Canon Digital Rebel XS

2008.07.19

The Canon Digital Rebel XS is the latest camera in Digital Rebel line-up of entry-level DSLRs from Canon. The Rebel XS, known elsewhere as the EOS 1000D, fits in at the bottom end of Rebel family, replacing the Rebel XTi. The new XS model features a 10 megapixels sensor with 1.6X crop-factor, ISO range from 100 to 1600, 3 FPS continuous shooting and a 2.5" LCD.

If these specifications seem familiar, it is because those numbers also describe the Digital Rebel XTi. Indeed, the new Rebel XS is largely an XTi with a modernized body. As a matter of fact, the XS looks a lot like the more advanced XSi. The new body design includes a deeper hand-grip and a compartment for SD-HC cards instead of Compact Flash cards. While there are numerous minor differences between the XS and the XTi, the only other notable one is that the XS has 7 autofocus points system while the XTi uses 9.

There are more differences between the XS and XSi than the XS and XTi. Most significantly, the Canon Digital Rebel XSi features a 12 megapixels sensor, 0.87X magnification viewfinder (vs 0.81X), 3.5 FPS continuous shooting, a 3" LCD and spot-metering. The addition of spot-metering alone makes the XSi more capable photographically and the larger viewfinder makes it more comfortable to use. As we do not know what the sale price of the XS is going to be when it ships, it is hard to comment on the relative value of these cameras. Although if the difference is less than $100 USD, it would be hard not to choose the XSi. Those in the USA who wish to be among the first to own a Canon Digital Rebel XS can pre-order one from Amazon here.

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