Canon EOS Rebel XSi (450D)
Chronicle of a camera foretold

Once you've created your own niche and a hugely successful formula, should you rest on your laurels or is it time to rumble? That's the question guys at Canon faced when designing the replacement of the best-selling Rebel XTi.

When the first Digital Rebel appeared five years ago it became an instant success and the genesis of a brand new chapter in digital photography: the affordable-under-$1,000-dSLR.

Since september 2003, when the first Rebel was announced, the world has changed and the ferocious sub-$1,000 niche is a succulent. Sony wants a big slice; Samsung and Panasonic say "me too" and there are the traditional yet extremely though competitors such as Pentax, Olympus and, obviously, Nikon.So, Canon is not alone anymore. Every day more casual photographers are becoming enthusiasts and leaving behind their compact cameras to enter the dSLR realm. The potential buyers without any lens or accesory have many options thus Canon should offer a very solid camera at the lowest possible price.

Canon announced Rebel's fourth iteration in late January 2008. It was a chronicle of a camera foretold, since Canon is quite predictable about 18 month product cycles and the PMA Show is the best showcase for unveiling popular products. The SXi will be available with the new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Image Stabilizer Lens ($900) or the body only ($800). More on this new lens later.

We all have to wait until April 2008 to buy a Rebel XSi, but the photos made available by Canon as well as the specs could tell us an anticipation of what can we expect from this camera.

More Mega-Pixels... Again

Both the consumers and Canon's competitors seem to maintain the mega pixels race. Although many potential buyers of the XSi may know that with pixels what counts is quality and not quantity, it seems like it still is a very powerful psychological factor to decide the best camera to buy.

It doesn't matter if the potential buyers of the XSi may never print anything bigger than a letter sized print or that the difference between a 12mpx and a 10mpx resolution is not really that big. Although Canon has managed to maintain the image quality and low noise at high ISO levels in the past upgrades it is a matter of concern if this signatures will be maintained with the the new 12 mpx sensor. It is still a reliable CMOS sensor, a technology that Canon seems to master. We really hope that the low noise at high ISO sensitivities remains untouched. Now, if that's possible the question is, why Canon didn't used this new 12mpx sensor on the 40D?

Citius. Altius. Fortius.

The XSi seems to follow the Olympic motto: "Swifter, Higher, Stronger." This camera is bigger than the XTi, yet it is lighter. Many users complained about the XTi's diminutive size (at least for dSLR standards) and the lack of a really good grip. The new Rebel's size may improve the grip by a bigger size, but as the official Canon photos show, there is a new rubber grip on front and also in the rear. That's good news, but also the "stealth" character of the XTi may be lost. We should wait until we have the camera in hand.

Design

Cosmetically we find the XSi pretty nice: curvy and with a more balanced proportion. It reminds us the 5D a little. Although the black model looks professional, a cheap-looking plasticky silver version is available. There's still at the office a silver Rebel XT and we still guess what were we thinking when we chose silver instead of black version.

Continuous shooting speed

The camera has a 3.5 shots continuous shooting speed versus the 3 shots of the XTi. Certainly the improvement is nothing to write home about, and as with the 40D, there are more conditions to reach that speed than a life insurance contract: based on Canon's testing standards with a 2GB SD memory card, ISO 100, and Standard Picture Style varies depending on the subject, SD memory card brand, image-recording quality, etc. So, although those 12 mega pixels look great, the burden on the micro-processor (even a Digic III) and camera buffer is heavier. So, the XSi is not, again, a sport's camera.

SD & SDHC memory cards

Canon changed the venerable Compact Flash cards to the slimmer SD & SD Cards that are widely available and with price dropping constantly. The other day we had to buy an card because we forgot it in the card reader and we paid just $8 for a 512MB SD card. In 2002 we paid $200 for a 128Mb CF card. Wow! This one is a controversial decision. For some photographers with many CF cards that means buying new SD cards, but the compact camera user upgrading to the dSLR planet will be happy. It is true that current owners of the XTi may want to get the 40D when upgrading instead of choosing the XSi, so this decision probably makes sense.

LCD and Live View

Having both a 3.0" LCD monitor and Live View is much better than you can even imagine. When we first received our 40D we thought: OK, what's the big hassle about that? Well, a lot actually. Live View is invaluable for many photo situations including macro photography, and having a big 3.0" LCD is excellent to review the photos. The precision with Live View for manual focusing is impressive in the 40D and we expect the same with the XSi. If an ultra compact camera such as the Canon SD750 has a 3.0" LCD, it's an obvious upgrade for an entry-level dSLR. Although 230,000 pixels is a nice resolution, in this chapter Canon is behind Nikon and Sony that feature better LCDs (Nikon D300 and Sony Alpha 700).

14-Bit processing

Although it may seem to be of little importance this improvement is really important. The dynamic range increases and the results go directly to the image quality, and that's the bottom line of any camera.

Other important improvements

At the top there is a nice view: a dedicated ISO button, a very welcomed addition. But in the back there is the same button layout (except for Menu and Disp. buttons) that it's not great compared to the round dial of the 40D and 5D.

This new generation has, finally, spot metering.

With a new battery pack, in normal conditions the improvement is 500 shots in the XTi vs 600 shots with the XSi. It's good to have more power; it's handy with Live View and a big display.

A not-so-minor improvement is a new menus layout pretty much in the line of the 40D that is much easier to use.

Since the viewfinder is the most important tool to frame pictures, it's good to see an improvement, yet it is still a penta-mirror (that allows to maintain a low price).

New kit lens

Evolution and revolution

From the press release and specs sheet the XSi looks like an evolutionary camera although 3.0" LCD, live view and the inclusion of the 14-bit A/D process are some serious departures from the first Rebels. At the same time, it is obvious that Canon won't risk the most important dSLR market and it looks like what happened to BMW: the 7 and 5 series had some serious changes but the Bavarian auto-maker didn't gamble with the ever-popular 3 series. So, we probably won't see a revolutionary product from Canon in the entry-level market. But it would be nice to see an experiment in the dSLR arena; many of the improvements on the XSi are de rigeur and already featured in other entry-level dSLR cameras.

When Canon launched the debatable TX1 they took many risks and certainly it is not the most successful camera in Canon's history, but it is a nice camera with some quirks that, at the end of the day, is a very innovative product. What about the equivalent of the TX1 but in the dSLR realm? What about a XSi Jr. with 6 or 8 mpx at $500? What about a 40D Jr. to fill the gap between the XSi and the 40D? Canon already has a pretty large compact and ultra-compact line with every imaginable version, some of them pretty redundant. Since the dSLR market is getting bigger, it makes sense to have more options: some for the entry-level and budget oriented photographers. What about a Rebel XSi "L" with magnesium alloy body? What about a "budget" full frame camera with a terrific sensor in a poly-carbonate body? The point is clear: Canon has a great opportunity in the dSLR market that we think they are missing.

The problem with an evolutionary approach is that Canon will need more than mere evolution to maintain its position in the dSLR entry-level market. The gap between Canon and its competitors is getting smaller every day. Although having lower prices may attract many potential buyers, the Photo Aficionados are demanding more and they may appreciate better features even if that means to spend $200 more.

In any case, we should wait until April to see how good the XSi is. We'll keep you informed.

>> Official Press Release

(Photos courtesy of Canon)