Canon XS Comparison Review

The Canon EOS Rebel XS (called Canon 1000D in some regions) is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was officially introduced in June 2008 and is equipped with an APS-C sensor. It offers a resolution of 10.1 megapixel.

Is the Canon XS a good camera? The XS has a Camera Elo of 1062. This rating puts the XS below average of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the XS also ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 2.5-star performance rating. – Well, the Canon XS is more than 16 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2008.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

An illustration of the physical dimensions of the Canon XS vis-à-vis a credit card is provided in the side-by-side display below. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Canon XS alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Canon XS	126 mm	98 mm	65 mm	502 g	500	n	Jun 2008	US$ 449	ebay.com
2.		Canon 40D	146 mm	108 mm	74 mm	822 g	750	n	Aug 2007	US$ 1 299	ebay.com
3.		Canon SX20	123 mm	88 mm	87 mm	600 g	..	n	Aug 2009	US$ 399	ebay.com
4.		Canon T1i	129 mm	98 mm	62 mm	520 g	400	n	Mar 2009	US$ 799	ebay.com
5.		Canon T3	130 mm	100 mm	78 mm	495 g	700	n	Feb 2011	US$ 449	ebay.com
6.		Canon T5	130 mm	100 mm	78 mm	480 g	500	n	Feb 2014	US$ 449	ebay.com
7.		Canon T6	129 mm	101 mm	78 mm	485 g	500	n	Mar 2016	US$ 449	ebay.com
8.		Canon T7	129 mm	101 mm	78 mm	475 g	500	n	Feb 2018	US$ 449	amazon.com
9.		Canon T100	129 mm	102 mm	77 mm	436 g	500	n	Feb 2018	US$ 399	amazon.com
10.		Canon XSi	129 mm	98 mm	62 mm	524 g	500	n	Jan 2008	US$ 799	ebay.com
11.		Canon XTi	127 mm	84 mm	65 mm	556 g	370	n	Aug 2006	US$ 799	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Canon XS was launched in the US market at a price of $449. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check XS offers at
ebay.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

The Canon XS features an APS-C sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.6. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Canon XS among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

For most cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of alternative cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Canon XS	APS-C	10.1	3888	2592	none	22.0	10.9	719	62
2.		Canon 40D	APS-C	10.1	3888	2592	none	22.1	11.3	703	64
3.		Canon SX20	1/2.3	12.0	4000	3000	720/30p	19.2	10.5	225	37
4.		Canon T1i	APS-C	15.1	4752	3168	1080/20p	21.7	11.5	663	63
5.		Canon T3	APS-C	12.2	4272	2848	720/30p	21.9	11.0	755	62
6.		Canon T5	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	21.9	11.3	724	63
7.		Canon T6	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.0	11.7	781	66
8.		Canon T7	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/30p	23.8	13.3	1684	81
9.		Canon T100	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	21.9	11.4	695	63
10.		Canon XSi	APS-C	12.2	4272	2848	none	21.9	10.8	692	61
11.		Canon XTi	APS-C	10.1	3888	2592	none	22.1	11.0	664	62
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

It should be noted that unlike many modern cameras, the XS does not provide the possibility to capture videos.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the XS has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 95% and a magnification of 0.51x. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Canon XS and comparable cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Canon XS	optical	n	2.5 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
2.		Canon 40D	optical	Y	3.0 / 230	fixed	n	1/8000s	6.5/s	Y	n
3.		Canon SX20	202	n	2.5 / 230	swivel	n	1/3200s	0.7/s	Y	Y
4.		Canon T1i	optical	n	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.4/s	Y	n
5.		Canon T3	optical	n	2.7 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
6.		Canon T5	optical	n	3.0 / 460	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
7.		Canon T6	optical	n	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
8.		Canon T7	optical	n	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
9.		Canon T100	optical	n	2.7 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
10.		Canon XSi	optical	n	3.0 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.5/s	Y	n
11.		Canon XTi	optical	n	2.5 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

One convenient feature of the XS is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Canon EOS Rebel XS and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Canon XS	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Canon 40D	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
3.		Canon SX20	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	YES	2.0	-	-	-
4.		Canon T1i	Y	mono / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
5.		Canon T3	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
6.		Canon T5	Y	mono / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
7.		Canon T6	Y	mono / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
8.		Canon T7	Y	mono / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
9.		Canon T100	Y	mono / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
10.		Canon XSi	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Canon XTi	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-

Further information on the features and operation of the XS can be found in the free online Canon XS Manual or on the Canon support site.

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the XS in practical situations. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable. This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Canon XS	..	82/100	..	+ +	3.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2008	US$ 449	ebay.com
2.		Canon 40D	..	+ +	..	+ +	4.5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2007	US$ 1 299	ebay.com
3.		Canon SX20	..	+ +	..	73/100	..	4/5	Aug 2009	US$ 399	ebay.com
4.		Canon T1i	..	+ +	..	74/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Mar 2009	US$ 799	ebay.com
5.		Canon T3	..	80/100	..	69/100	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2011	US$ 449	ebay.com
6.		Canon T5	3/5	+	..	..	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2014	US$ 449	ebay.com
7.		Canon T6	4/5	o	4/5	73/100	4/5	4/5	Mar 2016	US$ 449	ebay.com
8.		Canon T7	..	o	3.5/5	..	3.5/5	3.5/5	Feb 2018	US$ 449	amazon.com
9.		Canon T100	..	o	3/5	..	3.5/5	3.5/5	Feb 2018	US$ 399	amazon.com
10.		Canon XSi	..	+ +	..	+ +	4/5	4.5/5	Jan 2008	US$ 799	ebay.com
11.		Canon XTi	..	+ +	..	+ +	o	4/5	Aug 2006	US$ 799	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Check XS offers at
ebay.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just use the search menu below. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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