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Canon XT Comparison Review

The Canon EOS Rebel XT (called Canon 350D in some regions) is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was officially introduced in February 2005 and is equipped with an APS-C sensor. It offers a resolution of 8 megapixel.

camera

Is the Canon XT a good camera? The XT has a Camera Elo of 912. This rating puts the XT below average of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the XT also ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 2.5-star performance rating. – Well, the Canon XT is more than 19 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2005.

Headline Specifications
Canon XT
Digital single lens reflex
Canon EF mount lenses
8 MP, APS-C Sensor
no Video
ISO 100 - 1 600
Optical viewfinder
1.8 LCD, 115k dots
Fixed screen (not touch-sensitive)
3 shutter flaps per second
400 shots per battery charge
127 x 94 x 64 mm, 540 g

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.

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Body comparison with a credit card

An illustration of the physical dimensions of the Canon XT vis-à-vis a credit card is provided in the side-by-side display below. 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.

Canon XT vs credit card front
XT versus credit card top view
XT and credit card rear side

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Canon XT 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.

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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 XT 127 mm 94 mm 64 mm 540 g 400 n Feb 2005 899ebay.com
2.
 
Canon 77D 131 mm 100 mm 76 mm 540 g 600 n Feb 2017 899ebay.com
3.
 
Canon T6i 132 mm 101 mm 78 mm 555 g 440 n Feb 2015 749ebay.com
4.
 
Canon T6s 132 mm 101 mm 78 mm 565 g 440 n Feb 2015 649ebay.com
5.
 
Canon T4i 133 mm 100 mm 79 mm 575 g 440 n Jun 2012 849ebay.com
6.
 
Canon T1i 129 mm 98 mm 62 mm 520 g 400 n Mar 2009 799ebay.com
7.
 
Canon XSi 129 mm 98 mm 62 mm 524 g 500 n Jan 2008 799ebay.com
8.
 
Canon 30D 144 mm 106 mm 74 mm 785 g 750 n Feb 2006 1,399ebay.com
9.
 
Canon XTi 127 mm 84 mm 65 mm 556 g 370 n Aug 2006 799ebay.com
10.
 
Canon 20D 144 mm 106 mm 72 mm 770 g 700 n Aug 2004 1,499ebay.com
11.
 
Canon Rebel 142 mm 99 mm 72 mm 649 g 400 n Aug 2003 899ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
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The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Canon XT was launched in the US market at a price of $899. 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.

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Check XT offers at
ebay.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and 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 XT 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 XT among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

Canon XT sensor measures

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for most cameras. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

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Sensor Characteristics
#   Camera
Model
Sensor
Class
Resolution
(MP)
Horiz.
Pixels
Vert.
Pixels
Video
Format
DXO
Portrait
DXO
Landscape
DXO
Sports
DXO
Overall
1.
 
Canon XT APS-C 8.0 3456 2304none21.810.863760
2.
 
Canon 77D APS-C 24.0 6000 40001080/60p23.613.397178
3.
 
Canon T6i APS-C 24.0 6000 40001080/30p22.712.091971
4.
 
Canon T6s APS-C 24.0 6000 40001080/30p22.612.091570
5.
 
Canon T4i APS-C 17.9 5184 34561080/30p21.711.272262
6.
 
Canon T1i APS-C 15.1 4752 31681080/20p21.711.566363
7.
 
Canon XSi APS-C 12.2 4272 2848none21.910.869261
8.
 
Canon 30D APS-C 8.2 3504 2336none21.510.873659
9.
 
Canon XTi APS-C 10.1 3888 2592none22.111.066462
10.
 
Canon 20D APS-C 8.2 3504 2336none21.911.072162
11.
 
Canon Rebel APS-C 6.3 3072 2048none21.010.854455
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It should be noted that unlike many modern cameras, the XT does not provide the possibility to capture videos.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. For example, the XT has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 95% and a magnification of 0.49x. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Canon XT and comparable cameras.

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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 XToptical n1.8 / 115 fixed n 1/4000s 3.0/s Y n
2.
 
Canon 77Doptical Y3.0 / 1040 swivel Y 1/4000s 6.0/s Y n
3.
 
Canon T6ioptical n3.0 / 1040 swivel Y 1/4000s 5.0/s Y n
4.
 
Canon T6soptical Y3.0 / 1040 swivel Y 1/4000s 5.0/s Y n
5.
 
Canon T4ioptical n3.0 / 1040 swivel Y 1/4000s 5.0/s Y n
6.
 
Canon T1ioptical n3.0 / 920 fixed n 1/4000s 3.4/s Y n
7.
 
Canon XSioptical n3.0 / 230 fixed n 1/4000s 3.5/s Y n
8.
 
Canon 30Doptical Y2.5 / 230 fixed n 1/8000s 5.0/s Y n
9.
 
Canon XTioptical n2.5 / 230 fixed n 1/4000s 3.0/s Y n
10.
 
Canon 20Doptical Y1.8 / 118 fixed n 1/8000s 5.0/s Y n
11.
 
Canon Rebeloptical n1.8 / 118 fixed n 1/4000s 2.5/s Y n
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.
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One convenient feature of the XT 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.

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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 XT and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

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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 XTY- / ----2.0---
2.
 
Canon 77DYstereo / monoY-mini2.0YYY
3.
 
Canon T6iYstereo / monoY-mini2.0YY-
4.
 
Canon T6sYstereo / monoY-mini2.0YY-
5.
 
Canon T4iYstereo / monoY-mini2.0---
6.
 
Canon T1iYmono / mono--mini2.0---
7.
 
Canon XSiY- / ---mini2.0---
8.
 
Canon 30DY- / ----2.0---
9.
 
Canon XTiY- / ----2.0---
10.
 
Canon 20DY- / ----1.1---
11.
 
Canon RebelY- / ----1.1---
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Further information on the features and operation of the XT can be found in the free online Canon XT Manual or on the Canon support site.

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Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the XT in practical situations. 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. 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]).

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Review Scores
#    Camera 
 Model 
 AP 
 score 
 CL 
 score 
 DCW 
 score 
 DPR 
 score 
 EPZ 
 score 
 PB 
 score 
Camera
Launch
Launch
Price (USD)
Street
Price
1.
 
Canon XT..80/100..+ +o.. Feb 2005 899ebay.com
2.
 
Canon 77D4.5/5..4/582/1004.5/54/5 Feb 2017 899ebay.com
3.
 
Canon T6i5/5....75/1004.5/54.5/5 Feb 2015 749ebay.com
4.
 
Canon T6s5/5+..77/1004.5/54.5/5 Feb 2015 649ebay.com
5.
 
Canon T4i4/5+ +..77/1004.5/54.5/5 Jun 2012 849ebay.com
6.
 
Canon T1i..+ +..74/1004.5/54.5/5 Mar 2009 799ebay.com
7.
 
Canon XSi..+ +..+ +4/54.5/5 Jan 2008 799ebay.com
8.
 
Canon 30D..+ +..+ +o.. Feb 2006 1,399ebay.com
9.
 
Canon XTi..+ +..+ +o4/5 Aug 2006 799ebay.com
10.
 
Canon 20D......+ +.... Aug 2004 1,499ebay.com
11.
 
Canon Rebel......+ +.... Aug 2003 899ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.
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The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The ratings were established in reference to similarly priced cameras that were available in the market at the time of the review. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

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Check XT offers at
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Canon XT FAQ

Below are some additional questions and answers concerning some particular features of the XT.

What is the technology behind the imaging sensor in the Canon XT?

The camera has a CMOS (Complementary Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor) sensor at its core.

Which image processing chip is used in the Canon XT to convert the raw signal into an image file and perform noise reduction and image sharpening?

Canon equipped the XT with the DIGIC II image processor.

What is the ISO sensitivity range of the Canon XT?

The camera has a native sensitivity range from ISO 100 to ISO 1600.

What is the life expectancy of the shutter in the Canon EOS Rebel XT?

Canon mentions a shutter rating of 50 000 actuations for the XT. This number represents a Mean Time before Failure, that is an average value. The shutter might fail earlier, or it might last longer. Anyway, in order to exhaust the expected shutter life of the XT over, say, three years, one would have to take about 50 pictures each and every day.

Does the Canon XT feature an autofocus assist light?

Yes, the camera has a lamp built-in that can illuminate the subject and improve autofocus in low-light settings.

What is the fastest shutter speed that can be used with the Canon XT for flash photography?

The XT's flash sync speed is 1/200 sec.

Which battery does the Canon XT use?

The camera gets its power from the NB-2LH (here at amazon), which is a rechargeable Lithium-Ion power pack.

Is there a vertical grip available for the Canon XT?

Yes, Canon offers the BG-E3 as an optional accessory to facilitate shooting in portrait orientation and to provide additional battery power.

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just use the search menu below. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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    Specifications Summary
    Camera Model Canon XT
    Camera Type Digital single lens reflex
    Camera Lens Canon EF mount lenses
    Launch Date February 2005
    Launch Price USD 899
    Sensor Specs
    Sensor Technology CMOS
    Sensor Format APS-C Sensor
    Sensor Size 22.2 x 14.8 mm
    Sensor Area 329 mm2
    Sensor Diagonal 26.7 mm
    Crop Factor 1.6x
    Sensor Resolution 8 Megapixels
    Image Resolution 3 456 x 2 304 pixels
    Pixel Pitch 6.41 μm
    Pixel Density 2.42 MP/cm2
    Moiré control Anti-Alias filter
    Movie Capability no Video
    ISO Setting 100 - 1 600 ISO
    Image Processor DIGIC II
    DXO Sensor Quality (score) 60
    DXO Color Depth (bits) 21.8
    DXO Dynamic Range (EV) 10.8
    DXO Low Light (ISO) 637
    Screen Specs
    Viewfinder Type Optical viewfinder
    Viewfinder Field of View 95%
    Viewfinder Magnification 0.49x
    Top-Level Screen no Top Display
    LCD Size 1.8 inch
    LCD Resolution 115k dots
    LCD Attachment Fixed screen
    Touch Input No touchscreen
    Shooting Specs
    Focus System Phase-detect AF
    Manual Focusing Aidno Peaking Feature
    Maximum Shutter Speed 1/4000s
    Continuous Shooting 3 shutter flaps/s
    Shutter Life Expectancy50 000 actuations
    Silent Shootingno E-Shutter
    Time Lapse Photographyno Intervalometer
    Fill Flash Built-in Flash
    Storage Medium CF cards
    Single or Dual Card Slots Single card slot
    Connectivity Specs
    External Flash Hotshoe
    USB Connector USB 2.0
    HDMI Port no HDMI
    Wifi Support no Wifi
    Body Specs
    Battery Type NB-2LH power pack
    Battery Life (CIPA)400 shots per charge
    Body Dimensions 127 x 94 x 64 mm
    (5.0 x 3.7 x 2.5 in)
    Camera Weight 540 g (19.0 oz)

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