Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens - Black
by Canon
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens - Black
Customer Review: Great camera! Excellent step up from a high-end point-and-shoot.
Summary: 5 Stars
I just recently purchased this camera after getting frustrated with my two point-and-shoot cameras. One has a lot of advanced features, but is only 4.0MP (and is 4 years old). The other is 8.0MP, but has super basic features (almost remedial). I wanted to step up to a DSLR camera to combine the best of options of my other two cameras, but have the ability to expand my options as I continue to learn photography without buying a new camera.
I started out looking at the Canon Rebel T1i, which is an excellent camera, but was well-above my skill level. The XSi is still above my skill level at this point, but for the price, I could not pass up the opportunity to get an excellent camera that I could grown into. I received an great deal from my local warehouse club, which included two kit lenses (18-55mm and 55-250mm), a Canon gear bag (200DG) and a 2GB memory card.
From just a few days of use, I have taken some excellent pictures right out of the box, and have had a chance to mess around with some of the advanced features, which also produced great results.
The camera feels great in my hands (which are somewhat small) and is not too heavy, even with the zoom lens attached. The functions are easily adjusted without having to fumble through several levels in the menu.
The only drawback that I found with this camera is the extremely limited functions available in the full auto mode. For example, it may just be me, but I like using the LCD screen to take pictures sometimes. However, this option is not available in the Full Auto mode. You have to switch to one of the creative modes, for this option to be available. This purely an inconvenience, and is probably just an indication that I need to continue learning more about this camera, so I can get out of the Full Auto mode more often.
I would not recommend this camera for a casual shooter that is not willing to take the extra time to learn the advanced features. You could probably save a lot of money by just buying an advanced point-and-shoot camera that takes good pictures in Full Auto mode versus spending the extra money for features that you will never use.
Customer Review: Best camera value for under $1500 new.
Summary: 5 Stars
There really isn't a better deal out there under $1500, or at least under $1,000... under the canon/nikon lineup. After 7 months of use, I can say that this is one amazing camera. It has many of the functions that you get with the 50D. Unless you care about HD video or care about being able to do some major cropping to your photos, your best best for the $ is the XSi.
One thing to take note is that the noise levels are amazing. One step down from this camera and you get way too much noise. The 50D has very comparable noise levels. I shoot in a club at iso 1600, exposures without flash run into 1/2 second... noise reduced, they are still excellent quality.. even at 1:1 crops.
Also a note on buttons: If you care about using your camera quickly and usefully (unlike a point and shoot) DON'T buy any lower than this! Any step down is missing the shortcut hardware buttons. Why buy an slr, only to change settings in menus?? Sure it is still missing a few buttons, but you can set your own custom menu to help negate that drawback.
Metering is decent, you need to make sure to point at a more neutral object to get a good reading. With using the in-camera spot metering on a lastolite ezybalance gray card to get an exposure reading (then switching the camera from Aperture Priority, to Manual and inputing those settings read), the exposure is quite good.
No IR assist lamp, so you will have to use an external flash with flash firing turned off (assuming you don't want to use flash) to use its IR assist lamp to focus in the dark. The feature to turn flash firing off, while using the focus assist lamp, is missing on a lot of cameras - so watch out if this is something you are interested in.
Quality is great, noise levels are great, auto focus is pretty good, metering is ok, LCD is amazing (!), no IR assist lamp =(
Well I'd recommend you stop reading user reviews and go read some professional reviews from somewhere like dpreview, the-digital-picture, and steve's digicams. These are more opinion article-esk than factual professional comparisons.
Customer Review: Lived up to the hype
Summary: 5 Stars
PROs: I am thrilled with this camera. After doing some research for a couple of months between this camera, the nikon d80 and the prestigious canon 40d, I decided on the XSi for my needs. Best overall price to my performance needs. Image quality is fantastic, even though the kit lens is at best, good. Going to purchase a 50mm 1.4, 70-200 4L, and a better walk around lens as soon as I get completely sick of the 18-55 IS kit lens, but for now its a good starter lens. Though I honestly think the nikon d80 and the 40d are better cameras for experienced and serious users, primarily I am loyal to Canon (best brand) and the 40d is just too bulky and expensive for me. I don't need all the extra bells and whistles provided by the 40d at this point of my life.
If you want a light, easy to use and learn (for first time users), long lasting battery (about 500 images), nice clear LCD and fairly cheap price to performance ratio this camera blows out all nikons, pentax, and sony's out there for the beginner/transitioning to intermediate shooters. I chose this camera over the 40d because its more suitable for me and most importantly I can use the price difference between the XSi and the 40d to get my 70-200 4L for free basically.
Cons: Again the common gripe over the grip, but honestly its not that bad if you have small to medium size hands. you will adapt quickly as the pro's of the camera immediately mask any cons present. No better kit lens option out yet.
Overall: Fantastic lens for beginner/beginner-intermediate users as the vast majority of professional reviews have stated...
Note: Please get a nice memory card I recommend the 4 or 8GB SanDisk EXTREME III (it's worth the extra $5-10) or any SDHC that is class 6, save a little change for some other lenses as you will fall in love with this camera and will be compelled to buy more lenses, and lastly buy some decent filters as you will appreciate the image quality and protection they provide. the RC-1 is a nice accessory. I hope this was helpful for you as all the other reviews were helpful to me.
Customer Review: What a deal!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a relative newbie to the digital camera scene. I bought a canon Powershot 720 is from Amazon last May and I got hooked. I waited for the prices to come down on the Rebel XSI camera and ordered mine in late December from B&H Photo.
Wow! I am having a lot of fun with it! Easy, intuitive and great pics... even with the kit lens. I also tried it out with the canon 50mm f/1.8 and it was sharp both outdoors and in. With a fast lens you can capture some nice action shots. I have posted a few photos here at Amazon that I recently snapped on the beach at Port Aransas.
I have not tried all the features yet, e.g., the custom WB feature, but the ISO settings and exposure settings are easy to find and set. There is a custom menu option called 'My Menu' that you can create to keep your 5 favorite settings easily accessible.
It would be nice to be able to access the picture quality settings, such as the sharpness setting, using a button or at the top level of a menu, but at this price I am not going to complain!
I have taken over 350 high resolution JPGs so far without having to recharge the battery. The viewfinder is adequate - certainly better than a lot of other cameras I have used. Live view is still problematic in digital slrs, so don't expect what you find in a point and shoot. The LCD is nice, but not even close to the nice LCDs on the Nikon D90 and D300. However it is certainly adequate - even outside on a sunny winter day.
The WB does seem suspect indoors regardless of the setting - but that is a common fault of dslr cameras.
The 18-55 IS lens that comes with the kit is no slouch either. I definitely recommend getting the kit. In fact, the 2 lens kit is a great bargain right now at Bh & Adorama.
The only negative so far is a a single spot of dust on the sensor that won't come off with the camera's self-cleaning system. It appears in shots of the sky.
All in all this is one great camera and kit lens. At the price, it just can't be beat.
Highly recommended!
Customer Review: My first SLR & loving it !
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my first DSLR camera so I give you a review from a newbies, first-hands on point of view. So far I have not used many of the features other than auto program but let me tell you I am getting some NICE shots and so far I am pleasantly pleased. I researched this camera for a while and it was a toss up from this or the T1i. The latter having HD video and about 3 more megapixels in resolution. Well I didn't choose the T1I because I really don't need video capabilities on my camera, that's what camcorders are for. Also, should the video feature go bad, so could the camera itself ( remember DVD/VHS combos? ). Having said that here's my opinion so far.
The quality of pics with the kit lens is amazing. Im getting some pics that make point and shoot look like cell phone pics. The feel, look and construction of the camera is good and the ones who feel otherwise are spoiled by their $5000 cameras. For the money you cannot go wrong, this baby will not dissapoint. However the kit lens was not enough for me and my intended purpose ( landscape, wildlife photography for which I got a Canon EFS 55-250mm with IS ) Not to say it is bad, it is perfect for every day use. I will still use it for family, indoor shots as the 55-250 is a bit too zoomie for indoor use. I recommend the Canon gadget bag for your XSI as it compliments each other well. I will not get too technical with this review, as I know poeple read these in order to make a purchasing decision.
Bottom line, if you never owned a DSLR camera this is the one to get. Simple to use, good build and looks and excellent performance. Fast shutter speed and come on it's a Canon, you can't go wrong with it. Don't be fooled by others that say Canon lenses are plasticky and have plastic mounts, that's all a bunch of hogwash. They are plastic but still have a sturdy build feel to it and besides it is a sensitive electronic equipment. Not designed to be banged around and if you do bang your camera then maybe photography is not for you.