Canon - Rebel XTi Digital Camera Review

We needed a better camera for the college newspaper. Those throw away cameras at Walgreens just weren't cutting it. OK. I'm kidding (to some degree). We had some old 35mm cameras and a low end digital (which happens to be a camera I really love). These were not really cutting it when making professional photos to be printed in batches of 1000.

I had been using an old Canon SLR for years at home, so I was inclined to look at the Canon line. Anyone looking at higher end digital cameras is bound to stumble across information about the Rebel XTis. The Rebels are popular, and they are good.

Before sinking a lot of money (around $600 now - with the 10.1 version about to round out the year - new year models run $1000 and up), I'd say to really think about what you're wanting to do with a digital camera. You may be much happier with a $200 high end point and shoot. There are many times when I opt to take out my own Canon PowerShot instead of the Rebel XTi. The PowerShot is smaller and easier.

The college kids, this semester, without exception are scared of the Rebel XTi. They borrow the old college digital or my PowerShot. I think the Rebel just looks scary for folks who do not have a background in photography. In auto mode, the Rebel works basically like a point and shoot without the LCD for framing. In other words, you do need to look through the photo hole to make pictures. With all those extra settings, it's possible to do all kinds of great things with the camera. The question, I think, is: Would you be doing more than pointing and pressing the button?

If you really do need high quality photos, then you do want to bump up to a camera like the Rebel XTi. These photos can be poster sized. The pixels are huge in the best settings. I'll process shots that are in the range of 22 inches in size, but I rarely need such large photos. I size down, but I do have nice quality with sizes in these ranges. There are rare times when we want to run a really big shot in the paper. Most people do not need jumbo photos though.

Likewise, if you need real close up shots and long shots, then you need an expensive camera like the Rebel XTi. Just take your point and shoot and get real close to something and snap. You will have a blurry mess. Go to a football game and make pictures of the action with a cheaper camera, and you will have ant people or blurry blobs. I have seen and made these, and my students give me loads of these photos.

Though you'll get better close ups and long shots and zooms with the Rebel, it can't work miracles as sold. You'll really need to buy lenses to make these specialized shots. That's where they sock it to you. A good lens for sports will cost more than the camera. Trust me. I've priced them. We can't afford one yet, so we get better shots at sporting events, but we sure don't get real newspaper quality with the standard lens.

Other places where you'll pay more are for the media cards and for the batteries. The memory card is about 3 x the size of those in point and shoot cameras. It may or may not hold more photos. Depends on how much you're willing to pay. I got my last 2 GB for the Rebel for around $30, but I watched for that on sale price. It was still more expensive than the point and shoot 2 GB - also on sale when purchased. The Rebel XTi battery is a little block about the size of an Oreo cookie but more square in shape. They do send a charger with the camera, and the batteries last longer than the double A in most point and shoots. You do, however, really need a second one for back up, and those batteries are again costly. If the battery goes out, then you can't take photos period. You're not going to be able to grab a cheap pack of double AAs either.

I'm not trying to put anyone off on buying the Canon XTi. It is a great camera, and you can get wonderful photos if you learn to use the camera. For professional shots, you do need something more in lines with this camera and not just a pocket point and shoot digital. If you're printing the pictures in a newspaper or magazine or making and framing big photos, then this is what you need to consider. If you need or want to go up real close or want distance stots, then the higher end cameras make a huge difference.

If you just want some family photos or want to post pictures online, then you're going into overkill buying a Rebel XTi. You'll be fine with a point and shoot (high end is nice). The point and shoot cameras are cheaper, the batteries are cheaper, and the cameras are smaller and easier to carry. If you want cute pictures of the kids or some vacation photos, then you probably want to buy something like the PowerShot that I use more often than the Rebel XTi. There are times when I just want to capture a moment and not have to think about it too much. There are other times when I need a bang up photo (usually for print), and then the Rebel XTi is hard to beat.