Terrible Canon Digital Rebel XTi Review at Mad Shrimps
Digital Rebel XTi / EOS 400DYes, you read that right, it’s really a Canon Digital Rebel XTi review at a site called Mad Shrimps. Another extremely belated review (following in the spirit of the Sony A100 review that just came out as well, which I discussed earlier today.)
I have to say, it’s not a very good review. Given the .be domain name, it possible that English isn’t the reviewer’s first language, which would explain a lot in terms of the confusing writing. But it doesn’t explain the decision to have the image quality comparison be between the 400D and two non-DSLR point and shoot cameras (the Canon PowerShot SD1000 and the Samsung Digimax S700). Not only that, the images were taken outdoors under different lighting conditions — the Digital Rebel XTi’s photos were taken on an overcast day, while the point and shoot photos were taken with a blue sky and a few scattered clouds. The review even states that it’s not a very helpful comparison (at least, I think that’s what it’s saying):
With the cost of a single lens of DLSR will cost more than a regular compact digital camera, the comparison below is to illustrate how well low end digital cameras could perform. However, the quickness of SLR and steady hold and lens quality could escape the not so demanding users. Since the comparison photos were not taken at the same time under the same condition, this might not present much help.
The large sample photos that you get from clicking on the thumbnails are also reduced versions of the original, so they’re useless for any pixel peepers who really wanted to compare a digital SLR directly to point and shoot cameras that are in a completely different class (the 10 megapixel 400D’s image has been reduced to about 1.5 megapixels.)
It just gets weirder, though. One set of sample photos is of some rulers. The two point and shoot shots were done with automatic white balance, and low ISO (ISO 100 for one camera and ISO 200 for the other). The Canon 400D image, however, was shot with manual white balance that’s completely off, and ISO 800. It’s also badly out of focus. So the point and shoot shots look much better, simply because they’re in focus and have the correct white balance. The reviewer doesn’t point out how they were set completely differently, you have to look at the EXIF information yourself to see it. he just says “I will let you decide.” at the end of the comparison photos. It’s all a little bit surreal.
The review’s conclusion — I think — is that you might want to consider a small point and shoot camera instead of a digital SLR:
Canon EOS Rebel Xti is priced very competitively against Nikon, Pentax, Panasonic and Olympus. I found the lowest price at Sam’s Club for under $740. I recommend taking your time in choosing a DSLR camera; ask your friends around I am sure there are camera enthusiasts in the circle. Don’t be afraid to walk into an old fashion camera store to ask for help and inputs; most importantly, put one on your hands; glance through the optical viewfinder; push the shutter button and forget about price tag for a moment. Compare the same motions and image quality with a smaller non-SLR camera, if you are not convinced, DSLR is not meant for you. If you are convinced and the high price scares you away, you will be back when you are ready.
So, honestly, that was one of the most half-hearted and confused reviews I’ve ever seen. You might want to look at it yourself for entertainment value, but I can’t recommend it to someone who’s trying to figure out what camera to buy. My apologies to the reviewer, I’m normally not a mean person, but this review is just one of the strangest things I’ve ever read. I still can’t get over the out of focus and poorly white balanced sample image… I better close that browser tab and forget about it before I drive myself mad trying to comprehend it all.
