How would you change Canon's Rebel XSi?

For the DSLR hardcore, we doubt you waited much more than a day or two after launch before securing a Rebel XSi of your own, and for newcomers to the fold, you may have snatched one up after hordes of reviewers gave it an expected thumbs-up. Whatever the case, we're eager to know what's gone right and wrong with the first thousand or so clicks. Has it lived up to your expectations? Are you decidedly joyous about the image quality? Could anything stand to be tweaked / reworked / overhauled completely? You ponied up some serious change for this thing, so don't let emotion get in the way of telling Canon how you really feel.

[kb2zuz Posted May 25th 2008 3:10PM]

My buddy just picked up a hasselblad lens to Canon EOS body adapter. No auto stop-down, but still works great. Quite impressive when using the 50mm on the 1Ds MkIII.

[Sp33d Posted May 24th 2008 2:24PM]

I've made the jump from my XTi (2years with it) to the 40d and am happy I did.. The 40d feels better, handles better, is faster, and is built stronger compared to the XTi. the XTi is physically so similar to the XSi that they definitely carry the feel of an Entry-Level DSLR's.. It's not a vertical upgrade if you're going from the XTi to XSi.

-Drop the "Rebel" name.. BLEHH

-Go back to CF cards! SD cards of any class are SLOWWW!
http://www.hjreggel.net/cardspeed/speed-by-cards.html
My 2.5year old CF cards outguns any SD card of today in R/W performance. I picked up a new UDMA CF card paired with a UDMA USB reader and it's EXTREMELY FAAST. 4Gb of photos transfer in under 3 minutes.

-Include an 18-55 is USM lens or 28-135 IS USM (from the 40d)

-include the Canon backpack to haul all your nice new shiny camera gear.

[say592 Posted May 24th 2008 5:11PM]

Price.

Its not exactly the entry dSLR, but a lower price is always nice.

[fyngyrz Posted May 24th 2008 8:09PM]

Higher non-stretched ISO. It's all about the ability to gather light and use it well; every time ISO goes up, your lens collection becomes more versatile.

I already have a 40D; waiting eagerly for 50D on the assumption it'll reach past ISO 1600.

The magic number for me is the ISO that lets an F/8 lens (or telescope) shoot the Orion nebula in about one second. We're talking VERY high ISO's now. 100k plus. Technically doubtful at best... you'd be counting individual photons. Accurately.

Right now, the only lens I have that can capture Orion in 1 second (at ISO 1600) is an f/1.2 85mm. That's some expensive glass without much gain. Right now, we either have to use a tracking mount (works very well, quite expensive) or stack multiple exposures for gain as opposed to noise reduction (doesn't work all that well) or both (really, really works well, quite expensive) if we want to use tighter apertures, which we do need to do if we want more magnification.

[(Unverified) Posted May 25th 2008 2:42AM]

I have about 2000 clicks on my 450d and what I've noticed is that the jpegs are a bit over processed with default params. Raw+jpg for more control. I'm still trying to dial in the auto processing settings for what I consider to be a good jpeg. The creative zones are where you'll have the most fun with this camera IMO. It's a good camera, and a HUGE leap forward from the 300d.

[(Unverified) Posted May 26th 2008 9:25AM]

Live View is NOT pointless.

Sure, there are many out there that might complain that it's not "real photography" if you "cheat" and use the live view...absolute crap.

A REAL photographer know it's all about the capture and the editing, not necc the steps taken to get there.

Live view has been an invaluable tool to me, in many instances; I will never give up the viewfinder though!

[(Unverified) Posted May 25th 2008 12:47PM]

I would get rid of the mechanical shutter and give it an electronic shutter and viewfinder.

Then, I would give it movie capability and a feature set similar to the Casio EX-F1, complete with HD movies, 60fps snapshots, and high-speed movies. I would keep the interchangeable lenses, of course, and make is a completely new class of camera.

I would also put a high resolution screen on the back like the Sony a700 and the Nikon D300 has. Or at least I would put the Panasonic TZ5's screen on it.

[kb2zuz Posted May 25th 2008 3:08PM]

Lower the megapixel count (6-8MP is really all you'll probably need), in turn you'd increase the pixel pitch give you large photo-sites which in turn will lower the high-ISO noise.

And get rid of that horrible kit lens. At this point glass is more important to the image than the body/sensor in most situations.

[(Unverified) Posted May 26th 2008 10:13PM]

A Nikon F mount.

[(Unverified) Posted May 28th 2008 1:38AM]

Can it play doom?

[(Unverified) Posted May 27th 2008 3:05PM]

I dont own a XSi but with all the bitching I gotta add my .2

I bought a CF > SD card adapter for my 40D simply to standardize on 1 format (finally). The Canon G7 is my backup/underwater camera and it takes SDHC...my MacBook Pro express card slot has a permanent multi-card reader that takes SDHC and too small for CF, so I felt it only right to standardize on the SDHC format. For $15 on ebay I made my camera life easier. I have not had any problems with buffer write speeds as compared to my old 6gb microdrive (that Im always paranoid will attract a magnet like my last one did) http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350064203816

[Michael Scrip Posted May 27th 2008 7:35PM]

That's why I welcome the move to SD cards. Most new laptops have a built in card reader, so SD cards can be used without an external reader.

I've never been a snob to memory card formats. I just buy whatever cards the camera needs. But it looks like SD cards are fast becoming a standard format for a majority of cameras. So why wouldn't Canon put them in their lowest DSLR? Nikon's lower DSLRs are also using SD.

[dandan206 Posted May 27th 2008 9:05PM]

No one mentioned the high capacity batteries! Upgrading is a waste unless they put a full frame sensor in there. Then I would upgrade for sure, for that price. It is most likely that canon will never drop the crop sensors because their sales in EF-S lenses would die, and canon users would become fed up with them. Same for Olympus which claims they have the best lenses for their digital gear.

[(Unverified) Posted May 27th 2008 11:37PM]

I have been trying to shop for a beginner D-SLR camera. I have considered so many, but my search led me down to deciding between the Sony A200 and the Canon EOS Rebel XSi.

What do you Canon fanatics have to say about Sony's A200 with a body built-in Image Stablization?

How is the quality of the shots taken at increasing ISO's on JPEG and RAW formats?

I need someone to respond to these questions before I buy my first DSLR.

Thanks.

[(Unverified) Posted May 28th 2008 1:47AM]

Sorry this is off-topic, but I intend to hike the Long Trail in Vermont this summer (270 mi) and I'm looking for a camera that can do justice to Mother Nature and its sweeping vistas. How does this camera stack up for landscape shots? I'm also looking for a good balance between function, battery life, and weight. Ansel Adams had to carry around a hell of a lot more to snap the National Parks so I guess I shouldn't complain too much. But every ounce adds up! My photography experience is virtually nonexistent and I have a crappy point-and-shoot that burns landscapes like Gen. Sherman.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 3rd 2008 10:59AM]

Look up "Rebel" then see if it might not be a good idea to dump the name

Considering the price as well as the specifications, it really ought not have a cute nick-name.

"EOS" is a whole and sufficient name for this serious camera

[Gibson Posted Jun 2nd 2008 3:45PM]

LAST POST YES

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 9th 2008 4:39PM]

I would adapt it to use film.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 14th 2008 9:04AM]

I'm thinking about buying one of these. I have an old 35mm canon that I love, and would like to get into the 21st century and go digital, therefore I would be a beginner.
However since I haven't had one of these before most of your comments are like greek to me. It sounds like some of you agree that this is a good beginner digital camera and some don't. If you think there's a better one (beginner one) let me know and if you think this would be fine, then also let me know.
Thanks