Canon EOS Rebel XS (silver, with 18-55mm lens)

Photo gallery:
Canon EOS Rebel XS

The baby brother to the Rebel XSi, the Canon EOS Rebel XS is the typical, almost-identical, but slightly less-powerful, version of that camera.

As with the XSi, Canon offers two body designs for the XS--an attractive solid black, and a less-attractive, two-tone, silver and black style. Each only comes in a single-lens kit with the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens. Though it essentially uses the same body as the XSi, it shaves a couple of ounces of the weight; it only weighs 1 pound, 1.6 ounces. Its smooth, plastic body still feels a little on the cheap side, and I'm not crazy about the grip. I can't quite put my finger on the reason; it's not especially shallow, and Canon improved it over the XTi's with a more rubbery-feeling cover. Still, I don't find it as comfortable to hold as most other dSLRs. Almost all the buttons lie under your right hand, and each feels slightly different so that you can grope them without looking. None require two-handed operation; when you push the button to change ISO, white balance, metering and so on, the menu persists while you navigate the options. (For more on the camera design, click through the slide show.)

The biggest operational advantage the XS offers over competitors is My Menu, which, unlike some other features, it inherits from higher-end models. With My Menu you can build a go-to-list of the most frequently accessed menu settings--in my case, for instance, Format and Live View settings. However, like the XSi, the menus can be--irritatingly--a little inconsistent and sometimes dumb. For instance, you can change ISO sensitivity with either the dial or the navigation buttons, but can only navigate metering choices via the navigation buttons. Also, in some cases, when you have two columns to navigate, as with Picture Style settings, it doesn't let you navigate to the right or left; you must navigate all the way down the first column to get to the settings in the second.

But, I consider the AF indicators in the viewfinder the most annoying aspect of operating the XS (this was true in the XSi, as well). The AF indicators are tiny red dots that briefly flash when focus locks. They're neither persistent nor large enough to be easy to spot, so I frequently found myself having to prefocus several times to make sure that the spot was on the correct subject and that it was focused. As you can imagine, it slows shooting a bit. Is it more annoying than the faint focus lines Sony uses? I think so.

For the most part, the XS offers a solid set of entry-level specs: 10-megapixel, APS-C-size, CMOS sensor (for Canon's traditional 1.6x focal-length multiplier) and 7-point user-selectable autofocus system. That falls between the Nikon D60's paltry three-area AF and the 9- and 11-point AF systems in the competing Sony Alpha DSLR-A200 and Pentax K200D, respectively. I also mark the switch from CompactFlash to SDHC in the plus column. Also, like the XSi, the XS includes Canon's Auto Lighting Optimizer, which automatically adjusts contrast and brightness in case the image you captured isn't quite perfect. Introduced last year in the 40D, the Auto Lighting Optimizer is now available in all exposure modes and employs face detection to prevent the underexposure of backlit faces I complained about in the XTi (and it works). Remaining specifications are in line with the XSi. For example, shutter speeds range from 30 seconds to 1/4000 of a second, with a flash sync speed of 1/200 of a second, and the camera employs a 35-zone TTL-metering system. Canon also offers the BG-E5 battery grip.

On the other hand, the XS lacks common perks Sony, Pentax, and Olympus include in their cameras, like in-body mechanical stabilization and a wireless flash controller in the body--a feature that I occasionally find quite useful. The inclusion of an image-stabilizing kit lens doesn't quite compensate, since additional optically stabilized lenses tend to cost more in the long run. The XS' sensitivity range also tops out at ISO 1600, whereas some others go to ISO 3200 (but those models generally don't have usable photo quality at that level). Though it offers a Live View shooting mode with contrast-detection AF, Live View's usefulness is limited without support from an articulating LCD, and it functions too slowly to be of any use with live subjects. Furthermore, all the manufacturers seem to incorrectly think that the equivalent of Canon's Picture Styles--custom contrast, sharpness saturation and color tone--are more important in this market segment than the capability to save groups of custom exposure, white balance, metering, drive-mode settings, and so on. My biggest peeve, though, is the lack of a spot meter--not even the huge 4-percent spot from the XSi.

Another attribute of the XSi but that the XS lacks is the Highlight Tone Priority mode, which helps preserve detail in the brightest portion of a scene. And the XS has a 2.5-inch LCD compared with the XSi's 3-inch version (the A200 and K200D have 2.7-inch LCDs).

Overall, in CNET Labs' tests the XS outperforms all but the D60 for shooting speed. It goes from power-to-photo in a bit less than 0.2 second. At 0.4 second in good conditions, the XS' JPEG-shooting lag matches the rest; its 0.8-second duration in dim conditions is quite good for any class--just a bit slower than the D60 and inexplicably far better than the XSi. Once focused, shot-to-shot time typically takes about 0.7 second for raw shots--oddly, JPEG shooting is a much faster 0.4 second (these days there's typically no difference between raw and JPEG speed in dSLRs). Adding flash-recycling time bumps it to only 0.8 second, which is also very good for any class, and is the same as the D60. Burst JPEG shooting outpaces all but the K200D, however, that camera is limited to about five shots per burst--the XS goes to at least 85. It's pretty close to the D60's burst rate, however. The raw shooting slows after three frames and, like the XSi, maxes out at six frames; you'll have to move to another class of camera if you take shooting your childrens' soccer games really seriously.

The Rebel XS' only really obvious advantage over the competition is its photo quality, which is quite good, especially at high ISO sensitivities. In general, color and exposures are accurate (as accurate as you can get when the situation doesn't require a spot meter), it renders a relatively broad dynamic range, and the kit lens delivers sharp photos for its class.

All of which leads us to two burning questions: is it worth the extra bucks for the XSi over the XS? And how does the XS stack up overall compared with its sub-$700 competitors? As to the first: if you crop a lot, need a spot meter, or merely want the larger LCD, then it's worth paying a little extra for the XSi; otherwise, the XS will probably serve your needs well. (For more information, check out EOS mio! Which Canon dSLR?) And if you want the best photo quality and/or need fast, low-light focus, the Canon Rebel XS outshines its competitors. However, it doesn't deliver the best value for the money overall; that nod goes to the Pentax K200D. You can read more about the competition in Digital SLRs on a shoestring.

Shooting speed (in seconds)
(Smaller bars indicate better performance)

Time to first shot

Raw shot-to-shot time

Shutter lag (dim light)

Shutter lag (typical)

Sony Alpha DSLR-A200

0.5 

0.6 

1.2 

0.3 

Canon EOS Rebel XS

0.2 

0.7 

0.8 

0.4 

Nikon D60

0.4 

0.5 

0.7 

0.4 

Pentax K200D

0.2 

0.5 

1.3 

0.4 

Canon EOS Rebel XSi

0.2 

0.4 

1.2 

0.5 

See pricing