The following do not link to full-blown reviews, but to threads or articles where owners of the Canon Digital Rebel XTi share their experience with the camera. I often find that statements by actual users enhance what is read and understood from professional reviews.
Jovo gives an extensive report about his experience with the 400D / Rebel XTi, saying:
- The XTi is a huge improvement vs the 350D / Digital Rebel XT which suffered from too many out of focus shots, had back focus and a slow buffer memory.
- Lenses used are the EF 17-40 f/4L, EF 70-200mm f2.8L and EF 400mm f/5.6L. The combination of the XTi plus these lenses yields IQ results well above his expectations and allows him to photograph architecture, landscapes, portraiture, figure studies, street candids, macros and birds.
- The light and small body is a huge plus — he found the EOS 30D and 5D to be overkill for his needs.
- The built in anti-dust sensor cleaning mechanism works well.
- He’s able to take up to 800 shots on a single charge.
- All important settings are displayed on the large LCD at the back of the camera, and is a great help to those who prefer not to use glasses.
- His preferred camera settings are: RAW mode, partial metering, center focus point selected, AI Servo auto focus, aperture priority
- An autofocus mechanism that is borrowed from the EOS 30D body means that his 400mm lens focuses readily even when used with a 1.4x TC (teleconverter).
- He likes the 400D’s ability to capture 10 continuous RAW shots before the buffer is filled up.
“Sarge912” compares his new 400D / XTi vs his old Canon 300D: The 400D has a bigger buffer, big and beautiful rear LCD screen turns off when the camera is brought to the eye, and works very well with a SanDisk Extreme III 2.0 CF card.
In that same thread, here are the reasons behind why the 400D’s grip feels better than the 350D XT :> 1 | 2
Chael is happy with the better colors from the Rebel XTi vs the 300D. There’s a link to a gallery of some very nice first shots — the photo titled “Road to Show Low” is one of my favorites from that collection.