Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black): Customer Reviews & Product Details

The kit lens is a little bit slow, and while it produces decent pictures, the canon ef 50mm f/1.8 lens that I bought blows it away. If I had to do it all over again, I would've bought just the body and a couple 24mm f/2.8 and 50mm f/1.8. If you don't have a lot of extra money to spend on lenses though, the kit lens will produce good quality pictures. You may need a faster lens to shoot in low light. Overall, this is a great starter setup for someone looking to upgrade to a dslr package.

You dont have to spend any more than this to get a top knoch camera. It is very flexible with exposures and apertures and the memory card holds plenty. This camera has taken the best pictures I have every taken. It is user friendly also. What more can I say?

I have had this for almost a year now and it is quite a bit of fun. i have added another zoom lens and a flash to my kit and will likely add a wide angle lens next. After that, the next step is upgrading the body. this is a very good camera for learning how to take pictures in the digital realm. I highly recommend taking a class or two on how to use the features of the camera as there are many, even on this entry level camera. I also recommend buying a flash as the flash on the camera is really not very powerful and can cause a lot of harsh shadows. Final note. Look long and hard at various software editing suites for the images you capture as they can really help create the mood and enhance the scene you want to impart in the image. Lastly, I say sit back and enjoy the ride.

Great camera for amateur photographers just starting out. I've always had a digital point-n-shoot for the longest time, but a new cannon point-n-shoot camera and a trip to Niagara Falls changed my mind. I was so impressed by cannon quality of camera and image. I became interested in doing semi-professional photography. So I looked into DSLR's.

This camera is a great camera. If you're just getting serious about photography like I am then I would highly recommend this camera. All the bad reviews I read here on Amazon made it seem like the camera had problems. But that's just not true, outside of defected product, the camera is good, it's the lenses you have to be careful about. The camera is comfortable to hold, not that heavy, and a heck of a lot better than the point-n-shoot you had before. It might take a while to get used to where all the setting buttons are, and moving between them quick enough. A lot of things are overwhelming with this camera when you never owned a DSLR or taken any photography classes. Such as where the buttons are, learning where all the features are, and the hardest is learning about aperture, shutter speed, and exposure. But don't let that deter you, if you take the time to learn then you'll be fine.

Price was great here on Amazon. It was the lowest price BY FAR that i saw while researching for NEW equipment.

For the lens it came with, the 18-55mm IS, it's a pretty good lens. When looking through all the reviews on here you'll see a lot of Auto Focusing problems. The thing is, if the lens can't auto focus, just switch to manual focus. You may ask though, "how often would I have to do that?". The answer, not very much. The only times my camera had auto focusing problems is with night shoots without a flash, and pointing it at the open sky. Sometimes you will get some shoots (depending on the scene and composure) that the camera wants to focus on something closer than your subject. Such as shooting through tall weeds or grass. Probably just want to switch to MF in that scenario like I do. I mean after all that's one of the primary reasons I got a DSLR, to have control of the focus. It's a good lens.

Overall, great camera, great price, great quality. I'm happy I bought it.

I've owned the camera for 1 week now, and WOW! This camera is simply incredible and the picture quality is outstanding!!! The kit lens that came with it is also impressive when used in bright/outdoor environments. (Some of my test outdoors pics and indoor pics with my window blinds open have been stunning.) However, the kit lens is a bit too slow for handheld photography in dark locations unless you use the flash.

For those of you new to photography, a "slow lens" is basically one in which the aperture does not open wide enough to collect the adequate amount of light in darker locations. Therefore, the shutter stays open longer until enough light has been collected. This also means that if your hand shakes, pictures snapped in dark enough settings will come out blurry. This is not exclusive to the XSi as slow lenses on any camera will produce similar results. If blurry indoor pics are not what you desire, you can correct this by using the flash, using a tripod, or...

BUY A NEW LENS! The XSi can use ANY Canon EF/EF-S lens on the market...and this includes "faster" ones as well!! With faster lenses (ie, f/1.8), soon you'll be shooting like a pro indoors also!

In the end, when considering its wide range of features, customizable flexibility, and it's picture quality, I think any rookie or seasoned pro would be delighted with the XSi.