Canon Rebel XT is a successor of the Canon Digital Rebel, which once became a bestseller in the market of the cheapest SLR cameras for advanced amateurs. It was the Digital Rebel, which opened the way to digital photo to those fans, who often could not afford to buy a digital SLR because of its price. Two years later in February 2005 Canon has introduced a new updated camera Canon Rebel XT, which replaced the Digital Rebel. It was a new camera for beginners and advanced amateur photographers. It was created on the basis of the Canon 20D and completed the renovation of the entire line of the Canon digital SLR.
The Rebel XT has been much improved and nevertheless it is very easy in use, with no difficult settings or any complicated tricks of its using. In the camera menu there are only 32 settings. It is very easy to understand and operate. The Rebel XT can be considered as a multi-purpose, user-friendly, consumer DSLR camera, which can be considered as one of the most balanced market offers in terms of features and price.
Compared with its predecessor, the Rebel XT has become a little more compact and lighter. It is 4.98 inches wide, 3.71 inches high and 2.63 inches deep. Its weight is only about 17 ounces without a lens. Design differences of both models are not so essential. Shooting mode dial of the Rebel XT has become more professional, metal, while on the Rebel it was plastic. But the body remained plastic, though it can hardly be considered as a disadvantage, because modern plastic is durable enough. Besides, the lightweight of the camera is quickly appraised at its true worth, particularly when it is hanging on your neck all day long.
The Rebel XT features an 8.0 Megapixel CMOS Sensor APS-C format, and DIGIC II Image Processor, fast 3 frames per second shooting. Having released the Rebel XT, Canon actually raised the level of the minimum resolution of the matrix in their SLR cameras up to 8.0 megapixels. From that time on all digital cameras of the EOS line have been equipped with CMOS-sensor not lower than 8.0 megapixels and DIGIC II processor.
Among other innovations, it should be noted the E-TTL II flash control system, that takes into account the distance to the object, and which combines easy setup with the accuracy of determining the exposure when shooting with flash.
The controls are the same, only the form of buttons has slightly changed. They became larger and more comfortable. A new button to control direct printing appeared. Switch key between normal, high-speed and deferred shooting modes moved from the upper panel of the body to the rear one. There is a new possibility on the Rebel XT to program the button «SET» for rapid transition into the playback mode, for the choice of focus points, for changing the quality and resolution of images, as well as for switching between options of contrast, sharpness, saturation, etc. On the rear panel there are two displays, a monochrome one showing the current shooting settings and a color display to view the menu and captured photos.
The Rebel XT is a fast responsive camera. It is ready for operation after 0.2 seconds after switching on, which is a pleasure. An average shooting rate is 3 frames per second. The shutter is released softly.
The Rebel XT is capable to fully and simultaneously record photos both in RAW and JPEG formats, which sometimes is very helpful. In addition the camera also features a monochrome shooting mode with the ability to apply color filters. There is an interesting option: during simultaneous record in RAW and JPEG it is possible that RAW is written in color and JPEG is in black-and-white.
As for the photo quality, it is great: decent shadow detail, absence of noise. Built-in flash works correctly providing good illumination in the dark. The resulting images can be described as "live", with feeling of depth and airiness. On the whole, the Rebel XT is actually a good deal in terms of image quality, speed, size and price.
It should be noted that there is a regional variation in the names of this camera. In the North-American market it is Canon Rebel XT, in Europe – Canon 350D, and in Japan - Canon Kiss Digital N.
