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Canon EOS Rebel XSI / 450D Review
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Canon’s EOS Rebel XSi, while modest in body design and
features,
delivers in the one category that ultimately counts –
performance
and image quality.
The Rebel XSi is available in solid, imposing black or two-tone silver
& black, and both configurations can come with the EF-S 18-55mm
f/3.5-5.6 IS lens. It sports a large 3-inch LCD monitor that pushes the
buttons to the four corners of the back of the camera, but Canon places
them in the just the right spots so you can operate every feature with
just one hand.
Whether is changing the ISO, setting the white balance or navigating
through the menu, one hand will do it all. And that’s a
blessing.
The XSi comes with a 12-megapixel CMOS image sensor and a 9-point
user-selectable AutoFocus system that shoots at a speedy 4 fps and in
bursts up to 50 full-res JPEGS, which is quite impressive.
Canon puts its My Menu technology in the XSi, which gives you the
ability to create a custom list of most frequently accessed setting.
You also have Picture Styles, which is a series of presets that are
designed to mimic various “film stocks” and the
camera
comes with Highlight Tone Priority (a feature that originated on the 1D
Mark III), which preserves the details in the brightest areas of the
frame (you don’t want to lose that information).
The XSi includes the Auto Lightning Optimizer feature as well; ALO
adjusts the contrast and brightness to get you as close as possible to
a perfect exposure. ALO incorporates face detection technology into its
functionality to prevent underexposing backlit faces.
And speaking of exposure, the XSi has a 35-zone TTL metering
system – and the shooting/exposure modes are divided in to
two
groups the “Basic Zone” and the “Creative
Zone”; something that previous Rebel’s also had.
The Basic
Zone has the following presents: Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Macro,
Sports, Night Scene and Flash Suppressed.
In the Basic Zone, many of the exposure controls and shooting options
are turned off or limited. However, in the Creative Zone you can use
all the controls that the camera has to offer. The Creative Zone
carries the following presets: Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture
Priority, Auto Depth of Field (which sets the aperture for maximum DOF)
and Manual.
The XSi top shutter speed is 1/4000th with a flash sync of 1/200th, and
the XSi is equipped with DIGIC III image processor that enhances the
speed of all functions that you can imagine. Canon took the bold step
of making the XSi the first Rebel to use the SD/SDHC memory card over
the CompactFlash format.
The XSi is quick and accurate in most focusing situations, faster than
anything in its class and includes high-end AutoFocus systems on other
cameras. If you use a wide-aperture USM lens, then the XSi is
practically unbeatable for immediate focusing; even when
you’re
using continuous drive for capturing action.
The XSi has Live View shooting (where the LCD acts as the viewfinder)
and the screen offers an amazing 160 degree viewing angle. And the over
color accuracy and dynamic range are top-notch. I don’t think
you’ll find better photo quality for this price, even at ISO
1600… which usually an throw-away ISO setting.
Even with the built-in flash, you’ll get solid photos that
you
can brag about. You might spend a few dollars more than its closest
competitors, but the EOS XSi is well worth that extra $100 or so.
Click
here to order the Canon EOS XSI from amazon.com
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Canon
EOS Rebel XSI Review (Long Version) |
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