Review of Canon Rebel XSi (XSi vs. XTi vs. 40D)

Phil Askey over at DPReview has recently posted his review of the new Canon Digital Rebel XSi. This is a very comprehensive review and includes a detailed comparison between the Rebel XTi and the Rebel XSi.

You can read the entire review here. If you want to skip to Phil's conclusions, go here.

As of 5/31/08, here are the current prices on the Rebel XTi, XSi & 40D on Amazon:

• Canon Rebel XTi body only $599
• Canon Rebel XTi with 18-55 kit lens $689
• Canon Rebel XSi body only $799
• Canon Rebel XSi with 18-55 image stabilized kit lens $849
• Canon 40D body only $954 (price includes Canon $200 instant rebate)
• Canon 40D with 28-135 image stabilized lens $1129 (price includes Canon $200 instant rebate)

In all cases, I'd also recommend getting the body with the kit-lens. For a more detailed post regarding lenses for your first Canon DSLR, go here.

Reasons to buy the XSi over the XTi?

• You're buying 1 year newer technology
• Bigger Screen
• Much better high ISO performance (ISO 800/1600) (100% usable). This enables indoor flash-free photography (best done with a prime lens: Example 50mm f1.8 $80)
• 12 MP vs. 10 MP
• Faster overall operation

So, the Rebel XSi offers some very nice improvements over the Rebel XTi, but it's also $160 more. Your decision.

If you're really thinking of the XSi, you should also give serious consideration to the 40D. With the current Canon $200 instant rebate on the 40D, it's now only $140 more than the Rebel XSi. (when comparing body-only prices.) The 40D has a very similar feature-set to the Rebel XSi, but gives you:

• A much beefier build-quality: Magnesium alloy body (vs. Rebel XSi plastic body)
• Much beefier and more comfortable grip
• Can shoot at 6.5 frames per second (vs. 3.5 frames per second on the XSi). This is great for shooting sports.

So, the 40D has a number of nice advantages over the XSI, but it's about $140 more (camera coby only). Your decision.

You can see current prices and purchase the Rebel XTi/Rebel XSi/40D on this page on Amazon. Please support this blog by clicking through these links when purchasing your Canon DSLR. You pay the same price as normal, but I get a tiny commission from Amazon.

Point-and-shoot vs. DSLR

This is one the questions I get asked all the time -- why don't I just buy one of these 7+ megapixel digital point and shoots? Well, this is an option, and the digital point and shoots do have the following benefits:

• small
• easy to carry
• some models have very good image quality at ISO 100 (example: Canon PowerShot G9)
• some models do have good creative controls (example: Canon PowerShot G9)

The negatives to the digital point and shoots are:

• really slow auto-focus (since the digital point and shoot uses the same sensor for both auto-focus and image-capture, auto-focus is really slow.) This is big cause of missed shots--it drives me crazy.
  
• most have mediocre to poor image quality above ISO 100. On my point-and-shoot, anything about ISO 100 is all mushy and noisy.
  
• no (or limited) ability to use different lenses.

The big advantages of the DSLR over the digital point and shoot are:

• Lighting-fast auto-focus (the DSLR has 1 sensor for image capture and a separate dedicated auto-focus sensor)
  
• Most new DSLR models have excellent image quality up to ISO 800 (in some cases even ISO 1600.) This enables me to 1) get more shots using natural light vs. having to resort to using the flash 2) do a better job of shooting indoor sports.
  
• Ability to use different lenses for different situations (wide angle, telephoto, macro, fish-eye, prime lenses, etc.)
• Superior image quality due to the much larger sensor (Rebel XTi sensor size = 328 sq mm vs. PowerShot G9 sensor size of 38 sqmm). Read those numbers again. The quality difference between point-and-shoot vs. DSLR at ISO 400 to 1600 is HUGE. There are tons of photos I take where ISO 400-1600 is required to get the shot.
  

If you will always be photographing static subjects at ISO 100, don't need to print at sizes bigger than 14 x 11, and the integrated zoom lens that comes with the point-and-shoot meets all your needs, a high quality digital point and shoot like the Canon PowerShot G9 is an option. But, if you want to shoot moving subjects and value the flexibility of being able to shoot at higher ISO's and still get excellent image quality, you'll want a DSLR. The digital SLR also allows you to fundamentally change your camera by allow you to change lenses. In addition, the Canon Rebel XTi with a kit lens (about $675) is very similar in price to the Canon PowerShot G9 ($479.)

The DSLR has a 'full auto' mode, so you can still use your DSLR like a 'point-and-shoot' if you want.

For me, it's not an 'either/or'. I have both. But I try and use my 5D whenever I can because it gives me far superior photos to my little point-and-shoot. Then again, if I'm going on a bike ride I take the 'point-and-shoot' because 1) it's smaller and lighter 2) I wouldn't be heart-broken if I broke the $200 point and shoot.

Compare prices on the Canon XTi, XSi & 40D at Amazon here. Support this site by clicking through these links when you buy your Canon DSLR.

Amazing Canon Instant Rebates!

Canon is offering the following instant rebates from 5/18/08 to 7/19/08:

The best rebates are (great gear & excellent values) are:

• Canon 5D Camera $300 [effective price $1900 @ Amazon]
  
• Canon 40D Camera $200 [effective price $940@ Amazon]
  
• Canon EF 70-200 f4 L Lens $40 [effective price $560@ Amazon]
• Canon EF 17-40 f4 L Lens $40 [effective price $650@ Amazon]
• Canon EF 100 f2.8 Macro $35 [effective price $455@ Amazon]
• Canon 430EX flash $15 [effective price $245@ Amazon]
• Canon EF-s 60 Macro $30 [effective price $370 @ Amazon]

Other Canon instant rebates (rebates on some higher-end, more expensive Canon glass):

• Canon EF 50 f1.2 L Lens $50 [effective price $1300 @ Amazon] ($950 more than the 50 f1.4)
  
• Canon EF 70-200 f4 IS L Lens $75 [effective price $1025] ($500 more than the 70-200 f4 above)
  
• Canon EF 70-200 f2.8 IS L Lens $125 [effective price $1574 @ Amazon] ($1000 more than the 70-200 f4 above)
  
• Canon EF 85 f1.2 L Lens $125 [effective price $1745 @ Amazon] ($1350 more than the 85 f1.8)
  
• Canon EF 16-35 f2.8 L Lens $100 [effective price $1350 @ Amazon] (about $600 more than the 17-40 above)Canon 100-400 f4.5-f5.6 IS L [effective price $1360 @ Amazon]
  
• Canon EF 35 f1.4 L Lens $100 [effective price $1080 @ Amazon]
• Canon SpeedLite 580EX II $30 [effective price $390 @ Amazon]

Here's a link to the rebate flyer on the Canon website. This is an 'instant-rebate', so there is no 'claim form' or paperwork to fill-out. You get the rebate at the time of purchase. The prices listed on the Amazon website INCLUDE the rebate. This is very convenient and saves you all the time/trouble of submitting a 'claim form' -- thanks Canon!

Here's a link to all these items on Amazon.com with pricing. I checked-out pricing on these items on Amazon and Amazon is selling these items at the same or less than B&H, Dell, etc. Support this site buy clicking through the links on this page when you buy. Thanks!


Some additional notes:

Canon 5D @ $1900 is amazing. This camera originally came to market for $3300. Full-frame for $1900 - wow!

Canon 40D @ $940 is also an amazing deal.

Photos of Bill Clinton on 5/17/08

Bill Clinton came to Hood River, Oregon today to 'stump' for Hillary. Here a couple photos:

Canon 5D Camera, Canon 200 f2.8 lens, ISO 200, Shooting mode of Aperture Priority (Av), Exposure compensation of -1, Aperture of f2.8. Shutter speed of 1/200 (selected by the camera), white balance set to 'shade', picture style of 'faithful' (saturation +1, contrast +1), hand-held.

He was impressive. Very knowledgeable and very eloquent. I was told afterwards that this was his fifth 'pitch' of the day--it felt like his first.

Photographs from Zion National Park

Below are the some of the best photographs from Zion National Park. We spent 2 days in Zion during our southwest US road trip:

Canon 5D camera, Canon 24-85 lens, shooting mode Aperture Priority (Av), ISO 400, Exposure compensation (EC) -2/3, Aperture f6.3, focal length of 46mm, shutter-speed 1/3200 of a second, white balance of 'shade', picture style 'landscape', hand-held. [note: this really should have been shot ISO 100, Av, F11. I had been shooting the kids in the shade and these were the correct setting for that.]

Canon 5D camera, Canon 17-40 lens, shooting mode Aperture Priority (Av), ISO 200, focal length 17mm, Exposure compensation (EC) -1/3, Aperture f13, shutter-speed 1/320 of a second, white balance of 'cloudy', picture style 'landscape', hand-held.

Canon 5D camera, Canon 200mm f2.8 lens, shooting mode 'Program' (P), ISO 200, Exposure compensation (EC) -1, Aperture f5.6, shutter-speed 1/800 of a second, white balance of 'cloudy', picture style 'standard', hand-held.

Canon 5D camera, Canon 24-85 lens, shooting mode Aperture Priority (Av), ISO 400, Exposure compensation (EC) -2/3, Aperture f5.6, focal length of 24mm, shutter-speed 1/80 of a second, white balance of 'shade', picture style 'standard', hand-held.

This is another location where I could have spent a week photographing the entire park. You can't really do the park justice in 2 days. Since we were traveling with the kids, the trip focus wasn't photography.

I tried to get some unique landscape shots (like the ones above), that aren't the 'cliche' Zion landscape shots. When I found myself framing the same landscape shot I found in local galleries or my hotel room, I just stopped. To duplicate the same shot that has been taken 1000 times by other photographs wasn't interesting to me.

Sidebar: Although my Canon 24-85 lens covers a useful range for hiking with the kids it's just 'mushy' at it's wider apertures. If I shoot it at f8 - f13 it does produce good results. I may have to 'pony-up' for the 24-105 L at some point.