DCRP Review: Canon EOS Rebel XS

The Canon EOS Rebel XS (also known as the EOS-1000D) is a very competent entry-level digital SLR. It takes photos of excellent quality, it's responsive, and it offers a host of useful features. It's biggest problem is that its big brother, the Rebel XSi, costs just $70 more. Upgrading to the XSi doesn't buy you better photo quality (you just get large images), but it does get you a larger LCD and viewfinder, faster continuous shooting speeds (especially in RAW mode), spot metering, and more. On it's own, the Rebel XS is a great entry-level camera, easily earning my recommendation. At the same time, it's hard to resist the Rebel XSi for just a little more money.

From most angles, you'd be hard-pressed to see the difference between the Rebel XS and the XSi. They're both compact D-SLRs -- maybe a little too compact for some. My biggest beef with the Rebels has always been the small and slippery right hand grip -- I never feel like I have a secure hold on the camera. The Rebel XS is a plastic camera, though it feels pretty well put together in most respects. It has quite a few buttons scattered around its body, so you may need to read the manual to figure out what does what. The Rebel XS supports both EF and EF-S lenses, with a 1.6 focal length conversion ratio. The 18 - 55 mm, image stabilized kit lens performs quite well, and leagues better than the models that preceded it. Like most SLRs these days, the Rebel has a dust reduction system.

The back of the camera is where you'll see how the XS differs from its more expensive sibling in terms of design: both its LCD and viewfinder are quite a bit smaller. Like on the XSi, you can use the LCD for live view, and it works "okay". It's best used for shooting on a tripod, where speed isn't your top priority. There, you can superimpose a composition grid, a histogram, and you an also zoom in on your subject, to make sure its properly focused. Two focus modes are offered: traditional and contrast detect. The traditional (phase difference) system is pretty fast, though the camera has to flip the mirror down to focus, which turns off the live view for a moment. Contrast detect works like it does on your compact camera, only much slower. Expect focus times of 2-3 seconds in this mode, and forget about it in low light.

Jeff Keller

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