Canon EOS 1000D / Rebel XS verdict

When Canon first announced the EOS 450D / Rebel XSi in January 2008, most assumed it would be the natural successor to the best-selling EOS 400D / Rebel XTi, but the older model was kept on as an entry-level proposition. Then in June 2008 Canon announced the EOS 1000D / XS as its new entry-level DSLR and the true successor to the 400D / XTi.

The EOS 1000D / XS shares several key aspects in common with its predecessor, most notably the 10.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor which continues to deliver excellent results – indeed in our tests with the default settings, the output was sometimes preferable to the 450D / XSi. The screen on the new body is also the same size as the 400D / XTi, although now brighter with a wider viewing angle. The body shape has additionally been refined and it’s now the lightest DSLR from Canon to date, while also adopting the 450D / XSi’s switch to SD memory and a new battery. But the major improvements over the 400D / XTi are support for Live View and the standard bundling of an Image Stabilised lens.

The Live View implementation on the 1000D / XS is identical to the 450D / XSi, and as such it won’t win any contests on speed of operation nor does it have a flip-out screen for flexible composition, but you do get technical benefits including 100% coverage, magnified manual focus assistance, a contrast-based AF option and both a live histogram and alignment grid. You can also see the live feed on your computer monitor over a USB cable with the supplied EOS Utility software, which additionally allows you to fully remote-control the camera and even focus the lens.

The bundled kit lens is the same EF-S 18-55mm IS model that’s standard with the 450D / XSi (although ours came from a different factory), and in our tests this time round the Image Stabilisation delivered a useful four stops of compensation.

So both the key upgrades over the 400D / XTi work well and will appeal to new buyers. But the 1000D / XS is not just a 400D / XTi with Live View and anti-shake facilities – in some respects, it’s actually less. Continuing an annoying trend in DSLRs these days, Canon has downgraded a number of aspects from the earlier model. The AF system on the 1000D / XS has seven points to the nine of the 400D / XTi. The remote sensor in the grip and eye sensors below the viewfinder are also missing on the new model. And while faster processing means you can now shoot JPEGs continuously until you run out of memory, continuous RAW performance has dropped to a mere 1.5fps for just five frames.

This downgrading is done both to reuse older parts and provide greater differentiation with the next models up, which in the 1000D / XS’s case is the 450D / XSi. The strategy is greatly annoying to reviewers, owners of previous models or anyone who closely follows camera specifications. After-all, a new model should only add new features to the old one, not remove them.

But when evaluating a camera like the 1000D / XS, you have to consider its target audience who may not be familiar with its predecessor, nor care that much about what’s now missing or downgraded. The important facts for first-time DSLR buyers are that the new entry-level Canon has 10 Megapixels, Image Stabilisation, Live View and more AF points than many of its rivals – and crucially that all of it works well in practice.

It is however important to compare the specifications and features against the competition, not to mention the next model up in the range along with the one which came before it, so before our final verdict, here’s how the 1000D / XS measures-up.