Canon EOS 400D, digital camera.

The Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi digital SLR is the successor to the best-selling EOS 350D / Rebel XT. Announced in August 2006, it combines a number of anticipated improvements along with a few genuine surprises.

Most people won’t be surprised to learn the 400D / XTi now features a larger 2.5in screen and Canon’s Picture Styles, but following the earlier EOS 30D, many equally expected the new entry-level body to employ the same sensor as its predecessor.

The  features

• 10.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor
• Canon’s EOS Integrated Cleaning System
• 2.5” LCD screen with 230K pixels and 160º viewing angle
• High-precision 9 point AF system
• Picture Style image processing parameters
• DIGIC II image processor with 0.2 sec start up
• Digital Photo Professional RAW processing software
• Compact and Lightweight body
• Fully compatible with all Canon EF and EF-S lenses and EX-series Speedlites

 

But instead of re-using the 350D / XT’s 8 Megapixel sensor, Canon’s developed a brand new 10.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor for the 400D / XTi. This makes it Canon’s highest resolution digital SLR with an EF-S lens mount to date.
In addition the EOS 400D / Rebel XTi is the first Canon digital SLR to feature a self-cleaning sensor which shakes off dust particles. Reference frames can also be tagged to images for automatic removal of more stubborn dust particles later using supplied software.
These features make the 400D / XTi a more significant upgrade than many expected, and also places Canon’s entry-level digital SLR above its own higher-end EOS 30D, in terms of resolution and dust-elimination anyway. It’s even inherited the 30D’s nine-point AF system.
In this full review of a final production EOS 400D / Rebel XTi we’ll put these improvements to the test and also see how the new model performs against its predecessor and the Sony Alpha A100.

Both the Sony A100 and the forthcoming Nikon D80 share the same 10 Megapixel resolution, while the Sony additionally boasts anti-dust and anti-shake capabilities.

The new Canon certainly has a lot to offer, but is it sufficient to beat increasingly tough competition? Find out in our full review.

It’s fair to say the majority of people buying the new Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi will do so with its kit lens. This bundled EF-S 18-55mm delivers a 3x optical zoom range covering wide angle to short telephoto and is a good general purpose starter lens.

The fact it’s included for little extra cost over the body-only price makes it a no-brainer.
While the EF-S 18-55mm performs surprisingly well for its price though, you’ll really need to upgrade to something better to make the most of your 400D / XTi.

Upgrading also gives you the opportunity to enjoy a longer focal range along with features which could include Image Stabilisation to combat camera-shake, improved focusing, or greater capabilities in low light.

There are a massive range of lenses available to suit all tastes and photographic opportunities, but in this group test we’ll specifically look at three popular models from Canon which could be used as a general-purpose upgrade to the 18-55mm kit lens.
All three, pictured above, feature faster and quieter focusing, superior build quality and will squeeze additional resolution from your camera. Two also feature Image Stabilisation, one offers a longer zoom range, another boasts excellent performance for portraiture or low light work, while the third can also be used on a full-frame body, protecting you for significant future upgrades.
They all have their pros and cons which we’ll compare in detail in this group test, allowing you to make the best choice for your particular requirements.
While these tests were performed with an EOS 400D / Rebel XTi, the benefits of each lens are equally applicable to the earlier 350D / XT, the original 300D / Rebel, or indeed the EOS 20D and 30D models.

 

If you have one of these bodies and are still using the kit lens, this is the feature for you. Upgrading your lens from the kit model is the first step to making the most of your digital SLR, and in this group test we’ll compare some of the best options available.

 

Worldwide naming…

• Canon EOS 400D (Europe / Asia / Elsewhere)
• Canon Digital Rebel XTi (North America)
• Canon EOS Kiss Digital X (Japan)
Major new features / changes
• 10 megapixel CMOS sensor
• Separate low pass filter with ultra-sonic vibration to remove dust
• Anti-static coatings on sensor surface, software based dust mapping / removal
• Nine area Auto Focus sensor (same as EOS 30D)
• Picture Styles, larger range of image parameter adjustment (same as EOS 30D)
• Faster image processing
• Removal of control panel LCD display, now uses main LCD monitor
• Proximity sensor below viewfinder eyepiece to disable main LCD during composition
• Camera settings made on main LCD (such as metering, white balance, ISO, AF area etc.)
• Setting adjustment saved with half-press of shutter release
• Continuous shooting buffer up to 27 JPEG and 10 RAW images
• Large 2.5″ LCD monitor with 160° viewing angle
• Image magnification available in record review
• Histogram available as brightness (Luminance) or RGB (Red, Green, Blue)
• Traditional Chinese language (in addition to Simplified Chinese)
• Up to 9999 images per folder on storage card
• Lower introductory list price ($100 lower)
What’s missing?
(at first glance)
• No programmable Auto ISO (such as seen on the Nikon D80, almost ‘ISO priority’)
• No spot metering
• Settings such as ISO not repeated on viewfinder status bar while being adjusted
• Mirror lock-up buried in a custom menu
• Hand grip virtually identical to that of the EOS 350D / Digital Rebel XT

Technologies Explained

Picture Style
Picture Style pre-sets simplify in-camera control over image qualities. Picture Style pre-sets can be likened to different film types – each one offering a different colour response.

Within each selectable pre-set, photographers have control over sharpness, contrast, colour tone and saturation. The camera’s factory default configuration is set to deliver immediately-usable JPEG images without need for additional menu settings. Picture Style presets applied to a RAW image do not degrade the image in any way and can be revised with Canon’s Digital Photo Professional software.
The six pre-sets include: Standard – for crisp, vivid images that don’t require post-processing; Portrait – optimises colour tone and saturation and weakens sharpening to achieve attractive skin tones; Landscape – for punchier greens and blues with stronger sharpening to give a crisp edge to mountain, tree and building outlines;

Neutral – ideal for post-processing; Faithful – adjusts colour to match the subject colour when shot under a colour temperature of 5200K; Monochrome – for black and white shooting with a range of filter effects (yellow, orange, red and green) and toning effects (sepia, blue, purple and green).

The User Defined Picture Style can be used to store up to three customised pre-sets, or any of the pre-sets available for download from Canon’s web site.

DIGIC II

Now found across the EOS range, DIGIC II is a purpose built, dedicated image processor responsible for the high speed calculations necessary in order to providing exceptionally accurate colour reproduction in real time. Canon’s second generation imaging engine, DIGIC II performs the duties of a number of separate processing units to speed processing, save space, and optimise battery life.
Canon’s processor overcomes the trade-off faced by other manufacturers between camera responsiveness and image quality. With its massive capacity, DIGIC II treats every image with the full complex processing algorithms required in order to deliver superb EOS picture quality, while enabling extended continuous shooting bursts.

CMOS

Canon’s CMOS technology is one of the company’s key competitive advantages, with noise reduction circuitry at each pixel site delivering virtually noise-free images. In comparison with CCD technology, the lower power consumption characteristics of Canon’s CMOS sensors also help optimise battery usage.
CCD sensors use a bucket relay system to transfer each pixel’s accumulated electrical charge to a corresponding gutter. The operation is time consuming and draws considerable power.
By contrast, signal conversion in Canon’s CMOS sensors is handled by the individual amplifiers at each pixel site. Unnecessary charge transfer operations are avoided, vastly speeding up the process of getting signal to the image processor. Noise generation is reduced, power consumption is limited and faster frame rate potential is increased.

Digital Photo Professional Software

Digital Photo Professional software provides high-speed processing of lossless RAW images. Processing with Digital Photo Professional allows real-time display and immediate application of image adjustments, giving control over RAW image variables such as white balance, dynamic range, exposure compensation and colour tone.

 

Images can be recorded in sRGB or Adobe RGB colour space, and the Digital Photo Professional application supports sRGB, Adobe RGB and Wide Gamut RGB colour spaces.

An ICC (International Colour Consortium) profile attaches automatically to RAW images converted to TIFF or JPEG images. This allows faithful reproduction of colours in software applications that support ICC profiles, such as Adobe Photoshop. For improved efficiency, a set of image adjustments can be saved as a recipe and applied.

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