Canon XSi Comparison Review

The Canon EOS Rebel XSi (called Canon 450D in some regions) is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was revealed to the public in January 2008 and is equipped with an APS-C sensor. It offers a resolution of 12.2 megapixel.

Is the Canon XSi a good camera? The XSi has a Camera Elo of 1148. This rating puts the XSi below average of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the XSi also ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 2.5-star performance rating. – Well, the Canon XSi 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

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Canon XSi vis-à-vis a credit card. 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 XSi 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 XSi	129 mm	98 mm	62 mm	524 g	500	n	Jan 2008	US$ 799	ebay.com
2.		Canon 40D	146 mm	108 mm	74 mm	822 g	750	n	Aug 2007	US$ 1 299	ebay.com
3.		Canon T1i	129 mm	98 mm	62 mm	520 g	400	n	Mar 2009	US$ 799	ebay.com
4.		Canon T2i	129 mm	98 mm	62 mm	530 g	440	n	Feb 2010	US$ 699	ebay.com
5.		Canon T3	130 mm	100 mm	78 mm	495 g	700	n	Feb 2011	US$ 449	ebay.com
6.		Canon T4i	133 mm	100 mm	79 mm	575 g	440	n	Jun 2012	US$ 849	ebay.com
7.		Canon T6i	132 mm	101 mm	78 mm	555 g	440	n	Feb 2015	US$ 749	ebay.com
8.		Canon T6s	132 mm	101 mm	78 mm	565 g	440	n	Feb 2015	US$ 649	ebay.com
9.		Canon XS	126 mm	98 mm	65 mm	502 g	500	n	Jun 2008	US$ 449	ebay.com
10.		Canon XT	127 mm	94 mm	64 mm	540 g	400	n	Feb 2005	US$ 899	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 XSi was launched in the US market at a price of $799. 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 XSi offers at
ebay.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tent to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Canon XSi 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 XSi 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 table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar 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 XSi	APS-C	12.2	4272	2848	none	21.9	10.8	692	61
2.		Canon 40D	APS-C	10.1	3888	2592	none	22.1	11.3	703	64
3.		Canon T1i	APS-C	15.1	4752	3168	1080/20p	21.7	11.5	663	63
4.		Canon T2i	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.1	11.5	784	66
5.		Canon T3	APS-C	12.2	4272	2848	720/30p	21.9	11.0	755	62
6.		Canon T4i	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	21.7	11.2	722	62
7.		Canon T6i	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/30p	22.7	12.0	919	71
8.		Canon T6s	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/30p	22.6	12.0	915	70
9.		Canon XS	APS-C	10.1	3888	2592	none	22.0	10.9	719	62
10.		Canon XT	APS-C	8.0	3456	2304	none	21.8	10.8	637	60
11.		Canon XTi	APS-C	10.1	3888	2592	none	22.1	11.0	664	62

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

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the XSi has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 95% and a magnification of 0.54x. The adjacent tables list some of the other core features of the Canon XSi along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

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 XSi	optical	n	3.0 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.5/s	Y	n
2.		Canon 40D	optical	Y	3.0 / 230	fixed	n	1/8000s	6.5/s	Y	n
3.		Canon T1i	optical	n	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.4/s	Y	n
4.		Canon T2i	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.7/s	Y	n
5.		Canon T3	optical	n	2.7 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
6.		Canon T4i	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	5.0/s	Y	n
7.		Canon T6i	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	5.0/s	Y	n
8.		Canon T6s	optical	Y	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	5.0/s	Y	n
9.		Canon XS	optical	n	2.5 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
10.		Canon XT	optical	n	1.8 / 115	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/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 XSi 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 XSi 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 XSi	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Canon 40D	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
3.		Canon T1i	Y	mono / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
4.		Canon T2i	Y	stereo / -	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
5.		Canon T3	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
6.		Canon T4i	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
7.		Canon T6i	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
8.		Canon T6s	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
9.		Canon XS	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
10.		Canon XT	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Canon XTi	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-

Further information on the features and operation of the XSi can be found in the free online Canon XSi 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 remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the XSi. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is where reviews by experts come in. The table below summarizes the assessments of some of the best known 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 XSi	..	+ +	..	+ +	4/5	4.5/5	Jan 2008	US$ 799	ebay.com
2.		Canon 40D	..	+ +	..	+ +	4.5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2007	US$ 1 299	ebay.com
3.		Canon T1i	..	+ +	..	74/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Mar 2009	US$ 799	ebay.com
4.		Canon T2i	..	+ +	..	77/100	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2010	US$ 699	ebay.com
5.		Canon T3	..	80/100	..	69/100	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2011	US$ 449	ebay.com
6.		Canon T4i	4/5	+ +	..	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2012	US$ 849	ebay.com
7.		Canon T6i	5/5	..	..	75/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	US$ 749	ebay.com
8.		Canon T6s	5/5	+	..	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	US$ 649	ebay.com
9.		Canon XS	..	82/100	..	+ +	3.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2008	US$ 449	ebay.com
10.		Canon XT	..	80/100	..	+ +	o	..	Feb 2005	US$ 899	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 ratings were established in reference to similarly priced cameras that were available in the market at the time of the review. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Check XSi offers at
ebay.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares to another one, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. Alternatively, you can follow any of the listed hyperlinks for comparisons that others found interesting.

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