Sunday, August 07, 2005

Testing out the Canon Digital Rebel XT

Got my first digital SLR, the new Canon Digital Rebel XT. I read all of the reviews I could find, and other than those who decried the very idea of a plastic body for a DSLR, people who've tried the XT say glowing things. So far my experience is positive:

  • It's very compact, almost as small as my late, lamented Sony DSC-F717.
  • It's very fast in startup time. The autofocus locks quickly and usually can't be fooled.
  • It can shoot up to 14 shots in burst mode.

I'm still exploring its many features and have found a few quirks. All in all though I think I'm in love. I did a lot of shooting with film SLRs in the 70s and early 80s, and it's nice to be back in the realm of a viewfinder that's bright and accurate, and to have precise depth of field preview.

My first couple hundred test photos are at:

http://www.imagestation.com/album/index.html?id=2122687052

You have to sign up for Imagestation, but it's free.

One issue this camera presents is size of each image file: the Rebel XT is an 8 megapixel camera, which means some complex image JPEGs are over Imagestation's limit of 5 megs per image. When Sony releases an 8 megapixel camera, will they up the ante?

1 comment:

ktpupp said...

How does the XT feel in your hand as far as the size? We've got the first Digital Rebel, and from what I've seen, the XT is a much smaller body. I haven't had a chance to hold one, but I wonder if the XT would feel "too small" after being used to a standard SLR sized body?

Other than that, I can't do anything but sing praises for the Digital Rebel series from Canon... Great cameras!