I
took the EOS Digital
Rebel XT to the Great
Smoky Mountains National
Park earlier this year
and was able to fit
the camera with three
lenses (a Canon EF
70-300mm DO zoom, a
Canon EF-S 60mm macro
and a Tamron 11-18mm
wide-angle zoom) into
a small waistpack.
The EOS Digital Rebel
XT is a significant
upgrade from the
original Digital
Rebel. The
XT offers a minimal
0.2-second startup
time and more camera
controls, including
built-in flash compensation
and a choice of AF
modes, which the
original didn’t have.
The camera also features
a high-speed, wide-area
autofocus system that
can have its seven
points selected individually;
a bright, easily viewed
viewfinder; depth-of-field
preview; settable shutter
speeds from 1⁄4000
to 30 seconds; and
much more. This may
be Canon’s newest
entry-level digital
SLR in terms of price,
but it’s no basic,
minimally controlled
camera. Canon demonstrates
that it’s possible
to have both “compact” and “full-featured” work
together in the same
unit.
To get this compact
size, Canon uses
a battery that’s
considerably smaller
than any other battery
used for Canon digital
SLRs. This makes
carrying extras convenient,
but you do worry
about
capacity at first.
After a few days
of shooting in the
Smokies,
however, I quit worrying
about the battery.
Canon says it matches
the performance of
the larger batteries
used in the original
Digital Rebel and
my experience confirms
that.
Contact: Canon, (800)
OK-CANON, www.usa.canon.com.
SPECIFICATIONS
Camera
Type: Digital,
interchangeable-lens
SLR
Lens
Mount: Canon
EF and EF-S
Sensor: CMOS
Resolution: 8 megapixels
(3456 x 2304 pixels)
Viewfinder: 95% coverage
of sensor, 0.8x magnification,
pentamirror
LCD: 1.8-inch TFT
Media
Type: CompactFlash
Shooting
Modes: Program,
shutter-priority,
aperture-priority,
depth of field, full
auto, manual
Program
Modes: Portrait,
Landscape, Close-Up,
Sports, Night Portrait,
Flash Off
Exposure
Compensation: ±2
stops in 1/3- or
1/2-EV steps
Metering
System: Evaluative metering,
partial (9%), center-weighted
Shutter
Speeds: 30-1/4000
sec.
ISO
Equivalency: 100-1600
Built-In
Flash: Pop-up,
GN 43 (ISO 100/feet)
Power
Source: Proprietary
Li-ion
Size: 4.98x3.71x2.63
inches
Weight: 17.1 ounces
Street
Price: $899.95
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