ANNOUNCED IN LATE SUMMER OF 2003, Canon's original 6-megapixel 6 Digital Rebel was the first digital SLR (D-SLR) to break the Rs4O,OOO barrier. In doing so, the company set in motion a D-SLR competition that's had the entire digital-camera market in a tizzy ever since. When Canon announced its latest Rebel, the XTi, the frenzy only increased. A follow-up to last year's popular XT, the Rebel XTi has a 2.5-inch LCD and a sensitive lOMP sensor for making super-large prints. The camera boasts lots of options, too-from the ability to shoot in a complete auto mode to scene modes to full manual modes.

And you have room to grow, because the Rebel XTi has a huge arsenal of accessories. The Rebel XTi excels at presenting relevant information. The large LCD screen located on the back shows essential exposure and shooting info in a way that really sets the XTi apart from other cameras. I was equally impressed with the new look of the single LCD screen. Last year's Rebel XT had two screens-a smallish LCD screen for the menus system and an even smaller display screen for exposure info. The new system is clearly superior.

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To test the Rebel XTi's burst modes, I used a SanDisk Extreme III 1GB CF card. As I expected, the XTi's Fine JPEG mode was the fastest: I got 427 JPEGs in 210 seconds, about 2 shots per second. Still, there were moments when the camera flashed its "busy" warning signal and would not take a shot for about three to four seconds, until the buffer cleared. In my labs and real-world testing, the Canon Rebel XTi did quite well. On daylight still-life shots, the camera demonstrated a little more noise than the Nikon D80 did, but in general, it produced excellent dynamic range and contrast.

Flash photos were also a stop underexposed. But my test images still had fine dynamic range and detail. The XTi doesn't let you use its popup flash to communicate wirelessly with Canon flashes unless you get an extra accessory.
Overall, the Canon Rebel XTi is an all-around excellent performer and an undeniable Editors' Choice winner in the D-SLR category. It makes buying a lOMP camera a much easier decision.