Canon EOS 350D Digital Rebel XT Black SLR Digital Camera Body Only

Great little camera!

Posted Jun 30, 2006 - Size is good if you want a small camera, but bad if your used to something more in your hand. I own a full size professional Canon EOS 1D Mark II and it's HUGE and doesn't have a built in flash. I wanted this one since it was so light and so small and even had a built in flash. I find that the light meter on most film and digital SLR's is about 70% acurate, and photoshop can account for 20% but 10% of the time you'll need to over or under expose your shot. This isn't as fast as the 20d or 30d or 5d or 1D-series because this is the only canon which doesn't have a 2nd big thumb wheel. So you have to press and hold another button to over/under expose your shot. I do this often because if you shoot it right you need less photoshop work, and they always come out better than what you'll get pushing it around in photoshop. So FOR ME that's a big deal. Lack of some custom functions. Sure this isn't intended for professional sports, but I'm surely going to use it as a short range camera with a canon ef 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM lens on it, which is about 3x the price of the camera. So i wish it had auto focus STOP custom function so that i could press the "*" button and have it stop the AF (auto focus) so i could get my max 3fps because in tracking mode you'll really only shoot about 1-2fps. All cameras drop in frame rate in auto focus tracking mode, so all of this one let you pause the AF with the "*" button and that will boost your FPS back up to whatever the camera max is. The autofocus, altho only 7 pt i believe is as good as the 20/30/5d cameras. Esp since i'll normally only be useing the center point for sports. Lack of ISO3200. In sports, and with canon's ultra clean CMOS sensors, I often need to push the ISO up to the max, and can do so with confidence. This camera is canon's only camera which stops at ISO1600. That will be great for nearly anyone who buys this camera, and it's not even a default option on all other canon cameras, (somthing you have to 'turn on'), but for me, i think there will be times, (night NCAA football games) where i'll wish i had it. 1.6x crop. Maybe people think that the 1.6x crop is good for sports because it brings things in closer. That is wrong. It records a smaller portion of light that the lens produces, and yes you do get closer, but it's as if you didn't zoom as much with REAL GLASS. This means your DOF (depth of field, aka zone of sharpness) is too wide. Now the parents and fans in the stands are way too sharp! If the sensor had less of a crop then I would have to zoom more which would blur the background more, which would isolate my players (subjects) much better. This is why i'm going to have to use this camera with a f/2.8 lens if i want to come close to what my Canon eos 1D mark II camera can do (1.3x). Small battery. A downgrade in battery size from all other non pro canon cameras, (7 in total). This is the 1st one to use a smaller less powerful battery. Of course they did this to get the weight and size down. only 3fps. Sure this isn't a 20/30d camera with 5fps, so why should I gripe? I'm just pointing out it's weekness to other cameras out there so all of you can take note. Overall: This camera has an excellent sensor (altho not the same as 20 or 30d) but i think that's a marketing thing to sell more 20 and 30d cameras. The images totally hold their own aginst the likes of the 20d and 30d and even my professional eos 1d mark II. Sure the auto focus might not be pro level, but it's as good as the 20/30d. sure it can't shoot as fast either. But if you have a little extra time, and don't need the fastest auto focus or FPS, this camera is perfect. Outstanding for trips for it's size and weight! With it's high quality it's a perfect backup to my sports, fashion, glamour, wedding photography! I would highly recommend this camera!

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This is my first dSLR camera. I upgraded from a C ...

Posted Jun 6, 2005 - This is my first dSLR camera. I upgraded from a Canon G2 that has served me well for almost 4 years. Coming from a point-and-shoot camera, I was a bit dumbfounded by the sharpness (or lack thereof) of this dSLR compared to my old G2. But I was able to find out that point-and-shoot digicams have their sharpness boosted up to the max, whereas dSLRs tend to have less (or no) in-camera sharpening. This is most ideal for those who do a lot of post-processing, who want more control over the photo output. I purchased two lenses to use with this camera...the Canon 17-85mm IS and the 85mm prime. Both lenses work great and offer spectacular photos. I'm now able to control depth of field in ways that no point-and-shoot can allow. And the speed of this camera won't let me miss a shot. Unlike my old G2, it took nearly half a second from the time I pressed the shutter to the time it actually took the picture. It was quite annoying but it wasn't anything I couldn't adjust to... But it's a completely different story with the Rebel XT. I press the shutter, the camera takes the picture. It's a great camera, especially if it's going to be your first dSLR. I have no regrets upgrading to the Rebel XT. If you want to improve your photography, get a dSLR. Better yet, get the Rebel XT.

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I should say that I'm not a professional photograp ...

Posted May 25, 2005 - I should say that I'm not a professional photographer, but I can appreciate great photos. I use my camera for people, scenery, and sports shots, so it's a wide variety of situations. Occasionally, I'll print them out (rarely larger than 5x7) and I know Photoshop well so I can adjust levels, crop, to get the shot I want if the photo isn't quite there. This camera has made all that much easier and with amazing quality. I bought this camera without the 18-55mm lens and got the Canon 28-200mm lens instead (don't bother with the Sigma or other variations), with the idea that it would be a better "all around" lens. I was totally right and I can't be more happier with the results. Excellent depth of field and an amzing control over shutter speed, etc. This is my first digital SLR (I had a Nikon 5400 before and it died of the infamous lens error after 1 year of moderate usage) and I'm looking forward to getting some of Canon's high-quality EOS lenses. No software needed on the Mac using OS X 10.4 "Tiger". Both Image Capture and iPhoto recognize the camera when attached to the USB cable.

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This is an amazing camera. For the first time, I ...

Posted May 11, 2005 - This is an amazing camera. For the first time, I feel like I'm shooting with my favorite film SLR's again, except with all the advantages of the digital medium. It boots up instantaneously, snaps photos the moment you press the shutter, and yields wonderfully high-quality photos. Factor in the incredibly low price, and you have a real winner here.

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Great entry-level dSLR

Posted Aug 28, 2005 - The 350D is my first and only experience with SLR cameras. Before owning this camera, I only had experience with digital point and shoots. Often disappointed by the quality of point and shoot cameras and interested in improving my knowledge of photography and photos themselves, I finally made the jump to SLR with my 350D last month and I'm not looking back. This camera has made me more interested in photography than ever before. I find myself going places just to take pictures and get practice learning about how to best utilize all of the settings and features available on this camera. I enjoy tinkering and tweaking things, so working with an SLR is a joy for me. I love being in control of my photos and not having the camera make all of the decisions for me. It does take some research and practice to get good results shooting in full manual exposure mode, but the results make the effort worth it. This really isn't the camera for you if you're not willing to put any effort into your photography. If you want don't care to learn about things like shutter speed, aperture, ISO, depth of field, and such, you'll be better off with a point and shoot camera rather than a SLR. Another thing to keep in mind is that by buying an SLR, you are buying into a system of lenses. Even if you upgrade your body to future Canon SLR offerings, you'll still be able to use your old lenses provided that the EF mount is supported (and it should be). I wouldn't recommend buying an EF-S lens like the 10-22 or 17-85 if you plan on upgrading to a full-frame camera like the upcoming Canon 5D in the future. Also, if you're buying just the kit lens or any single lens, you're not getting the full potential of this camera and you'll likely be disappointed. I recommend spending at least as much on lenses as the body--prefably more. I recommend spending the money on good lenses. Lenses make a huge difference in the quality of your photos. Canon L lenses are a good choice, but can be pricey. For the price conscious among us, I should note that lens prices do not fluctuate much (especially the Canon "L" lenses). If you end up selling them, you'll make most of your money back. Many complain about the size of the 350D, but I don't find the size to be a problem. I don't have the largest hands though. Those that do might want to look into spending the extra for a 20D. As others mentioned, there is a slight rattle but I don't find it to be annoying. I really can't complain, especially at the prices they are selling this for. Overall, this is a great camera and I'm looking forward to getting more use and excellent photos out of it!

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A handy mini SLR for travel

Posted Aug 11, 2005 - I've handled many canon cameras over the years, 3 film SLR (first generation Rebel, Elan, Elan IIe), 2 digital SLR (10D, now Rebel XT my latest addition), 3 digital point & shoot (A20, G5, and recently G6). After finding my full size SLR to clumsy to carry and point & shoot digital's quality to poor for road trips, I wanted a smaller SLR, hoping to get good picture quality in a smaller package. I experimented with my new Rebel for two nights. Pros: The picture quality has low noise compared to my G6. Picture quality at ISO 1600 visually has lower noise than the G6 at ISO 400. Thus I can use my aperature 3.5 - 5.6 lens without flash indoor (I like to use natural lighting when ever possible). I can put off buying the $1,400 2.8L 17-55mm lens. I have great control over depth of field using my 50mm 1.4 lens. I find the optical view finder offers greater feel for the real picture when compared to the G6's LCD screen. The XT offers great black and white photo effects. Beyond the basic Sephia, it offers blue, yellow, purple tint and 5 filter settings. This gave me a new level of artistic photography without buying extra equipment. The XT's USB2 data transfer is a great time saver. I spent almost 2 hours transfering 800mb of pictures from my 10D (USB1 equiped) after a wedding shoot once. Cons: It took me a while to get used to the smaller hand grip. You really need to use more of your left hand to balance the camera after adding a large lens (28-200mm) and flash (EX550) attachment. The grip felt like the G5 point and shoot. A rubberised and larger grip like that of the G6 would be perfect. A larger grip would also allow it to fit the longer life G6 battery. The current battery looks like one from a cell phone. I'm not whether I can shoot the whole day while on the road. What really surprised me was the rattling noise near the built in flash unit. I thought I had a defective unit until I read some discussion from other users. Of all my canon cameras, I've never had a rattling one. The user manual saids this is normal due to the mechanical position sensor. Some users thinks its the pop up flash linkage. I think the majority of the noise came from the flash unit after holding the cheesy linkage bars down and shook the camera. I'm really disappointed since none of my previous canon's flash assembly rattled. I guess I can live with it since I don't shake my camera often. The major draw back for me is the loud noise generated when the shutter is released and the mirror snap upward. The 10D makes a very solid but quiet clap sound. The XT makes a loud motor winding noise and higher pitched vibration noise. The difference is like shutting the door of a big Mercedes vs. a light weight Toyota Echo. I really can't use this camera for a quiet indoor church wedding, unlike my 10D. The red eye reduction lamp is quite small and easy covered by your hand holding the camera's grip. There is no infrared focus assist. This should not be a big deal since I tend to use my EX550 flash. Conclusion: Overall, I think the XT will make a handy camera for traveling that offers good picture quality and good control when compared to the G6, a top of the line digital point and shoot. I hope the next generation XT will offer a larger hand grip, larger battery, quiet mirror mechanism, and a non-rattling flash assembly. I am looking forward to Canon's next generation of small size digital SLR. For a quality shooting experience, the 20D offers a better deal at $500 more if you don't mind the extra weigh and size.

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I've only had this camera for a couple days now, b ...

Posted May 4, 2005 - I've only had this camera for a couple days now, but man is it wonderful. I've owned the original Digital Rebel for about a year and loved almost every aspect of it. This version improves upon that with its blazing fast speed, higher CMOS 8mp sensor and reduced size. From what I can tell, it will be another wonderful addition to my digital world. Oh, yeah, the pictures come out spectacular as well. Just don't be cheap and rely soley on the kit lens. I have a Sigma 18-125mm on mine and the pictures are sharp and beautiful.

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By overall, the Rebel XT is one of the best camera ...

Posted Jun 2, 2005 - By overall, the Rebel XT is one of the best camera I ever had, by its features and picture quality looked like they were taken from the professional in affordable price. I love this camera..!!

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EOS 350D Rebel XT

Posted Jul 21, 2005 - This is my first Digital SLR camera. After using SONY DSC-S85 for 4 years, I am finally tired about it. This 350D is compact still, compare with most DSLR camera, and it’s fast, you will no longer miss a shot. I bought this camera body only, because I purchased a Tamron 28-300mm Di AF MARCO lens for it, and I am hoping I can use it with only one lens for now. I know the ideal lens for SLR is 2 lenses like 18-55 and 75-200, or something. But I just don’t wanna change lens in the middle of vacation. 350D burst shot is so cool, and it’s fast enough for me in any situation. I also like its way to power itself off to save battery life, and bring back to ready in no time, and it’s so great for walk and shot. As far as picture quality, it rocks.

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Rebel XT, a great

Posted Jul 22, 2005 - I bought this camera to compare it to the Canon 10D I had bought used. I did like the larger, more rugged body of the 10D, but it was also much heavier. The primary complaints I saw in initial on-line reviews was that it might be too small, especially the hand grip, and that the controls were difficult to use for those used to the controls on the larger cameras (i.e. D60, 10D, 20D, etc.). I didn't find this to be the case. Though the controls and menus are different, they are quite easy to get used to. The only trouble I've had is that occasionally, when I am concentrating on composing a picture, I press into the buttons on the left side of the display with my nose. It's usually the play button I hit, but it is easily brought back to shooting mode by pressing half-way on the shutter release button. I am 6'2", and have very long and somewhat thin fingers, so I am in the small hand grip complaint crowd. I had an Olympus C-2100uz before the 10D and holding the grip on the Rebel XT reminded me of that camera. It is quite light and fun to play with the EF-S 18-55mm lens, and the EF-S 50mm Mark II. I have adapted the same finger curled grip I used with the C-2100uz, but I have also gotten used to holding the camera a little differently with my larger lenses (Tamron 28-75 f/2.8, Canon EF 75-300IS, and Sigma EX 70-200 f/2.8). I balance the large lens in my left hand and am able to give enough support with my right hand to allow easy zooming and the occasional manual focussing. Since I have started shooting event and portrait photography for money recently, I decided to get the battery grip with the verticle shutter release. Adding the grip circumvents most of the difficulty of using large, heavy lenses on this body. I highly recommend using the battery grip with your big lenses (see my BG-E3 review also). This camera has now been used to shoot three weddings, all of which were indoors. The thing that really made up my mind to keep this over the 10D was the excellent low-light sensitivity and minimal noise. I did several side-by-side comparisons with my 10D and the Rebel XT consistently performed at ISO1600 as well as the 10D did at ISO400. I've heard that the body on the original Digital Rebel was a little weak, especially creaking with the use of larger lenses. Canon's marketing hype says that they redesigned the Rebel XT lens mount to be as strong as that on the 20D and I have to believe them. My heaviest lens is a Sigma EX 70-200 f/2.8 lens, and after I read about the mount, I put it on the body and moved the camera around (without the BG-E3) trying to shift the weight in such a way as to stress the body and I didn't hear it creak at all. Overall, I'm very impressed with this camera, and can safely say, makes a great camera for the uses I have. It might be a little light duty for the rigors and weather of sports photography and the more extreme ends of photojournalism, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as a great backup camera for those either.

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My first SLR Camera

Posted Jul 14, 2005 - I bought the body and len (Tamron AF 28-75mm F/2.8) separatly. Overall, Canon's band name is the main reason I bought it as my first SLR Camera. Although there are lots of pros and cons about that camera, I believed that Canon put a lot of afford on digital camera technology research investment. As a beginner, I don't think I bought that camera is a bad choice since in that affordable price range Canon 350D is a excellent SLR camera for me. Canon 350D gives me lots of settings/functions (flexibility)to learn how to take a good picture instead of using AutoMode (most of people used)

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I've got this camera at a very good price from Del ...

Posted May 30, 2005 - I've got this camera at a very good price from Dell, and mainly is to take pictures of my 6 month old daughter. This camera is fast, which allows me to capture the moments that I would have missed with a slower camera. This camera is small and light. Many people complain about the hand grip being too small, but I think it is not an issue as I hold the camera at its lens instead of the hand grip. So, I feel pretty comfortable with it. And I don't find pressing the SET button before hitting the shutter to be annoying. So far I haven't found anything that I don't like about this camera. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

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Some Highs and Lows

Posted Apr 8, 2006 - First I had trouble installing the software as I was using a POwershot before with various canon sw installed. Ths system constantly hung up and I had to first completely de-install all canon software. Then the problem with the camera itself: I bought the body and used a Sigma 28/105 lens that I previously used (without any trouble) with my EOS 500N. After a couple of shots the camera was showing 'Error 99' which indicates any other error not listed in the manual. Great ! After trying everything - cleaning contacts, differect memory card, working w&w/o AF in all different modes, I gave up - although the camera features themselves are nice and the pictures I was able to take were of good quality. However the material used for the body (i bought the black version) looks a bit cheap (i.e. compared to the Olympus/Pentax models at similar prices) and got a weird texture.

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Fantastic Camera

Posted Sep 15, 2005 - This is a fantastic way to go from film to digital. It has lots of modes pre-programmed, but also allows you to go shutter-priority, aperature-priority, or fully manual. The resolution is great, and the battery lasts considerably longer than the Olympus digital I used to have. Get at least one Canon-brand lens with this camera. I recommend the 50mm f1.8 prime (about $80). If you get the infamous "Error 99" you can put the Canon lens on & determine if it is the non-Canon lens you are using, or if it is something else. (I have to send my Tamron 18-200 XR DiII back because of this.) Also, Sandisk Ultra II CF works great with this camera.

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Good price, good value but not as good as the 20D

Posted Jan 7, 2006 - Bottom line, don't listen to anyone that tells you this camera is comparable to the 20D. I have both and the focusing speed, low light imaging, and overall image quality is noticably superior to the XT. If you want the best images or shot for a living get the 20D.

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