Calm Photos

imaginginfo.com - Article - Sneak Peek: Canon Rebel XS

One of the most common questions I’m asked by friends and entry-level photo enthusiasts is “I want to buy a better camera - which one should I get ?”

Instead of trying to name a particular model and make right off the top of my head, I usually answer them with several questions of my own, including what type of photography do you enjoy doing, are you going to want to add lenses down the road and perhaps most important of all, what is your budget.

There is also the problem with the fact that I am limited in knowledge when it comes to camera manufacturers other than the one that I’ve been using for the last 30+ years, in my case that being Canon.

I love it when people rattle off Nikon model #’s and expect me to know exactly every feature for each one. And when I admit I don’t know much about the Nikon line, it’s even more fun when I get the typical I’m-a-techno-geek-nerd-with-no-life response of “I know more than you do, I know more than you do !”

Really. Too bad all the knowledge doesn’t translate into one ounce of artistic talent.

This happens more than I’d like to admit. Interactions such as this remind of going into an aquarium/tropical fish store, not knowing much about fish, and then having the I’m-a-tropical-fish-geek-nerd-with-no-life assistant store manager have his brief brush with fame when he impresses upon you with his vast wealth of tropical fish knowledge while failing miserably at understanding and serving the customer. Happens a lot. I don’t know if this is a Dayton or an Ohio thing, or what.

But I digress.

I am familiar with Canon quality when it comes to digital imaging, and it looks to me that Canon has another consumer-market winner with the soon-to-be release of the Canon Rebel XS. Here Canon has taken many of the top-end features of the 1D EOS line and incorporated them into the much-less expensive and consumer-designed Rebel, most notably of all, the self-cleaning image sensor (my absolute favorite feature on my 1D Mark III), the 2.5″ LCD screen with live view (my second favorite feature which is a great back saver when shooting in low, tight positions) and the Digic III processor.

Yes, it’s over 10 Megapixels, but one thing I like to emphasize in my workshops and lessons is that it is not the number of Megapixels but rather the quality of the sensor that truly makes the difference, with the Digic III Canon ranks right up there as one of the best.