Pros & Cons
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- Very good performance.
- Dust prevention system.
- Inexpensive for a D-SLR.
- Excellent image quality.
- Lots of information displayed on LCD.
- Light weight.
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- Slight color cast in daylight test images.
- Kit lens is mediocre.
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi Specs
| 35mm Equivalent (Telephoto) | 82.5 mm |
| 35mm Equivalent (Wide) | 27 |
| Battery Type | Lithium Ion |
| Memory Card Format | CompactFlash |
| Sensor Resolution | 10.2 |
| Type | D-SLR |
Announced in late summer of 2003, Canon's original 6-megapixel Digital Rebel was the first digital SLR (D-SLR) to break the $1,000 barrier. In doing so, the company set in motion a D-SLR competition that's had the entire digital-camera market in a tizzy ever since. When Canon announced its latest Rebel, the XTi, the frenzy only increased.
A follow-up to last year's popular
You can't beat the XTi's low price ($899 list, with a kit zoom lens). It makes more sense to me, however, to buy the XTi body for only $799 and then purchase a better lens—like the Canon 28-to-135mm lens (around $400), which includes image stabilization. That package of body and lens runs to $1,200, about $100 less than the high-end Nikon D80. With this in mind, I tested the Rebel XTi with both the 18-to-55mm and the 28-to-135mm lenses to get an accurate gauge of its capabilities.
The Rebel XTi excels at presenting relevant information. The large LCD screen located on the back shows essential exposure and shooting info in a way that really sets the XTi apart from other cameras. I was equally impressed with the new look of the single LCD screen. Last year's Rebel XT had two screens—a smallish LCD screen for the menus system and an even smaller display screen for exposure info. The new system is clearly superior.
The Rebel XTi's LCD interface now mimics the menu system found on the
Breaks in Burst Performance
To test the Rebel XTi's burst modes, I used a SanDisk Extreme III 1GB CF card. Basically, I wanted to determine how quickly the camera captures images in Fine JPEG, RAW, and the combined Fine JPEG+RAW modes. My initial JPEG burst netted around 30 or so images, capturing 2 to 2.5 pictures per second. That's pretty good, but by contrast, the Nikon D80 fired off more than 80 or so images during the same test. As I expected, the XTi's Fine JPEG mode was the fastest: I got 427 JPEGs in 210 seconds, about 2 shots per second. Still, there were moments when the camera flashed its "busy" warning signal and would not take a shot for about three to four seconds, until the buffer cleared. This was not the case with the D80, which had a steadier pace throughout its burst sequence.
The XTi shot at a slower rate in RAW and RAW + JPEG modes. I was able to capture 116 RAW shots in 145 seconds on a 1GB CF memory card, less than one every second. I also shot 76 RAW+JPEG shots in 130 seconds. Although I was pleased with the XTi, the Nikon D80 has a longer burst stream, with no stutters or stalling.
One feature that the D80 lacks but Canon added is Canon's breakthrough dust-prevention system. This hardware-based automatic sensor-cleaning system physically vibrates the Rebel XTi's imaging sensor and literally knocks dust off it, much in the same way the
In my labs and real-world testing, the Canon Rebel XTi did quite well. On daylight still-life shots, the camera demonstrated a little more noise than the Nikon D80 did, but in general, it produced excellent dynamic range and contrast. Colors were vibrant, even in the deepest tones, such as purple, and showed very little fringing. Images were sharp—sharper than either the Nikon D80's or the Sony Alpha A100's. For example, I could clearly make out the faux-wood grain on a table and the letters on my color chart. Photos shot in auto mode, however, were a stop underexposed; despite that, the images still really popped off the page. You can adjust and bracket shots to compensate.
Flash photos were also a stop underexposed. But my test images still had fine dynamic range and detail. Unlike the D80, the XTi doesn't let you use its pop-up flash to communicate wirelessly with Canon flashes unless you get an extra accessory.
The Rebel XTi's resolution averaged 1,900 lines, which is right on the money for a 10MP camera. Its 0.6-second boot-up time was blazingly swift, as was its recycle time of 0.8 seconds. As we've found with all D-SLRs we test, there was virtually no shutter lag. The Canon 28-to-135mm zoom lens (not the kit lens, but an in-house unit for testing purposes) had just a touch of pincushion distortion (although not as wide an angle as on the Nikon lens we tested), and there was just a bit of the usual barrel distortion.
Overall, the Canon Rebel XTi is an all-around excellent performer and an undeniable Editors' Choice winner in the D-SLR category. It makes buying a 10MP camera a much easier decision.
Benchmark Test Results
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