Crave

My coworker Lori Grunin already covered Canon's announcement of its $1,400 mid-range EOS 50D SLR, but as somebody who's in the market for a new SLR, I thought I'd weigh in with some thoughts of my own. I'm glad Canon is investing where perhaps it counts most: the sensor. If the reviews look good, this will be the first time I've really been tempted to upgrade from my well-used Canon Rebel XT.

Canon's EOS 50D will ship in October for $1,399, not including a lens. Also shown here is the new EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens.

(Credit: Canon)

When it ships in October, the 50D will sport a 15.1 megapixel sensor, up from 10.1 megapixels in the current 40D. The increase in megapixels is nice for the poster-print and microstock-sales crowds, but what's most notable is the increase of the top ISO from 3,200 to 12,800.

That means Canon has done some serious work to cut down on the noise levels inside the sensor, which bodes well for image quality not just at the new extremes but also at more ordinary sensitivity settings. ISO 3,200, for example, is now part of the ordinary range, not the extended range that must be manually enabled before it's available. Canon hit some sweet spots in sensor design, for example with its earlier 20D and the full-frame 5D, and the 50D holds the potential of being another model that balances megapixels with low noise and accurate color.

Canon attributes the advance to "newly designed gapless microlenses over each pixel to reduce noise." Microlenses gather light for the light-sensitive part of the image sensor, compensating for surface area occupied by other electronics. Gapless microlenses presumably stretch across the entire pixel width. Perhaps this technology will also help out whatever model will succeed Canon's 5D, my other obvious upgrade path but one that likely would require spending twice the price for the camera body and that would require me to shell out another few hundred dollars for a new wide-angle lens to support the full-frame sensor size.

Fending off Nikon
Higher sensitivity is important for Canon. It's been losing market share to Nikon, which has pushed high sensitivity as an advantage, though with lower megapixel counts. The full-frame sensors on Nikon's D3 and D700 can reach ISO 25,600, though reaching that level was made easier through a sensor design that emphasizes a smaller number of larger pixels.

Canon EOS Rebel XS

(Credit: Canon USA)

updated 7/8:  Today, Canon USA announced pricing and availability for the U.S. it looks like the company's only selling a kit version, with the EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens, for $699.99, and it's slated to ship next month.

(June 9) Say what you will about the rumor mill, it frequently comes through. In this case, except for the small detail of when it would be available, rumors about the Canon EOS Rebel XS turned out to be true. However, instead of waiting until Photokina to announce it, Canon debuted the new entry-level dSLR today.

The new Rebel, which replaces the XTi as the baby of its dSLR line, retains the 10-megapixel CMOS and 2.5-inch LCD, while moving up to the body of the more recent XSi. However, it also uses the newer Digic III processing chip--albeit with 12-bit processing rather than the XSi's 14-bit--so we expect to see some differences in photo quality, especially at higher ISO sensitivities, compared with the XTi. And the XS will ship with the image stabilized version of the EF-S 18-55mm lens; the XTi currently ships with the non-IS lens. The camera also adds Live View mode and, according to Canon, will have improved battery life.

Check out our preview video and comparative specs after the jump.

Rebel XT ripe for replacement?

(Credit: CNET Networks)

PhotographyBay translates a rumor from Kamera & Bild about possible specifications for the possible Canon Rebel XS which PhotographyBay speculates will possibly be announced at Photokina (early Fall). The speculative specs include a 10-megapixel sensor, 7-point AF, 3 frame per second burst, 2.5-inch LCD with Live View support and a "cheap price."

I was in a pinch a few weeks ago, and Google's Picasa software saved my skin. But now my warm glow of gratitude has begun wearing off, replaced by a simmering annoyance with camera makers for their profusion of proprietary raw formats.

Let me explain. I was covering the Photo Marketing Association trade show in Las Vegas, toting my Canon EOS Rebel XT camera to photograph products and people. For my personal photography I usually shoot in raw format to maximize the detail and flexibility, but for work purposes I use JPEG because it's faster to process and CNET News.com graphics are too small to require top resolution.

This screenshot shows a raw image from an Olympus E-3 SLR in Google's Picasa software. At right is the low-resolution JPEG preview, at left the garbled view after an incorrect decoding Google's support for the E-3 is on the way.

(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET Networks)

But I had a brief moment of panic when I discovered, on a tight deadline, that I'd photographed a Sony full-frame SLR press conference and accompanying photo gallery in raw only. I wasn't happy, because I hadn't installed any software for processing raw images on my laptop. I briefly considered downloading a trial version of Adobe Systems' Photoshop Lightroom, which I use at home, but dreaded the time it would take to get myself to a network connection and install the software.

Then I remembered that Picasa supports some raw formats. Sure enough, it did the trick--after I made my usual end run around Canon, which annoyingly doesn't include a mass storage driver on its cameras, requiring me to retrieve raw files using a separate flash card reader.

Picasa lacked some editing tools I like in Lightroom (and now Apple's Aperture 2.0, too), but I wasn't about to complain.

Until Wednesday.

That's when I received an Olympus E-3 that I'll be testing on an upcoming vacation. The camera has been out since November, but Picasa still doesn't support its raw images.

Raw-support challenges
Picasa showed the low-resolution JPEG preview fine, but as soon as I clicked on the thumbnail, the photo became a speckly mess of pixel gibberish.

For its part, Google said Thursday that E-3 raw support is coming. "We're in the process of testing it and plan to support it soon," the company said in a statement. Picasa uses Dave Coffin's freely available dcraw software, which supports the E-3, but Google said it makes its own modifications "to make it run faster."

It's no surprise Google employs outside software for the complicated task. Olympus told me it leaves programmers on their own to reverse-engineer raw formats: "When asked, we will provide sample raw files to companies, but it is up to them to figure out what to do with them. Our raw format is not difficult, and anyone with any experience with graphic file formats will figure it out in a matter of seconds."

For photographers, there are unpleasant consequences of camera makers' opacity and non-standardization. Programmers from Adobe Systems, Apple, and other companies must toil constantly to support new cameras, and camera makers must develop and support their own software. And the obstreperous nature of raw can curtail the innovation of other programmers, too.

For example, software that can embed location data known as geotags in raw files is much rarer than software that supports JPEGs. Adding metadata such as titles, captions, ratings, and tags is another risky operation; Microsoft Vista can do this, but relies on camera makers to supply software to support their various raw formats.

A programmer's plight
Sachin Garg, a programmer in India, is another example. He's been working on software that can compress raw files more efficiently--about 20 percent to 60 percent more than those already compressed by the camera.

Programmer Sachin Garg

(Credit: Sachin Garg)

That's work that conceivably could be useful for those of us with vast archives of raw images, but Garg said the difficulties of working with raw files makes it tough.

"I have started with Nikon's NEF (raw format), and it's a mess. What makes it worse is that even for this single format, there are variations based on each camera, and camera's firmware version," Garg said. "I have managed to read and compress the file, but re-creating the original file again is giving me nightmares."

And that's just one popular format. There are also cameras from Canon, Olympus, Fujifilm, Pentax, Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, Hasselblad, and others to contend with.

"It's a much different ball game to write an algorithm (than just) trying to put it in a practically usable application," Garg said. He understands the camera makers' situation, though. "Looking at each format, one can see the technical reasons why different camera makers are doing things differently and that adopting a common standard can possibly limit the innovations they introduce in newer cameras."

One possible alternative to the raw plight could be HD Photo, which Microsoft is trying to standardize as JPEG XR, a higher-end alternative to conventional JPEG. My guess is that this file format stands a reasonable chance of catching on--especially given the warm response from Adobe and more recently Canon--but even then it's more likely only to intercept photographers just moving beyond JPEG rather than replacing raw.

That's because HD Photo/JPEG XR requires the camera to process the image for de-mosaicking, noise reduction, sharpening, and white balance, all of which are "baked" into the image. For the folks who want total flexibility, they'll stick with raw.

DNG to the rescue?
A more likely alternative is Adobe Digital Negative (DNG) format, a raw format whose specifications are openly shared if not a neutral industry standard. Adobe explicitly created DNG to deal with the raw format "tower of Babel."

But larger camera makers have been reluctant to embrace DNG. It's hard to get firm answers on exactly why not; I'd imagine a variety of factors are involved, ranging from not wanting to be reliant on Adobe or a fixed format to inadequacies of DNG to fully represent raw images. And Pentax, whose SLRs support both DNG and its own PEF raw format, told me that most customers shooting raw use PEF, so users apparently need more convincing, too.

Maybe Adobe just needs to do a little more marketing, standardize DNG, or come up with an improved version 2.0. But for now, the raw format mess shows no signs of being tidied up.

Canon's EOS Rebel XSi goes on sale in April.

(Credit: Canon)

Canon faced some modest compatibility risks when it chose to design its new EOS Rebel XSi camera with SD flash-memory cards rather than the CompactFlash cards it's used for all its SLR cameras until this point, but I think the move is smart overall.

It's a drag for consumers that there's such a profusion of flash card formats. Customers often must pay extra when moving from one camera maker to another just to replace flash cards. And indeed, owners of Canon's existing Rebel, Rebel XT, or XTi cameras will find their CompactFlash cards useless if they upgraded to an XSi.

But the reality is that Rebel XSi (also called the 450D and Kiss X2 in various parts of the world) customers are more likely to be upgrading from a compact camera, a market where SD dominates. And from a technical perspective, SD performs fine, takes up less critical room in the camera, and in the newer SDHC incarnation can match CompactFlash's 32GB capacity.

CompactFlash memory has been a mainstay in the SLR (single-lens reflex) camera market, but SD has gained a foothold. Nikon's entry-level SLRs use SD cards, as do all from Pentax, Panasonic, and Samsung. And Canon's top-end 1Ds Mark III accepts both SD and CompactFlash.

Now if we could just get rid of xD Picture Card from Olympus and Fujifilm and Memory Stick from Sony, we'd all be better off. Fujifilm wisely has started selling compact cameras with a dual-use adapter that can accept SD as well as xD, and I'm hoping that's a harbinger of things to come.

Canon's newest top Rebel boasts a 12.2MP CMOS sensor and a live view shooting mode.

(Credit: Canon)

Editor's note: This blog has been updated to reflect new information from Canon regarding the number of JPEGs the Rebel XSi can shoot in a single burst.

Canon fans looking for an update to the 5D will have to wait a little longer it seems, since the company just announced an update to the entry-level XTi as its big PMA SLR news. You shouldn't be disappointed, though, since the new Rebel XSi makes a good showing in the entry-level dSLR category. The XSi has a 12.2-megapixel APS-C size (1.6x field of view conversion factor) CMOS sensor, 14-bit A/D conversion to allow for more possible color gradations when shooting RAW, a Live View shooting mode with contrast detection autofocus so the camera doesn't have to lower the mirror to focus in that mode, and (some might say finally) a 4 percent spot meter.

A 3-inch, 230,000-pixel LCD provides a nifty screen with which to frame shots in Live View mode, though it's not quite as versatile as the articulated screens found in Panasonic's DMC-L10 or Olympus' higher-end E3. As in its predecessor, sensitivity ranges from ISO 100 to ISO 1,600. I was hoping Canon would at least push that up to ISO 3,200 this time out, but since their competitors haven't pushed their entry-level SLRs that far yet, we can't hold that against Canon too much. It does say that the Digic III processor in the Rebel XSi, along with the high-ISO noise reduction inherited from the high-end EOS 1D Mark III and large microlenses over each pixel, should make for lower noise at higher ISOs when compared with previous Rebels. We'll have to wait and see once we get a review sample, though we were quite impressed with the noise profile of the 1D Mark III.

With its bigger 3-inch screen, the XSi demanded a different button layout than its predecessor, the Rebel XTi.

(Credit: Canon)

While the Rebel XSi sticks with a nine-point autofocus system with the same placement as the XTi, Canon says it's using a new AF sensor in the XSi that the company claims will improve subject detection compared with previous models. The center AF point uses a cross-type sensor that provides enhanced performance with lenses that have a maximum aperture of f/2.8 or faster. That doesn't help much with the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS (image stabilized) lens that comes with the kit, but if you decide to buy one of Canon's fancier lenses in the future, it may come in handy. However, lenses with a maximum aperture of f/2.8 tend to be expensive and aren't what I'd expect a Rebel XSi owner to buy, with the possible exception of specialty lenses, such as a macro. On a positive note, it is nice to see Canon include an IS lens in its entry-level kit, since some of its competitors now include sensor-shift IS in their entry-level dSLRS. It was also pleasing to see that Canon increased the viewfinder magnification to 0.87x from the XTi's 0.8x.

Soccer moms should like the fact that the Rebel XSi is the fastest Rebel to date, able to pop off 3.5 frames per second for up to 53 large/fine JPEGs or up to 6 RAW images. Strangely, that's a step up from the XTi's maximum of 27 large/fine JPEGs, but a step down from the XTi's 10 RAW frames per burst. According to Canon, this increase in JPGs comes from the Digic III processor's ability to process JPGs significantly faster than the processor found in the Rebel XTi, while the decrease in RAW images is due to the increased resolution of the XSi's sensor.

The camera also includes the same Highlight Tone Priority mode found in the 1D Mark III, which helps preserve detail in the brightest portion of a scene. Also, the XSi includes Canon's Auto Lighting Optimizer, which automatically adjusts contrast and brightness in case the image you captured isn't quite perfect. Introduced last year in the 40D, the Auto Lighting Optimizer is now available in all exposure modes and employs face detection to prevent underexposure of backlit faces. That's nice, since underexposed backlit subjects was one of Lori Grunin's gripes about the Rebel XTi.

As you might expect, there's not much room to spare inside the new Canon Rebel XSi.

(Credit: Canon)

Unfortunately, Canon didn't address one of my big gripes with the XTi-- its lack of a dedicated status LCD. Instead, the XSi sticks with the lone 3-inch screen, which doubles as a status display and automatically shuts off when you raise the camera to your eye, thanks to a sensor just below the optical viewfinder. If you're not careful when you switch lenses, you'll like that Canon kept the Integrated Cleaning System in the XSi. It shakes the sensor so that any loose dust falls away from the low-pass filter in front of the sensor and is held on an adhesive strip in the bottom of the camera.

In case that's not enough, you can have the camera map any persistent specks so the Digital Photo Pro software that comes with the camera can remove the resulting spots in your image. In case you want to risk cleaning your sensor yourself, the camera can also hold the mirror up so you can reach into the body and risk scratching the low-pass filter while you try to remove any particles.

Joining the growing number of dSLRs that record to SD instead of Compact Flash cards, the XSi will record its images to SD or higher-capacity SDHC cards. For users stepping up from a compact camera this may be convenient, though previous Rebel owners looking to step up will likely have to run out and buy some SD cards. Remaining specs are in line with the previous Rebel. For example, shutter speeds range from 30 seconds to 1/4000 second with a flash sync speed of 1/200 second and the camera employs a 35-zone TTL metering system. Canon plans to offer the Rebel XSi both as a body only ($800) and as a kit with the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5/6 IS lens ($900). Both should be in stores by this April and it should be noted that the Rebel XSi will be available in silver and black finishes and Canon will also offer the BG-E5 battery grip for the new camera.

(Credit: Canon)

Canon has released a firmware update to its 10.1-megapixel EOS Digital Rebel XTi, also known as the EOS 400D in other parts of the world. This firmware update, v1.1.0, primarily enhances the camera's USB functionality by adding support for the new MTP USB protocol. The previous firmware update, v1.0.5, contains several other improvements, which are included in this update as well.

We generally recommend installing the latest firmware updates for your camera, so you can get the most out of your gear. For more information on firmware updates for a specific camera, visit the manufacturer's Web site. Before installing any firmware upgrade, always take the time to read through all of the documentation and follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully.