Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT / 350D

I wasn't going to bother reviewing this camera as it is no longer in production. However, I have used it for a few years now and it has been so good I feel compelled to tell people how good it is.

If you are looking for a really good quality used DSLR that is cheap and effective, there is no better camera than this!

TOP TIP!: Very few people know this! Believe it or not, this camera has exactly the same pixel density as the newly released and much more expensive 21 megapixel EOS 5D Mark II. That means if you crop the output from the 5D Mark II to the same format as the images from the 350D, the resolution will be exactly the same! Bear with me here... The 5D is a full frame DSLR so it does not have the same pulling power for telephoto shots as the 350D does. If two people (one with 5D2 and one with 350D) were taking a wildlife photograph of the same subject with the same lens (let's take a 300mm lens as an example) then the 350D would get closer because of its smaller sensor. The 5D2 image would need to be cropped to get the same result. When the 5D image is cropped it will be exactly the same as the 350D image (8 megapixels). So, for long telephoto photography this camera is just what you are looking for! Don't let anyone tell you any different... this is 100% fact. Also remember that the 350D uses the exact same sensor as the more expensive 20D and 30D models.

The image quality from this little fellow is fantastic. I loved every minute with this camera because it just does exactly what it is supposed to do, every time! It is 100% reliable and never lets you down. Images taken at ISO 100-400 are beautiful with very little noise. ISO 800 is useable in many situations and ISO 1600 should really be treated as an emergency only option.

The autofocus is quick, accurate and it's seven AF points are just right. No complaints here at all.

Metering: I found the 350D to slightly overexpose most of the time so I spent much of the time shooting at minus 2/3rds of a stop. I always shoot RAW so it was never an issue for me. Shooting at 2/3rds below protected the highlights and always gave nice reults when processed properly.

After all these years using it, there is only one single criticism I can think of. I have large hands and I found the small size of this camera strange at first. However, it is surprisingly easy to get used to and after a few weeks I didn't really find it a problem any more. Other than that this camera is absolutely perfect. All the controls are perfectly positioned and work beautifully. The build quality is excellent and the camera has a generally "well sorted" feel to it.

I honestly cannot praise this camera enough. It is one of the last basic DSLRs to have a separate LCD screen to show your aperture, shutter speed etc and it is better for it. The newer DSLRs have to fire up that big TFT colour screen to adjust almost any setting which wastes valuable battery power... not so with the 350D. Its battery peformance is outstanding.

So, I'll say it again... if you are looking for a good quality first DSLR that won't break the bank, there is no better option than the 350D. Unlike some reviewers here who review the camera after using it for only a few days, I have used this one for almost 5 years continually. 5 years of hard regular use and it has been truly exceptional. This is by far the best camera I've ever owned.

Unfortunately, my business circumsances dictate that I must upgrade so I now have the 5D Mark II. Believe it or not, I genuinely think that the 350D has better build quality than the 5D Mark II. The battery and CF doors on the 5D2 are appalling for a £2100 camera. The 350D also has a better control layout to the 5D2.

So, if you are upgrading from a film camera, the 350D will amaze you and you will get beautiful prints from it that will exceed the ones you got with 35mm film.

This is definitely a 10/10 camera.

Price
Build quality
Image quality
Excellent control layout and user friendliness
Battery performance
Totally reliable
The same sensor as the 20D and 30D and gives the same resolution as a cropped 5D Mark II image!
You get lots of shots on a memory card!
Compact body

Compact body can feel strange to big handed people.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 20D
Canon EOS 300D
Canon EOS 400D
Canon EOS 1000D
Canon EOS 1D MkII
Canon EOS 1Ds MkII
Canon EOS 3
Canon EOS 50E
Canon EOS 5000
Canon EOS 300
Nikon D40

Never needed

Rebel XT is a great entry level Dslr. Quite a tough little camera, as i have dropped mine before a couple times and it still works like the day i bought it. Its nice that it accepts the EF and EF-S lenses. Its quite small, and decently light, i found it was a little to small for my larger hands. I think anyone getting into photography that decideds to go with Canon, should pick up at XT. Im quite sure you wont be let down by it!

Tough Structure
Lightweight
EF and EF-S capable
Priced accordingly

Weak performance at higher ISO
Small for people with bigger hands

Just bought this camera Rebel XT with EF 28-90mm lens (American Clearance Kit Set with EF 28-90 III Non-USM len). Very cheap (US$316). Almost half the price of the 450D kit set (about US$600).

So, I can save the money to buy Canon EF-S 10-22 and Tamron 10-270 and Canon 50mm 1.8

I think this 4 lens can be enough for many years of satisfaction.

Very Cheap
Easy to use, Quite Simple

Plastic feel
LCD is too small (2008 standard)
Viewfinder is not bright and

For owning it for less than a week, I really like it, Quiet focus, give you the best of both worlds fully automatic or can use your own settings.
Compac flash is easy to insert and to remove.

Easy to understand, simple if need to be

Do not purchase the more expensive Canon Digitals.
Purchase this camera and with the money you saved, purchase the 75-300 IS lense, 100mm macro lense, couple extra batteries, 8gb card & a good case.
And then take pictures like the pros (don't forget a good tripod) and be proud of most of your shots. And the online video streams teach you how to use the cameras built-in abilities or go full manual.
LR

No messing around with looking at the pictures. Just take them. Easy access buttons that we use the most.

Are there any? Lowering the price would be asking too much.

Sony.

None needed so far.