Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT

One of the most popular digital single single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras out there is the Canon Digital Rebel XT. Without a doubt, the Canon Digital Rebel is one of the biggest advancements in consumer digital photography. For the first time, regular consumers could own a digital SLR for under $1000. The XT features a higher resolution sensor, more shooting features and better performance, all in a more compact body.

For an entry level SLR camera, the capability of Canons cheapest SLR body is more then good enough for the non-professional photographer. The Canon Digital Rebel XT digital SLR also accepts more than 50 of the Canon EF lenses.

Here are a few of the technical specifications for the Rebel XT:

• Street Price: $549.99
• Resolution: 8.0MP
• Continuous shooting: 14 shots @ 3 fps
• Selectable metering: Yes
• ISO range: 100-1600
• Custom functions: Yes, 9
• Interface: USB 2.0

Things I like
All of the above specifications make for a really nice camera but what’s it like in real life? From the moment I took this camera out of its box I was in love. The Rebel XT has a really quick startup time (less than three seconds) and gives you a lot of choices when it comes to taking photos. You can use manual focus or automatic focus and theres 9 different functions that you would expect to see on a pro model. The best thing about the Rebel XT is that you can use it right out of the box.

Things I don’t like
There aren’t many things I dislike about the Rebel XT but my biggest pet peeve is definitely it’s weight. The Rebel just doesn’t feel like a true Digital SLR. Canon decided to make the Rebel’s case from a lightweight plastic to appease to the larger point-and-shoot camera market, but to me it just feels cheap.

My only other problem is that the size of the CMOS digital sensor is smaller than the 24×36mm size of 35mm film, and this means the effective focal length of a lens increases. This characteristic increases the power of telephoto lenses, but reduces the effectiveness of wide-angle lenses. Very short focal length wide-angle lenses are needed with digital SLRs to compensate for the conversion factor and these lenses can be very expensive.

Overall I’ve been very impressed with the Canon Digital Rebel XT. I’ve been shooting with it for over a year and it’s never let me down and it’s taken quite a few really good pictures.

Pros:

• The Canon Digital Rebel XT’s image quality leads its class
• Competitive price
• Ultrafast start-up time
• Very responsive

Cons:

• The Canon Rebel XT’s lightweight plastic body just doesn’t sit right in your hands
• The battery life isn’t the best
• 1.6X lens-conversion factor

Final Thoughts
The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT is an exceptionally small and lightweight camera designed for beginner digital SLR photographers, but it has the functions and delivers the image quality you’d expect from a semipro model. If you’re just getting into the Digital SLR market I would say you should get the Digital Rebel XT as your first camera.