Canon EOS Rebel XSi

After two less-than-inspiring upgrades, Canon has finally come up with a significant follow-up to its groundbreaking original Rebel Digital SLR with the new 12.2-megapixel EOS Rebel XSi. Though it’s still Canon’s entry-level DSLR, the Rebel XSi borrows some of the look and feel and several of the features of its more professional cameras, including its speedy Digic III image processor; extremely responsive nine-point autofocus system; and improved image quality, particularly in low light.

Who Is It For?

While the previous models—the undersized Rebel XT and XTi—were aimed at first-time DSLR buyers, the taller, more rugged XSi is geared toward users who might already know a bit about photography. If you’re looking to expand your creativity as a photographer but don’t necessarily want to jump up to the much pricier and more complicated Canon EOS 40D or Nikon D300, the Canon EOS Rebel XSi will give you the right amount of manual control for the money.

XSi Design

The Canon Rebel XT and Rebel XTi always felt too small and dainty to us. While the new Rebel XSi is taller and wider than those previous models, at 16.8 ounces (body only) it’s actually more than an ounce lighter that the XTi, and a fraction of an ounce lighter than the XT. The design of the Rebel XSi is also more ergonomic than the boxier Rebel XTi, with sloping shoulders, curved edges, and a more comfortable, contoured feel. We especially like the longer, rubberized handgrip on the XSi, which gave us enough room to fit our pinky. There’s also a nice rubberized thumbrest on the back and easy-to-access function buttons of different sizes and textures, so you can identify each one by touch. The ISO button has also been conveniently placed on top of the camera instead of on the back as before.

The biggest change in the design of the XSi is its huge 3-inch LCD screen, which is a significant improvement. With 230,000 pixels of resolution and a 170-degree viewing angle, image preview was crisp and clear while our shots looked sharp in playback. Menus on the larger screen also look great and are easy to read and navigate, thanks to a larger font size. Framing shots using the camera’s Live View function (discussed below) was also much easier with the larger LCD.

The Rebel XSi’s optical viewfinder has been improved with 0.87X magnification—compared with 0.8X on the XTi—with accurate coverage of up to 95 percent of the image area. Though the Rebel XSi is offered in silver or black, stick with the black version; it looks classier and more professional.

Sizing up the Lens

Though the EF-S 18–55mm f/3.5–5.6 Image Stabilizer lens that comes with the Rebel XSi as part of a standard kit is decent, we really would like to see this camera also offered as a more expensive kit with a higher-quality Canon lens with a faster aperture for low light. Since the XSi’s autofocus actually gets better when paired with lenses with maximum apertures of f/2.8 or faster—something we experienced when we popped a premium 24–70mm f/2.8 Canon lens onto the camera—why not?

Though the 18–55mm lens was okay, it struggled when we tried photographing a book reading at a sparsely lit bar. And while we liked the wide range of the lens, we noticed significant softness in the corners in landscape shots we took of the Hudson River from atop Breakneck Ridge in Hudson Highlands State Park.