By: D. Auzat

D. Auzat — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:41:52 +0000

We’ll start with what this camera is NOT:1) It’s NOT a full-frame camera. That means it’s smaller, lighter, and the resulting 1.6x crop factor is important to remember if you have EF lenses already. But because it’s smaller it offers less features making it easier to use at the expense of being slightly less functional. These are, for the most part, obscure features nobody will ever use anyway. Also, because it doesn’t have features like 6.5 fps, a pentaprism, and Flash Exposure Bracketing, it is less expensive than the x0D series.2) The XSi is NOT a point-and-shoot digicam. Don’t expect it to do videos, sound, or to incorporate all kinds of convenient uber-automation. While ‘cool’, this automation usually just keeps you from controlling what you want to do yourself. Most of the time, this camera will stay in “P” or “program mode” for me. There is a green setting for point-and-shoot operation, but all this does is disable most of the features that you buy the camera for. 2a) Live View is NOT the same as the LCD viewfinder on point-and-shoot digicams. Don’t expect it to focus fast or provide the same functionality. Live View is intended for a camera mounted on a tripod or held steady. It is a GREAT way to get perfect focus when you need it. You just zoom in to 10x magnification and manually focus or let the contrast detection do it for you. But, it is NOT an LCD viewfinder. As long as you don’t think it will be (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 bought a generic battery for a backup. Keeping the Canon battery fully charged, of course, and only using the generic when the Canon is charging.2) The LCD screen is right where my nose and cheek go. You can’t avoid getting the glass all dirty and that gets annoying. And if the S5 can have an articulated 2.5″ screen, why can’t the XSi?3) A cheesy rubber cover. I like that all of the inputs are on the side, but I just hate these cheesy rubber covers. I would prefer a sliding cover or, better yet, use the space next to the SD slot.4) Battery door on the bottom. On my tripod, I can’t access the battery without removing the camera from the tripod. This was also an issue with my first two digital Rebels.Now, we’ll do a reality check:1) To those who say, “It’s only 12mp,” they’re right. But, understand that unless you’re printing bigger than 8×10″, this resolution is better than adequate. In fact, the majority of the lenses out there don’t have sufficient resolution 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 quality resolution, what’s the point? Many point-and-shoots have too much resolution for their lenses. Just try blowing up a typical 10mp p-

Comments on: How to Select the Right Photography School

By: D. Auzat