Canon EOS Rebel XSi Digital SLR Camera with Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS lens (Black) from Canon in Camcorders & Digital Cameras

Pros: Excellent photo quality for its class; better-than-average speed.
 
Cons: Maximum ISO 1600; huge spot-for-spot metering.
 
Bottom Line: It doesn't stand out for its feature set or design, but the Canon EOS Rebel XSi delivers on performance and photo quality.
 
Canon EOS Rebel XSi
 
After last year's disappointing Rebel XTi--a solid camera--but one that didn't improve significantly over its predecessor, the Canon EOS Rebel XSi comes as a welcome change, and a model worthy of upgrading from your old Rebel XT. It may have a typical, uninspired body design and a modest feature set, but where it really counts--performance and image quality--the XSi manages to stand out from the crowd.
 
Canon offers two body designs for the XSi, an attractive solid black and a less-attractive two-tone silver and black. Each comes in a body-only or single-lens kit with the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens. This is a bit unusual, since most manufacturers also offer a dual-lens kit for this market. We tested the kit, as well as tried it out with the new EF-S 55mm-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS lens.… Read full review

Pros: Takes fast pictures; excellent picture quality; includes IS lens
 
Cons: Live View could be better; flimsy door covering connections
 
Like the price of a barrel of oil, the megapixel count of D-SLRs continues to climb. When Canon and others first unveiled popularly-priced digital single lens reflex cameras, 6MP was the resolution spec, and everyone was thrilled. Today, 6-megapixel cameras of any type are practically ancient history. In fact, most new D-SLRs such as the Nikon D60, Pentax K200D or Sony DSLR-A200 kick off at 10MP with 14s becoming much more prevalent in 2008, such as the recent Editor's Choice-earning Sony DSLR-A350. As for the new Canon EOS Rebel XSi, it fits right between them with a resolution of 12.2MP, but proves slightly more expensive if you look at it on a pure pixel-for-pixel comparison. Yet digital cameras are about much more than pure resolution-they're about speed, picture-taking ability and loads of little things that separate the good from the bad. With that in mind, it was time to see if Canon had a winner on its hands-or, to put it bluntly, a clunker instead. Features and Design Don't expect anything radical here-this is a basic black D-SLR with a matte-black body and some textured finish on the pistol grip and rear thumb rest. Yes, there's an option for a silver body, but if you're buying a camera of this type, black is what you want. The XSi is definitely lighter than the models we've recently reviewed (more plastic, less metal). It weighs 16.8… Read full review

Pros: Very good photo quality (though not at default settings); Remarkably little noise; Compact body by D-SLR standards; Much improved kit lens features image stabilization; Large 3-inch LCD with live view feature; Dust reduction system; Snappy performance in almost all areas; Good continuous shooting mode; Full manual controls, including lots of white balance options; RAW format supported; RAW editing and remote capture software included; Optional battery grip
 
Cons: JPEGs are very soft at default settings; Small right hand grip, "plasticky" body; Redeye; Seemed to produce an abnormal number of out-of-focus shots; Very slow contrast detect AF in live view mode; No built-in wireless flash support; On the expensive side
 
The Canon EOS Rebel XSi is a very good entry-level digital SLR. It offers very good photo quality (with the appropriate tweaks), lighting fast performance, live view, and a large LCD display. The camera has its share of flaws, though, including soft JPEGs at default settings, redeye, sluggish contrast detect autofocus, and a rather high price. Still, the Rebel XSi is a solid choice for those looking for their first SLR, and thus, it earns my recommendation. Read full review