Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT SLR Review

The "digital half" of the EOS Digital Rebel is on the back. Here you'll find both a monochrome data display and a 1.8-inch color LCD for accessing the menus and reviewing captured images. The two buttons in the upper right are for index and enlarged playback functions. The Av+/- button is for setting the aperture value or exposure compensation. Below that is the drive mode button and then the button to illuminate the data display (in playback it's the Direct Print button). The 4-way controller lets you navigate menus and select images during playback. In record mode the "Up" button is used to change the ISO values and the "Down" button changes white balance settings. The "Left" button changes metering modes and the "Right" button changes the AF mode. Below the 4-way controller is the CF card activity light.

Buttons to the left of the color LCD are:

MENU - Toggles the menu on/off

INFO - In record it displays all camera and exposure settings (see it below), in playback it toggles the different review modes (see next page)

JUMP - In playback it jumps 10 or 100 pictures ahead

PLAY - Puts camera into playback mode

DELETE - Erase images

The monochrome data display on the back gives you all the important camera settings at a glance. Shutter speed, aperture, metering mode, focus mode, # of pictures remaining, white balance, bracketing, drive mode, battery level, self-timer or remote, image size, image quality, RAW mode and exposure compensaton. It can be illuminated at the press of a button.

Pressing the INFO button while in record mode brings up a screen full of settings and parameters currently in use. One of the handiest is the amount of space (in MB) left on the storage device - yep, there's a 4GB CF card in there.

Record Menu

• Quality:
  Large/Fine - 3456 x 2304 low JPEG compression - 3.3MB
  Large/Normal - 3456 x 2304 high JPEG compression - 1.7MB
  Medium/Fine - 2496 x 1664 low JPEG compression - 2.0MB
  Medium/Normal - 2496 x 1664 high JPEG compression - 1.0MB
  Small/Fine - 1728 x 1152 low JPEG compression - 1.2MB
  Small/Normal - 1728 x 1152 high JPEG compression - 0.6MB
  RAW+L - 3456 x 2304 - 11.5MB (also saves a Large/Fine JPEG)
  RAW - 3456 x 2304 - 8.3MB
  
• Redeye - Enable/disable redeye reduction flash mode
• Beep - Enable/disable "button beep" sounds
• AF mode - One Shot, AI, AI Servo
• Metering mode - Evaluative, Center-weighted, Spot
• ISO - 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
• AEB - Enables AE Bracketing and sets the step increment (-2 to +2EV in 0.3EV steps)
• Flash exp comp - Enables flash exposure compensation (-2 to +2EV in 0.3EV steps)
• White balance - Auto, Sunny, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Flash, Custom
• WB-BKT - Set the values for white balance bracketing
• Custom WB - Set the custom white balance value using a stored image
• Color space - sRGB, Adobe RGB
• Parameters:
  Set 1 (Contrast 0, Sharpness +1, Saturation 0, Color tone 0)
  Set 2 (Contrast 0, Sharpness 0, Saturation 0, Color tone 0)
  Set 3 (Contrast 0, Sharpness 0, Saturation 0, Color tone 0)
  BW monochrome image

You can create 3 sets of parameters with any combination of contrast, sharpness, saturation and color tone adjustments and then recall them when desired. Each of these parameters have settings for: -2, -1, Normal, +1, +2.

Custom Functions

Setup Menu

• Auto power off - 1,2,4,8,15,30 minutes or Off
• Auto rotate - Enable auto rotation of portrait mode images
• LCD brightness - LCD back light intensity, 5 levels
• Date / Time - Set date and time
• File numbering - Sequentially number or reset
• Format - Format the CF card
• Shoot w/o card - Allow shutter with no CF card, on/off
• Language - Sets the menu language
• Video system - NTSC or PAL video output
• Communication - USB mode: Normal or PTP
• Custom Functions - enter Custom Functions menu (see below)
• Clear all camera settings - Reset all settings to default
• Sensor cleaning - For cleaning the image sensor
• Firmware Version 1.0.1 - Display camera firmware rev#