The Canon EOS Digital Rebel camera that rocked the world of consumer digital SLRs
little more than a year ago now has a new, faster, even smaller, big brother.
Sibling rivalries aside, the 8.0 megapixel Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT SLR, which will
be showcased at PMA 2005, February 20-23 (Canon Booth #3503), in Orlando, Fla.,
adds resolution, speed, an extra dollop of creative control and enhanced comfort in the
hand, to one of the smallest and lightest digital cameras in its class. Despite its
advancements in ergonomic design and technology, this easy to use EOS digital
camera is compatible with all of Canon's EF lenses including the EF-S lenses and still
retains the sub-$1,000 price point, proven crucial to entry-level digital SLR consumers.
Rebel Without A Choice No More
In stores beginning in March, the EOS Digital Rebel XT camera will take its place
alongside the original 6.3 megapixel EOS Digital Rebel camera that first placed an
affordable, high resolution digital SLR into the hands of Canon consumers. The EOS
Digital Rebel XT model is offered in two kit configurations: with and without Canon's
high-quality EF-S 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens. The estimated street price for the
zoom lens kit will be $999* while the estimated street price for the body only kit will be
$899*. The original Digital Rebel will be available at the same time for a reduced
estimated street price of $799* for the zoom lens kit. Standard accessories in both
camera kits include a battery pack and charger, software, manuals, interface cables,
neckstrap and Canon U.S.A. limited warranty. The EOS Digital Rebel XT camera will be
offered in both the stylish brushed silver patina and the sleek Canon matte-black finish.
While many of the feature advancements and innovations on the new EOS Digital Rebel
XT digital camera are inherited from Canon's recently introduced EOS 20D "prosumer"
SLR (which carries a and estimated street price of approximately $1,599*), the two
cameras' most striking technological similarities are their use of Canon's
newly-developed, large single plate, high sensitivity, high resolution color CMOS
imaging sensor technology. While the size of the APS-C CMOS sensor on the EOS
Digital Rebel XT SLR is fractionally smaller than the APS-C CMOS sensor on the EOS
20D camera (22.2 x 14.8 mm versus 22.5 x15.0 mm respectively) accounting in part for
the cameras 8.0 vs. 8.2 megapixel resolution rating, individual pixel dimensions are
identical, and they both provide the same effective angle of view, equivalent to 1.6 x the
normal EF lens focal length.
Finer Photos Faster
The new EOS Digital Rebel XT digital camera can shoot up to 14 consecutive
Large/Fine (8.0 megapixel) JPEGs, five RAW files, or four RAW + Large/Fine JPEGs at
a rate of up to three frames-per-second. The EOS Digital Rebel camera's smaller buffer
permits bursts of only four Large/Fine (6.3 megapixel) JPEG or RAW frames at a rate of
up to 2.5 frames per second.
While reprising the Digital Rebel SLR's ISO range of 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1600,
Canon raised the Auto ISO setting on the Digital Rebel XT model to 400 in order to help
improve image quality, reduce camera shake and brighten the scene behind the subject
when taking a flash photo. The new Digital Rebel XT camera also offers 12 exposure
modes that are user selectable at the turn of a conveniently placed dial. The exposure
modes take into account virtually all shooting conditions and preferences are: Full Auto,
Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, Flash Off, Program AE, Shutter
speed-priority AE, Aperture-priority AE, Manual and Auto Depth-of-Field AE.
In addition to its lossless compression 8.0 megapixel RAW image file option, the Rebel
XT Digital SLR offers users the option of shooting in a range of sizes and quality JPEG
settings (based on shooter's preference, need and end-use requirements) from large (8.0
megapixels) and medium (4.15 megapixels), to small (2.0 megapixels). Within each
resolution option, the user may also select quality settings: large/fine, large/normal,
medium/fine, medium/normal, small/fine and small/normal.
RAW Power
What's more, where the original Digital Rebel camera required dedicated software to
extract embedded middle/fine resolution JPEGs from the larger, uncompressed RAW
image file, the new Rebel XT model saves RAW and large/fine resolution images as
separate files on the Compact Flash card. The user also has the option of selecting
RAW (8.0 megapixel) files only, saving valuable space on the CF card. As with the EOS
20D, the Digital Rebel XT camera's RAW files are denoted by the CR2 extension.
Creative Control
Among the new features found on the EOS Digital Rebel XT camera are user selectable
metering and AF modes, flash exposure compensation control, improved E-TTL II
evaluative flash metering and for the first time in this product category, custom function
control. The Digital Rebel XT SLR even offers a monochrome mode for consumers who
enjoy the subtleties and shadings that only black and white images offer. These
additional controls greatly increase the creative power of the Digital Rebel XT, without
taking away any of the automated functions that made the original Digital Rebel so
popular with beginning photographers.
The Rebel XT camera incorporates nine of the Custom Functions previously found on the
EOS 20D model. Designed to fine-tune camera operation according to personal
preferences, the custom functions offer users a set of programming options for the SET
button/Cross keys, as well as control over long exposure noise reduction; flash sync
speed in AV mode; AF start from the shutter button or AE lock button; AF assist beam;
mirror lockup; E-TTL II metering patterns, and shutter curtain sync.
DIGIC II
Canon's newest and most powerful SLR imaging engine, DIGIC II provides high-precision
and high speed, natural color reproduction including high-saturation, bright subjects,
improved auto white balance, along with increased white balance correction control and
white balance bracketing (another legacy of EOS 20D advances), compared to the
original Digital Rebel camera.
The white balance correction control is a digital color filter that works like a light
balancing filter or a color-compensating filter. Both the blue/amber bias and the
magenta/green bias can be adjusted to +/- 9 levels. While the blue/amber bias
adjustment is standard on the original Digital Rebel model, the Rebel XT camera's
additional magenta/green bias adjustment provides increased color compensation from
the earlier model.
The Rebel XT SLR's white balance bracketing mode enables the camera to
automatically take three images for every shot snapped, each with a different bias
setting. The user can then select the best shot and discard the other two. White
balance bracketing can also be used in combination with white balance correction. The
benefit of all of this white balance wizardry can be found in the photographs with colors
captured accurately and precisely under a wide range of conditions.
In addition to the legion of image quality improvements, DIGIC II speeds up the camera's
performance from start up that is ten times faster on the EOS Digital Rebel XT model
than it is on the EOS Digital Rebel with the original iteration of DIGIC (.2 of a second on
the EOS Digital Rebel XT model compared with 2 seconds on the EOS Digital Rebel
camera).
Utilizing the same 7-point autofocus system as the EOS Digital Rebel camera, the new
EOS Digital Rebel XT SLR is capable of analyzing where a subject is -- even when it is
off center - and almost immediately bringing it into focus. It can also analyze subject
movement and automatically select locking or tracking AF modes as needed. These
features simplify the camera's operation and optimize its performance. The Digital Rebel
XT allows users to select locking or tacking AF modes independently, adding a new
dimension of creative control.
What's more, even though both Digital Rebel SLRs use that identical 7-point autofocus
system, the Rebel XT model's new DIGIC II chip actually help increase the speed of
autofocus calculation and hence the responsiveness of the autofocus itself. For greater
creative control, both cameras also offer users the option of automatic and manual
focusing point selection.
Bundled Software
Both the Rebel XT Camera and lens kit and the body only kit are shipped with three
software discs including EOS Digital Solutions Disc 10 featuring ZoomBrowser EX,
ImageBrowser and ArcSoft PhotoStudio together with other utilities, another disc
containing Digital Photo Professional 1.6 for RAW file conversions, and a third disc
containing PDF versions of the instruction manuals for each application.