Side by Side Comparison of: Canon vs Dane-Elec vs Kastar vs Deals Number One

my new favorite toy - user friendly and great pictures !

I purchased this camera about two months ago. I had an Alaskan cruise booked and did not want to come home with point and shoot or phone camera memories. Unfortunately, my business got crazy busy at about the same time and I was not able to get myself fully attuned to all features and uses of this great little SLR. That said, even with bare basic knowledge I was able to take what I think are really stunning photos. (Some not so good due to my inexperience) Since returning, I have begun to go thru the pdf manual and familiarize myself with the functions more fully with much better results.
As an aside, I took photography classes back in the 80's and had some pretty decent equipment and a home darkroom. As often happens, life intruded and I ended up having to sell those items, but I promised myself that someday I would return to what was for me a passion. I feel great that I have chosen an instrument that will help me eventually fulfill that promise. NICE!!!

I researched DSLRs for the last year before choosing the Canon; I had a Fuji finepix that I loved, but I wanted something more advanced now that I know what I am doing with a digital camera. I also wanted speed; my son plays soccer and football and the regular digitals are too slow for fast-moving bodies. So far, I am extremely pleased with the fast-action sports photos I have taken. After playing with the camera for a few months and reading the manual thoroughly, I realized using the manual Tv mode outdoors and setting the shutter speed to around 1600, I get crystal clear, "action" photos so detailed you can sometimes see the letters on the ball and the dirt flying up, etc. With the shutter speed set at that speed or even a little lower, I can still take multiple pictures per second like in the sports mode, but much clearer and crisper. I will never buy a regular digital camera again after having a DSLR; I also purchased the 55-250 IS lens for the further away shots, and I feel that the lens is a must-have for anyone who wants to take great shots from a distance. So far, so good!

After a long and detailed due diligence on a mid-level professional digital cameras, my search ended between Nikon (D70/D50) and Canon (20D/350D). I finally decided on 350D for its balance of a great value and a huge variety of after-market accessories and web-based support and advice.

I recently received this camera from Amazon and, though my expectation was rather high and the camera did not blow me away, I'm very happy with the purchase.

PROS:
- Light, compact, and ergonomically designed.
- The camera does NOT feel plasticky at all. It feels solid and radiates the craftsmanship of a prosumer product.
- Easy to use. Take the camera out of the box and start snapping away.
- The bundled software is useful if not professional quality.
- Amazing flash performance. Pictures taken in total dark comes out looking professionally lit.
- Quiet when snapping pictures. Fast startup time. Very good batter life.
- For a fan of Canon, add to the inventory of other Canon products, from camera to lenses to printers to photo paper.

CONS:
- The EF-S zoom lens that comes with it is rather slow and a bit disappointing in picture quality.
- The camera - as many reviewers complained - is ergonomic but does not feel very well balanced. It's very awkward to take a picture with only one hand holding the camera - you need two hands. No matter how I tried, my grip on the camera never feels comfortable.
- Documentation is buggy and uneven. Some of the step-by-step instructions simply do not work, and I had to figure out the correct steps by playing with the controls myself.

(...)Amazon double-boxed the package, which arrived without a dent.

Having used the pocket Canon S110 for the past three years, and already owning a Canon EOS Elan 35 mm camera, I've long been a fan of Canon. I'd held off on buying a digital SLR due mainly to price. Finally, with the Digital Rebel XT, I could buy for less than $1,000 the quality that pros paid $7,000 for just a few years ago.

Likes:

- Size and feel: it's about as small as you're going to get for an SLR, yet it still feels good in your hands, with all controls pretty accessible.

- Speed: having spent three years cursing shutter lag on my point-n-shoot S110, it's amazing to be able to get off 2 or 3 frames per second. You'll quickly find that you shoot 3-4x as many shots in a day, just because you can get them off quickly.

- Battery life - I purchased a second battery but have yet to have to use it. I can shoot 200+ shots and the battery is still going strong.

- automatic modes (portrait, action, etc) with options to override focus mode

- Basic 18-55mm EF-S lens is a solid, well-performing lens

Dislikes:

No strong complaints overall. It's taking me a little longer than I expected to learn all of the control options on the menu. Also, in bright daylight, the menu's not that easy to see on the LCD.

All in all, the combination of high picture quality (equal to that of the 20D) and virtually no shutter lag makes this a fantastic entry level digital SLR. The ability to change lenses, use filters and modify settings as you would in the 35mm world changes the whole realm of digital photography. I have a feeling my 160 GB hard drive may not support me for long...

Very pleased looks like new and still takes great pictures.

Cheap way to buy a good camera.

The Digital Rebel XT is a pretty fantastic camera if you just look at the unit itself. Anyone migrating from the Digital Rebel (300D) as I did will pick up the camera with no problems. They're functionally identical. The pictures are crisp, even with the kit lens though you'll soon want to upgrade to get the full use out of the dSLR. I bought this camera even though the XTi was out because the dust reduction and larger LCD didn't seem to justify an additional $175. That's a personal choice though as the XTi is a great camera as well.Unfortunately, the XT is becoming dated quick. Canon released information about the XSi which includes a new battery type and SD cards instead of CF. Basically this means that the extra card, extra batteries, and battery grip pack I bought won't be sticking around when I upgrade my body again. I don't regret this purchase but I probably would have been a bit more calm about my accessories if I had known about the XSi earlier.

I bought this camera in hoping to upgrade from my Canon A610 (fantastic camera btw). The main reason for the switch was because I wanted to take night shot without having the lag that is normally associated with Point and Shoot cameras. My impression:The Good stuff:-Camera shutter speed is fast. It was better than I had expected.-Easier to use than expected.-Shoots great photos in Auto mode-Good amount of manual selections to work with-Lightweight and small-Compatible with many Canon lenses-Priced very low for a DSLRThe Bad stuff (opinion):-Camera feels cheap. Too much plastic, but I'm sure canon had to cut cost somewhere to be able to sell the camera this cheap. At least they cheapen the external rather than the internal.-Cannot turn off flash in some mode. You'll have to either set the exposure, aperture, or the contrast in order for the flash to not come on. It's very annoying since some of the photos I want to take do not need more light.-The camera will not take pictures because there is not enough light for a particular setting. I cannot see why the camera cannot just let me take the photo and let me do whatever I want with it. I am using the camera to take picture. I'm the photographer, not the camera.-LCD screen is a bit small (hence the XTi is better in this department)-Camera kit does not come with a standard memory card. I recommend at least 1GB. You'll be taking more pictures than you'll anticipate.Conclusion: For the price I paid for this camera, I am happy with my purchase. It's a great camera, and I can see why it's been one of the best selling cameras in the world. However, if you can fork out a bit more for the XTi, I would recommend so for the bigger LCD and the self-sensor cleaning system. The pictures I take with this camera is not leap and bounds better than my Canon A610, but I bought the camera for its ability to shoot at night

The camera comes with a comprehensive and easy-to-follow instruction manual for people (like me) who don't have too much experience with a Canon SLR. It comes with its own battery charger, so there's no need to buy another one unless you want to keep a spare someplace.The camera was a little heavier than I anticipated since I was used to the weight of the 35mm Rebel. From other reviews, I thought the camera would be quite small, however it's a pretty good size. I do agree with others that the size is more suited for smaller hands.The shutter noise was also much louder than I expected, so I won't be taking any photos in quiet, public settings (the reason I gave 4/5 stars). However, the quality of the photos you get is excellent. I chose to get the EF-S 17-85mm f/4.5-5.6 IS USM and theEF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IS USM lenses. Both are great lenses for beginners without having to sacrifice picture quality. There are many examples of photos taken with those lenses from dpreview.

The circle is now complete: I started with film SLRs about 35 years ago, used them professionally in my job, but for personal use, I had gone to point and shoot film and recently point and shoot digital. I have not been happy with the sharpness of the point and shoot cameras so I thought it might be time to try the digital SLRs for sharpness and higher resolution.I ordered the silver body Rebel XT camera as I like it better than a faux pro black camera (this is afterall not a pro camera), and black cameras look dirty or dusty all the time. It came rapidly from Amazon.com. I have had mostly good pictures with this camera, but there are a few things I would add to the other posters.Pro: compact, light, fast, good in outdoor daylight.Cons: in incandescent light the AWB is only fair. The picture color is better if you set this manually in a manual mode rather than using the AUTO mode.Sometimes the autofocus has a tough time figuring out where things are indoors, and sometimes there is severe hunting, with an occasional focus which is way off. You can fool this autofocus in situations where the subject is further back than foreground objects unless you set the focus point ahead of time, which is usually not what you think about on the spot.ISO speeds in AUTO mode is 400, and cannot be set higher. You can set this to 1600 with very little noise in the non-auto modes.Kit lens is a bit soft in my example, despite good reviews. I got in a Tamron lens (28-75) which seems sharper, but some say this lens has a yellowish cast, which I have not seen yet. One other thing pointed out by the professionals: you have to wait till the buffer has saved the picts to the CF card or they will be lost. So long as the little red led has stopped flashing you are OK.Overall I am happy with this camera. I wish it were a bit more user friendly and intuitive, and there was more control over the ISO and AWB in auto modes. You can't expect the kit lens to be very good considering the price it is, but I would rather have a better prime lense than a cheap zoom which you have to replace anyway. Next time round I will just get a body and forget about the kit lens. For those looking to step up from a point and shoot film camera or a lessor digital, this is the right direction. I do wonder if I should have got the 20D instead, but for the difference in price, I got my Tamron lens and I am happy I did it this way. Good luck and happy picture taking to you all...Edit 4/10/2005: before doing my 24-75 zoom Tamron lens rebate, I wanted to be absolutely sure there were no front focus issues with this lens in this camera. Some have said the Tamron lens might have a front focus issue, and I spent a lot of time yesterday and today specifically looking for front focus problems, and found none. I took dozens of pictures indoors and out, with flash and without, and found no consistent problem worth sending the lens or camera back for. As I said above the focus is sometimes off indoors, probably due to low light, but much more often than not it is good. Outdoors today I shot some sharp pictures which focussed spot on, and I am pleased with the Tamron len's performance in my Rebel XT.

Buy it

Old version of a good camera for beginners. Uses compact flash instead of an SD card which is a pain sometimes but overall a decent camera.

Would have been ok if it included the manual.

It didn't come with the battery charger had to buy one before I was able to use it

I love this camera now, even though it is a dinosaur in terms of its age in a world where technology advances rapidly.When I first bought this camera in 2007, it had early problems freezing and giving error codes. After performing all the recommended tests & resets, it kept failing. I actually used the camera very little early on and, thus, forgot about the errors. Once I started using the camera regularly again and taking more still photos, I had run out of warranty coverage. So, it cost me a few hundred send the camera back to Canon to repair what was a manufacturing and/or chipset defect.Once the repair was made, the camera operated flawlessly and still does to this day. Although this model is no longer current, I wanted to add my review for anyone who might be trying to buy one used. Be aware that this model had known issues with freezing as I mentioned above. If that has been repaired, then it is an otherwise excellent camera for the entry-level or intermediate SLR user.

I have owned the Digital Rebel XT many months ago and have been mostly pleased. The various modes give great control over subjects and the size makes it easy to carry around to the various locations. The camera started giving "Error 99" and eventually ended up sending it to Cannon in California. They fixed the problem quickly, and because I had my original Proof of Purchase information and warranty card, did not charge me, and sent it back mostly fixed. The meter still acts up at random times highlighting multiple instances in the meter display when it gets an light source on it. It is still an amazing camera, much lower in price now than when I purchased in new, though it would be good to explore your options.

The camera lens was all scratched up.

Had to send it to canon to have it repaired, pins missing in the flash memory bay.

not what expected. didn't know it needed telescopic lenses. thought was like a regular digital camera

The camera was a birthday gift. When it arrived the memory card was missing and I had to go find one. The box and camera strap reaked of cigarettes. Had to get rid of them. Would have sent it back, but the birthday was too soon. The camera works, so two stars is fair and may be generous.

took absolutely forever to ship: this camera only came with body, lens, and strap. it was missing usb and software. I would say that the cannon xs that i bought that did come with everything as described, for less money is an easier better camera with almost exactly the same capabilities.

I've had this for quite some time so this review is overdue but well-considered. Canon products aren't what the once were. The auto-focus struggles with alarming frequency. The display is minute and of poor resolution. The manual adjustments are somewhat non-intuitive. The build quality is a bit weak and questionably arranged. All things considered (after several years' consideration), I should have gotten the comparable Nikon.

Had memory card stuck in slot. Physically could not remove it. Had to send back.

Horrible. Does not like anything like photos. I understand refurbished, but I would have hoped that meant the pins and actual casing for the SD card would be there. For 10 months have tried to reach seller. So basically I bought a lens. If you can't put a memory card in it it's useless. And no it's not user error.

There's a reason Canon updated this to the new version - this is horrible! The controls are NOT intuitive, the ability to do simple things (like turn off the flash) are so archaically done that we only take this out if it's an outside shot or every other camera and smart phone is gone. For the amount we spent on this, I can only say we got ripped off.Canon makes great products, and the new version of this camera is no exception. This one, however, is barely good enough to be a backup camera.

Missing computer cord, instructions and power supply.

Mailed it to someone else.

The setting on "TV" amd ASA400 did not work properly. the shutter hung up and exposed the picture. Too bad.