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Canon EOS 350D Rebel XT Black SLR Digital Camera Kit

Canon EOS 350D Rebel XT Black SLR Digital Camera Kit

8.0MP, 3456x2304, CompactFlash Slot - MPN: 0209B003

Rated 5 Star Review out of 34 reviews

Description: For convenience, ease of use and no-compromise SLR performance, look no further than the EOS Digital Rebel XT. Featuring Canon's Digital Trinity, an 8.0 Megapixel CMOS sensor, Canon's own DIGIC II Image Processor and compatibility with over 50 EF Lenses, the Digital Rebel XT... read more

For convenience, ease of use and no-compromise SLR performance, look no further than the EOS Digital Rebel XT. Featuring Canon's Digital Trinity, an 8.0 Megapixel CMOS sensor, Canon's own DIGIC II Image Processor and compatibility with over 50 EF Lenses, the Digital Rebel XT has an all new lightweight and compact body, improved performance across the board and the easiest operation in its class, simplifying complex tasks and ensuring the perfect shot every time. With intuitive simplicity, powerful performance and unprecedented affordability, the Rebel XT is the EOS digital camera for everyone. This kit includes the Canon EF-S 18-55mm lens. minimize
 
 

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sellmen from OH

Member Since
Jun 2004

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User has 2 Months of experience with this product

5 Star Review Canon Digital Rebel XT

Strengths:

Small and light (for a DSLR), outstanding photo quality, low noise even at high ISOs, tons of manual features, starts up and recycles very quickly, great battery life

Weaknesses:

Kit lens is pretty average

Posted Feb 27, 2006 - I had been eyeing the original Digital Rebel for quite awhile, but never pulled the trigger and purchased one. The main reasons for this - the Digital Rebel was slow to turn on and recycle, the burst mode was average, AF modes and metering modes weren't fully selectable, and the camera had some image quality problems compared with competitors like the Nikon D70. When Canon released the Rebel XT, I purchased one immediately due to the fantastic reviews, and I haven't been disappointed. The Rebel XT is an outstanding camera. Image quality is fantastic; noise levels are low even at high ISOs, and the metering is accurate. ISO800 is perfectly usable on this camera, and ISO1600 pictures only need a little bit of noise reduction to look great. As many reviewers have pointed out, this camera produces very smooth images - default sharpening levels aren't set very high. I actually prefer images that look like this, but if you don't you can easily turn up the in camera sharpening. Canon has fixed nearly all the problems the original Rebel had. The new Digic II chip significanly speeds up the cameras operation - the camera starts up and recycles nearly instantly. AF and metering modes are fully selectable now, and the burst mode is significantly improved (14 shots @ 3FPS vs 4 shots @ 2.5FPS). Image quality is on par with the more expensive EOS-20D, making this camera a relative bargain. Unfortunately, there is no spot metering mode. I do have a few complaints regarding this camera. Firstly, the camera has no AF assist lamp - it uses the flash to focus in low light. This means that any shot you take which uses the flash AF assist must be a flash picture. When the camera uses the flash to AF assist, it fires off a couple short flash bursts - if you're taking pictures of people or animals, this can distract them and cause them to blink. This problem is solvable however - buy an external flash with a built in AF assist light (I'd recommend the 430EX). The built in flash on this camera does a decent job within its range; unfortunately, the flash range isn't great. My other complaint is with the kit lens - while not a terrible lens by any means, it is soft at smaller apertures. If you stop it down to F8 - F11, it becomes reasonably sharp, but having to keep it at these aperatures limits your creativity. If you do buy this camera, I'd recommend getting at least one or two good lenses with it. The 50mm F1.8 prime lens ($75) is a must buy - it's cheap, fast, and sharp, and makes an excellent portrait lens. For consumer grade zooms, the 28-105mm F3.5-4.5 II USM ($250) or the 28-135mm IS ($450) are both good choices.

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chenshaohui from CA

Member Since
Oct 2004

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User has 29 Days of experience with this product

5 Star ReviewThe XT is amazing. The battery comes partly charge ...

Strengths:

N/A

Weaknesses:

N/A

Posted May 27, 2005 - The XT is amazing. The battery comes partly charged so you can immedietly start using the camera (thank you Canon!) I've already shot about 200 pictures with it and the battery hasn't died yet. I can't give you a comparison between the XT and the 20D as I haven't owned a 20D, I can tell you a few things you may wish to know before buying. This camera, is TINY. Extremely tiny. I'm a woman in my early twenties and I have small hands. The camera fits just right in my hands, but honestly, I don't see how someone with bigger hands would be 100% comfortable holding this. If my hands were any larger, they would be slipping off the bottom. I had tried holding a 20D at a camera shop once and it felt too large in my hands to grip. The camera size is perfect for me, but just beware if you have larger hands. You may want to look into the battery grip, or test out holding the camera at a store before you order it. See the picture I uploaded above to get a size relation and how the camera fits in my hands. For anyone who is migrating to this camera from a standard point and shoot digital camera, you cannot frame the image you are about to take using the LCD screen on the back. You must look through the viewfinder. The LCD screen is soley for menu use and preview mode after the picture has been taken, nothing more. Something I've noticed is the camera makes a ratteling sound when moved around. I couldn't figure out what the heck it was, and then I finally reazlized it's the hinges from the pop-up flash. It sounds like they are loose when the flash is closed. I went to Best Buy and looked at their display model, and yep, it has the same problem. Well, it's not really a *problem* but frankly something ratteling around like that sounds cheaply made to me. My Canon film SLR doesn't make that sound. I use a 420EX Speedlite flash with my SLRs so the popup flash doesn't concern me, but it was something I noticed and thought I would share. I love that Canon gave the option to have a black finish over a silver one. The startup time is instantaneous which is absolutely wonderful. The burst mode is excellent with 3 fps. It's extremely quiet. The image quality is excellent. You can get photo quality prints at 20x30, and even then I bet you could push it further. I really can't elaborate more then what other reviews have said. If you are looking for a step into the digital SLR world, this is the ticket. Or you can even check out the newly reduced original Digital Rebel, but for the extra hundred bucks or so, I would just get the XT. You will not be sorry. Two upgrades I would make right away: Get a Speedlite flash and the Canon 28-135mm lens.

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zsazs from MO

Member Since
May 2004

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User has 2 Weeks of experience with this product

5 Star ReviewThe Digital Rebel XT is a fantastic camera for the ...

Strengths:

Price, image quality, speed

Weaknesses:

Direction buttons somewhat awkward, no thumb wheel on back

Posted Jun 16, 2005 - The Digital Rebel XT is a fantastic camera for the money, especially when finding a good price for it here on PriceGrabber. While looking at this camera, I also considered the Nikon D70, another great camera, but ultimately chose the Rebel XT for its great value. I consider myself an amateur photographer, but I do care a great deal about usability, image quality, and robustness. Image quality: The 8 megapixel sensor allows for big enlargements and tighter cropping while still preserving sharpness. Shooting in RAW offers the best quality, but I was surprised with the excellent results of the JPEGs produced by this camera. Even at ISO 800, pictures have very little grain. Lenses: The kit lens is a little cheap-feeling, like many of Canon's inexpensive lens, and isn't as robust-feeling as the D70's kit lens. The lens offers decent sharpness, however, and has a good range of zoom. I have a small collection of Canon lenses from my Rebel G 35mm film SLR. With these lenses, the 1.6x crop factor due to the smaller sensor can be both a blessing and a curse. My longer lenses are even longer, but wide angle isn't nearly as wide as it was. Fortunately the kit lens is quite wide at 18mm. Interface: You should be right at home with the Digital Rebel XT's interface if you have a Canon Powershot. The layout is similar and is easy to navigate. Often-changed settings like white balance and ISO have dedicated buttons on the back for quick access. One problem I have is with the direction buttons on the back. Since they are separate buttons, are spaced out, and don't protrude from the camera, I can't just rock my thumb back and forth to navigate the menus; I have to press the buttons individually. A single rocker-type button would ease this. Another feature missing is a thumb wheel on the back that is present on Canon's higher-end SLRs. This is certainly intentional as it distingushes the amateur/prosumer Rebels from the higher end EOS cameras. Such a wheel makes selection of aperture and exposure compensation much faster. Speed: Power-on is nearly instantaneous, and takes much less time than it takes to just compose a shot. Focus speed was very good, with little "hunting." Any sort of shutter lag was almost unnoticeable. Burst shooting, while not as fast as the Nikon D70, is more than adequate. Fit and finish: While functionally equivalent, the black body looks a lot more professional than the silver. While very light, the camera feels more robust and solid than my old Canon Rebel G. The grip seems a little small, but really isn't a problem. The strap that the camera comes with is a little rough feeling when wearing it around the neck. Software: On Windows, the mass storage-type drivers for the camera are a little awkward. I would recommend using a standalone CompactFlash reader. The included Digital Photo Professional software is surprisingly good for browsing and tweaking both RAW and JPEG files.

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dnquark

Member Since
Mar 2005

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User has 12 Days of experience with this product

5 Star ReviewRecently, the Digital Rebel XT snapped up Technica ...

Strengths:

Superb low-noise images, compact size, ease of use

Weaknesses:

No dedicated autofocus illumination, mediocre kit lens, flash underexposure

Posted Apr 26, 2005 - Recently, the Digital Rebel XT snapped up Technical Image Press Association's award for best entry-level DSLR. This is not surprising, as at the moment, it is one of the most affordable DSLRs on the market, with an excellent feature set from a top manufacturer. If you are considering buying it, you have probably looked at a number of professional reviews, so I will be brief in mine. As all the reviews say: the camera is fast, compact, takes gorgeous pictures, and is way better than the original Digital Rebel. It is solidly built, with some steel elements on the inside. And finally, it has almost all the features of the Canon 20d for hundreds of dollars less. I am an avid point&shoot photographer, only now upgrading to the DSLR, and I found very little not to love about this camera. The weaknesses are the following: user interface/menus are fine, but could stand a little improvement. It would be nice to have more custom functions, and to have the half-press of the shutter lock in the current selection for e.g. ISO. To aid autofocus in low-light, the camera fires a series of strobes from the flash. I found this to be not very effective, especially with moving targets; sometimes it causes people to (wrongly) assume that the photo has been taken. Lastly, compared to an SLR with split-screen (or at least frosted glass) focusing screen, the manual focus of the Rebel XT is difficult, and impossible to achieve in very low light. The kit lens for the camera is slow (bad in low light), but its performance is adequate for a $100 18-55mm zoom lens; needless to say the pictures still blow away any point&shoot camera out there. (Note that the field of view with digital cameras is narrower for a given lens than with film SLRs; the relevant factor is 1.6: an 18mm lens on a DSLR gives the same field of view as a 28mm on a film camera). Some people complain of a grip that is too small. It is true that the camera is not as comfortable to hold as e.g. its predecessor, the Rebel 300d. However, I got used to the grip quickly. In fact, I willingly accept a smaller grip as a tradeoff for having a light/compact camera. Some of these deficiencies are not present in Nikon's D70, Rebel XT's only real competitor (other than its "older brother" Canon 20d.) Particular advantages of the D70 include better flash photography performance, a dedicated autofocus assist light, better low-light AF detection (on paper - but in practice many people agree that Canon beats Nikon in low-light focus), ability so select over 20 custom functions, virtually unlimited burst mode, and longer battery life. Putting aside the fact that the D70 comes with a nicer kit lens (it's nicer, but you also pay more), one has to decide which particular feature set you require and how much you wish to pay. The Nikon vs Canon decision is an important one, as you are selecting a camera system for the long term: modern lenses and accessories are not compatible between the camera makes. And it is quite likely that this camera will make you want to get into photography seriously. For me, the choice was made by my constrained budget as I found a much better deal on a Rebel XT than on a D70. My excellent experience with Canon point and shoot cameras contributed to the decision. The Digital Rebel series cameras have been selling like hotcakes since 2003, and very few people have regretted buying one. For me, it is the best purchase made in years.

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Leviathan_Ul... from CA

Member Since
May 2005

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User has 52 Days of experience with this product

5 Star Review Best Camera that's sub-1000

Strengths:

Very quick on start up. Flash recycle was very fast. Writing speed was very fast, dispite a rather slow compact flash card. Auto-focus was great. Light compared to other digital SLR

Weaknesses:

A couple of down side. Read Cons. But still very good

Posted Jul 7, 2005 - Pros: -Recycle time for the flash was very fast. -Start up was very quick. I almost never miss any important pictures. Leave it the camera On and press the button to get the picture. -Autofocus was very fast. In very dark situation, it fires the flash to get the focus. (very cool) But in some situation, that's not enough. Then you have to manual focus for yourself. -It has many shooting modes. The manual controls setting takes a while to get use to. -All the controls like ISO setting, focus, zoom, shooting modes, timer, etc. were nicely places for easy access even in shooting position. -Love the 7 points autofocus. There's a red dot that light up to tell you where you're focusing. (but can't compare to the EOS Mark II (45 points autofocus) Wow!) -Very light compare to other SLR. -Small enough to fit in my hand. The 20D was a bit bulky as well as other SLR. 20D felt uncomfortable in my hand -In review mode, you can even edit picture and see the info on it like date, time, ISO, shooting mode, shutter speed, etc. -Battery life was very exceptional. I got about 150-200 flash shots. Pretty good compare to my old digital camera. -Lens packages was excellent. You get a quality lens (Canon 18-55mm lens) -Zooming and focusing was good with the Canon lens -Burst mode was better than expected. Got 3 fps for about 22 pictures at full resolution (specification states 3 fps for about 18 pictures) with my Digital X media 1G compact flash card. (no flash) With flash, I get about 1.5 fps. (due to the recycling of the flash) -Color captured is "real." I was using my Kodak DX7590 and I was getting "better" color. But that was due to the color science chip of the Kodak, thus giving you a artificial coloring. But it looked "nicer" to my others. So I guess if you like the real deal, get the Rebel XT. Otherwise live in the altered world of Kodak cameras. -Review zooming was excellent! With my Kodak, I only get 4x zoom. But with the Rebel, I got a lot more. (you want to zoom on you reviewed picture to see if it blur or for details) Cons: -Got grainy result at high ISO (1600). So try to keep the ISO at about 400 or 800 at max unless in very dark situation. Higher ISO is for dark pictures. -The 15-55mm lens was not sufficient for zoom shot. (get a telephoto lens. (75-300mm is good) -Can't shoot with LCD, but what do you expect from an SLR? -Burst mode tend to be blurry in low light. (I guess that was due to the movement of the camera, the slower shutter time, and the fix focus of the camera) -Picture loading was slower than expected despite the 45x speed compact flash card. Recommendation: -Get a carrying case for the rebel. You don't want to be carrying it around your neck all day. -Get at least a UV filter. This protect the 18-55mm lens and also improve the picture you take -Get extra battery if possible if you're going on long trips where there's no electrical plug. -Get at least a 1Gb compact flash card. This gives you about 256 jpeg pictues and about 111 raw pictures. Any less would result in shortage of picture at full resolution. I recommend a 2Gb micro drive because it's cheaper per megabytes. -USB 2.0 Compact flash card reader if you like to load pictures faster.

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jaredkdavisa... from CA

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Oct 2003

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User has 2 Months of experience with this product

3 Star Review Camera is awsome - the lense is awful

Strengths:

The Body is one of the best

Weaknesses:

the plastic lens it comes with is anything but acceptable. My G2 produces much better pictures when compared to the standard setup.

Posted Jan 22, 2006 - I would buy this camera again. The body when combined with a good lens produces nothing but exceptional pictures. However, the supplied lens produces very soft pictures with less than acceptable color saturation. I purchased the 50mm 1.8 prime and the portraits are excellent. If I were to buy again, I would skip the lens - and no, I'm not one of those photo guys that believes you need to spend $1200 for a good lens. I would skip the lens and save the $50-100 -- it's really that bad. Put the money towards a Sigma or Tamron lens. They will run you a few hundred bucks.

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kevinv033 from PA

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Sep 2005

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User has 3 Months of experience with this product

5 Star Review Great DSLR below $1000!

Strengths:

Image quality, functionality, low-noise at high ISO, lightweight, blazing fast start-up.

Weaknesses:

Kit lens, tiny viewfinder, small grip, body build feels cheap.

Posted Jan 2, 2006 - The 350D / Rebel XT is an amazing steal of a dslr camera at under $1000. I am very surprised that the image quality of this camera is near that of the 20D. This camera is very lightweight—I almost want to put it in my pocket. The start-up of this camera is nearly instant. No need to worry that you could miss that moment. This camera is also loaded with custom functions and highly configurable white balance settings. The controls on the back seem a bit cramped, but they are still easy to get to with your face in the viewfinder. The navigational buttons on the back are customizable to set different funtions as is the AE Lock button, to fit your particular shooting style. The one thing I would like to have had is the rear-dial in place of the 4-button navigation buttons. The viewfinder on this camera is tiny. I am guessing that is a function of the whole camera being smaller—including the grip, which most people have pointed out already. The body itself is made of a polycarbonate which doesn't feel very rugged in my hands. I always find myself wiping scratches off of the body. Overall, I really enjoy this camera. It is a great DSLR upgrade for those making the switch. In my opinion, all of its weaknesses are very tolerable. The 350D / Rebel XT coupled with high-end glass will give you such wonderful results, you will be amazed. Now's the time to buy since Canon is offering rebates!

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CrazyHare from SC

Member Since
Apr 2005

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User has 11 Days of experience with this product

5 Star ReviewThis is the first SLR camera I have owned. On the ...

Strengths:

Fast start time, quick shutter speeds, ease of use

Weaknesses:

Pre-flash strobe, included software

Posted May 2, 2005 - This is the first SLR camera I have owned. On the day it arrived, I was able to take some amazing pictures on the fully automatic settings. By the second day, I was able to switch to the manual settings and still get great shots. Coming from an older point and shoot camera, the learning curve for this camera was pretty fast. The menu options were clear and easy to figure out without reading the camera manual. And once I did read the manual, it was pretty clear. While the fast start time and quick shutter speeds have helped me get some great motion shots. The flash has caused some missed shots. The flash automatically pops up when the camera senses that it is needed. Then it admits a small "pre-flash" that made me think the flash went off and I took a picture the first few times it occurred. And when the flash pops up it is very loud. Both of these things took some getting used to. While looking at all my options, I couldn't help but notice, that in my opinion, the software bundle that comes with the new XT isn't as good as the one that came with the original 300D. While that wasn't enough to stop me from purchasing the XT, I do wish that the XT came with PhotoShop Elements. As a SLR beginner, the kit lens has worked for me. And for the price it's a lens that I can take anywhere and not worry about. While many of the reviews that I read before purchasing the camera had complaints about the grip size. As a woman with smaller hands, it is very comfortable to me. Overall this camera is great for me. And I'll recommend it to everyone in the market for a new camera.

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tuvik from CA

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Aug 2004

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User has 1 Month of experience with this product

5 Star ReviewI finally decided to 'go digital' and replace my b ...

Strengths:

Price, resolution, versatility, speed.

Weaknesses:

Build quality, 1.6x conversion factor.

Posted May 22, 2005 - I finally decided to 'go digital' and replace my beloved EOS-1V film camera with a digital SLR. The 'natural replacement' would have been either the EOS-1D Mark II or the EOS-1Ds Mark II. However, with the rapid evolution of high-end digital SLRs, each year that passes reduces the price you need to pay for the same set of features by thousands of dollars. At about $900, the Rebel XT offered me a temporary solution - a full featured, high-resolution, Digital SLR that can serve me a year or two until I replace it by a better one. As such, it fulfilled all my expectations and more. With 8MP, the resolution of this camera is high enough to produce very nice enlargements. The ergonomics are excellent, and anyone with experience with a Canon EOS camera - whether film or digital - should be very comfortable operating this camera without ever opening the user manual. Of course, the camera is loaded with features unique to digital camera, which make reading the manual very worthwhile... The Rebel XT takes the full range of Canon EF lenses, so optical quality is the best possible. It is also an extremely fast digital camera, with a shutter lag of 1 millisecond, start-up time of 0.2 seconds, and burst rate of 3 fps for over 14 pictures at Large/Fine mode. When tested with fresh batteries in good light, fast lens, and ultra-fast memory card, I actually got bursts of up to 24 frames - that's quite amazing for a 8MP camera at

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jimbo60640

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May 2003

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User has 2 Months of experience with this product

5 Star ReviewThere are all too few times when technology, craft ...

Strengths:

Fast-fast-fast! Fires up to shoot almost instantly. No cursed "shutter lag." And GREAT pictures!

Weaknesses:

Plastic body, but it is a minor point. Doesn't come with a free 2GB card. Doesn't come with a free $50 leather strap, but what the hey!?!?

Posted Jun 15, 2005 - There are all too few times when technology, craftmanship, and price all come together in a way that actually enriches us. This might sound like hyperbole, as we are, after all, talking about a camera here. It might be, if it weren't for the fact that the Rebel XT is such a finely thought out and executed piece of technology. It comes truly within a hair's breadth of it's "big brother" the CANON 20D. It's lacks very little. Other than a few (to my mind) relatively trivial differences, the pictures taken with these cameras are indistinguishable. So, after you read the specs for the XT, which read like techno-prose, take the $500+ extra you would have spent on the 20D and by your new baby a nice lens! You will not be disappointed. Be warned: this is no point-and-shoot. If you shoot in any of the "creative" modes (non-auto), and you will, you're going to hit a mild learning curve as this creature handles and operates like a professional 35mm camera where some knowledge of f-stops, ASA/ISO speeds, depth of field and such is mandatory for controlled, stunning results, though shooting in full auto will render blow-yer-socks-off results. If this is your intro into that strange world, the rewards are well worth the effort.

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mfratzke from OR

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Sep 2004

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User has 6 Weeks of experience with this product

5 Star ReviewThis is my first digital SLR and I love it. Using ...

Strengths:

Compact size for a digital SLR, feels great in your hand, 8MP resolution, suprisingly easy to use for a SLR newbie.

Weaknesses:

Keep leaving the camera on because LCD is always off when shooting.

Posted Apr 16, 2005 - This is my first digital SLR and I love it. Using the viewfinder instead of the LCD takes a little getting used to but once you're familiar with it, it's great! The camera is a big step up over the previous 6MP Digital Rebel in terms of resolution and shooting speed. It is also very easy to use. My wife is more of a camera amateur than I am and she is having no trouble operating the camera in the automatic modes and taking great pictures. You also have to appreciate the fact that Canon is now putting high speed USB 2.0 in their devices. With the size of the pictures created you need it otherwise you'd be waiting all day for pictures to download. Getting back to the shooting speed, it's incredible! We have a young child and as everybody knows it is hard to get that perfect shot. But with the Rebel XT it is easy because we simply shoot many pictures in succession and then find the "keepers" in the bunch. Also no more missing those action shots because the camera can't focus quickly enough. The speed at which this camera focuses is amazing. The only problem we've had is that the camera really doesn't give you any visual cues when it is turned on so we often forget and leave it on which eventually takes a toll on the battery. In conclusion, I'd recommend this camera to anybody who is getting started in the digital SLR space and wants some real bang for their buck. This camera has enough resolution and speed that this may end up being the only digital SLR that you ever need.

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deshwasi from PA

Member Since
Apr 2004

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5 Star ReviewThis is simply an awesome camera that is a worthy ...

Strengths:

Small size, 8 MegaPixel, Fast lens, Available accessories

Weaknesses:

None.

Posted May 20, 2005 - This is simply an awesome camera that is a worthy successor to the famous Canon Digital Rebel camera that brought digital SLRs to the masses. Bundled with the Canon lens kit, this camera performs admirably across the board, whether its indoor party pics or outdoor sports photography. Its a joy to use this camera thanks to its lightning fast focus and shot time. Pictures come out perfectly exposed every single time and the detail captured is extraordinary. Canon has improved the speed & performance of this camera compared to the original digital Rebel and it shows. A high speed 1GB compactflash card is almost necessary to utilise this camera's potential. Although i am a recreational photographer, i can appreciate the numerous options this camera provides for experimenting. If you are willing to spend close to $1K i would strongly recommend this camera.

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yangda2008 from IL

Member Since
May 2005

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User has 5 Days of experience with this product

5 Star ReviewAfter one month's delay due to backordering, final ...

Strengths:

precise metering, high resolution, much better body finish than 300D,good price( thank dell)

Weaknesses:

the kit lens is not enough for tele-end (only 55mm)

Posted May 21, 2005 - After one month's delay due to backordering, finally I got me favorite camera. Easy to use, nice professional black color with gave me a very good first impression. Many people say it is too small to hold, I am feeling good with it, probably I donot have a big hand. I am still not very used to only have viewfinder for shooting which maks my eyes tired, when can SLR camera also use CCD for shoot?! I also bought a 50/1.8 EF lens and it works well with this camera. Anyway, I've taken lots of pictures since I get it and the pictures look very sharp, it's a very good camera and worth the money you spend on it!

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elsten from MN

Member Since
Jun 2004

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User has 5 Days of experience with this product

5 Star ReviewIf you can afford a 4 or 8 gb CF card, go for it. ...

Strengths:

Simple intuitive design in manual and electronic functions. Picture quality/resolution is near perfect. The bundled software is surprisingly useful, particularly when editing RAW image format.

Weaknesses:

It would be nice if Canon would include some form of cf card. Battery life is very short, buy extra batteries.

Posted May 16, 2005 - If you can afford a 4 or 8 gb CF card, go for it. If you are at all into taking high quality pictures, you will want every photo to be stored in the 8+ MB RAW format for digital editing on your computer. It is amazing how fast a 1 gb card fills. The bundled lens is not too shabby for the $50 price premium over the body kit. I spent the extra $$ and am glad I did. You will definitely want a better lens for serious use, however. I picked up the 50mm 1.4f from Canon and it works beautifully with the Rebel XT. Spend the few extra bucks for the black model. It looks far less like a toy than the silver.

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tedhsieh from CA

Member Since
Apr 2005

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User has 2 Days of experience with this product

5 Star ReviewI had planned to get a Digital Rebel at the beginn ...

Strengths:

Superb image quality, fast startup and shot-to-shot performance, great selection of Canon lenses, cheaper than almost all other DSLRs, good user interface

Weaknesses:

Quality control can be lacking, grip is a little thin and hard

Posted Jun 24, 2005 - I had planned to get a Digital Rebel at the beginning of 2005, but waited once I heard Canon was releasing an updated Rebel. I am glad I did. This camera is the perfect entry-level digital SLR, and will probably meet the needs of the majority of amateur photographers looking to upgrade from point-and-shoots or prosumer cameras. If you are thinking about getting a digital SLR, this is the one to get. Images from the XT at ISO 100 are silky-smooth, sharp, and have brilliant color. I thought 8 megapixels might be overkill for me, but I now realize I can crop my pictures in half - and still end up with the equivalent of a 4 megapixel picture, perfect for printing in 4x6. The Rebel XT is much faster than any point-and-shoot camera, and significantly faster even than the original Rebel, making it much more likely that you will get the shot you wanted. I love being able to hold the shutter button down and snap off three pictures per SECOND! The XT starts up immediately and is ready to take a picture almost from the instant you flip the on switch. No more waiting around for a lens to pop out, focus, show up on the LCD, etc while your son trots the bases at his Little League game. All SLR cameras allow you to change lenses according to the photograph you want to take, but Canon has an exceptionally large selection of quality lenses. Whether you want to take telephoto shots of the lion at the zoo or closeups of a bee in your rose garden, Canon offers a lens for you. The Rebel XT also excels at low-light photography without the use of a flash by way of adjustable ISO settings, up to ISO 1600 - try that with a point-and-shoot. Finally, the Rebel XT makes it much easier to be creative with your photography. Adjusting aperture settings, shutter speed, exposure compensation, etc is intuitive and quick. This is a great camera to explore the craft of photography, but it also offers quick-and-dirty settings for landscapes, portraits, night shots, etc - the best of both worlds. Downsides of the Rebel XT - it is much bulkier than any point-and-shoot, which is the case with any SLR camera. The Rebel XT is one of the smallest DSLRs out there today, but don't expect to put it in your pocket unless you're Shaq, and maybe not even then. Learn to hold this camera under the lens with your left hand, instead of with the grip, which is a little thin even for my small hands. The grip is made of a hard material that doesn't provide much tack or stickiness. One final caveat - there have been reports of people experiencing focusing problems with their new Rebel XT, and I encountered that myself. My first Rebel XT had a severe front-focusing problem - the camera focused on a point about 6 inches in front of where I wanted it to. This problem only shows up at large apertures, but it can reduce your pictures from looking razor-sharp to somewhat soft. If you get one of these cameras, your options are to exchange it for another one, or to send it in to Canon for recalibration of the camera and lens. I simply exchanged mine for another one - problem solved.

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