Canon XSi: 12.2 Megapixels, Image Stabilized Lens, and Double Live View
by Wesley Fink on May 5, 2008 3:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Digital Camera
Canon XSi vs. Nikon D60
Looking at street prices the Nikon D80 is the current Nikon price competitor to the XSi. However, the D80 replacement to be introduced later this year will likely be priced a bit higher than the XSi. The Nikon D60 is therefore the closest competitor from Nikon to the Canon XSi.
The Nikon D60 was also introduced at the same time, and is sold with an IS lens like the XSi. Both the XSi and D60 both now use SD and SDHC memory cards for storing images. Pricing of the D60 is $100 to $200 dollars less than the XSi as either body or as a kit, but feature-wise the XSi is a lot more camera than the D60. Since the Canon XTi remains in the Canon line it is another competitor to the D60, but the XTi currently sells for about $100 to $200 less than the D60 (but with a regular 18-55mm and not the IS version).
Both the D60 and the XSi are small DSLR cameras, but with the small size boost in the XSi the D60 is now quite a bit smaller than the XSi. This will matter to some and not to others, but if the XSi is too small for larger hands the addition of the BG-E4 battery grip does wonders to improve handling. Unfortunately this is not an option with the D60, as it is now just about the only entry DSLR without a battery grip option.
Looking at the rear comparison the 2.5" LCD of the new D60 looks tiny compared to the XSi LCD. The Sony and Pentax entry models fall between these two at 2.7" and the Olympus E-510/E-420 are the same size as the Nikon.
The smaller size of the D60 is even more apparent from the side view. The D60 is definitely a simpler camera than the XSi, which for some will mean it is easier to use. However, the feature set for the XSi is more like a prosumer model than entry and the D80 is a more comparable camera in features. The D80 replacement will likely be a better camera to compare to the XSi as already mentioned.
| ISO Comparison - Canon XSi vs. Nikon D60 | ||
| ISO | Canon XSi | Nikon D60 |
| 100 |  |
 |
| 200 |  |
 |
| 400 |  |
 |
| 800 |  |
 |
| 1600 |  |
 |
| 3200 |  |
|
Click on any of the above image crops for the full image. Note: Full size images are between 3.3MB and 5.6MB! |
||
Through ISO 400 both the D60 and the XSi both exhibited very low image noise. It was a bit surprising, however, to see the Nikon D60 start to show more noise than the XSi at ISO 800. By 1600 the D60 is much noisier than the XSi in our crop comparisons. The Nikon D60 goes on to ISO 3200, but ISO 3200 is probably limited to small snapshot prints as noise is just too great at that ISO speed.
Remember the XSi is 12.2MP and the D60 is 10MP. We should be seeing more high ISO noise with the larger sensor, but in fact the 10MP D60 is showing higher noise than the Canon sensor. In comparing crops under these shooting conditions the XSi is clearly the more capable camera at higher ISO settings.
The last chart compared three Canon cameras all set to Tungsten under low-light tungsten shooting conditions. The red color shift was not very obvious in that comparison. Here you can see the Nikon Tungsten setting generates much more accurate colors and the Canon Tungsten setting is frankly out of the ballpark. This is not a comparison of auto white balance, but of cameras manually set to Tungsten. Clearly if you plan to shoot Tungsten with a Canon camera you need to use custom white balance as the current Tungsten setting is way off the mark on all three Canon cameras - including the prosumer 40D.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
56 Comments
View All Comments
JarredWalton - Wednesday, May 7, 2008 - link
While I do understand what you're suggesting, trust me on this one: I would make a HORRIBLE reviewer for cameras. At least initially, anyway - give me a couple years and a bunch of different cameras to use and I could begin to make some headway. But we don't have a couple years, and even with time I would never know as much as a lot of other people. As it stands, I have personally used exactly three DSLR cameras: an original Canon Digital Rebel EOS, and then last month I upgraded to a Rebel XTi. (Love the XTi, incidentally - I'm thinking an upgrade every two or three generations will work out well.)n4bby - Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - link
hi all,i appreciate the replies, and again i am not trying to belittle the time and effort put into these reviews. but i think Justin Case understood the point i was trying to make. and the reason i bring this up is that i too went about learning about DSLR's and photography the "wrong" way.
i too used to analyze gear very much the same way Wesley did in this review - taking endless test shots, playing the numbers and features game, etc... much like Anandtech reviewers and readers, i come from a technical background (EE in college, internet developer since then), and this seemingly quantitative evaluation method made sense to me. i have my own collection of box shots that are uncannily like Wes's. i spent a lot of time reading reviews and user opinions on DPReview, Fred Miranda etc. etc. that took a similar approach.
the problem is, it didn't really help me size up the true value of gear for its ultimate purpose - taking pictures - and while i don't really regret my purchases (Canon 10D and various prime lenses - Canon was the only real game in town at the time), i do not feel they were well-advised. since then, i have had the good fortune of working with professional photographers at a digital photography startup - i'm talking people who shot for Sports Illustrated, US News, the NY Times, etc. - not to mention having exposure to clients who shoot for a living. and let me tell you, it turned my perspective on photo gear upside down... now, you may say ok, these guys are pros but anandtech readers are consumers, so that's not relevant. but the perspective i gained from these pros helped me improved my photography immensely, and also made me look at gear in a much more constructive fashion than "pixel peeping." i realized that the merit of gear was not so much about absolutes, but about context and finding the right gear for the job - and i think that is something that is often missing from these reviews.
again, i think the work you guys do here is excellent - this is one of the truly great resources of information on the desktop computing industry on the internet. and if the readership likes the camera reviews, more power to you. i just thought i would throw another perspective out there... apologies for the rant!
cheers,
n4bby
n4bby - Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - link
incidentally, i just re-read the review very carefully, and i find a *lot* of statements and judgments that i take issue with, and that i think many knowledgeable photographers would as well - some things have already been pointed out by other anandtech readers. and i stand by my original statement that the quality of the test and sample shots is rather poor and may not be a good basis for comparison between the cameras.casteve - Monday, May 5, 2008 - link
It might be time to retire my 2.1MP now. :)Seriously, thanks for the camera reviews. I might come to the site for PC info, but all things electronic draw my interest.
I've got a point and shoot digital camera for casual shots and a trusty Canon A-1 for when I care about quality/enlargements. I've been waiting for prosumer prices to drop or consumer builds to meet the quality bar. Looks like we are starting to get there.
haplo602 - Monday, May 5, 2008 - link
I think the comparison with Nikon D60 is not the correct one. D60 is a followup on D40 - crude AF system, no lens drive screw, no DOF preview button etc.Both have the same sensor, but D80 is a more usable camera:
11 AF points, DOF preview button, 2 command dials (way better handling than with one), battery grip ...
Wesley Fink - Monday, May 5, 2008 - link
The D80 was introduced at the time of the XTi. It was priced higher than the XTi and aimed more at the 30D than the XTi. Comparing it to the entry Canon did not seem appropriate. The real Nikon competitor to the XSi will likely be the D80 replacement as I mentioned.Canon does not really have a camera as basic as the D60 (D40x/D40), but the XTi is continued and actually costs less than the D60 right now. In my opinion the XTi trounces the D60 in a head-to-head and it costs less.
I expected some would claim the D80 the better compare, but I don't believe it is. BTW, IMO the Nikon D300 trounces the Canon D40 in every way as I mentioned in the review. I am definitely not biased toward Canon. It is just the situation changes at the entry level and Nikon does not really have a convincing competitor right now for the XSi.
haplo602 - Monday, May 5, 2008 - link
I did not say you are biased either way (the general oppinion would be you are biased towards Oly 4/3 :-))If you claim that Canon does not have an equivalent to the D60/D40 line why then compare them with the latest Rebel? And if D80 is older, well bad for Nikon as they don't have an up to date competitor to the Rebel. But D80 should be the direct opponent for 450D until the next generation is introduced.
DailyYahoo - Monday, May 5, 2008 - link
I remember those Rebel ads with John McEnroe. Back then, John was a hippie and spelled his name Andre Aggasi. Image was everything back then :)Wesley Fink - Monday, May 5, 2008 - link
Thanks for catching this. At least we got the Ad reference corrected before McEnroe caught it :) I seem to recall Agassi was dating Brooke Shields at the time.DailyYahoo - Monday, May 5, 2008 - link
You are very welcome. I should point out that at least one of us knows how to spell Agassi ; ) By the way, excellent article. I have a 350D and it is really starting to look so very long in the tooth with all of these new releases. Too bad I'm poor. : )