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Gadgets Canon Announces Digital Rebel XSi D-SLR
Brandon Hill (Blog) - January 24, 2008 12:00 AM
Print E-mail del.icio.us 35 comment(s) - last by wetwareinterfa.. on Jan 26 at 8:48 PM
Canon's new Digital Rebel brings a 12.2MP image sensor and 3" Live View LCD

When it comes to D-SLR cameras, Canon and Nikon are usually the first companies to come to mind. Both companies trade blows back and forth year after year as they release new models with more advanced features.

In late 2006, Canon introduced its Digital Rebel XTi to much fanfare. The XTi brought a 10.1MP image sensor, 2.5" LCD screen and the EOS Integrated Cleaning System (ICS) to the Digital Rebel line.

Today, Canon is going one step further with the Digital Rebel XSi. The XSi brings a new 12.2MP APS-C CMOS sensor, 3.0" LCD screen with Live View, a 9-point autofocus system, DIGIC III image processor, larger viewfinder, higher-capacity battery and a 3.5 FPS burst mode (53 JPEG or 6 RAW). Canon also made the move to SD/SDHC memory cards with the XSi -- it is the first Canon D-SLR with this capability.

"The EOS 450D bears the fruits of more than 20 years of ongoing investment into EOS," said Canon's Mogens Jensen. "This camera continues Canon’s policy of taking technologies proven in the professional arena and putting them within reach of a wider market of amateur photographers."

The new XSi measures 5.1" x 3.9" x 2.4" and weighs one pound without the battery. Dimensionally, the XSi is slightly larger than its XTi predecessor.

The Canon Digital Rebel XSi will be available soon for $799 in a body-only version. The kit version of the XSi with an 18-55 mm IS lens will cost $899.

Digital Photography Review has a hands-on preview of the Digital Rebel XSi for those who want to take a closer look.

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Should have seen it coming
By InternetGeek on 1/24/2008 12:26:31 AM , Rating: 2
just after i got my 400d (xti) just recently from Amazon.

Anyeone knows if they would change it for the newer model given that I just recently got it?




RE: Should have seen it coming
By Brandon Hill (blog) on 1/24/2008 12:29:36 AM , Rating: 2
I think that Amazon will take a return if it's under 30 days no questions asked. You just have to pay return shipping.


RE: Should have seen it coming
By InternetGeek on 1/24/2008 12:32:43 AM , Rating: 2
This is true. Let me find out as I had it shipper to Oz and I already paid taxes.

One thing though: Correct the model in the last line of the article. The hands-on is about the XSi not the XTi.


RE: Should have seen it coming
By InternetGeek on 1/24/2008 12:48:17 AM , Rating: 2
And while you're still correcting (hopefully you didn't close the CMS window):

---
Digital Photography Review has a hands-on preview of the Digital Rebel XSi for those who want to take a closer look.
---

Now back into the article, after reading the hands on I decided to keep my 400d. The differences are not worth the hassle and money of sending it back.

Maybe in 5 years when cameras are 20megapixelor more I will get the rebel of the moment...


RE: Should have seen it coming
By jhinoz on 1/24/2008 1:24:29 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
Maybe in 5 years when cameras are 20megapixelor more I will get the rebel of the moment...


Well if you've got a spare $31,000 you can already get 39 megapixels.

http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/11/hasselblad-h2d-...

So many pixels...


By therealnickdanger on 1/24/2008 8:09:46 AM , Rating: 3
... so little time.


By MasterTactician on 1/24/2008 9:55:50 AM , Rating: 3
quote:
Well if you've got a spare $31,000 you can already get 39 megapixels.
http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/11/hasselblad-h2d-...

So many pixels...


...And for only $44,414 you can have 160 MP

http://www.gearfuse.com/seitz-160-mp-camera-is-an-...


RE: Should have seen it coming
By KitKat06 on 1/24/2008 3:49:10 PM , Rating: 2
Ah dude, I feel for ya.
Im pretty sure that they do have the return policy though, so hopefully that works out for you.
Put the money to a little bit better use with the XSi :)


RE: Should have seen it coming
By InternetGeek on 1/24/2008 4:55:34 PM , Rating: 2
Nah, I'll keep it. I would have to pay to ship it back on top of the difference when the newer model is available. The camera is good, is all about the lens. For the moment I'm just sticking to the 17-85mm I got. It's a good lens. Once I learn my way around with it I'd try a L f2.8 or better.


Proper lenses
By Bekali on 1/24/2008 1:45:33 AM , Rating: 2
The problem with high MP cameras is that the lenses are not good enough. A friend have 8MP with Canon EF-S 17-85mm 4-5.6 IS USM, and that zoom barely match the sharpness necessarily for that sensor in the centre of image. The rest of the image is too soft...Good for portrait photos, but not for landscapes.

What next, over 1000$ for proper lenses ?




RE: Proper lenses
By therealnickdanger on 1/24/2008 8:15:24 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
What next, over 1000$ for proper lenses ?

Actually... yes. Don't buy anything but Canon L-glass and you'll see the benefit. Of course, the best equipment in the world can't help you if your composition is poor and your settings are wrong. I've even seen some remarkable shots taken with pro-sumer level cameras that blow away DSLR images taken by noobs.


RE: Proper lenses
By Pneumothorax on 1/24/2008 9:27:47 AM , Rating: 3
Ahh, but I hope the noobs stay that way. The minute they start realizing you have to take pictures at sunrise and sundown instead of high noon, I'll have a much tougher time taking my landscape pics without a tourist in it.


RE: Proper lenses
By Pneumothorax on 1/24/2008 9:28:48 AM , Rating: 2
Nice upgrades, but I wish they used a hi-res screen and hopefully upgraded the AF. I was less than pleased with my Xti on fast action shots.


RE: Proper lenses
By guy007 on 1/24/2008 10:11:12 PM , Rating: 2
funny name, a buddy of mine had a spontaneous bilateral pneumothorax...you a cardiothoracic surgeon?


RE: Proper lenses
By Fnoob on 1/24/2008 9:49:09 AM , Rating: 2
Amen.

One of the best pro's I've ever met shot with a $10 point and shoot 35mm POS. The way she worked a subject was amazing - she could get the 'glow' out of anyone. Would she have benefitted from real hardware... mmmmmaybe. That might have intimidated some of her subjects though. The inobtrusive little POS seemed to put them at ease.


RE: Proper lenses
By ksherman on 1/24/2008 12:44:09 PM , Rating: 2
Yeah, that lens is crap though. Sounds like you are describing the $100 kit lens. Lame. And yes, you do need to spend close to $1000 for a proper lens, though you can get away with some great lenses in the $500 range. I highly recomend the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 which is only a smidge over $400.

IOW, ditch the kit lens.


RE: Proper lenses
By spluurfg on 1/24/2008 3:48:35 PM , Rating: 2
Agreed... I own the 17-85 IS and it is an overpriced, under-performing lens. It's never on my camera, while my Tamron 17-50 f2.8 is almost always on. You can find it for around $350 these days.

I'm waiting till Sigma makes their 18-50 f2.8 HSM in a Canon mount, which may be never.


RE: Proper lenses
By KitKat06 on 1/24/2008 3:51:05 PM , Rating: 2
I'm stuck with a 35-90 right now... I'm not gonna lie, it sucks pretty bad. Although, i dont have the funds to upgrade it yet, but i agree with the portrait/landscape deal. Luckily I dont have too many problems with it, and I can work around it. I'd rather just take photos of what I want to, instaed of working around things.


shake reduction
By xsilver on 1/24/2008 1:55:13 AM , Rating: 2
Is in body shake reduction something that canon users would really appreciate? canon wont do it of course because they need to make $$ on their IS lenses.




RE: shake reduction
By bigfatron on 1/24/2008 3:15:37 AM , Rating: 2
Having it in-body rather than in the lens is also a technically inferior system, especially so with longer lenses.


RE: shake reduction
By spluurfg on 1/24/2008 5:43:46 AM , Rating: 2
I think I have to agree here. Not that I enjoy having to buy more expensive lenses, or that I would complain if a Canon body came with a built in image stabilizer, but I believe optical systems are slightly superior -- perhaps by one stop or so.

While having a built in system is a great value for non-pro's who don't need professional level systems, at least Canon (and Nikon as well) is now putting out some cheaper image stabilized lenses like the kit 18-55.


RE: shake reduction
By xsilver on 1/24/2008 6:29:27 AM , Rating: 2
well that would lead me to my second question..

is it technically impossible to have SR/IS on both the lens and the body? Or the fact that two gyrating mechanisms wont be able to co-operate with each other?

I have been reading that the new sony a700's mechanism works really well so i am just curious as to future possible developments


RE: shake reduction
By spluurfg on 1/24/2008 8:44:23 AM , Rating: 2
Entirely possible -- there are some systems where the body has a built in image stabilizer with the availability of stabilized lenses. However, they are not designed to work in tandem and it simply blurs the image when both are used (think about it -- if both systems worked absolutely perfectly, they would simply invert the blur, since both systems are perfectly compensating for shake).

Users in this case simply use one or the other, though it's not obvious to me why a sensor shift plus optical stabilizer would be superior than just an optical stabilizer. But hey, but I am no expert whatsoever -- maybe a tandem implementation is in the works.


Gigapixel
By Fnoob on 1/24/2008 12:13:47 AM , Rating: 2
Any speculation on a date for that milestone?




RE: Gigapixel
By daftrok on 1/24/2008 12:17:08 AM , Rating: 2
April 27th 2024.


RE: Gigapixel
By jtesoro on 1/24/2008 7:01:47 AM , Rating: 2
Hmmmph, what a pessimist. They'll be done by April 25th.


RE: Gigapixel
By Fnoob on 1/24/2008 9:27:22 AM , Rating: 2
That long huh? Following the current curve, we should be at 400MP within 10yrs.

1997/8 we had $20K ONE MP bodies.
2008 we have 20+MP body for $7K.

Looking forward to the Cannon 400MP in 2018 for just over $2K. So perhaps by 4/25/24 we'll have exceeded 1GP for even cheaper. Or not.


PMA coverage
By soydios on 1/24/2008 1:11:49 AM , Rating: 2
If you're covering PMA-season DSLR introductions, then you really ought to include the Pentax K20D/K200D.




RE: PMA coverage
By NagoyaX on 1/24/2008 1:07:14 PM , Rating: 2
I wonder if Nikon will release the D90... seeing how the 80 was bout 6months after the 200 i presume that we will see the 90 soon...


By Staples on 1/24/2008 10:32:54 AM , Rating: 2
I have a Rebel XT and I think that the view finder is the weakest thing on it. It is something that I am reminded of every time I take a picture. The current 40D improved it upon that line so I am hoping that this revision will see it in the consumer line. The viewfinder is so important for taking good pictures and I can't believe that people are more worried about other non consequential aspects of the camera that could use improvement before they even think of the viewfinder.




By ksherman on 1/24/2008 12:47:31 PM , Rating: 2
yeah, but if you keep chipping away at the improvements the 40D brings, why would you want to buy a 40D? Its one of the many features that get people to pay 2x as much for a better camera.


What a waste of time/money
By sgtdisturbed47 on 1/24/2008 8:57:23 PM , Rating: 2
This is obviously a delayed reaction to Nikon's D40x. A camera aimed for those who are coming off of point-and-shoot cameras. Live View? A disgrace to any DSLR. Sorry, I'm a bit of a traditionalist but seriously, you have a TTL eyepiece for a reason. Definitely aimed at new DSLR owners that are used to P&S.

Yeah yeah, bring on the more megapixels. Doesn't make a difference. Compare a 5x7 print of a 12 megapixel to a 6 megapixel DSLR shot... no difference in quality. It's the LENS!! You will pretty much never need more than 10 megapixels. Instead of looking for a camera that has features upon features, grab a body that fits YOUR needs and ignore the extra junk. Live View? Please.

Look, it's what, $1,300 for a body that has a bunch of newbie features? Would a newbie really pay $1,300 their first DSLR? What should be more of a focus for Canon's beginner DSLRs is the implementation of a better meter. Honestly, it's easy to fool the meter on the XTi and XT. Hopefully they fixed at least THAT.

Again, the focus on silly features is a silly way to sell a body. Focus on the lenses you want. Bodies come and go, lenses stay forever. Better to spend the money on a fast lens than pay 1,300 for a newb DSLR. A refurbished XT with a fast zoom, super-fast prime, or fast wide-angle will smash an XSi with it's slow f/3.5-4.5 18-55 IS.




RE: What a waste of time/money
By reb00tz on 1/25/2008 4:56:11 AM , Rating: 2
To a certain degree, I agree with you - the lenses can let a noob take better pictures (nearly) like an amateur, and let an amateur take more professional-looking pictures (hopefully).

Nonetheless, image stabilisation, max/min ISO sensor sensitivity, max/min shutter speeds, sensor size and digitisation algorithms/speed all still play a part, though. Even the auto white-balance plays a part (which all cameras still fall short under incandescent/indoor lighting); the ability to whip out the camera and snap, while on holiday without taking half an hour to set the ISO, white-balance, etc would make the difference between getting the shot and getting yelled at by the impatient subject(s) (if not missing the shot entirely).

The one thing I disagree with is that the LCD "live view" feature is useless; although the thing that strikes me as odd is that the one major reason of having "live view" is missing: the ability to shoot at odd angles without putting your body in curious/uncomfortable/undesirable positions. Where is the "flip-out", 180-degree (or more) arm joint for the LCD screen? If it is not there, why bother with "live view"?


By otispunkmeyer on 1/25/2008 7:36:52 AM , Rating: 2
3inch live view vs 2.5inch non-live view - and personally i think live view is of limited use on a DSLR. its got its uses composing those macro shots where you cant bend your neck enough to look through the view finder, but thats about it.

2 more megapixels - moot point really, best shot i have ever seen came from a 4-ish mp full frame SLR with an atrociously expensive lens. more MP's do not make a better picture. but it does sell cameras.

3.5fps burst (compared to 3 on the 400) - noting compared to that casio camera that can do 1200fps.

digicIII vs digicII - probably the best bit actually.

and thats about it.... still got the same 9-point AF system and its roughly the same size (which is a problem if u have big hands). what about the view finder? the one on the 400D isnt that good and on mine at least, doesnt seem to be properly aligned either.

from the sounds of it, if you have the 400d/XTi your probably not missing out on much. it doesnt seem distinctly more capable than its predecessors. so yeah, if you have the 400d/XTi just keep it, and do a real upgrade to the 40D.




By wetwareinterface on 1/26/2008 8:48:07 PM , Rating: 2
live view has 2 real purposes...
1st and most important one for a dslr in the pro-sumer bracket...
it's for noobs who don't know enough about how to frame a shot and what they will get when looking through the viewfinder vs. the actual image taken. live view is for framing the shot for those that don't have enough experience in guestimating what it will look like through the viewfinder.

2nd real purpose...
tripod mounted remote shooting when you can't get near the viewfinder becuase you have the camera elevated or you are restricted from the near area of the camera due to set up constraints. live view is essential for a secondary backup camera for fashion shoots. after all you only get so much room in the shooting area. if you want a secondary camera on a remote you need live view. or if you need to do a live shot and shoot over the heads of a crowd as in event photography or news conferences etc... and you have the camera on the end of your extended yet folded up tripod.

it really is a professional feature if you are a real professional photographer and not some armchair asshat talking about "landscape" shots.




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