Consumers are finding a growing number of sophisticated digital SLR’s available from a number of leading manufacturers.  Most of these makers produced film cameras only 5 years ago. Now their consumer level cameras have surpassed the original pro-level cameras.

One of the undisputed leaders in the consumer and professional market is Canon.  The Canon Rebel series of cameras have been a big success for the company since they entered the digital marketplace.  Although Canon calls the newest entry in the Rebel series an ‘entry-level’ camera, one look at it’s features reveals a camera that would have been considered ‘pro-level’ just a few years ago.

The Canon EOS Rebel XS has a list of features that anyone graduating from a point-and-shoot camera would be proud to own.  How about image stabilization in the lens? A 10.1 megapixel CMOS sensor?  A 3 frames per second continuous JPEG burst rate?  And, it even has live-view; a feature I wish my Nikon D-200 had. One look into the 2.5″ LCD screen will allow the user to focus and compose their shot.

The EOS Rebel XS even features hardware and software-based dust removal technology. Did they call this ‘entry-level’?  The kit lens features built-in optical image stabilization. Users, who formally had to tolerate blurry pictures with their point-and-shoot cameras, now have a powerful ally to help assure them clear pictures. 

Controls on the new EOS Rebel XS are large and easy to use.  Other features include easy-to-see operating panel indications such as ISO settings visible through the viewfinder and Canon Speedlite controls through the camera LCD menu.  The camera also incorporates a Canon feature called Auto Lighting Optimizer which locates dark areas in an image and adjusts the brightness and contrast to improve the overall image.

Do you ever shoot fast action? Insert a good quality memory card into the EOS Rebel XS and take advantage of the continuous JPEG burst rate which allows users to continuously shoot a scene until the memory card is at capacity.  With a couple of gigabyte memory card, you can capture that fast moving photo just like the pros.

Canon has also introduced the latest model in the EX series of Speedlite flashes: the Canon Speedlite 430EX II. Canon has increased the recycling speed of the 430EX II by 20% over it’s predecessor. A nice feature, that pros have come to appreciate, is a metal mounting foot which increases the strength and durability of a shoe-mounted flash. The new unit will allow users to control flash functions and input settings using the Rebel XS’s LCD monitor.  The flash will have an estimated retail price that is nearly half the retail price of the Rebel XS. That pricing puts it on a par with the top of the line Nikon flash unit, which is a pro-level device.

The Canon Rebel XS is expected to be available at retailers starting next month. In kit form, it will come with a EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens. This should make for a very versatile DSLR for those new to ‘through-the-lens’ digital cameras as well as advanced amateurs.  It would even make a good back-up camera for the pro who needs a light second camera.