I haven’t been able to try it out yet but the new Canon XSi looks to be a nice upgrade from the Xti. The enhancement to 12mp and the move to SD media alone is worth it, not to mention the other enhancements.
Maybe this will be my first step into the world of DSLRs instead of the 40D I want so badly? We’ll see, although at this point I think I’d outgrow the XSi much too quickly to warrant the purchase now instead of waiting a little longer to purchase the one I really want (the 40D).
Details below to save you the jump.
- 12.2 effective Megapixel CMOS sensor
- Supports all EF and EF-S lenses
- Uses new 14-bit A/D converter, improved AF sensor (still 9-point), and DIGIC III image processor
- 3-inch LCD display (230k pixels) with live view and contrast detect autofocus
- Full manual controls; ISO range of 100 – 1600
- Can shoot at 3.5 frames/second for up to 6 RAW or 45 JPEGs
- Auto Lighting Optimizer corrects image brightness and contrast automatically
- New spot metering (4%) option
- Same dust reduction system as the XTi
- Uses SD/SDHC memory cards (instead of CompactFlash)
- Optional battery grip
- Uses LP-E5 lithium-ion battery; 500 shots per charge
- USB 2.0 High Speed support
- Shipping in April for $799 body only, and $899 with the new 18-55 IS lens; comes in silver and black
It does look nice. I am kinda disappointed with the move to SD but I could see why they’re offering it (as an incentive to current P&S owners).
My advice (unsolicited of course) would be to move to the XSi. I would honestly guess that you won’t outgrow the XSi very soon unless you’re shooting sports (due to the smaller buffer and lower FPS). There’s always gadget envy to try to entice you to move up to the next model but really with these DSLRs it’s the photographer that holds the camera back (no offense intended). I’ve tried to justify getting an upgraded model but I’m still pretty happy with the 10D. It still produces great shots and offers all the flexibility in shooting I need. Save the $300-400 for the 40D and put it towards a nice lens 🙂
Oh, and you’d be welcome to borrow my 70-200 for a weekend if you’d wanna give it a try. You might find that non-IS would be ok.
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