Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT SLR Review

The controls on the grip side of the camera include the Mode Dial with the Power switch. The Shutter Release button and the Main Dial. On the bottom are two multi-purpose buttons, in capture mode these are: AE lock / FE lock and the AF point selector buttons.

The Mode Dial is divided into the Basic Zone

• Full Auto - "Point and Shoot" mode, camera makes all settings automatically including the flash.
• Portrait - Sharp subject with blurred background
• Landscape - Scenery, sunsets and open-sky photos
• Close-up - Closeup shots of small things
• Sports - Freeze fast-moving subjects with higher shutter speeds and uses Predictive AF focusing
• Night Scene - Up to 2-second long shutter speed plus fill flash
• Flash Off - Natural looking pictures without the flash

• Program AE - Camera selects the optimum shutter speed and aperture for the shooting conditions.
• Tv - Shutter priority; you select shutter speed (1/4000 to 30 seconds), camera matches appropriate aperture
• Av - Aperture priority; you select aperture, camera matches appropriate shutter speed
• Manual - Manual selection of both shutter speed and aperture
• A-DEP - Aperture is determined to maximize depth of field so that all objects in the 7 focus points are sharply focused.

Image Storage

Images are stored on CompactFlash devices. The Digital Rebel can use any capacity CompactFlash Type I or II card, it's FAT16/FAT32 compatible and is also compatible with IBM/Hitachi Microdrives, including the new 2GB and 4GB models.

Canon does not supply a memory card, I recommended buying a LARGE (512MB or bigger) card especially if you use the Raw+JPEG save option.

Input/Output

On the top is Video Out (selectable NTSC or PAL format)

Connector for the Canon RS-60E3 wired remote switch. It can also be used with the RC-1 and RC-5 wireless infrared remote controller.

Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Digital port, it supports PTP, Mass Storage and PictBridge.

Power Source

The Digital Rebel XT is powered by a Canon NB-2LH 7.4v 720mAh Lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack. This is a high-capacity battery and is used by several other Canon digital cameras such as the Powershot S70.  At normal temperature (68°F and above) it's good for ~600 pictures without flash or ~400 pictures if the flash is used 50% of the time. At colder temperature (32°F) that number drops to ~450 or ~350 if flash is used 50% of the time.

The supplied CB-2LT (100-240V AC) compact charger requires ~90 minutes to charge a fully depleted NB-2LH battery pack. It requires no separate power cord, it has fold-out prongs.

The camera can also be powered by the optional AC Adapter Kit ACK700.

(Note that there is also a CR2016 lithium "button" battery inside the battery compartment to retain camera settings during main battery changes.)

The optional BG-E3 battery grip holds two NB-2LH batteries or six AA type batteries in a tray. If two NB-2LH batteries are inserted, power is supplied simultaneously by both battery packs. If both NB-2LH packs are fully charged then the number of frames you can capture are doubled -- ~1200 pictures without flash or ~800 pictures if the flash is used 50% of the time. At colder temperature (32°F) that number drops to ~900 or ~700 if flash is used 50% of the time..

The BG-E3 adds a portrait grip with a vertical shutter release complete with AE/FE-Lock button, AF point selector button, exposure compensation button and Main Dial.

If you use big zooms or telephoto lenses then the BG-E3 should be considered as a "must have" accessory. It gives you a much more stable way to hold the camera and also acts as a counterbalance by shifting the center of gravity.