A Closer Look

From the front there is very little to tell you that you are looking at an XS instead of an XSi. Both cameras ship with the same kit lens and the size is all but the same. As in past Digital Rebel models you can purchase the XSin either black or silver. 




The rear of the entry Canon XS is laid out more like the XSi than the older XTi.  The XS uses a 2.5” screen just like the XTi, but there are no push buttons to the left of the screen as there are on the XTi.  Canon XSi users will feel totally familiar with the controls when they pick up an XS.


Comparing the rear of the two cameras the XSi stands out with the larger 3” LCD display. However, the 3” and 2.5” displays both have 230,000 dot displays. The Canon 3”, used on the XSi and 40D, is no higher resolution than the smaller screens they replaced. The larger size does make things easier to read on menus. 

You can also see the sensor just below the viewfinder on the XSi that is missing from the XS.  The sensor is present on the XSi and XTi and turns off the LCD display when you lift the camera to your eye.  That feature is not present on the XS.
Index Canon Press Announcement
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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.

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