racing. Buyers in the market for a consumer SLR are most likely dropping a good chunk of their savings on this camera, as customers move up from a point-and-shoot and venture into photography as a serious hobby and potentially as a business if they upgrade into higher-end models. So is the $900 worth it? With the added features, it’s a sweet deal. That’s not to underline the fact that almost every other manufacturer this week at PMA 2008 under-priced the XSi: the Nikon D60 ($749), the Sony Alpha A300 ($800), and the Pentax K200D ($799). The point is that yes, the Digital Rebel XSi costs more than its competitors. The reality is, though, that consumers won’t care. The Rebel series has consistently been Canon’s top seller, and we anticipate it will remain so.

 

Point and Shooters – The EOS Digital Rebel XSi is far from a point-and-shoot, but Canon is actively marketing its new SLR to this segment. The XSi suits point-and-shooters who want to buy a DSLR to pursue more creative control in photography. With personalized background menus, larger font, and automatic modes, the XSi does fine to suit new DSLR users.

 

Budget Consumers – The lowest original MSRP in the digital SLR market for a kit is about $750 new. Nikon, Sony, and Pentax each offer bundled DSLR kits (with included lens) that retail for the price of the Canon XSi body alone. While the $899.99 kit price on the Digital Rebel isn’t the least expensive, the sub-$1000 is still affordable. It fuels the democracy of photography that puts more DSLRs in the hands of more average consumers. (Refer to the DSLR Comparison charts below.)

 

Gadget Freaks – The XSi lacks certain gadget favorites like a touch screen, true Movie modes, or Wi-Fi capabilities that SLRs have yet to employ; these features are more typical in point-and-shoot cameras. Techies in pursuit of a DSLR, however, might be drawn to the Live View, which is becoming increasingly popular among Olympus, Nikon, and Panasonic SLRs.

 

Manual Control Freaks – The Canon XSi brings with it a few more manual controls over the XTi, including an additional spot metering setting and expanded Auto Lighting Optimizer. Although the camera could use more incremental stops in ISO sensitivity, the Digital Rebel will satisfy Canon users.

Pros / Serious Hobbyists – Hardcore addicts would normally lean toward Canon’s higher-end professional models, such as the 1D Mark III or 1Ds Mark III. They would, however, consider the XSi as a backup camera to their existing line of EF lenses, since it is priced at a budget $800 price tag for the body. The smaller body and lower price tag is tempting for pros to take the XSi on trips or to parties.

 

The Canon Digital Rebel XSi makes significant upgrades from XTi from a year and a half ago. At the same original retail price, the newer SLR comes with an image-stabilized lens, larger LCD, higher resolution, Live View, updated processor, improved autofocus, an extra metering mode, and faster burst rate.  For consumers who want to save the extra bucks, the XTi currently retails for about $560 online.

 

Among the entry-level digital SLRs announced at PMA this year, the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi is one of the more expensive for a bundled kit with lens. It also happens to be one of the fastest, with a 3.5 fps burst rate. It’s up to the consumer whether the extra $100+ bucks is worth the speed.

 

 

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