Canon Rebel T6i first impressions review: the King of Rebels

It's only the first month into 2024 and I have already acquired 3 "new" to me cameras; two of which were gotten at no costs off of trades and one was at a price I could not pass up.  I will likely review all 3 at some point along with a few cameras that didn't make last year's cut for the camera a week challenge.

But for now, let's focus on my newest acquisition: the Canon T6i (750D).  This camera was the beginning of the end of the Rebel camera line featuring the last sensor that would be put into the Rebel: Canon's 24mp APS-C sensor that was also used in the 77D and 80D.

Prior to late 2019 I was primarily a Canon shooter and my workhorse camera was a Canon 80D.  I really enjoyed that camera but after it got water damaged I switched over to a Nikon D7200 as my primary camera for Event photography. The Canon T6i brings back some of my fond memories of both shooting the 80D and throwback first DSLRs I owned I learned Photography on (the Rebel XTi and T1i). It makes a perfect bookend to my Canon Rebel series collection.  

Released in 2015 the Canon Rebel T6i (known as the 750D in Europe) alongside the Canon T6s (an alternate version with a second control wheel and top LCD) would be succeeded by the Rebel T7i and T8i. It had a new 24mp 1.6x CMOS sensor, a refined look and feel, and the articulated LCD inherited from the T5i.

The overall ergonomics of the Rebel T6i makes it feel more of a premium camera over the other Rebel series cameras in my collection.  It is slightly larger then the XT-T2i cameras I own and noticeably heavier.  However it still remains a lighter weight DSLR then something like a Canon 7D or Nikon D7XXX series body.

The Rebel T6i has a few other differences from the rest of the Rebel Series cameras I've used including the SL1 (which I sold to a friend) and older models from the original Digital Rebel up to the T2i.  Gone are the days of the jarring and loud signature "ka-chink" of the older Rebel's shutter and mirror flip up and it now has a satisfying click when the shutter actuates and mirror flips up. It is also a very responsive camera with write delays a thing of the past even when shooting RAW+JPEG except when doing bursts. 

Burst speed on the T6i is a respectable 5 FPS; which may not sound like a lot but considering most other Rebel cameras topped off at 3 or 3.5 FPS and most premium APS-C bodies stopped at around 7 FPS this is quite respectable.

Put these all together and this camera (along with the T7i and T8i that followed) are the King of the Rebel series cameras. 

The T6i still has a few of the Rebel's "classic" feature restrictions such as only full stops in ISO when set Manually (100, 200, 400, 800 etc), no ability to set a minimum shutter speed in priority mode, and less Autofocus points then the more premium APS-C DSLRs.  After a day out shooting with this or any of my Rebel cameras these features more and more feel like "nice to have" vs "have to have".  

The end of the day I feel the Canon Rebel DSLRs are unfairly judged by people especially higher-end camera snobs who can "afford the best".  Sure they lack a lot of "features" and "aren't full frame" but some of my best and most spetacular shots I have ever taken have come off a Rebel.  

For me, the simplicity is what makes these cameras special.  I can just go out and shoot without over thinking of how my function buttons are set, what focus mode I should be in, micro tune my Autofocus or ISO etc.  I can dial in what I need to quickly and just go out, shoot and enjoy myself.  The same can be said of the Nikon D5000 (which will be its own future review) and the Sony a290.  Sometimes I just like keeping it simple.

I have not gotten out to use this particular camera much, though I did for a short time own an imported 760D which was a EU version of this camera's sister camera the T6s.  I owned that camera as a backup to my 80D before I started collecting cameras as a hobby in 2017 and I sold it a few months after buying it because I felt like I wasn't using it enough.  So I am glad to have a version of that camera back.

Enjoy a few SOOC (straight out of camera) photos off the Canon Rebel T6i that I took last night right after I bought it. I had the camera set to JPG and these were still mostly test shots taking advantage of the last of the daylight on an abnormally warm late January evening.

 

What lies ahead for this Blog in 2024 and Beyond

 I started the Digicam Den blog in 2023 to document a year long project of shooting and reviewing 52 digital cameras ranging from early 2000s pocket cameras up to more modern Full Frame DSLRs.  

The results of this challenge were intriguing, and I found myself often being surprised at getting some really amazing photos not off the 2019 Nikon Z50 or the two Full Frame DSLRs I reviewed but in some of the much older DSLRs and even a few of the pocket cameras as well.

For 2024 I am doing a Photo a Day challenge which due to the more frequent and fleeting posts I am keeping that challenge to my microblogging resources; IE Twitter, Bluesky and my Telegram channel I set up for it.  

This blog is meant for my longer thought dumps, and is a lot less viewed then my social media accounts, and I think I am fine with keeping it that way.  I don't want my longer-winded content that I use mostly to self-reflect on to be buried in a series of shorter one a day moments.  

While I could do a write up every day where I was when I took each photo and describe in detail what equipment and settings I was using to take the photo, that would require a lot more time and effort then I have available to me.

So instead I will still use this Blog to do write-ups and thought dumps about photography as I feel inspired to do so.  This may include camera reviews that weren't part of my 2023 project as there were a few cameras in my collection I could not include in my review due to missing components IE no battery, no charger or no way to get photos off.  In addition I will still be purchasing and rotating in new cameras that were not part of my 2023 project.

Here's to looking forward to another year of Photography ahead.  January and February are the dullest and most limited months for opportunities for me to get out and take photos and my Photo a day will keep me engaged in making sure I keep taking fresh content in 2024.

Enjoy a few photos taken as part of my daily challenge so far this year, while I won't be posting these photos otherwise I felt a sampling of photos I've taken so far in the first week of 2024 would be a good way to kick off going forward into another rotation around the sun.

2023 Weekly Challenge Week 52: Canon Rebel XT

With last week being the last week of 2023 I have reached the end of the ambitious 2023 challenge of shooting and reviewing 52 different Digital Cameras in one year.  

It's a sad conclusion to a very long project and while my collection will change and evolve, I'm certainly not going to be buying or trading a different set of 52 cameras for 2024 to review. 

I will instead be doing a smaller project that is shared on shorter social media outlets and re-purposing this blog for times I want to vent or share with the few people who will take time to read my posts.

For the last week of 2023 I decided to sneak in one more Canon Rebel DSLR.  I will do a followup post on why I collect Canon Rebels and why they hold such a special place in my heart.  

The short version of that followup post is that the Canon Rebel series of DSLRs are the ultimate Underdog workhorse camera that gets dumped on by many, many photographers for feeling "cheap" and not being "A $2000+ Entry-Pro Full Frame Camera". 

However when it comes down to it the Rebels are so simple in form and function they are the perfect Advanced camera to learn Photography on.  They don't have all the "Features" to distract you and make you feel that you are "missing" something because Brand X's Pro Full Frame camera has a feature that yours does not.

This week's review is of a camera I decided not to keep, simply because I have a friend that I can get one in better condition from for cheaper to add back to my collection.  But it was the one Canon Rebel Sensor I was missing other then the last 24mp sensor that Canon put into the Rebel series (which still command a pretty high price for used).

The Canon Rebel XT (also known as the Canon Rebel 350D in Global Markets) was the second in Canon's entry level series of consumer/budget DSLRs released in 2005. It features an 8mp CMOS APS-C sensor (the same sensor that was used in both the professional APS-C 20D and 30D) which in terms of image quality was a noticeable increase from the first consumer generation APS-C 6 mp sensor even if the resolution bump was a fairly minor increase and a stopgap between the 6 and 10mp sensors that other camera manufacturers skipped.

The 350D/Rebel XT also was the first Rebel series body to have the smaller, more compact form factor (as the original Digital Rebel was significantly bigger in spite of still missing the top screen) that Canon would carry all the way to the Rebel T8i and T100 with only a few unique models such as the T6s, SL1-SL3 diverging on this classic form factor.

It was the last Canon Rebel to have the rear secondary LCD info panel as future models would drop this feature to put in a larger main TFT screen without increasing the physical size and form factor.  

While the button layout would change slightly with the Canon Rebel XSi the core controls of this camera are still very simmilar to the more modern Canon Rebel/XXX/XXXXD camera bodies. It still has the classic 4 way navigation buttons which double as pre programmed function buttons to quickly adjust features such as ISO and White Balance when not moving the focus point or navigating menus.

In terms of how responsive the camera is it's about on par with the Classic Digital Rebel.  Which means its okay but not great when it comes to a DSLR.  It's a lot less frustrating to use then a Bridge camera from the same era (IE the Canon Powershot Pro 1) so instead of waiting upwards of 10-20 seconds between shots if you shoot in RAW the write delay is down to 1-2 seconds with a reasonably fast (for what this camera supports) CF card.  This makes the camera just fine for like shooting street photography but doing single shot bursts/double tapping with this camera is a lot more frustrating then the Canon Rebel XTi and forward which had a big enough buffer to store a few shots in RAW before having to write to the card.

Shooting in JPEG of course, the buffer is large and fast enough to have a seamless shooting experience; but the delay was short enough that it was still tolerable for a day of casual street photography while shooting in RAW to not frustrate me so I shot the camera in RAW and post processed after for this review.

One improvement in shooting experience was the lack of a startup delay the Original Rebel had.  Flick the switch on and the camera is ready to take photos instead of having a 5-10 second boot up sequence where the rear LCD flashed before it was ready to go. This alone made the Rebel XT feel more like a modern DSLR in spite of the lackluster buffer and very slow FPS drive.

Overall, I did have fun shooting this camera and it was a lot more enjoyable and less frustrating expereince overall then the last two cameras prior to this review.  I wanted to end this review on something that didn't make me want to pull my hair out with. 

This camera isn't the fastest, nor does it do the best at low light photography. It can't shoot Video. But at the end of the day this is a great example of a camera you can find for under $50 used that is so basic and simple to use that it really breaks down Digital Photography into the Basics, and becomes a camera that an experienced or learning photographer both can still use to capture some really nice images without relying on the camera (or phone) to do everything for them and "automagically" capture an image that may or may not be what they wanted.

Taking a step back and shooting an old DSLR before the age of Live View, Video or more "advanced" features is really a good excersize.  Anyone struggling with their photography or just wanting to have a better understanding of how Digital Photography works beyond just "pressing a button" can learn a lot by picking up an old camera like this and shooting it for a week or even a month in lieu of their smartphone or modern High-End Full Frame Mirrorless camera that has all the bells and whistles.

And with that, I leave 2023 with the following photos taken with one of the most basic of all interchangeable lens cameras that can be picked up for less then the price of a single Steak Dinner; a Canon Rebel XT.