Canon Rebel XSi official, move over XTi

Looks like the Rebel XTi is officially last(-last) year's model -- just in time for PMA Canon's updating their new consumer DSLR with some sexy new features. No shots of the camera yet, ironically, but here's the dirt:

• 12.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS (1.6x focal conversion)
• 3-inch live view LCD (up from the XTi's non-live-view 2.5-inch)
• DIGIC III image processor
• 9-point AF, 3.5fps shot rate (up to 45 images in JPEG, 6 in RAW)
• The usual ultrasonic sensor cleaning
• SD / SDHC media
• Ships April, $799 and $899 for body-only / included EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens, respectively

Also, two new telephoto lenses announced. More on those after the break.

Gallery: Canon Rebel XSi official, move over XTi

• 
• 
• 

Two new lenses include:

EF800mm f/5.6L IS USM

• OIS
• 5360g / 11.8-pounds
• $12,000, out in May

EF200mm f/2L IS USM

• OIS
• 1.9m / 6.2-foot close-focus
• 3000g / 6.6-pounds
• $6,000, out in April

[Ethyriel @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:24PM]

Oh, what the hell is this with the downgrade to SD memory? I was so psyched about this until I saw that little nugget.

Come on Nikon, do us right with the D90.

[CL @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:38PM]

I used to prefer CF over SD too, they used to be cheaper, higher capacity. But now those advantages basically doesn't exist anymore with SDHC, not to mention most gadgets these days use SD also, so it will be much easier for the average consumer.

[Ethyriel @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:40PM]

slower, too

[Taylor @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:33PM]

Downgrade my ass. CF lovers need to get over themselves. Its a big ass card with no real benefits over SD. I'm in for one for sure.

http://taylorwilsdon.com

[forbidden_hero @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:39PM]

actually, CF is more durable then SD Cards, they are less easy to get lost cause of their size and i think i can snap an SD in half easier then a CF card. I am a professional photographer and would never get a camera that uses SD..

[Tom @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:51PM]

No real benefits? Larger capacity, faster speeds for one (even though most cameras can't transfer data at those speeds). Another benefit to photographers is physical ruggedness and resistance to rain and other crap out there in the environment (remember the Engadget article on the camera whose pictures were recovered after two years under water? That was CF). Because of the open IDE standard, there is also a wider gamut of compatibility between systems and cards alike.
Granted, for most people there aren't many advantages, but next time I shoot in the rain I am going to take all the precautions I can to make sure my pictures stay on my card.

PS - Nobody cares about your fucking blog.

[Joe @ Jan 24th 2008 12:12AM]

to forbidden_hero:
Huh? You don't like SD because of their size and look? OK, so CF cards are a bit cheaper ($19 vs $21 for a 1gb Sandisk Ultra II card at newegg).

Are you just upset because you probably have tons of CF cards lying around? Don't want to move up to a new technology?

A "pro" who refuses to get a camera that uses a memory card that is pretty much standard in most P&S's and now in DSLR's? Wow. Someone has a grudge... haha.

But seriously... why? I don't understand why it's that big of a deal... its pocket change compared to lenses.

[Tom @ Jan 24th 2008 12:40AM]

Joe:
It's not his refusal to move to new technology - it's refusal to move to slower, more expensive, less reliable technology. There's generally a reason why pros use certain things - you don't see a pro touring car driver driving a tuned Chevette in his spare time. It might cost as much and have as much horsepower as his own M3, but there's no way it handles as well or is as reliable as his weekend-driver BMW M3.

I'm a photo major soon to be working in the field. I see ZERO reason to switch to SD and some compelling reasons to keep my pouch full of CF cards around for some time to come.

[Yem @ Jan 24th 2008 1:22AM]

I don't know how anyone can honestly claim reliability in favour of CF. CF uses PINS. PINS goddamnit. Seriously. Bend a socket pin and show me how reliable they are. Camera out of action until professionally repaired. Yeah I appreciate the IDE interface, speed and capacity of CF but the pins are a dealbreaker. SD all the way.

The physical size argument is hilarious BTW.

[T-Bone @ Jan 24th 2008 10:32AM]

I am a professional photographer and would never get a camera that uses SD..

That's a pretty stupid statement. Besides, this isn't a professional camera, so why worry?

[Justin @ Jan 24th 2008 1:12PM]

I'm a professional photographer* too and SD cards are better than CF! Haha! Also, any "pro" who cares what the digital Rebel is rocking is a hack. Get a real pro camera.

*Disclaimer- Its the internet, so you know I am not really a professional photographer. I am a professional stunt driver, model, and am dating two Victoria's Secret Models at the moment though, so my opinion still means something.

[Josh @ Jan 24th 2008 3:58PM]

I would never switch from CF, the size of the card is actually one of the benefits to them, i can easily grab one when my fingers a numb from the cold and just pop it into the slot or accidentally drop it and kick it a few times with absolutely no damage to the card, physically or in the data. They are cheaper and faster and larger too, but i am sure that doesn't matter to all of you who don't have to worry about dropping extra money for the same thing.

Why wouldn't you use CF?

[Matt @ Jan 24th 2008 7:25PM]

did you say big ass? Do you remember 5 1/4 floppies that held 320Kb?

[Snipermonky @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:37PM]

I can get over the SD memory options. DPR has shots of the 450D and a review to boot.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0801/08012403canoneos450d.asp

[celeritas @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:37PM]

I'm a little surprised that this camera has a higher resolution sensor than the 40D but the difference between 12 and 10 megapixels is no big deal anyway. The downgrade to SD/SDHC from CF cards is a turn off. That means 350D/400D users will have to buy new memory cards if they want to upgrade but I guess it worked for Nikon in the D40/D80.

[Jose Z. @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:45PM]

Well i guess they have to cater to entry level photographers who look more at megapixel.

[Tony @ Jan 24th 2008 1:55AM]

Why would a 350d/400d user pay $800 for something that's practically the same?

[Jeff @ Jan 24th 2008 2:23AM]

As a camera retailer, I personally welcome the addition of SD Cards. Note that this camera isn't really for a pro. For a pro, I'd recommend an EOS 40D as it has the flexibility options and speed that a pro needs. This is an entry level digital SLR to get the consumerinto SLR photography. Its easier to sell a first time buyer an SD card than a CF card afterall.

In fact, I've had some consumers choose a Nikon D40x over a Canon XTi because SD cards were cheaper and for that fact ALONE.

[Blacksheep @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:40PM]

I have a now "old" XT and I am upset to see the move to SD memory. I know my Wii and every other camera seems to use it, but I like the fact that CF has grown in size up to 32gb and is growing. SD is just catching up now with SDHC but with its size, I always wonder when it will max out.

[Taylor @ Jan 24th 2008 12:12AM]

Yeah, but i can't see myself EVER using a 32GB card for a camera unless the file sizes get huge... I have a couple 2 gig cards, and a 4 gig card might be nice, but the vast majority of the time i ever only use the one 2 gig card... There are two problems with large memory cards: the first one is that if you lose 32GB of photos (by losing the card itself), that's a LOT more photos than a 1 gig card. Also, a smaller card forces me to take the pictures off the card after every shoot, forcing me to go through them.
The other problem is that if you leave them all on the card, once you decide to go through the pictures, going through 32GB of photos would take forever... I went through 1200 photos after a big basketball game (i was playing around with shooting more than i thought was necessary, to see if it's a good idea), and it took me about 2.5 hours of solid sifting to go through them all. Even that was only a couple of gigs... can you imagine going through 32 gigs of photos? You'd probably miss half the good ones!
So yeah, i'm sure there are special needs where a 32 gig card could be useful in a still camera, but i can't possibly imagine that being good for a normal photog. Even on long trips it's best to load pics to a laptop at the end of the day, while you still remember what photos you took that were good. And if you really need the storage? Two 16 gig SD cards still takes up less space in your bag than one CF card.
-Taylor

[Jose Z. @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:42PM]

Id so get this camera if it wasn't for the fact that there is no quick control dial at the back.

SD? oh well, SD cards not that expensive, if you can afford to buy an slr you can afford memory for it.

At least Canon upgraded its base kit lens to an IS lens =P

[Mike P. @ Jan 24th 2008 2:46AM]

Agreed... I changed from the XT to the 30D, and picking up my friends' XTs or XTis, I can't stand the lack of the control dial. Makes everything much quicker, without finicky button combos. Plus, the 8-way nub for photo playback is a plus...

I am a bit irked, though that I paid 699$ for my 17-85mm f/4.0-5.6 IS on TOP of the 30D body cost, while the 40D now comes with it... at the same price I paid for my 30D's body. Well, I guess that's technology...

[Schut @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:45PM]

They should have made this a transitional camera with both SD and CF.

[TheNomad @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:48PM]

I certainly won't be getting one now then for the wife if it means having to replace the 300 or so GB of CF Cards & Microdrives we use between us on our existing Canon's.
I have a feeling that Canon are doing this to try to get the Nikon users that have similar amounts of flash memory to consider their cameras now (not speaking about the Pro's that have multiple lenses for their Nikons, but the general DSLR user that only uses the stock lenses). Another reason could be that CF/Microdrives are becoming more and more difficult to buy on the street (especially in the UK) at a reasonable price (most stockists of them have old stock that they have paid a lot more for than what they cost nowadays). Locally to me, the cost of CF per GB is double what SD is.

[Ethyriel @ Jan 24th 2008 12:08AM]

Let's see, you can readily get CF cards that read at about 40MB/s, while with SD you're stuck at about 20MB/s. But, to get anything bigger than 4GB until recently you were stuck at about 6MB/s, now you can pay through the ass to get 20MB/s. If you're going to pay through the ass, again, what's this huge benefit of SD?

While you're just starting to be able to get 16GB SDHC cards, we're starting to see 32GB CF cards.

Sure, with CF you often have to choose between speed and capacity, but at least you have the choice. And often when you choose capacity, you're still as fast as the fastest SD.

[Taylor @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:57PM]

No camera is going to choke on a 150x SDHC card. With an 8gb card, how often are you going to be taking it out anyways? They're plenty rugged as far as I'm concerned. I've had SD and CF cards survive a swim before. As a previous XTi owner, I will say that I prefer SD cards in my D80.

And the fucking blog has pictures that engadget doesn't.

[chadow @ Jan 24th 2008 12:02AM]

If only they could have dropped the 'Rebel'. Even renaming it to the 'Loner' or 'Ruffian', would have been an improvement.......(not really)

Still...it is nice, as is most everything Canon makes.

[Tony @ Jan 24th 2008 2:00AM]

I actually prefer Rebel, at least over alpha-numeric names.

Just look at the onslaught of alpha-numeric names in cars.

[Mr.Gadget Australia @ Jan 24th 2008 12:07AM]

Anyword on the 7D?

[Temple @ Jan 24th 2008 1:25AM]

If it ain't announced at the PMA we'll probably have to wait till Photokina in September. We don't know if the 5D replacement will be called a "7D" BTW.

[Porkchop Flavored Cupcake @ Jan 24th 2008 12:09AM]

Everybody's ragging on it because it uses SD/SDHC instead of Compact Flash, ha!
What a lame ass argument.
Claiming it isn't a pro feature, and it's slower, etc. etc.
Well, hey here's a news flash, the 450D isn't a pro camera intended for pro-use, let alone high speed shooting.
So get the fuck over the SD/SDHC card option jack asses.

Besides, for folks who've been shooting with the Nikon D50, D40, D40x, and D80 you don't hear us complaining much do you? So get down off your high horses and use it, or ride off into the sunset with your compact flash cards and pro-gear quitely into the sunset.

Oh, and another thing....
One big benefit to having SDHC cards is that they are cross-compatible between my DSLR and AVCHD camcorder, so that sounds pretty fucking convenient wouldn't you say?

[theycallmetak @ Jan 24th 2008 5:53AM]

Pretty fucking convenient if you want shitty HD. AVCHD sucks. Use a MiniDV for your HD capture.

[rob @ Jan 24th 2008 12:13AM]

ugh... needs more FPS.... they can do better than 3.5, even for the rebel line

[Taylor @ Jan 24th 2008 12:21AM]

If they did it would damn near be better than the 40D! I'm sure they did that on purpose because really, most people don't need that much, and if you do, you buy a 40D. Especially since the 40D uses a special mechanism to get that higher framerate, which is likely more expensive than the mechanism used in the XSi.
I'm sure the 40D is more customizable, but at first glance, the XSi is better spec'd than the 40D on everything except framerate, so the 40D needs to be better somehow!
-Taylor

[Za @ Jan 24th 2008 12:30AM]

To be honest, I feel like you either have never shot an SLR or don't really understand how to use one properly. Anything that requires faster burst rate than that would probably be worth buying a better camera for.

[Za @ Jan 24th 2008 1:00AM]

To be honest, I feel like you either have never shot an SLR or don't really understand how to use one properly. Anything that requires faster burst rate than that would probably be worth buying a better camera for.

[Taylor @ Jan 24th 2008 12:17AM]

I bet they used SD to make the camera smaller - I just got a 40D and my friend got an XTi, and i never realized this, but the XTi is SOOO much smaller than the 40D. With SD they could make it even smaller, and that might be part of the reason. Personally though i love the size (and everything else, heh) of my 40D. :)
-Taylor

[Temple @ Jan 24th 2008 12:19AM]

Wish they would allow over 1600 ISO on the Rebels. Clearly the CMOS sensor is capable of it, I would have thought that since the new Sony A200 and Pentax K200 has now added 3200 ISO that Canon would follow. Rather unfortunate being that it seems to be a common feature in even the low-end DSLRs, I could only imagine its intentionally disabled to keep distance between the Rebel and the 40D.

[Taylor @ Jan 24th 2008 12:23AM]

I know it was intentionally disabled in the original rebels. A hacked 20D firmware could be loaded onto the rebel to make it available again (which i did with mine), but the sensors weren't good enough yet for that to be useful...
-Taylor

[Ian @ Jan 24th 2008 12:28AM]

If you think there's any real disadvantage to using SD cards over CF, lets hear them. I'm sure there's an equally good, or better, counter-argument for all of the negatives you can list.

SD cards are slower? The card isn't the limiting factor with regards to speed. If you shoot at 3.5 fps for 5 seconds, the camera probably still would not hiccup. And who just holds the shutter down for 5 seconds, anyway?

SD cards aren't as sturdy: What exactly do you do with your cameras? I have never had a problem with any of my memory cards, and I own CF cards (for my D300), SD (for my small Canon, which I don't use anymore because it's not that great), and xD cards (for my Fuji F31fd, an awesome camera). Doesn't matter what type I use. Just put the card in and forget it's there. And when I open up the memory card door, I don't expect to see a broken or mangled card.

[Yem @ Jan 24th 2008 1:27AM]

You can bend the delicate pins in a CF socket. Can't do that with SD. I've had a camera repaired for that very reason before, SD wins.

[Ethyriel @ Jan 24th 2008 1:47AM]

No, these prosumer cameras won't be significantly slowed by an SD card (though there will be some extra delay from write speeds). My issue is how fast I can unload the card using a good card reader.

[Stew @ Jan 24th 2008 7:07PM]

Yem, I have had an SD card's pins get scratched up enough that it was impossible to retrieve the photos from my card. That's what you get when they are exposed like that.

[Snapper @ Jan 24th 2008 12:48AM]

I use a firewire compact flash reader to get pictures off my 30D - a far speedier option than an USB2 reader. As far as I know, there is no firewire SD reader. I wonder why?

[sinai @ Jan 24th 2008 1:01AM]

quit talking about your camera like your penis size depends on it. especially anyone who starts with "im a professional photographer, and..."

obviously this camera isn't for pros. it seems like to me CF production is down, SD production is way up, an if it can make a less-than-pro camera shave off a few cubic inches, it's all fine by me.

Wait, no quick-dial? are you SURE this is going to REPLACE the XTi?

[Shadyman @ Jan 24th 2008 1:06AM]

SD??? Jeez.

Time to move up to the pro-grade instead of the pro-sumer.

[Temple @ Jan 24th 2008 1:21AM]

Actually the 40D and 5D are still considered "prosumer" cameras by Canon. The Rebel is only a entry-level "consumer" camera. Only the 1D MkIII and 1Ds MKIII are actually considered "Professional-grade" by Canon.

[aoi tsuki @ Jan 24th 2008 1:08AM]

i'm assuming (more like praying) that they're saving the CF slots for their prosumer and pro line of DSLRs starting currently with the 40D and 5D. Honestly, i haven't run into the speed issue much, but i hate the smaller size of SD cards. i prefer the bulkier CF cards -- much easier to grab onto and harder to lose.

[ryos @ Jan 24th 2008 1:09AM]

Well, I guess I could use Eye-Fi to transfer the data to my NAS automatically?

[Ben @ Jan 24th 2008 1:29AM]

Hopefully the XTi comes down in price a bit now. Been eyeing that one for months but don't think it necessarily merited the extra cost over the D40 previously.