(Note: The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT and EOS 350D are the same) PRICE : 340 USD
The XT is the best camera on the market for anyone considering a digital SLR for the first time. It is a full-featured camera with amazing output. It is also extremely light and compact. The tradeoff of the lighter body is that it is made of plastic and consequently less sturdy compared to the magnesium alloy body of the 20d. The user interface is also more complicated and less intuitive than the dial and joystick controls on the 20D because you have to use the LCD a lot more. The image quality has been compared by several reviews and tests and is almost indistinguishable from the 20D. For hundreds of dollars less, user-interface, 0.2MP and plastic may be worth the savings. After holding the camera, I felt like it was a bit too small and designed for more feminine hands. At the same time, when I'm carrying a camera around my neck with a heavy lens, I sometimes wish I had a smaller lighter camera body. In the end though, I decided to go with the 20D because user interface is critical to me and I liked the more solid feel of the 20D. Make sure you weigh what is more important to you when choosing between the two.
This was a tough $500 decision for me at the time. Was it worth it? I'm sure I could have taken many of the same shots as I have with my 20D, but I'm happy with my choice. That being said, I've recommended this camera to anyone and everyone who wants to get into digital SLR photography and doesn't want to spend over $1000 doing it.
The 6-megapixel Canon EOS Digital Rebel came on the scene in late 2003 and instantly established a new category of "affordable digital SLR cameras" with a price of under $1000, including a zoom lens. It rapidly became the best-selling digital SLR of all time and as with all things digital, Canon has just updated it.
The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT SLR takes everything found in the original Digital Rebel and improves the resolution to 8-megapixels, speeds up all of the camera operations, adds more creative control and put it all into a smaller and lighter body. This easy to use digital SLR is compatible with all Canon EF lenses including the EF-S lenses and still retains the sub-$1,000 price point for entry-level digital SLR consumers.
Many of the feature advancements and innovations on the EOS Digital Rebel XT digital camera are inherited from its EOS 20D “prosumer big brother.” Both cameras employ a Canon 8-megapixel, high resolution color CMOS image sensor, and provide the same effective angle of view, equivalent to 1.6 x the normal EF lens focal length. The consumer looking only at the fact that they are both 8-megapixel SLRs might not easily see the real differences between these two cameras. The 20D offers faster continuous shooting (5 frames-per-second (fps) vs. 3 fps) with a larger burst capability (23 frames vs. 14), more custom settings (18 vs. 9) and a rugged magnesium body. The Rebel XT was created for those migrating to digital that don't want to lose the power or flexibility of a SLR system, but can't justify the $600 higher price of the EOS 20D.
The Digital Rebel XT may be an "entry-level" camera but it's quite the performer thanks to Canon’s most powerful SLR imaging engine. The DIGIC II processor provides high-precision and high speed, natural color reproduction including high-saturation, bright subjects, improved auto white balance, along with increased white balance correction control and white balance bracketing. In addition to image quality improvements, DIGIC II speeds up the camera’s start up time to an amazing 0.2 seconds - ten times faster than the Digital Rebel. It also reduces the shutter release time lag from ~120 milliseconds to 100 milliseconds, reduces viewfinder blackout time from ~225 milliseconds to 170 milliseconds, and yields CF card data-writing speed approximately 3.5 times faster than the Digital Rebel. And capturing the action is no problem with the ability to shoot up to 14 consecutive Large/Fine (8.0 megapixel) JPEGs, five RAW files, or four RAW + Large/Fine JPEGs at a rate of up to three frames-per-second.
The Digital Rebel XT's 12 exposure modes are easily selected by a turn of the top-mounted Mode dial. These exposure modes cover virtually all the shooting conditions you'll ever encounter and are: Full Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, Flash Off, Program AE, Shutter speed-priority AE, Aperture-priority AE, Manual and Auto Depth-of-Field AE. The camera's ISO sensitivty range is 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1600, Canon raised the Auto ISO setting to include ISO 400 in order to help improve image quality, reduce camera shake and brighten the scene behind the subject when taking a flash photo.
Among the new features found on the Digital Rebel XT are user selectable metering and AF modes, flash exposure compensation control, improved E-TTL II evaluative flash metering and for the first time in this product category, custom function control. It also offers a monochrome mode for those who enjoy the subtleties and shadings that only black and white images offer. These additional controls greatly increase the creative power of the Digital Rebel XT, without taking away any of the automated functions that made the original Digital Rebel so popular with beginning photographers.
Utilizing the same 7-point autofocus system as the Digital Rebel, the Digital Rebel XT is capable of analyzing where a subject is -- even when it is off center – and almost immediately bringing it into focus. It can also analyze subject movement and automatically select locking or tracking AF modes as needed. These features simplify the camera’s operation and optimize its performance. The Digital Rebel XT allows users to select locking or tracking AF modes independently, adding a new dimension of creative control. The DIGIC II chip actually help increase the speed of autofocus calculation and hence the responsiveness of the autofocus itself.
Another feature improved by the presence of DIGIC II is the speed of the direct printing function, which is PictBridge compatible. DIGIC II also produces faster startup times, faster CompactFlash card writing speed; and approximately 10X faster data transfer speeds via a high-speed USB 2.0 interface. It also reduces the power consumption (and extends battery life) by approximately 35%. The NB-2LH Li-ion battery and charger are included with the Digital Rebel XT camera and a new vertical grip (BG-E3) that accepts up to two NB-2LH battery packs or six AA-sized batteries and an AC Adapter Kit (ACK700) are available as optional accessories.
Features
*Compact (5 x 3.7 x 2.6") and lightweight, less than two pounds
*Canon EF lens mount, compatible with over 50 Canon EF and EF-S lenses
*8-megapixel (effective) CMOS image sensor, RGB primary filter
*Three JPEG resolutions: Large, 8 megapixels; Medium, 4.1 megapixels; Small, 2 megapixels, Canon .cr2 RAW, or JPEG+RAW file formats
*Fast, Wide-area TTL AF with 7 focusing points, manual or auto selectable.
*One shot AF, AI Servo AF with focus prediction, AI Focus AF, and manual focus modes.
*Canon DIGIC II image processor speeds up image processing, camera functions and improves image quality
*Full range of exposure modes: Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Depth-of-Field AE, Programmed AE with modes for Landscape, Macro, Night Scene, Portrait, and Sports, and full Manual
*35-zone TTL metering, Evaluative (linked to all focusing points), Center weighted average, or 9.5% central-area spot metering
*White Balance: Auto, six presets and Manual plus Bracketing
*Continuous Drive mode: 14 frames at 3 fps (1/250 second or faster)
*Shutter speeds: 30 to 1/4,000 seconds, plus Bulb
*Eye level TTL viewfinder with diopter adjustment, illuminated AF points, depth-of-field preview and detailed information display.
*Auto exposure bracketing: -/+2 EV in 1/2 EV or 1/3 EV increments
*Nine Custom Functions with 24 settings including mirror lock
*1.8 inch, color TFT LCD, 118,000 pixels, 5 levels of brightness
*Playback image zoom 1.5x–10x in 5 steps with scrolling
*ISO sensitivity range: 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1,600
*Built-in E-TTL II popup flash with red-eye reduction.
*Hot shoe for Canon EX Speedlites
*CompactFlash Type II card slot, Microdrive & FAT-32 compatible
*I/O ports: USB 2.0 Hi-Speed, Video Out (NTSC or PAL), N3 remote control socket
*High capacity Li-ion rechargeable battery and compact rapid charger included
*Direct Print to Canon CP-100/200/300, Bubble Jet Direct and PictBridge compatible printers
*Optional BG-E3 Battery Grip holds two NB-2LH batteries and adds vertical grip, shutter release and controls
