Canon Digital Rebel XSI 12MP Digital SLR Camera (Silver Body Only)
- 12.2-megapixel CMOS sensor captures enough detail for poster-size, photo-quality prints
- Large 3.0-inch LCD display; Enhanced Live View function
- DIGIC III image processor provides fast, accurate image processing; improved Autofocus and framing rate
- EOS Integrated Cleaning system, plus Dust Delete Data Detection in included software
- Stores images on SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)
New Technology for Outstanding Images. Outstanding Image Quality: New Canon 12.2 Megapixel CMOS sensor, DIGIC III Image Processor, 14-bit conversion for smooth tone, gradations, extensive noise reduction technology, and new Auto Optimization for superior highlight-shadow control.Canon”s CMOS sensor captures images with exceptional clarity and tonal range, and offers the most pixels in its class. It offers many of the same new technologies to maximize each pixel”s light gathering efficiency that were first seen with the professional EOS-1D Mark III model. It”s an APS-C size sensor (22.2 x 14.8mm), and there”s an effective 1.6x increase in the lens”s marked focal length when attached. Canon”s DIGIC III Image Processor dramatically enhances image quality and speeds up all camera operations for intuitive operation. It works in concert with the EOS Rebel XSi”s sensor to achieve unprecedented levels of performance in all lighting situations.
List Price: $ 599.99
Price:
GENUINE WhiBal G7 Certified Neutral White Balance Card – Studio Kit (3.5″x6″)
- Best specs of any gray card product (a*&b* < 0.5 from perfect neutral)
- Only WhiBal is precision measured to certify specs of each and every card shipped.
- Designed for perfect compatibility with Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.
- Sturdy and virtually indestructible only .040″ thick. Scratch, fade, and water resistant..
- Complete kit with WhiBal, dual-purpose S-BinerTM stand and S-hanger/clip, TyvekTM storage case, and quick release lanyard.
With more than 40,000 customers, the Genuine WhiBal has become the standard in the industry for precision WB Reference “Gray Cards”. Each and every card is measured with a precision spectrophotometer to assure you that *your* card meets our industry leading specification of +/-0.5 within the a* and b* channels. Do not be fooled by RGB measurements (they have no meaning in this context). Very simply, WhiBal combines all the best features of all available White Balance cards, and meets or exceeds their technical performance in a unique package that can be used conveniently in all your shooting situations. In addition, WhiBal provides convenient neutral White and Black reference areas for setting dynamic range in your digital capture using the Black and White Eyedroppers available in RAW conversion software, PhotoshopTM, and most other editing software. Check out the educational videos on-line. (Search for WhiBal). They tell the entire story. Feature Summary: ? It fits in your shirt pocket.(3.5×6 inches)…so you will actually use it rather than have it in your bag! ? It is basically indestructible, waterproof, etc ? Both Pocket and Studio versions come with convenient stand for ease of setup on tables or flat surfaces. No need for someone to hold the WhiBal. ? All 4 reference “colors” are essentially equal to or better than all tested “reference cards” for neutrality and spectral flatness. ? All cards are designed for low reflectivity, except the BlackPoint sticker which intentionally is highly reflective so that maximum Blackpoint level may be achieved. ? Larger are smaller sizes are available ? Can be used to set white balance reference, Black point and White point. ? Fits shirt pocket or can hang on studio hook or lanyard, or set on a table with included table stand. ? WhiBal is a product of PictureFlow LLC, is patent-pending and proudly made in the USA.
List Price: $ 36.95
Price: $ 36.95
Great camera, one of the best low(er)-end DSLRs on the market,
My journey with DSLRs began back in 2003 with the original Digital Rebel. DSLRs changed my photography for the better like nothing else. Five years and some 25,000 shots later, it’s still going strong. Along the way I upgraded to the Canon 30D, which is a fantastic camera as well. When the 40D was announced, I decided to wait until the 50D sometime in 2009, but wanted a newer backup/second body for my photography needs. So when the XSi/450D was announced, it sounded like a perfect fit for my needs.
I got it from Amazon.com three days ago, and have given it a pretty good workout since then, having shot about 650 shots under a variety of shooting conditions and with a number of different Canon and third-party lenses. The following are my impressions.
The build feels very good. The camera feels wonderfully light yet well built. I’m 6ft tall with average size hands, and the camera feels good in my hand. The battery grip, to me, defeats the purpose of having a small, light DSLR, so I opted for a Hakuba/Opteka grip (it’s a plate that screws into the tripod socket that enables you to use the excellent Canon E1 hand strap with it) and I couldn’t be happier. I’m not a fan of neck straps, so this works well for me (see the uploaded photo for the configuration).
Most of the menu buttons on the back feel different from the ones on the original Digital Rebel and the 30D; the XSi buttons feel more tactile and have a definite “click” to them when you press them. The exception are the Exposure Lock (*) and AF selector buttons, which have retained the deeper, softer feel of the older cameras. Just different, not better or worse, for me.
The LCD is now 3″ with 230K pixels. The playback images look great, and probably because of the higher resolution of the sensor, there’s a very slight delay when you zoom in to 10x while the image loads and displays properly. People coming from other cameras or brands might not even notice it–I only did so because of the difference between it and my two other Canon DSLRs (which have lower resolution sensors). The viewing angle of the LCD screen (how clearly you can see the screen from side and up and down) is excellent; you can still see the screen holding the camera almost straight up for an overhead shot (more on this later). I’d estimate the viewing angle is about 160-170 degrees both horizontally and vertically.
The Digital Rebel has a separate status screen above the main LCD screen, and the 30D had one on top of the camera, so I wasn’t sure if I was going to like the big LCD acting as the status screen and no top screen. I’m happy to say that this arrangement works well, at least for me. The back screen makes it really easy to take all the settings at a glance. The viewfinder is much larger and brighter than that in the Digital Rebel. A humongously welcome feature for me is the always displayed ISO value in the viewfinder.
The camera is only 1/2 of the image quality equation, the other being the lenses being used. Coupled with my favorite lens, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L telephoto lens, the XSi turns out fantastic images. The supplied kit lens is very light and compact for being an image stabilized lens, and turns out good performance. The IS is certainly very useful.
Two features that used to be missing from the Digital Rebels and found in the more expensive DSLRs are now featured in the XSi: spot-metering and flash exposure compensation (these may have been available in the previous Digital Rebel model, the XTi, as well). The inclusion of those two features make the camera a much more complete and compelling photographic tool. The timer function now has a custom mode, where it’ll count down from 10 seconds then take a number of shots (specified by you) in succession. No more running back and forth to reset the timer after each shot! There’s also the traditional 2-second timer.
Let’s talk for a minute about sensor and the ISO values. XSi/450D has five ISO values you can choose: 100 (best image quality), 200, 400, 800, and 1600. Higher ISO increases the camera sensor’s sensitivity to light, thus you can achieve faster shutter speeeds for a given lighting condition. However, the trade-off is that the sensor “noise” (think grain for film photography) increases with higher ISO, so you get a degraded image quality in return for less blurred photos from hand shakes (thanks to faster shutter speed). This may come in handy in situations where flash photography is not permitted, such as a museum or a concert or theater. HOWEVER, compared to point-and-shoot digital cameras, the larger sensors of DSLRs, including the XSi, means that even at ISO 800 and 1600 you get very usable images right out of the camera. Running the images shot at those ISO settings through any number of third-party noise reduction software will improve them even further.
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Great camera, amazing battery life, now the perfect price!,
I have had the XSi for about 3 months now and I am thouroughly impressed with it. This is my first DSLR and I was a little wary about going with a brand-new and untested camera, but I have always like Canon (I used an ELAN II in High School and I bought a SD600 about 2 years ago to take snapshots of my son). Overall, I have not been disappointed with the quality of the photos that the XSi produces. The IS lens works great and I have taken some pretty amazing photos (for me at least). I do have just a couple of issues, both good and bad, that I think those who are looking at buying this may want to know.
Battery life — Great battery life. I should say, AMAZING battery life. I have taken over 5000 photos and I have only had to charge the battery twice.
Live View — LiveView is not for beginners. It is not a replacement for your Point-and-Shoot. You can’t use it in the AUTO mode (Green Square). This isn’t that big of a deal for me, I prefer full manual myself, but the whole point of this feature, I thought, was to make it more user friendly for the Point-and-Shoot photographer. My wife can’t use Live View in it’s current form (I specifically bought a DSLR with a live view function so she could still use the camera). So, if Live View is a big selling point for you, You may want to look at some others (If it isn’t that big of a deal to you, then this is still an amazing camera — added 4-23-2008). If you do studio work, though, you can hook the camera up to your PC and use it as a remote viewer. But it is not a point-and-shoot camera in Live View. In my earlier review, I said that it would be nice if Canon fixed some of the Live View issues with a firmware update, I was mistaken. Live View is a nice feature once you figure out it is not meant for beginners. Studio and landscape photographers will find Live View a great tool.
Image Quality — I have had some great success shooting in a studio setting as well as some great outdoor shots. In the studio, I used tungsten “hot” lights with the subjuect against a white background. The photos turned out great. Skin tones are perfect and there is very little, if any, chromatic abberation at the edges. It shoots great outdoor shots as well. We just got into beekeeping and I was able to get some AMAZING shots of our bees up-close outdoors. The bees looked dirty and not very interesting from a distance, but the macro photos I got up close are beautiful and full of wonderfully crisp details. The lens is a little short, the image quality you get from it is pretty good considering it only costs $100. I do plan on buying a longer lens in the near future.
Overall, the camera is solid and feels nice in the hand. It isn’t too heavy, yet still feels sturdy. If you can afford the higher price, I don’t think you will be disappointed. If you can’t, the XTi is still a great camera. And if you can afford to wait a few months for the price to drop a little (LIKE IT ALREADY HAS!!) I would. I was able to work a few extra weekends so I could afford to get this, and I can tell you, I don’t mind it a bit, because the quality of photos I am getting has been totally worth it.
— Update —
I was incorrect when I said you couldn’t use the 9-Point autofocus in Live View. You can use the 9-point autofocus while in Live View, but the mirror flips down and focuses so you can’t see what you are trying to focus on until after the camera has actually gone through the autofocus process.
— Update #2 —
I have now had this camera for almost two months and I am happy to report that the more I use it, the more I love it. Once you learn the layout of the camera and you load the MyMenu with the tools you use most often, the camera becomes an absolute delight to use. I have taken over 5000 photos with it so far and now I need an extra hard drive to put them all on.
I was able to rent a Canon EF 24-105 IS L lens and a 580 EX II Speedlite for my sister’s wedding. WOW! What great photos. The camera interfaced with the flash flawlessly and I am more convinced than ever that much of the quality of your photos comes from the glass you use and not as much from the camera itself (I think it is about 65% lens to 35% camera body give or take a few points– I know there will be those who disagree, but that is my take on it, and I am sure if I had a 1Ds MkIII I would think that there wasn’t a peice of glass good enough for my camera).
This is a great beginner dSLR and a great camera all around. I am very happy with my purchase and I have had no regrets whatsoever about spending the $900 to buy such a great tool. Amazon now sells it for $799, you can’t go wrong at that price!
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Wonderful digital camera!,
This camera is impossible to beat at this price. I won’t write a lengthy review, but, you can set this camera in fully automatic mode and hand it to a “point and shoot” person, and they will obtain fantastic results. For the amateur photographer, this has all of the bells and whistles, what I love is I can reset the camera rapidly for multiple shots of the same scene on very different settings. Married with a decent photo program on your computer, it is possible to achieve professional results.
Many reviews say, get this with the stabilization lens…. I wholeheartedly agree… the extra $100 is a bargain price for this lens… It is almost (and I do say almost) like having a tripod. I set the camera for 1/10th second exposures with no support, and obtained steady pictures with it, slower than this, and the stabilization did not fully correct for any unsteadiness.
We’d buy it again in a heartbeat, and I wish I could get one for everyone I know!! Best photos that I have ever taken and a joy to use! Connecting it to the computer and downloading photos takes a matter of seconds.
Get the largest SD card you can afford with it… We have a 2GB card with it, and it fills fairly rapidly. 1GB is far too small for this camera (primarily because you will take numerous shots with it, not because the pics take up a great deal of memory), I’m guessing 4GB would be near perfect (or a couple of 2GB cards, but one 4GB is safer, the cards are too easy to misplace).
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Does exactly what it says on the tin,
Or, more correctly, does exactly as shown on the video. I cannot recommend the manufacturers video highly enough. Having tested the product the lift it gives to my photos is worth every penny of the fairly substantial price.
I already have the equivalent Lastolite product which was only rarely used as it is not convenient to have available at all times. This one I slip into my shirt product and use whenever the lighting conditions alter.
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Invaluable for Controlling White Balance,
I shoot under a wide variety of lighting conditions and light sources and found myself spending far to much time correcting white balance in post production. After much research I decided on the WhiBal 6×3.5 card. I’m sure the less expensive alternatives work just as well, but I preferred the durable hard plastic composite WhiBal over the cardboard and fabric cards. The size is perfect – large enough to be useful while small enough to fit in my bag. The integrated stand is a nice feature as well.
Functionally, the card just works – easily and accurately. It has made a huge difference in my photos, reducing time in Photoshop and vastly improving the quality of my images right out of the camera. I wish I had purchased one years ago.
Bottom line: Yes, it’s pricy, but the hours and aggravation saved in post processing quickly justifies the cost. I plan to also get the small keyring version so I will always have one handy. It’s worth every cent to me.
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Nature photographer’s ‘Must have’.,
Nature photgraphers will be familiar with the wide range of color illumination in most natural scenes. Shaded areas will be ‘cooler’ due to the predominant illumination from blue sky, while sunny areas will be ‘warmer’. In wooded landscapes, there is often a greenish cast from sunlight filtered through chlorophyll. If you are shooting portraits in any of these conditions, the color balance can have a serious impact on skin tones.
Correct color balance can be obtained in many image editing programs using a ‘white balance’ tool. The tool generally requires selecting some neutral gray item in the photograph but often enough, a true neutral is frequently unavailable. This is where the WhiBal comes in. A single frame containing the Whibal (before, after or during) a session, can be used to color balance every image in the set.
I find this device to be very important in removing color casts due to variations in color temperature in nature. I recommend the somewhat larger ‘studio’ (3.5 x 6 ) model for field use; a larger target can be useful if it needs to be palced at a distance from the camera. The WhiBal has several advanateges over other grey cards: 1) Some grey cards are not color neutral, merely 18% reflective, 2) The card is grey throuout, so even if scratched, still works correctly, 3) It is water resistant, so not spoiled by splashes.
Highly recommended! Improves color balance and speeds workflow.
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