The Canon EOS 450D Rebel XSi Is Canon's Best Bang For The Buck
- The Canon EOS Rebel XSi is Canon’s new and improved version of the hugely popular Canon EOS Rebel XTi, also known as the Canon EOS 400D. The Canon Rebel XSi is also known as the Canon EOS 450D.The Canon EOS XSi may quite easily be called Canon’s Best Digital Camera where Best signifies the best combination of features, price and performance. And while there are more expensive Canon Digital Cameras than this that offer more features, more ruggedness, etc., the EOS XSi can stand up to its more lofty siblings to deliver stunningly beautiful photography on any given day of the week. Simply put Canon has taken a good thing and made it better and the Canon loving public has endorsed Canon’s efforts by making this one of Canon’s absolute best selling cameras.Just listen to what Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging, Europe had to say on the launch of this camera and its clear to see why this Canon Digital SLR is such a winner:“The EOS 450D bears the fruits of more than 20 years of ongoing investment into EOS…This camera continues Canon’s policy of taking technologies proven in the professional arena and putting them within reach of a wider market of amateur photographers.” Here are some of the improvements and features to be found in the new Canon XSi:
- 12.2 Megapixel CMOS sensor
- Canon’s EOS Integrated Cleaning System
- 3.5 frames per second
- 3.0” LCD with Live View shooting
- 9-point wide-area AF system with f/2.8 cross-type centre point
- Picture Style image processing parameters
- DIGIC III image processor
- Digital Photo Professional RAW processing software1
- Compact and Lightweight body
- Fully compatible with all Canon EF and EF-S lenses and EX-series Speedlites
In addition to new features such as Canon’s proven DIGIC III image processor which has been proven in Canon’s professional EOS-1 series cameras, the EOS XSi also sports a redesigned menu system that enables features such as direct control of Speedlite flash units from the camera LCD, while a choice of 13 custom functions allows photographers to customize the camera to their individual shooting styles.
The EOS 450D Advantage
Designed for easy use by the just starting amateur photographer all the way up to Professional Photographers this sub $1000 Canon Digital SLR features an improved grip that provides a new and improved ergonomic grip.
With a large 3.0” TFT LCD and a bright viewfinder with 95% image coverage makes for easy image composition.
In addition Canon’s new Auto Lighting Optimizer fine tunes contrast and brightness during image processing, as well as improves skin tones in portraits by ensuring correct exposure of faces.
Canon’s CMOS Advantage
Back in the late nineties Canon pioneered and mastered the art of CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) Sensor production. At this time using CCD (charged coupled diode) Sensors was the preferred image capture method and it was thought that Canon was venturing down a dead alley.
However Canon proved the pundits wrong and today even Nikon offers CMOS Sensors in their higher end cameras. One of the benefits of CMOS Technology is that its power consumption is less than that of a similar capacity CCD, thus making for improved camera battery life, and a new high capacity battery extends shooting time on a single charge to a maximum of 500 shots.
CCD (charge coupled device) and CMOS image sensors are two different technologies for capturing images digitally. Each has unique strengths and weaknesses giving advantages in different applications. Neither is categorically superior to the other, although vendors selling only one technology have usually claimed otherwise. In the last five years much has changed with both technologies, and many projections regarding the demise or ascendence of either have been proved false. The current situation and outlook for both technologies is vibrant, but a new framework exists for considering the relative strengths and opportunities of CCD and CMOS imagers.
Canon develops and manufactures all its key components in-house, thus offering photographers a unique quality advantage. The EOS 450D’s specially designed 12.2 Megapixel sensor employs Canon’s high-sensitivity, low-noise CMOS technology to produce richly detailed images that exhibit minimal grain. The new and improved DIGIC III processor ensures and rapid response times plus superior image rendering, with an almost instant 0.1 start up.
The Canon Rebel XSi features 14 bit data processing as opposed to the previously used 12 bit standard while delivering a burst rate of 3.5 frames per second. To truly put these numbers into perspective consider the fact that in 12 bit processing there are 4096 discreet levels of color and tonal information per channel, compared to 16,384 discreet levels per channel with 14 bit process. Now consider that the new DIGIC III processor works with the image buffer to handle up to 53 JPEGs (6 in RAW) without interruption and you can now imagine the tremendous power of the new Canon Rebel XSi.
Canon XSi - Live View
This feature is available for the first time on a Canon consumer D-SLR. Live View makes it easier to shoot from awkward angles, such as ground-level macro shots or when shooting from a tripod. In Live View mode an image is displayed as a smooth, 30fps video feed on the 3.0” LCD, which is 50% brighter than the screen of the EOS 400D. A live histogram as well as a grid line display can be selected to help with shot exposure and composition.
And while focusing, the photographer can zoom in on specific details with up to 10x magnification of the image displayed on the LCD screen. The Rebel XS is equipped two types of focusing systems…
Quick AF flips the camera mirror momentarily to engage the AF sensor. While
Live AF uses the image contrast data to focus
Canon Rebel XS – In The Studio
In the studio remote Live View lets the photographer compose, adjust settings and capture the shot from a PC using the supplied EOS utility software and in addition the EOS 450D is supplied with a comprehensive software suite that provides everything the photograph needs to manage and process images.
This includes Digital Photo Professional (DPP), a powerful RAW converter that provides complete RAW image processing control. DPP also integrates with camera features such as Dust Delete Data and Picture Styles. The supplied Picture Style Editor software can be used to create custom Picture Styles for fine control over colour display. The EOS Rebel XSi also comes with EOS Utility, Photostitch & Image/Zoom Browser and
Canon EOS Rebel ~ Addition Points Worth Considering
4% spot metering has been added, allowing for greater control over exposure in tricky lighting conditions, while the viewfinder now displays all key exposure information, including ISO speed. In addition photographers can correct horizons and add picture effects before printing utilizing PictBridge’s new and improved functionality
The Canon XSi is one powerful Canon Digital Camera that you will never regret buying. In fact in terms of Bang For Your Buck this Digital SLR is simply The Best Canon Camera That Money Can Buy!
