Canon Rebel vs XT

The Canon EOS Digital Rebel (called Canon 300D in some regions) and the Canon EOS Rebel XT (labelled Canon 350D in some countries) are two digital cameras that were announced, respectively, in August 2003 and February 2005. Both are DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras that are equipped with an APS-C sensor. The Rebel has a resolution of 6.3 megapixels, whereas the XT provides 8 MP.

As their names suggest, both the Canon EOS Digital Rebel and the Canon EOS Rebel XT belong to Canon's Rebel line of DSLR cameras. This range of APS-C cameras, which started out with the Canon EOS Digital Rebel in 2003, has been a big commercial success and the backbone of Canon's dominance in the digital camera market. The popularity of the Rebel cameras is the result of them inheriting much of the sensor and shooting technology from earlier released professional DSLRs, while being sold at a much more budget-friendly price point. The strong brand reputation of Canon and the comprehensive EOS system of compatible lenses and accessories further contributes to the appeal of the Rebel cams, including the Canon Rebel and Canon XT. Below is an overview of the main specs of the two cameras as a starting point for the comparison.

Headline Specifications

Canon Rebel		Canon XT
Digital single lens reflex		Digital single lens reflex
Canon EF mount lenses		Canon EF mount lenses
6.3 MP – APS-C sensor		8 MP – APS-C sensor
no Video		no Video
ISO 100-1,600		ISO 100-1,600
Optical viewfinder		Optical viewfinder
1.8" LCD – 118k dots		1.8" LCD – 115k dots
Fixed screen (not touch-sensitive)		Fixed screen (not touch-sensitive)
2.5 shutter flaps per second		3 shutter flaps per second
400 shots per battery charge		400 shots per battery charge
142 x 99 x 72 mm, 649 g		127 x 94 x 64 mm, 540 g

Check Rebel offers at
ebay.com
Check XT offers at
ebay.com

Going beyond this snapshot of core features and characteristics, what are the differences between the Canon EOS Digital Rebel and the Canon EOS Rebel XT? Which one should you buy? Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their body size, their imaging sensors, their shooting features, their input-output connections, and their reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison

The physical size and weight of the Canon Rebel and the Canon XT are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The XT can be obtained in two different colors (black, silver), while the Rebel is only available in silver.

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size, the Canon XT is notably smaller (15 percent) than the Canon Rebel. Moreover, the XT is markedly lighter (17 percent) than the Rebel. In this context, it is worth noting that neither the Rebel nor the XT are weather-sealed.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete since they do not consider the interchangeable lenses that both of these cameras require. In this particular case, both cameras feature the same lens mount, so that they can use the same lenses. You can compare the optics available in the Canon EF Lens Catalog.

The adjacent table lists the principal physical characteristics of the two cameras alongside a wider set of alternatives. If you would like to visualize and compare a different camera combination, you can navigate to the CAM-parator app and make your selection from a broad list of cameras there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Canon Rebel	142 mm	99 mm	72 mm	649 g	400	n	Aug 2003	899	ebay.com
2.		Canon XT	127 mm	94 mm	64 mm	540 g	400	n	Feb 2005	899	ebay.com
3.		Canon 77D	131 mm	100 mm	76 mm	540 g	600	n	Feb 2017	899	ebay.com
4.		Canon T7i	131 mm	100 mm	76 mm	532 g	600	n	Feb 2017	749	ebay.com
5.		Canon T6i	132 mm	101 mm	78 mm	555 g	440	n	Feb 2015	749	ebay.com
6.		Canon T6s	132 mm	101 mm	78 mm	565 g	440	n	Feb 2015	649	ebay.com
7.		Canon T4i	133 mm	100 mm	79 mm	575 g	440	n	Jun 2012	849	ebay.com
8.		Canon T3i	133 mm	100 mm	80 mm	570 g	440	n	Feb 2011	599	ebay.com
9.		Canon T1i	129 mm	98 mm	62 mm	520 g	400	n	Mar 2009	799	ebay.com
10.		Canon XTi	127 mm	84 mm	65 mm	556 g	370	n	Aug 2006	799	ebay.com
11.		Canon 20D	144 mm	106 mm	72 mm	770 g	700	n	Aug 2004	1,499	ebay.com
12.		Canon 10D	150 mm	107 mm	75 mm	850 g	500	n	Feb 2003	1,999	ebay.com
13.		Nikon D70	140 mm	111 mm	78 mm	679 g	400	n	Jan 2004	999	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 price is, of course, an important factor in any camera decision. The retail prices at the time of the camera’s release place the model in the market relative to other models in the producer’s line-up and the competition. The two cameras under review were launched at the same price and fall into the same market segment. Normally, street prices remain initially close to the MSRP, but after a couple of months, the first discounts appear. 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.

Sensor comparison

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants 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. 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 are more costly to manufacture and tend to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

Both cameras under consideration feature an APS-C sensor, but their sensors differ slightly in size. The sensor area in the XT is 4 percent smaller. They nevertheless have the same format factor of 1.6. Both cameras have a native aspect ratio (sensor width to sensor height) of 3:2.

Despite having a slightly smaller sensor, the XT offers a higher resolution of 8 megapixels, compared with 6.3 MP of the Rebel. This megapixels advantage comes at the cost of a higher pixel density and a smaller size of the individual pixel (with a pixel pitch of 6.41μm versus 7.38μm for the Rebel). However, it should be noted that the XT is a somewhat more recent model (by 1 year and 5 months) than the Rebel, and its sensor might have benefitted from technological advances during this time that partly offset its pixel-size disadvantage.

The resolution advantage of the Canon XT implies greater flexibility for cropping images or the possibility to print larger pictures. The maximum print size of the XT for good quality output (200 dots per inch) amounts to 17.3 x 11.5 inches or 43.9 x 29.3 cm, for very good quality (250 dpi) 13.8 x 9.2 inches or 35.1 x 23.4 cm, and for excellent quality (300 dpi) 11.5 x 7.7 inches or 29.3 x 19.5 cm. The corresponding values for the Canon Rebel are 15.4 x 10.2 inches or 39 x 26 cm for good quality, 12.3 x 8.2 inches or 31.2 x 20.8 cm for very good quality, and 10.2 x 6.8 inches or 26 x 17.3 cm for excellent quality prints.

The Canon EOS Digital Rebel has a native sensitivity range from ISO 100 to ISO 1600. The Canon EOS Rebel XT offers exactly the same ISO settings.

Technology-wise, both cameras are equipped with CMOS (Complementary Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor) sensors. Both cameras use a Bayer filter for capturing RGB colors on a square grid of photosensors. This arrangement is found in most digital cameras.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for many cameras. 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"). Of the two cameras under consideration, the XT has a markedly higher DXO score than the Rebel (overall score 5 points higher), which will translate into better image quality. The advantage is based on 0.8 bits higher color depth, and 0.2 stops in additional low light sensitivity. The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of comparators.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Canon Rebel	APS-C	6.3	3072	2048	none	21.0	10.8	544	55
2.		Canon XT	APS-C	8.0	3456	2304	none	21.8	10.8	637	60
3.		Canon 77D	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.6	13.3	971	78
4.		Canon T7i	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.7	13.1	1586	80
5.		Canon T6i	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/30p	22.7	12.0	919	71
6.		Canon T6s	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/30p	22.6	12.0	915	70
7.		Canon T4i	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	21.7	11.2	722	62
8.		Canon T3i	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.1	11.5	793	65
9.		Canon T1i	APS-C	15.1	4752	3168	1080/20p	21.7	11.5	663	63
10.		Canon XTi	APS-C	10.1	3888	2592	none	22.1	11.0	664	62
11.		Canon 20D	APS-C	8.2	3504	2336	none	21.9	11.0	721	62
12.		Canon 10D	APS-C	6.3	3072	2048	none	21.1	10.9	571	57
13.		Nikon D70	APS-C	6.0	3008	2000	none	20.4	10.3	529	50
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. The Rebel and the XT are similar in the sense that both have an optical viewfinder. The latter is useful for getting a clear image for framing even in brightly lit environments. The viewfinders of both cameras offer the same field of view (95%), but the viewfinder of the Rebel has a higher magnification than the one of the XT (0.55x vs 0.49x), so that the size of the image transmitted appears closer to the size seen with the naked human eye. The following table reports on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Canon Rebel, the Canon XT, 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 Rebel	optical	n	1.8 / 118	fixed	n	1/4000s	2.5/s	Y	n
2.		Canon XT	optical	n	1.8 / 115	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
3.		Canon 77D	optical	Y	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	6.0/s	Y	n
4.		Canon T7i	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	6.0/s	Y	n
5.		Canon T6i	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	5.0/s	Y	n
6.		Canon T6s	optical	Y	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	5.0/s	Y	n
7.		Canon T4i	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	5.0/s	Y	n
8.		Canon T3i	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	n	1/4000s	3.7/s	Y	n
9.		Canon T1i	optical	n	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.4/s	Y	n
10.		Canon XTi	optical	n	2.5 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
11.		Canon 20D	optical	Y	1.8 / 118	fixed	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	Y	n
12.		Canon 10D	optical	Y	1.8 / 118	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0/s	Y	n
13.		Nikon D70	optical	n	1.8 / 130	fixed	n	1/8000s	3.0/s	Y	n
Notes: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

Concerning the storage of imaging data, both the Rebel and the XT write their files to Compact Flash cards.

Connectivity 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 Digital Rebel and Canon EOS Rebel XT 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 Rebel	Y	- / -	-	-	-	1.1	-	-	-
2.		Canon XT	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
3.		Canon 77D	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	Y
4.		Canon T7i	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	Y
5.		Canon T6i	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
6.		Canon T6s	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
7.		Canon T4i	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
8.		Canon T3i	Y	mono / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
9.		Canon T1i	Y	mono / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
10.		Canon XTi	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Canon 20D	Y	- / -	-	-	-	1.1	-	-	-
12.		Canon 10D	Y	- / -	-	-	-	1.1	-	-	-
13.		Nikon D70	Y	- / -	-	-	-	1.0	-	-	-

Both the Rebel and the XT have been discontinued, but can regularly be found used on ebay. The Rebel was replaced by the Canon XT, while the XT was followed by the Canon Xti. Further information on the features and operation of the Rebel and XT can be found, respectively, in the Canon Rebel Manual (free pdf) or the online Canon XT Manual.

Review summary

So what is the bottom line? Is the Canon Rebel better than the Canon XT or vice versa? Below is a summary of the relative strengths of each of the two contestants.

Arguments in favor of the Canon EOS Digital Rebel:

• Larger viewfinder image: Features a viewfinder with a higher magnification (0.55x vs 0.49x).
• More heavily discounted: Has been on the market for longer (launched in August 2003).

Reasons to prefer the Canon EOS Rebel XT:

• More detail: Has more megapixels (8 vs 6.3MP), which boosts linear resolution by 13%.
• Better image quality: Scores markedly higher (5 points) in the DXO overall evaluation.
• Faster burst: Shoots at higher frequency (3 vs 2.5 flaps/sec) to capture the decisive moment.
• More compact: Is smaller (127x94mm vs 142x99mm) and will fit more readily into a bag.
• Less heavy: Has a lower weight (by 109g or 17 percent) and is thus easier to take along.
• Faster data transfer: Supports a more advanced USB protocol (2.0 vs 1.1).
• More modern: Was introduced somewhat (1 year and 5 months) more recently.

If the number of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a guide, the XT is the clear winner of the contest (7 : 2 points). However, the relevance of individual strengths will vary across photographers, so that you might want to apply your own weighing scheme to the summary points when reflecting and deciding on a new camera. A professional wildlife photographer will view the differences between cameras in a way that diverges from the perspective of a family photog, and a person interested in architecture has distinct needs from a sports shooter. Hence, the decision which camera is best and worth buying is often a very personal one.

How about other alternatives? Do the specifications of the Canon Rebel and the Canon XT place the cameras among the top in their class? Find out in the latest Best DSLR Camera listing whether the two cameras rank among the cream of the crop.

In any case, while the specs-based evaluation of cameras can be instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the Rebel or the XT perform in practice. 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.

Expert reviews

This is why expert reviews are important. The adjacent summary-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]). As can be seen, the professional reviewers agree in many cases on the quality of different cameras, but sometimes their assessments diverge, reinforcing the earlier point that a camera decision is often a very personal choice.

Expert Camera Reviews

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Canon Rebel	..	..	..	+ +	..	..	Aug 2003	899	ebay.com
2.		Canon XT	..	80/100	..	+ +	o	..	Feb 2005	899	ebay.com
3.		Canon 77D	4.5/5	..	4/5	82/100	4.5/5	4/5	Feb 2017	899	ebay.com
4.		Canon T7i	4.5/5	..	3.5/5	80/100	4.5/5	4/5	Feb 2017	749	ebay.com
5.		Canon T6i	5/5	..	..	75/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	749	ebay.com
6.		Canon T6s	5/5	+	..	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	649	ebay.com
7.		Canon T4i	4/5	+ +	..	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2012	849	ebay.com
8.		Canon T3i	3/5	o	..	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2011	599	ebay.com
9.		Canon T1i	..	+ +	..	74/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Mar 2009	799	ebay.com
10.		Canon XTi	..	+ +	..	+ +	o	4/5	Aug 2006	799	ebay.com
11.		Canon 20D	..	..	..	+ +	..	..	Aug 2004	1,499	ebay.com
12.		Canon 10D	..	..	..	+ +	..	..	Feb 2003	1,999	ebay.com
13.		Nikon D70	..	..	..	+ +	..	..	Jan 2004	999	ebay.com
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

Check Rebel offers at
ebay.com
Check XT offers at
ebay.com

Other camera comparisons

Did this review help to inform your camera decision process? If you would like to see a different side-by-side camera review, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. As an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

~

Check Rebel offers at
ebay.com
Check XT offers at
ebay.com

Did you notice an error on this page? If so, please get in touch, so that we can correct the information.