Canon EOS Rebel XS / 1000D 10.1 MP Digital SLR Camera - Black (Kit w/ EF-S IS 18-55mm Lens)

The good: Excellent photo quality for its class; solid performance.
The bad: Maximum ISO of 1,600; no spot meter; annoying, in-viewfinder, focus-point display.
The bottom line: The Canon EOS Rebel XS is a good entry-level dSLR, but only its photo quality stands out among the competition.
Review
Canon EOS Rebel XS
The baby brother to the Rebel XSi, the Canon EOS Rebel XS is the typical, almost-identical, but slightly less-powerful, version of that camera.
As with the XSi, Canon offers two body designs for the XS--an attractive solid black, and a less-attractive, two-tone, silver and black style. Each only comes in a single-lens kit with the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens. Though it essentially uses the same body as the XSi, it shaves a couple of ounces of the weight; it only weighs 1 pound, 1.6 ounces. Its smooth, plastic body still feels a little on the cheap side, and I'm not crazy about the grip. I can't quite put my finger on the reason; it's not especially shallow, and Canon improved it over the XTi's with a more rubbery-feeling cover. Still, I don't find it as comfortable to hold as most other dSLRs. Almost all the buttons lie under your right hand, and each feels slightly different so that you can grope them without looking. None requires two-handed operation; when you push the button to change ISO, white balance, metering and so on, the menu persists while you navigate the options. (For more on the camera design, click through the slide show.)
The biggest operational advantage the XS offers over competitors is My Menu, which, unlike some other features, it inherits from higher-end models. With My Menu you can build a go-to-list of the most frequently accessed menu settings--in my case, for instance, Format and Live View settings. However, like the XSi, the menus can be--irritatingly--a little inconsistent and sometimes dumb. For instance, you can change ISO sensitivity with either the dial or the navigation buttons, but can only navigate metering choices via the navigation buttons. Also, in some cases, when you have two columns to navigate, as with Picture Style settings, it doesn't let you navigate to the right or left; you must navigate all the way down the first column to get to the settings in the second.
But, I consider the AF indicators in the viewfinder the most annoying aspect of operating the XS (this was true in the XSi, as well). The AF indicators are tiny red dots that briefly flash when focus locks. They're neither persistent nor large enough to be easy to spot, so I frequently found myself having to prefocus several times to make sure that the spot was on the correct subject and that it was focused. As you can imagine, it slows shooting a bit. Is it more annoying than the faint focus lines Sony uses? I think so.
For the most part, the XS offers a solid set of entry-level specs: 10-megapixel, APS-C-size, CMOS sensor (for Canon's traditional 1.6x focal-length multiplier) and 7-point user-selectable autofocus system. That falls between the Nikon D60's paltry three-area AF and the 9- and 11-point AF systems in the competing Sony Alpha DSLR-A200 and Pentax K200D, respectively. I also mark the switch from CompactFlash to SDHC in the plus column. Also, like the XSi, the XS includes Canon's Auto Lighting Optimizer, which automatically adjusts contrast and brightness in case the image you captured isn't quite perfect.

I am a weak man and I love to play with new toys, especially higher end electronics and even more so digital cameras. 90 percent of my photography is done for eBay listing and the rest for family vacations and fun things around the house and a little of this and that. That said, I think of digi-cams, for my use, as a tool and like a good mechanic with quality wrenches, I want and need the best for great looking photos for my trade, (Full time eBay listing). Back in the day I was sold on the Nikon Coolpix 950 and 990, (Great Cameras and Modern Day Classics) but later switched to a Casio Exilim and then fell in love with Canon. The camera that I use today is a Powershot SX 200 IS which I am pretty happy with. Over the holiday weekend and friend loaned my his Canon EOS Rebel XS and I was really eager to use it and even considering an upgrade. The are priced really reasonable throughout eBay and there are some great Black Friday sales tomorrow, (Today is Thanksgiving). I was impressed with the EOS Rebel XS - no doubt leaves one with a feeling of a high quality Canon product in ones hand. I liked it as it had a professional manly feel to it and soooo much larger than a point and shoot. The size did start to bother me and I had a little trouble getting used to using the view finder rather than the LCD screen. There is a mode to use the LCD screen to shoot with, but it as with other very complex settings, I just could not adjust. I did take some great pictures and created some good listing but just kept feeling the need to go back to my SX 200 IS point and shoot. The EOS is, in my opinion, a "Next Level Up" camera and though I like it and can picture choosing it to take on family vacations and do more professional portraiture and the like, I believe the for eBay listing a high quality point and shoot is better. For what it is though and the price point, It is a great machine and if I was in the market for a higher end SLR camera I would probably purchase one and realize that comparing a SLR to a point and shoot is like apples and oranges. So now I have to find something else cool for Christmas.

The Canon EOS 1000D (EOS Rebel XS)was the clear choice for my first "dual purpose" DSLR.
This camera "starter" pack consisted of:camera body, one 18-55mm image stability lens, one 75-300mm lens, battery, charger, cables, and software.
The smaller lens works great for action and wide angle shot while the larger almost needs a tripod mount for all but brightly lit stills.
A t-mount, t-ring, and remote shutter "bulb" were purchased separately to attach to my telescope for astrophotography.
Conclusion? A frugal DSLR purchase that provides me with a "double duty" camera that was within my price range and should give me years of faithful service. The Canon 1000D is well made (not bulletproof!), ergonomic, has a 10 Megapixel sensor ( almost poster size photos), a 2.5 inch LCD monitor with Live View. The operating system (OS), is based around the same Digic III processor as almost every current Canon DSLR all the way up to the 1Ds MkIII, it uses a SD/SDHC for storage, and has a logical menu tree (control and menu layouts that are pretty much identical to other EOS models.
If you've done your research and need someone who owns and/or purchased the Rebel XS's honest and unbiased opinion (okay okay, I own a few other Canon cameras (SLR and a couple of point and shoots)as well.), I am happy and satisfied with my purchase.

John M.
Hagerstown, Maryland.

If you are a first time DSLR buyer like I was, I recommend doing some serious research before buying anything. Canon, Nikon, Olympus, and Sony (which is Konica/Minolta) all have good DSLR's to choose from. Look at the features of each model and line and do some research into optics. The lenses are the real heart and soul of this kind of camera but they are going to cost you. Figuring out what you are going to shoot is a start.

I chose the Canon Rebel 1000D XS because of the combination of features and price. As I said earlier this is my first DSLR. My first digital was an Olympus Camedia point and shoot (p&s), and while I enjoyed the convenience of digital, especially when it came to viewing and editing, I realized that I missed the control that I had with my old Minolta SLR film camera particularly when it came to focus and extreme light conditions. Unfortunately the 1000+ price tag on the original DSLR's made them unaffordable for me. So I waited.

The Rebel XS 1000D I bought cost me a bit over $400 (ebay) with the 18-55mm kit lense.
The Canon Rebel XS has all the automated features that p & s cameras have with the added advantage that you can shut them all off and control your own view of the world. Even while in auto-focus (AF) mode the viewer on this XS tells you about your f-stop, shutter, and aperture settings are before taking a snap.

I am still playing with and learning about this camera. The Rebel XSI is the next level up for this model. The two were similar enough that I chose the less expensive one. The XSI does have a few more features than the XS so you may want to consider that camera as well. Both of them are Canons so you know that the quality will be good.

Be aware also that this is a sub-frame camera. The actual pictures are smaller than ones on a standard or full frame camera. The photo sensor that replaced your 35mm film is smaller than the area that got exposed on 35mm film. This is why this camera line is under $1000. The "full frame" sized sensors are in the more expensive models however with technology advancing, the full sensors should eventually make is down to the intro-levels. What this means for this camera is that if you should use older EF lenses, your actual shot will be cropped around all four sides. Not a big issue, but something to consider on tight squeezes.

JKE

Easy to use....great photos.......I like the fact that all I hVe to do is turn it on, look through the viewfinder, and snap the picture....the auto focus is so easy, and I can switch to manual to do zoom or far away shots just as easy....
Iz was able to figure out most of the basic functions quite easily, and for more complex issues I found the user manual to be very user friendly. I am just the normal user who wants the camera to take great pictures easily, and the Rebel does just that. I am very pleased with the ease....