Review of the Canon Digital Rebel XT, a Camera for Anyone to Use

The Canon Digital Rebel XT is a powerful camera that comes equipped with a few basic settings and several places to set your own. The colors are stunning, and the photographs crisp and clear. Images print beautifully at 8x10 and larger. Its small and compact, but packs a huge punch with 8 mega pixels. Its also relatively inexpensive in the world of DSLR cameras, it can be found online for $799 and in some places even cheaper. It can also come bundled with extra goodies.

This camera has many of the same features as its more expensive siblings, without the drawbacks of price, size and weight. The camera itself is one of the smallest and lightest of the Rebel series, weighing less the 2 lbs without lenses. It fits easily into different size hands. I can easily use this camera with one hand as can my husband who is over a foot taller then me.

Many photographers know mega pixels matter in the printing size and quality of your photograph. And the Rebel XT offers plenty of bang for your buck, it has 8 Mega pixels and will print 8x10 pictures with perfect clarity, and is known to print pictures larger though personally i have never tried it. It also has several different ISO speeds to choose from. From 400 ISO to 1600 ISO, you have a shutter speed for every activity from stills to sports.

You can choose to use manual or auto focus. When shooting stills i like to use manual focus to ensure the camera focus's just on what i want it to see. Blurring the background effectively. But when I'm using the camera to photograph my son running, or sports activities, its best to use the Auto Focus feature which takes a split second to focus before taking the photo. You can also choose to play with your White Balance and AF. When playing with your white balance you can also set the camera to take black and white images or add a color tone over them, such as blue, red or sepia tones. And the flash is always optional.

What really makes this camera awesome, is that its compatible with so many different lenses and lens types. I have 2 sigma lenses that work beautifully for all my needs and there are many more available. Its also compatible with all Canon lenses which include lenses with image stabilizer reducing the risk of blurred pictures when using a telephoto lens. It also works perfectly with Tamron lenses.

There are a few other things that make this camera a must have in my house. It turns on instantly. There is no waiting for the camera to load. Perfect when you have children. It has quite the long battery life, over 8 hours. It turns itself off after 1 minute even when left in the on position, without draining the battery. Its also shoots in both RAW and JPEG formats, For complete customization you can shoot in RAW. This camera is wonderfully portable for photography on the go. It comes with a neck strap, you can carry it in a small bag or purse, and stores easily in a vehicle.

Additional features that i use on this camera include a battery grip which increases the size of your camera as well as adds battery life, An external flash system, A lens hood to help with sun glare, and basic filters such as a polarizer and UV filter. Many more are out there those are a few i use and love.

The only concerns i had with the camera is that you have to use the viewfinder to see your images, the LCD screen does not show you what you are doing, but relates your image when its been taken. It also takes a bit to learn to use the manual settings. Thankfully it comes with 7 automatic settings to use while you are learning the manual ones. Automatic, Portrait, Landscape, Close up, Action, night, and no flash. Though Ive found it best to use manual focus when taking night shots. The Auto Focus cant find anything to grab onto. Another thing is you cant judge your pictures by what pops up on the LCD screen, its an indication, but you have to wait and see how they really look once downloaded on the computer.

All in all this camera is great for beginners to the DSLR world, budding photographers, and people who want a good camera for under $1000. You can find it even less expensive in bundled kits on www.Ebay.com or even though trusted companies like Best Buy. Bundled Kits often come with extra lenses, tripods, memory cards, carrying cases and more.