Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi 12.2-Megapixel Digital SLR Camera - Black

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for enough time (30-60 seconds) for the program to checkout the whole pixel map. It fixed my dead pixel problem like a charm. That is why, only one star is taken away.

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi 12.2-Megapixel Digital SLR Camera - Black

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it this way - once you start learning about the basics, e.g. the relationship of ISO to aperture to shutter speed and setting the priority mode, etc. you're on your way to pictures that are far superior to your point and shoot and difficult to go back. Apparently it doesn't have all the fine settings of the 40D nor the 100K shutter rating but I'm not sure it matters at this price. If you want a sub-$800 SLR with a decent stock lens, there is no better camera, and I was hoping the Nikon D60 would be my choice. Not so. Learning all the detailed options that are still remaining made me realize now that this camera has far more important features than the competition, all which requires an investment in photography to get great pictures. It's a crime with this camera to even think of using the auto-settings.

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi 12.2-Megapixel Digital SLR Camera - Black

...

it this way - once you start learning about the basics, e.g. the relationship of ISO to aperture to shutter speed and setting the priority mode, etc. you're on your way to pictures that are far superior to your point and shoot and difficult to go back. Apparently it doesn't have all the fine settings of the 40D nor the 100K shutter rating but I'm not sure it matters at this price. If you want a sub-$800 SLR with a decent stock lens, there is no better camera, and I was hoping the Nikon D60 would be my choice. Not so. Learning all the detailed options that are still remaining made me realize now that this camera has far more important features than the competition, all which requires an investment in photography to get great pictures. It's a crime with this camera to even think of using the auto-settings.

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi 12.2-Megapixel Digital SLR Camera - Black

...

it this way - once you start learning about the basics, e.g. the relationship of ISO to aperture to shutter speed and setting the priority mode, etc. you're on your way to pictures that are far superior to your point and shoot and difficult to go back. Apparently it doesn't have all the fine settings of the 40D nor the 100K shutter rating but I'm not sure it matters at this price. If you want a sub-$800 SLR with a decent stock lens, there is no better camera, and I was hoping the Nikon D60 would be my choice. Not so. Learning all the detailed options that are still remaining made me realize now that this camera has far more important features than the competition, all which requires an investment in photography to get great pictures. It's a crime with this camera to even think of using the auto-settings.

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi 12.2-Megapixel Digital SLR Camera - Black

...

i tried is the macro mode function at the Botanical Garden; and you can see some sample photos - the blue flower is one of the best :) I took about 5 pictures of each flower, because that's how I used to do it in the past. I shouldn't have. Each picture came out clear and sharp, however, keeping in mind that the kit lens is not really a macro lens, while shooting the really small flowers, there was some blurr, which is totally understandable. Some things are just too small to capture the details with the kit lens, not the camera's fault.

Another nice feature is the ability to update the firmware yourself, which we all know improves stability, adds new functionality, and, if there are any, corrects any software bugs.

The build quality is really solid too. It feels as solid as a rock, but not as heavy :)

Lastly, the battery. I haven't drained the battery but I have taken about 230 pictures, about 30 of those were at night with the flash. By the end of the day, I was still running with a full battery. So while I can't say exactly how many shots u can get on a full charge, I can confirm that the battery does not get exhausted easily.

Overall, if you have the money to spend and new to SLR's I would definately recommend this camera. Sure it's a bit expensive, but SDHC memory cards are cheap these days.

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi 12.2-Megapixel Digital SLR Camera - Black

...

i tried is the macro mode function at the Botanical Garden; and you can see some sample photos - the blue flower is one of the best :) I took about 5 pictures of each flower, because that's how I used to do it in the past. I shouldn't have. Each picture came out clear and sharp, however, keeping in mind that the kit lens is not really a macro lens, while shooting the really small flowers, there was some blurr, which is totally understandable. Some things are just too small to capture the details with the kit lens, not the camera's fault.



Another nice feature is the ability to update the firmware yourself, which we all know improves stability, adds new functionality, and, if there are any, corrects any software bugs.



The build quality is really solid too. It feels as solid as a rock, but not as heavy :)



Lastly, the battery. I haven't drained the battery but I have taken about 230 pictures, about 30 of those were at night with the flash. By the end of the day, I was still running with a full battery. So while I can't say exactly how many shots u can get on a full charge, I can confirm that the battery does not get exhausted easily.



Overall, if you have the money to spend and new to SLR's I would definately recommend this camera. Sure it's a bit expensive, but SDHC memory cards are cheap these days.

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi 12.2-Megapixel Digital SLR Camera - Black

...

i tried is the macro mode function at the Botanical Garden; and you can see some sample photos - the blue flower is one of the best :) I took about 5 pictures of each flower, because that's how I used to do it in the past. I shouldn't have. Each picture came out clear and sharp, however, keeping in mind that the kit lens is not really a macro lens, while shooting the really small flowers, there was some blurr, which is totally understandable. Some things are just too small to capture the details with the kit lens, not the camera's fault.





Another nice feature is the ability to update the firmware yourself, which we all know improves stability, adds new functionality, and, if there are any, corrects any software bugs.





The build quality is really solid too. It feels as solid as a rock, but not as heavy :)





Lastly, the battery. I haven't drained the battery but I have taken about 230 pictures, about 30 of those were at night with the flash. By the end of the day, I was still running with a full battery. So while I can't say exactly how many shots u can get on a full charge, I can confirm that the battery does not get exhausted easily.





Overall, if you have the money to spend and new to SLR's I would definately recommend this camera. Sure it's a bit expensive, but SDHC memory cards are cheap these days.

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi 12.2-Megapixel Digital SLR Camera - Black

...

focus when you need it. It is NOT an LCD viewfinder. As long as you don't think it will be that (I was stupid enough to think that way) then you know before you buy.

The bad: (in all fairness, these are true of most modern DSLR's)

1) the battery is improved, yes, but it's REALLY expensive. I've bought generic backup batteries in the past and I'll probably do the same with this one.

2) the LCD screen is right where my nose and cheek go. You can't avoid getting it all dirty and that gets annoying after a while.

3) cheesy rubber cover. I like that all of the inputs are on the side, but I just hate these cheesy rubber covers.

4) battery door on the bottom. On my tripod, I can't access the battery without removing it.

Now, we'll do a reality check:

1) to those who say "It's only 12mp", well, yeah, that's right. But, understand that unless you're printing bigger than 8x10", this resolution is better than adequate. In fact, the majority of the lenses out there aren't good enough to go above 12 megapixels. What I mean is that you can have a 100 megapixel camera but your lens is only really pushing out 10mp worth of resolution.

2) to those who say "It feels flimsy", I disagree. It feels solid and sturdy. Now, if you don't know this already, the plastic is actually a covering and environment seal. Underneath, there is a stainless steel frame that holds everything solidly and sturdy. The plastic isn't structural so however it might FEEL to you, it is, in reality, stronger than you might think.

3) they say that APS-C is going to be obsolete. Well, no. Remember that there are now scores of lenses from Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sigma, and Tokina and those numbers continue to grow. Further, APS-C cameras are selling like hotcakes with no slow-down in site. These people are the same ones that kept their Reel-to-Reels because they were higher quality. Yeah, they were right, but you can't say that CD's aren't going to sell well because of it!