The Canon Rebel XTi holds a special place in my collection: because this was the camera that really started my passion in Digital Photography. While the one I have now is not my original camera and re-bought ten years later in 2018; this camera was my first really "Serious" Digital Camera, which I've henceforth referred to as my "Workhorse" camera. Currently in this line is my Nikon D7200 though these days I shoot a lot more then just my "workhorse" camera.
However, the Canon Rebel XTi wasn't my first Digital Camera. I've already reviewed one of my earlier Digital Cameras (The Fujifilm A345) and tried to review my very first Digital camera with a memory card; though sadly the one I re-bought has a damaged sensor.
In 2005 I went to isle of Maui in Hawaii with my parents; which remains the only time I've been off the mainland US. I was stuck with a very basic point and shoot camera (The Fuji A345) and for the first time had the wish that I had something better. It set the spark in motion to get more into photography even if I wouldn't get the Canon Rebel XTi till 3 years later when the price of Digital DSLRs dropped to a price I could afford.
Launched in 2006 (a full two years before I bought mine) the Canon Rebel XTi featured a 10mp APS-C CMOS sensor. It was an entry level camera competing with the Nikon D40 and Sony A100. At the time many APS-C DSLRs (which were the most common sensor size unlike Full Frame having the market share these days) were running lower resolution and/or CCD sensors which gave the Rebel XTi an edge in the market.
This camera is one of the DSLRs that made the market shift from CCD to CMOS sensors. The Canon Rebel XTi's early CMOS Sensor while not having higher ISO capabilities of its CCD competitor had much finer and less ISO grain at its higher ISO ranges (800 and 1600) then the CCD offerings, a trend which would continue and eventually lead to the discontinuation of CCD sensors in DSLRs four years later.
Like the original Rebel this camera was designed to be affordable with the Hobbyist photographer in mind. It lacked a lot of bells and whistles of professional cameras like the Nikon D200 or Canon 1D; but still allowed you to Shoot RAW, have full control over the exposure and use multiple different lenses which was a game changer for Photography for me.
With good outdoor lighting (as I have been using for my challenges whenever possible) the Canon Rebel XTi still takes really amazing photos with a unique and balanced look 15 years later.
If left on the camera will go to sleep like most more modern DSLR cameras; allowing me to shoot without delay. Even with turning the camera on and off it's ready to shoot almost instantly unlike pocket cameras or older DSLRs such as the Original Digital Rebel which I reviewed earlier.
As with the A290 and Nikon D200 I reviewed prior it lacks video and live view, so you only have an optical viewfinder and are stuck only doing still photography with it. Having this as my first serious camera may explain why my digital photography stayed as still photography and why I didn't have the mindset for videography when I tried dabbling in it.
In 2006-2008 you had to make a choice between serious photography or serious videography. The cameras that could do both IE bridge cameras sacrificed the quality of both the Photos and Video in order to offer both video and still photography on a compact camera that could do everything (with a smaller sensor). However the APS-C sensor was the King for getting high-end printable still images.
So without further reminiscing (as I could go on and on about my experiences with my first DSLR; and I think that's suited for another post) here are some photos I took with the Rebel XTi this week; fifteen years after it was my primary camera.
No comments:
Post a Comment