The Canon Digital EOS Rebel XSi is the successor to last year’s popular XTi, delivering improved performance with increased resolution, Live View, a larger LCD screen, speedier autofocus, and optical image stabilization in the kit lens. Aimed at the entry-level DSLR user, the XSi is currently available in silver or black, priced at $780 for the body alone and $830 with the 35-70mm kit lens.
We found the XSi comfortable to hold and control, with a bright 3-inch LCD screen (a significant advantage over the 2.5-inch screen found on many competitive models) and a menu system that's quick to learn and straightforward to use on an ongoing basis. The camera is light, at about 2 pounds with lens, but still feels substantial in your hands while shooting. Buttons and dials are well placed and clearly labeled.
In our testing labs, we found the XSi delivers exceptional color quality. Colors are very accurately represented, especially in Faithful Picture mode. Resolution scores were excellent as well, representing a clear improvement over the XTi and coming close to score reached by the much more expensive Nikon D300. The camera is likely to perform even better with a higher quality lens – the kit lens packaged with the XSi is adequate, but far from the best Canon offers.
Noise performance, on the other hand, was less impressive. Noise is the blotches and clumps you'll find if you look very closely at a digital photograph, especially in solid-color areas shot in low light. With the Rebel XSi, image noise worsened more quickly than we've found in competitive cameras (such as the Nikon D60) as we increased ISO sensitivity during testing. In real-world shooting, the difference won't be noticeable in everyday snapshots, but when taking photos indoors in dim light or enlarging small sections of an image, the grainy appearance caused by noise can be distracting.
The XSi features the new DIGIC III image processor, currently found on higher-end Canon models like the 1Ds Mark III, which promises improved speed and quality in images. Appealing to the entry-level crowd is the XSi’s Live View, which allows users to frame images using the LCD screen, much like a point-and-shoot. In our testing, though, slow performance when shooting with the Live View feature was annoying.
We found it more comfortable to shoot with the SLR-standard optical viewfinder, here with improved magnification of 0.87x, up from the 0.8x found on the XTi. In addition, the XSi adds a clever feature that automatically switches off the LCD when the face approaches the viewfinder, saving battery power and reducing glare from the LCD.
The XSi shot at a speedy 3.3 frames per second in our testing – just under the 3.5 fps Canon advertises – for 53 images in a row before slowing down. This should definitely be enough for the average user’s action shots.
The XSi offers the full manual control we expect in a digital SLR, although entry-level users will be happy to see the camera also includes a full Auto mode and five preset Scene modes: Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, and Night Portrait.
Overall, the XSi stands up well to the competition among low-cost digital SLRs. It's not the cheapest model out there, but the combination of convenient, easy-to-use controls, a bright 3-inch LCD screen and very respectable image quality make it a good choice for users upgrading to the faster performance and greater flexibility of an SLR from a point-and-shoot camera.
For a more in-depth review, visit the Canon EOS Rebel XSi Review at our partner DigitalCameraInfo.com
