Canon's new Digital Rebel XT not only outputs better images than its predecessor's, but it's faster and features longer battery life. This is the digital camera you have been dreaming about.

Summary

In 2003, Canon opened the floodgates for affordable digital single lens reflex (D-SLR) cameras with the 6-megapixel Digital Rebel, the first digital camera with an interchangeable lens for under $1,000 dollars.  Now, the company has blown away the competition with the introduction of the new 8 MP Digital Rebel XT.  I know Nikon fans will groan but this fact is hard to deny, even with the introduction of the slightly enhanced 6 MP Nikon 70s.  Although you can still purchase the Rebel for $799 with a lens, we strongly urge you to spend the extra money for the XT ($999 with the lens).  Not only is picture quality improved, thanks to new circuitry dubbed DIGIC II by Canon, but the D-SLR operates much faster and the battery lasts longer.  Response time is almost instantaneous from the time you focus to saving the image to the card.  It’s very close to the more expensive and highly rated Canon EOS 20D, which costs hundreds more.  The new camera is not only more potent, it weighs slightly less than the Digital Rebel (17.1 ounces versus 19.7).  In case you couldn’t tell, we really loved this camera.  For the record, the new 6MP Pentax *ist DL is the lightest D-SLR at 16.6 ounces and it’s due in July.  For an extra half-ounce, we’ll definitely choose the XT.  

Features And Design

 

The mostly plastic Rebel XT—available in silver or black finish—has the traditional film SLR shape, geared to two-handed shooting; your right holds the grip, with the shutter button positioned conveniently as a jog wheel to help you browse through the camera settings.  Your left hand steadies the camera and adjusts the zoom lens.  Controls on the back are very logically placed, with large type identifying the specific use such as Menu, Info, Delete and so on.  Adjustments can be made using the Set button, which is surrounded by four arrow keys that let you drill down to change ISO, white balance, and auto focus settings.

 

The viewfinder has a rubber-coated cup for comfort and a diopter to make adjustments for your eyesight.  There’s also a narrow LCD screen that shows the camera’s current settings.  Beneath that is a 1.8-inch LCD screen for reviewing your images.  Unlike typical digicams, D-SLR LCD screens are only used for playback, not framing your shots.  And there is no Movie mode; these babies are for taking high-quality stills.  A “hot shoe” is available to connect optional Canon flashes.  The memory card and battery slot doors snap closed with reassuring clicks.

 

The menus on the Rebel XT are very straightforward.  It’s simple to set the clock for step one, then move deeper into the basic camera setup.  The default resolution is 3456 x 2304 pixels in Large Fine JPEG mode and you can easily adjust it to a more compressed Normal mode, as well as Medium (2496 x 1664) or Small (1728 x 1152).  By adjusting image size, you can cram more photos onto your card.  Like all good D-SLRs, the Rebel XT has a RAW mode with no compression at all.  RAW files are great to work with, particularly if you plan to make large prints and do a lot of editing with such programs as Adobe PhotoShop CS. 

 

Moving beyond resolution, there’s Red Eye On and Off, an optional beep reminder, LCD brightness and so on.  The more “photographic” adjustments surround the Set key and are just as simple to change.  You simply scroll through the options and press the Set key at the desired position.  This is a basic, no-frills design, but it works well. 

 

Image Courtesy of Canon

Pros:

• Superior 8-megapixel resolution


• Excellent ergonomics and heft


• As easy to operate as can be


• Manual adjustments galore


• Amazing battery life

 

Cons:

• No CompactFlash card supplied


• LCD screen is small (1.8 inches) and wipes out in bright light

Performance

 

Once we loaded the memory card, slipped in the battery and made our basic adjustments (we shot in the Large JPEG mode), it was time to take some photos.  Setting the camera to Auto, we simply walked around the house, taking snaps of blooming flowers, fuzzy cats, trees and more.  The camera functioned like a dream.  Pressing the shutter halfway focused the camera and with another press, the image was captured.  Not only was the speed a joy, our results were dead-on with rich, accurate colors and very little distortion or purple fringing.  Even when pushing the ISO, noise was not that apparent until we hit 800 (1600 is the max).  We used the Burst mode (at three frames per second) to capture our cat jumping.  The battery delivered the power as advertised, but if you’re going on a long trip an extra is recommended.  Since it uses a proprietary lithium ion battery, you simply can’t pop in some AAs and keep shooting.  Be aware.

 

We imagine most photographers will keep the camera in full Auto mode but Canon (and other manufacturers) offers a ton of options including seven Program AE settings and manual adjustments for aperture, shutter speed, exposure compensation, ISO, white balance and everything else a shutter bug would dive into headlong like a pool on a summer day.  For those who don’t want to bother with tweaky manual settings, Program AE is a simple alternative.  You have a choice for Portrait, Landscape, Close-up (macro), Sports (high-speed shutter), Night Portrait and Flash Off.  These are the situations in which photographers find themselves most of the time and the camera makes the proper adjustments for you.  You simply turn the dial on the top of the camera to the appropriate position and you’re set.  Turning the dial a bit more brings you to what Canon calls the “Creative Zone” for aperture- and shutter-priority modes, but we prefer to call it the “Tweak Zone.” As someone who grew up on the legendary Nikon F2 35mm camera, I’m all for making adjustments galore, but now I’d rather let the camera do the work for me