Canon expects the
Digital SLR
market to double in less than two years - largely because of the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D (Reuters).
That is a high expectation for a new model.
The 300D
was a huge hit, and after using the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D, I expect it to be an even bigger hit.
Canon has put much of their high end technology into a feature-filled, entry-level-priced DSLR.
From fully automatic P&S (Point & Shoot) to fully manual control along with many modes between (including black & white),
the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D offers something to both newbies and pros.
As with all of my reviews to date, my experience is based on use of a retail-purchased model.
Speaking very generally, the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D is to the
Canon 20D what the
Digital Rebel 300D is to the
Canon 10D
(fewer features, lower price).
And generally speaking some more, the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D is to the
Digital Rebel 300D what the
Canon 20D is to the
Canon 10D
(a technology and feature upgrade).
The 350D/Rebel XT is a healthy upgrade from and less feature-handicapped than the
300D.
Who are the potential Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D owners?
P&S owners looking to move up to:
focus that can keep up with a moving subject,
near instant shutter release,
low noise high ISO performance and
DSLR performance/features in a compact body.
Other 350D owner candidates include ...
Film SLR users moving to digital format.
Pro and enthusiast photographers who need a compact and affodable backup body.
EOS 300D Digital Rebel
users looking for more megapixels, better high ISO performance,
faster startup/performance and smaller size.
Pro photographers who don't need more than the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D provides.
And anyone who wants their spouse to have their own
Digital SLR.
The biggest buzz regarding the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D is about its size.
Small.
How small is a personal opinion as it is relative to what you are used to.
Users of any of Canon's previously introduced
Digital SLRs
will think the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D is very small.
Canon Rebel Film SLR users will feel right at home with the 350D.
Enthusiast P&S users will feel comfortable and
compact P&S users will think the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D is large.
Overall size is of course determined by the lens you have attached.
Following are some Canon comparison dimensions (WxHxD) and weights.
| PowerShot G6 | 4.1 x 2.9 x 2.9" | (105 x 73 x 73mm) | 13.4 oz (380g) |
| PowerShot Pro 1 | 4.6 x 2.8 x 3.6" | (118 x 72 x 90mm) | 19.2 oz (545g) |
| Rebel T2 (Film SLR) | 5.1 x 3.5 x 2.5" | (130 x 90 x 64mm) | 12.9 oz (365g) |
| EOS 350D Digital Rebel XT | 5.0 x 3.7 x 2.6" | (127 x 94 x 64mm) | 17.1 oz (485g) |
| EOS 450D Digital Rebel XSi | 5.1 x 3.8 x 2.4" | (128.8 x 97.5 x 61.9mm) | 16.8 oz (475g) |
| EOS 400D Digital Rebel XTi | 5.0 x 3.7 x 2.6" | (127 x 94 x 65mm) | 18.0 oz (510g) |
| EOS 300D Digital Rebel | 5.6 x 3.9 x 2.9" | (142 x 99 x 72mm) | 19.7 oz (560g) |
| EOS 20D | 5.6 x 4.2 x 2.8" | (144 x 106 x 72mm) | 24.2 oz (685g) |
Note: The above comparison between the different camera types is not exactly apples to apples. For example, the PowerShot models include the built-in lens but not other protrusions in their dimensions. But, the figures should be helpful for a general size/weight comparison as should the Canon PowerShot G6, Canon EOS 350D/Digital Rebel XT and Canon EOS 20D comparison picture below. Don't forget - the Digital SLRs still need a lens - and the G6 lens is retracted.
To me personally, the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D seems even smaller in comparison than the numbers imply.
The 350D/Rebel XT is about 15% smaller than 300D.
Besides taking up less space, the small size aids in the 350D's discreteness.
A small viewfinder comes as part of the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D compactness package.
Once again, size is relative.
Canon 1-series body users will think the 350D viewfinder is tiny.
P&S users will think it is nice or even large depending on what they are used to -
and much better than electronic viewfinders (in my opinion at least).
BTW - P&S photographers - There is no live LCD image preview on a
Digital SLR.
Although the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D shares a 1.6x
FOVCF
and 95% viewfinder with the
20D,
it does not share the same viewfinder size.
The viewfinder magnification of the
20D
is .9x while the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D and
300D Digital Rebel
share .8x viewfinder magnification.
Although the 20D
has a larger viewfinder (a nice feature),
viewfinder brightness is similar in comparison.
Another difference is that the
20D
uses a pentaprism viewfinder design while the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D and
the 300D Digital Rebel
use a pentamirror.
You get a rather small but bright optical SLR viewfinder on the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D.
As Digital SLRs
get smaller in body size, there is less room for buttons, controls, displays and - grips.
One of the most controversial aspects of the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D is the grip size.
And again, the grip size is relative to what you are used to.
Photographers used to the Canon 1-Series bodies will find the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D's grip very small.
Enthusiast P&S photographers will find the grip similar to what they are used to -
although the larger diameter lens may leave less finger tip room than
some of the large enthusiast P&S digital cameras.
Pocket P&S users will find the grip to be large.
You can't dig your fingers into the grip as deeply as with Canon's larger bodies.
Simply rotating your right hand around the back of the camera
a bit yields a fine grip for a medium-large hand (in my opinion).
My pinky comfortably slides under the bottom of the body.
Canon has sacrificed some grip volume to achieve their compact design -
You can't have a 1-Series-sized grip in a tiny camera.
What I wish Canon would have included on the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D grip
is the rubberized material from the
20D's grip.
The 300D Digital Rebel
has a rubberized grip but it is not as sticky as the
20D's grip.
A downside to the smaller grip is increased difficulty controlling larger lenses
while holding only the grip.
The lens controls the body instead of vice versa.
The solution to this problem is to simply hold the lens barrel for control.
The Canon BG-E3 Battery Grip
(shown attached below) is an even better solution,
but the small overall size is then partially sacrificed.
With the BG-E3
attached, the portrait grip is very nicely sized with a good tactile feel.
The landscape orientation grip is better than without the
BG-E3,
but not as nice as the portrait grip.
The BG-E3
can be quickly installed/removed to yield the best of both worlds.
If you want a larger landscape grip, choose the
20D or the
300D.
Regardless of the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D's size, it is hard to argue with the light weight.
With a small lens attached,
the 350D/Rebel XT is easy to take with you.
The Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D's styling is very attractive
and overall fit/finish and build quality is relatively good.
It is, of course, not a rugged, weather-sealed Canon 1-Series body,
but there is a large cost differential as well.
And while it may not be quite as rugged as the
20D,
I wouldn't want to drop a
20D either.
The slightly rough, matte-finished plastic exterior feels cheap/weak to some,
but the build of the 350D Rebel XT does not give me concern
(plastic technology is very good today).
A quality rubberized grip would go far in creating a higher quality feel.
Buttons and doors do not have the top-of-the-line quality feel of a 1-Series body,
but they are not flimsy.
On the door topic - do not open the door while the 350D is writing to the CF card
or you will loose the pictures being written.
I view that feature as a flaw, but I generally don't open the door while the camera is writing anyway
(an indicator light on the back makes it plainly visible when this is happening).
I can detect very slight body movement when firmly squeezing the XT grip at just right spot.
Again, this is not a big issue in my opinion.
The Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D's coarse finish marks easily -
especially fingernail marks where the lens mount is closest to the grip.
The flip side is that these marks easily wipe off.
While much of the buzz is about the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D's small size,
I think the 350D/Rebel XT's best attribute is its excellent image quality.
The 350D/Rebel XT has inherited Canon's advanced CMOS sensor and processor technology
including the Digic II processor from the
1Ds Mark II,
1D Mark II and
20D.
Image quality is very similar to the
20D.
Keep in mind that the default Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D settings bump contrast/saturation/sharpness
up a notch from Canon's higher end bodies at their default settings.
Many consumers prefer these settings, and they can of course be adjusted to preference.
My preference is for Parameter (the menu setting) = Parameter 2 (no out-of-the-camera enhancements)
which I then post-process to optimize each individual picture.
With pixels sized about 3x larger than P&S digital camera pixels,
the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D delivers excellent image quality.
Image quality for the price is very high.
Canon utilizes CMOS sensors in their Digital SLRs
stating that CMOS sensors use far less electricity than equivalent CCD sensors.
The Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D's 22.2 x 14.8mm CMOS sensor is not the same as the one used in the
Canon 20D
(the 10D and the
300D utilize the same sensor).
But, the 20D's extra .2 megapixels
is not a differentiator in my opinion and image quality is very similar between the two bodies.
The Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D's Auto White Balance performs very well,
but like all Canon DSLRs, has trouble with incandescent-only lighting (images will appear too red).
Setting the White Balance to a specific or custom setting gives good results
when auto white balance is having trouble.
I personally miss being able to select a specific K (Kelvin) temperature white balance
as possible with the
20D
This is one of my personal most-missed features on the 350D/Digital XT.
The Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D's image noise levels are similar to the
20D - Excellent.
ISO settings of 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1600 (full-stop increments) are available
(the 20D
adds 3200 as an extended option).
The above ISO noise sample 100% crops are from a neutral color block
that typically shows ISO noise well.
These samples were taken in bright sunlight using default settings
(contrast/saturation/sharpness = 1).
Because ISO noise tends to be higher in the blue channel,
you might experience more ISO noise under red-colored lighting (incandescent for example).
At the same time, you might notice less noise in less-neutral colored subjects.
Raw (.CR2), JPEG or Raw + JPEG files (separate .CR2 and .JPG files) can be selected in camera.
Image file sizes vary, but the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D's Raw files are about 8 MB each and
high quality JPEG files are approximately 3 MB each.
In-camera storage is
CompactFlash Card
Type I or II (no SD card storage) and write speeds are over 3x faster than the
300D.
Like the 20D,
the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D features a USB 2.0 port for high speed image downloading.
The 300D has a much slower USB 1 port.
The Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D features far more settings and features than most
of its users will ever change.
What the 350D does not feature is the
300D's
crippled firmware (I doubt there will be a firmware hack for this body).
Photographers familiar with Canon's digital cameras should need little
effort to figure out the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D's controls.
I found them mostly intuitive with my Canon background.
Canon EOS 300D Digital Rebel
owners will be quickly comfortable with the few button changes.
Contrast, saturation, sharpness ... All can be controlled by the photographer.
Notably missing on the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D is the
20D's QCD
(Quick Control Dial - the big round wheel on the back)
It was not present on the 300D,
but it would have been a nice addition to the 350D.
I didn't miss the QCD as much as I expected,
though panning through a zoomed image review is slow without it.
In place of the QCD, the 350D/Digital Rebel XT features Cross Keys (arrow keys).
What the Cross Keys do provide is quick one-button access to 4 functions not present on other buttons:
ISO sensitivity, AF (Autofocus) Mode, Metering Mode and WB (White Balance).
Pressing a Cross Key displays the selected menu option -
which is on the color LCD.
The wheel above the shutter button or the arrow keys allow changes to be made.
I don't like that the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D
requires the "Set" button to be pressed after changing the
ISO sensitivity, Metering Mode, AF Mode setting or White Balance setting
after selecting them using the Cross Keys -
this is not intuitive to me.
And to make matters worse, the selected ISO setting is not displayed on the LCD or in the viewfinder.
I shot a series of bright day shots at ISO 400 because I didn't notice the incorrect ISO setting
(didn't press the "Set" button after changing ISO sensitivity).
Fortunately, ISO 400 is nearly noise free on the 350D.
The Cross Keys provide quick access to the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D menu item being directly referenced.
That is good.
Unfortunately, the menu is hard to read in bright light.
The individual menu items are very dimmed while changing between the various 350D menus.
Unless you memorize which settings are under which menus,
the settings are very difficult to find while searching for the right menu.
Having the common settings on the mono LCD would make them much easier to see in bright sunlight.
Dimming the menu options is a bad idea in my opinion.
Remember that pressing the Jump button while a menu is displayed will
immediately take you to the next menu.
The Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D's color LCD is 1.8" -
the same as the 20D.
A histogram + image is optionally available with image review
(the histogram displays a graph of the brightness of each pixel).
It is very useful for determining if the exposure was correctly determined.
Unfortunately, the size of both the image review and the histogram is very tiny in this mode.
There is no top LCD, but a mono LCD is included on the back for settings display (sans ISO).
Incidentally, my 350D sometimes skips a picture when using the Cross Keys for image review navigation.
The Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D has 3 user-selectable AF modes - AI Servo, AI focus and One Shot.
I regard this as a very nice upgrade from the
300D Digital Rebel
which has only AI Focus.
The Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D is spec'd by Canon to autofocus to the same low light levels as the
300D and the
20D (.5 EV).
The 20D
has 2 additional focus points (9 vs. 7).
I found the 350D/Digital Rebel XT AF performance to be both accurate and quick.
Canon states that the 350D AI Servo AF can track a subject approaching at 180+ MPH
down to 70 or so feet with a fast-focusing lens (see the white paper in the review links below).
I had no trouble in the dark American Museum of Natural History in New York City using a
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L USM Lens attached.
The Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D also has 3 user-selectable exposure metering modes -
evaluative, partial and center weighted.
This is also a nice upgrade from the
300D Digital Rebel.
The Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D shutter speeds range from 30 seconds - 1/4000 second plus bulb
(the shutter stays open as long as you hold the shutter release down) in 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps.
The 20D
bests these specs by going to 1/8000 second.
Shutter speeds this high are typically used to allow a very wide aperture
on a bright day - to blur the background or stop very fast action.
The 305D/Digital Rebel XT is very quiet - which aids in its steathfulness.
The Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D has a shorter shutter release lag time than the
300D (100ms vs. 120ms)
but is still slower than the
20D (65ms).
Viewfinder blackout time is 170ms (the
20D is 115ms, the
300D is 170ms).
The Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D's rated 3 fps (Frames Per Second) high speed drive mode
is slightly faster than the
300D's (2.5 fps)
but slower than the
20D's 5 fps rating.
Some people only use One-Shot mode, others will want the full 5 fps of the
20D.
While the 20D
can fire off 23 JPEGS at 5 fps, the 350D can shoot 14 at 3 fps.
This is still significantly better than the
300D's
4 images at 2.5 fps.
Listen to the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D's shutter sound and frame rate compared to the
20D ...
Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D 3 fps Burst
Canon EOS 20D 3 fps Burst
Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D Single Shot
Canon EOS 20D Single Shot
A quality issue - I found the Rebel XT's shutter to
stick slightly (not return immediately) if I didn't press it in the center.
This issue didn't cause me any problems.
New to the Digital Rebel DSLR line are 9 Custom Functions including Mirror Lockup
(The 300D has no custom functions,
the 20D has 18).
The Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D utilizes the
Canon NB-2LH battery -
the same one used in the Canon PowerShot S60/S70 P&S cameras -
and shares a small cord-free charger (I like this design) with even more
Canon digital camera and MiniDV video camera models.
Canon's Digic II provides a 35% power reduction over the
300D.
Using a reduced-size battery results in a similar-to-the-300D
400 - 600 shot per battery estimate.
Battery life depends on many factors including temperature,
on-board flash utilization, LCD image reviewing ...
In comparison, the 20D
battery is good for about 50% more shots.
Power on the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D and start shooting - nearly immediately.
Like the 20D,
the 350D starts up in .2 seconds.
The 300D's
10x longer 2 second startup seems slow in comparison.
Although I don't like on-board flash as a main light,
I like its availability more than I used to.
It can make a good fill flash - and takes no extra space.
Then there are times when you will want to pull out the camera and capture the moment
(a snap shot) without worrying about the ultimate lighting setup -
and for that purpose, the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D's built-in flash works very well.
Of course, if your lens or lens hood
blocks the flash, you get a big, dark half moon in the bottom of your picture.
The 300D/Digital Rebel XT's built-in flash has been raised higher -
to clear larger (wider/longer) lenses and to reduce the red-eye effect.
But, the difference from
300D's
flash height is only about 5mm.
The on-board flash covers down to a 17mm lens angle of view.
A valuable feature new to the Digital Rebel line is FEC (Flash Exposure Compensation) available in the body.
The 300D Digital Rebel
required one of
Canon's external flashes
featuring FEC for this functionality.
Now, the onboard flash or the relatively inexpensive
Canon Speedlite 420EX Flash
can be adjusted for flash exposure.
The Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D supports Canon's latest flash exposure technology, E-TTL II.
A hot shoe is provided for
external flashes
but no PC Terminal exists for driving external strobes.
The Digital Rebel XT's flash synch speed is 1/200,
slightly slower than the
20D's
1/250 flash synch speed.
The Digital Rebel XT supports High Speed Flash Synch (FP Flash).
Direct print support is provided for PictBridge compatible printers.
All of Canon's Digital SLRs
come with the software necessary to view and post-process digital pictures,
and the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D is no exception.
While I would rather see
Photoshop Elements
included (as with the 20D),
I suspect Canon saved some money by including Arcsoft Photo Studio instead
(I confess that I have not used this software).
Canon's Digital Photo Pro is included for RAW file processing (good software in my opinion).
Canon's Zoom Browser is also included.
Canon is phasing out EOS Viewer Utility (EVU) - it is not included with this model.
Which lens?
The Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D is available in a kit (with a lens) or as a body only -
each in Silver or Black.
The EF-S 18-55mm II lens available in the kit is a cosmetic-only update to the
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens.
It is an inexpensive lens when purchased as part of the kit -
a reasonable value and a useful focal length range.
In addition to the kits lens, the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D is compatible with
all EF and EF-S lenses with a huge selection available.
Those looking for the highest image quality should review the
Canon Lens Recommendations page.
To find a specific version of the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D,
search the retailers listed below for "Canon Rebel XT" (the USA version of its name).
You will want to put this fine camera in a nice case.
I like the Lowepro Toploader Cases,
but the
Lowepro Rezo TLZ-10 and
Lowepro Rezo TLZ-20
provide more compact yet sharp looking padded protection at a lower cost.
They are very nice for the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D with a compact lens.
The Canon RC-1 Wireless Remote is another must-have accessory for the Rebel XT.
My conclusion?
I think the Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D is an excellent value.
It will be the right camera for many people.
And it may be the camera to meet Canon's high Digital SLR sales projection.
Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D Sample Pictures
More Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D Reviews & Information
Canon EOS Rebel XT / 350D Press Release
Canon USA White Paper (4.54 MB)
Canon Camera Museum Technical Report
Digital Workflow
Sensor Cleaning
Luminous-Landscape.com
Gordon Laing
Steve's Digicams
