Canon XS: 10.1 Megapixels, Live View, and a Lower Price
by Wesley Fink on July 8, 2008 5:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Digital Camera
Canon’s answer is the Canon XS which was announced today in the US. With a shrinking world it was a bit of a surprise to see Canon introduce the European version, called the 1000D, almost a month ago on June 10th. Perhaps it is an indication of the increasing power of the Euro and the decline of the Dollar that Canon chose to launch this model first in Europe.
The new Canon XS draws heavily on the current XSi – more so than the previous XTi. It is not just a relabeling of the XTi, since it uses the same new battery as the XSi and stores images on SD cards instead of Compact Flash. The XS can also be fitted with the BG-E5 Battery Grip which was introduced with the XSi.
The table below compares just the items that differ among the XS, XSi, and XTi. If a specification is not listed you can assume it is the same among the entry models.
|
|
Rebel XSi EOS 450D Kiss X2 |
Rebel XS EOS 1000D |
Rebel XTi EOS 400D Kiss Digital X |
|
LCD Screen |
3” |
2.5” |
2.5” |
|
Sensor |
12.2 MP CMOS |
10.1 MP CMOS |
10.1 MP CMOS |
|
AF Points |
9 |
7 |
9 |
|
Image Processor |
Digic III |
Digic III |
Digic II |
|
Live View |
Contrast & Phase Detect |
Contrast & Phase Detect |
no |
|
Metering Modes |
Spot, Evaluative, CWt, Partial |
Evaluative, CWt, Partial |
Evaluative, CWt, Partial |
|
Auto ISO Adjust |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
Continuous Speed |
3.5 fps |
3 fps |
3 fps |
|
Dynamic Range Expansion |
Auto Lighting Optimizer, Highlight Tone Priority |
Auto Lighting Optimizer |
No |
|
Remote Release |
Wireless Remote, Cable |
Cable |
Wireless Remote, Cable |
|
Storage |
SD/SDHC |
SD/SDHC |
CF |
|
Viewfinder |
.87x, 95% |
.81x, 95% |
.80x, 95% |
|
High ISO Noise Reduction |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
ISO in Viewfinder |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
Battery |
LP-E5, 1080mAh |
LP-E5, 1080mAh |
NB-2LH, 720mAh |
|
Battery Life (23C) |
500 |
500 |
360 |
|
Battery Grip |
BG-E5, Optional |
BG-E5, Optional |
BG-E3, Optional |
|
Size |
129x98x62mm |
126x98x62mm |
127x94x65mm |
|
Weight |
524g |
502g |
556g |
|
Kit Lens |
18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS |
18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS |
18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 |
|
Price with Kit Lens |
$899 |
$699 |
$699 |
The Canon EOS XS is expected to ship in August at a selling price of $699 with an image-stabilized 18-55mm lens. This is about $200 less than the price of the XSi model. The XS will compete directly with the Nikon D60, Olympus E-520, and the Pentax K200D.
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CSMR - Tuesday, July 8, 2008 - link
"if IQ is not as good as the competition we all would probably be better off with a $300 P&S"Er, no; that's a pretty inane remark.
yyrkoon - Wednesday, July 9, 2008 - link
Not really, I have a $300 Sony (DSC-P200)that will do most of what my Nikon DSLR here will do. Granted my DSLR has way more control, but typically under good lighting conditions I would be hard pressed to tell the difference between them. Now I do know that my Nikon is not the Rebel XS . . . and my Sony will not do RAW. I guess what I was hoping, or wanting to see was IF the IQ with this camera was on par with the 'old' 350D(at the time of release).Having said the above, I guess that if IQ were that important, a person would not be using this camera to begin with.
CSMR - Wednesday, July 9, 2008 - link
It doesn't have a large sensor; it only has one non-specialised lens which will not be particularly good. There are certain situations in which compacts can give adequate shots (in good light, when you want wide dof) but it's a pretty narrow range of situations, depending on your tastes.melgross - Wednesday, July 9, 2008 - link
The IQ of the XS1 is considered to be very high for a camera anywhere around its price.The question is how close this model will approach it.
Wesley Fink - Tuesday, July 8, 2008 - link
The XS was announced today and, as stated in the review and the Canon Press Release, it will not be available for purchase until sometime in August. This is the way items are normally introduced in the Digital SLR market. You will not find a real IQ review of the XS anywhere as the camera is not available. Also Canon does not pre-release Press samples under NDA. Nothing is available for review until the cameras ship.Since the 10.1 megapixel Canon CMOS sensor is currently used in both the Canon XTi and the 40D, and the Digic III processing engine is used in the XSi and 40D we do not expect any performance surprises with the XS sensor. The Canon 10.1 mp sensor is already well-known for low-noise across the ISO range.
yyrkoon - Wednesday, July 9, 2008 - link
Ah, ok, I read this as more of a review, when in fact I suppose it was a preview instead. Or maybe just an announcement ? Not used to you guys just making 'announcements' as such.