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Various sources (dpreview with a hands-on, tdp) announced the release of Canon’s newest update to the Rebel series. The XSi, in short, has:

• Live view on a 3″, 230K-pixel LCD and contrast-detect AF (good)
• Digic III (expected)
• Larger viewfinder, about the size of the 30D’s (good)
• Updated hotshoe (no biggie)
• Updated grip/texture/physical look and feel (expected)
• 3.5FPS vs. 3FPS on the XTi (no biggie, but always appreciated)
• 12.2MP CMOS sensor (expected; this will increase noise, but Canon usually does well here)
• 14-bit A/D conversion (same as on the 40D, mkIII)
• Improved AF system (expected, appreciated; still only one cross-type sensor)
• Highlight-tone priority, noise reduction (same as on the 40D, mkIII)
• “Auto Lighting Optimizer” with face detection (Canon’s version of Nikon’s D-Lighting)
• Spot meter (always appreciated)
• LP-E5 lithium battery (incompatibility problems, but usually not too big of an issue)
• ISO in viewfinder, ISO button on top of camera (good)
• Memory-card door open warning (same as on the newer Canons and good)
• SD memory cards (really brings down the package in my personal opinion)

That last bit about SD memory broke the deal for me. If you have a bunch of SD cards already or don’t mind using them, you’ll love the XSi. I’m actually leaning toward the XTi for that one reason alone; the rest of the XSi looks like a worthwhile upgrade. However, that would mean I won’t be able to share cards between, say, a 40D and a Rebel. (Granted, I would be able to share between a Powershot and the XSi.)

In short, for $800 (or $900 with the new EF-S 18-55 IS kti lens), you’ll get a very capable, well-designed, highly-compatible EOS camera that sadly can’t take CF memory cards.

Posted by Michael at 11:43 pm under Canon