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There will be plenty of buyers for each camera, and many happy owners all around. The cameras are not equivalent, though, and their differences are reflected in price, appropriate owners and features. The Sony Alpha A100 is intended for buyers who don't plan to buy more advanced equipment soon. The Canon certainly could be, and the Nikon is not just an entry camera, it's an appropriate backup body for prosumers and pros on a budget."

So aside from a few inconveniences, shooting with the Rebel XTi is thoroughly pleasurable. It works fast and accurately. No, it's not a bulletproof tank, and some of the control buttons are just barely up from point-and-shoot. But given the image quality, autofocusing, fast shooting, and exposure controls of the XTi, it's not just a deal, it's a screaming, bloody, great deal."

Photo quality was excellent, especially with a decent lens on the camera (and the kit lens isn't one of those). The XTi took well-exposed, colorful images with very low noise levels, even at ISO 800. Like on all of Canon's D-SLRs, images are on the soft side straight out of the camera, and if you agree you can turn up the in-camera sharpening using the Picture Styles feature. Purple fringing levels varied depending on what lens I was using, but generally it wasn't a problem. Same goes for redeye - there wasn't any to speak of."

The Canon Digital Rebel XTi, although it resembles the XT, is in fact a distinct model. Its 10-megapixel CMOS sensor gives it a slight advantage in terms of resolution, but it is really the AF, the buffer memory, the Picture Styles, and the dust reduction system that position it ahead of the XT. Moreover, in view of its excellent image quality and its price, the Rebel XTi/EOS 400D is one of the most attractive DSLR cameras currently on the market, although the lens it is currently sold with in kit form does not do the camera justice, quite unlike when it is paired with any of Canon finer lenses."

The Canon 400D Digital SLR is a great digital camera. It feels very comfortable in hand, and produces very natural pictures with little noise and rich pleasing colors. This camera is very easy to use (in auto mode), and would definitely suit an amateur who wants to become a professional. The camera offers excellent battery life, with very good controls and good build quality..."

While the 400D is unquestionably a very good camera, with superb performance, an excellent control system and wide range of picture control options, and while it is a distinct improvement on the 350D, it doesn’t really stand out in comparison to any of the other entry-level 10MP DSLRs that are currently available. The kit lens is also very weak."

The main criteria are probably size/weight and cost. Here you have to find out what you want to do. A camera that stays always home because you find it too big is not of great help. We will probably use the XTi as our travel snapshot camera. This is not meant as a negative at all as we think you can create very good work using the Rebel XTi..."

Finally, we don't think anyone is going to buy a Rebel XTi with the thought that it's a disposable camera. Canon customers will expect years of service. Unfortunately, it doesn't feel as though the XTi is built for the long haul. Its parts should fit together better, and it should be better sealed against dust and dirt. However, the camera's redeeming attribute is its CMOS sensor, which has historically performed well in low light and surpassed the competition at higher ISO settings.

...instead of re-using the 350D / XT's 8 Megapixel sensor, Canon's developed a brand new 10.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor for the 400D / XTi. This makes it Canon's highest resolution digital SLR with an EF-S lens mount to date.

Canon already had a great product with the 350D / XT, but rather than resting on its laurels has upped the ante and delivered a worthy successor. The new 400D / Rebel XTi is a great camera to use, produces excellent image quality and is one of the best budget digital SLRs to date. It may have very tough rivals, but still comes Highly Recommended."

Where Canon does not answer some of the challengers is in offering body-based image stabilization. Nor do they address the Nikon D80's inclusion of an impressively long focal length lens at a low price. However, Canon has long been a pioneer in image stabilization, and offers an array of image stabilized lenses, and they have a growing selection of EF-S lenses in addition to their 50+ lenses to choose from, all of which will work with the Digital Rebel XTi. I'm pretty sure Canon is sufficiently satisfied with their IS lens systems that they feel they've long ago addressed the issue. Answering the dust problem in such a comprehensive manner is a good step toward answering a real-world problem, though.

(Nov 22, 2006) We've now completed our testing of the Canon Digital Rebel XTi, and are happy to report that it's all we'd hoped it might be. Resolution, color, and detail are all excellent, and it does a good job of holding onto subtle subject detail at ISO 1600, albeit with a bit more chroma noise than we'd like..."

There will be plenty of buyers for each camera, and many happy owners all around. The cameras are not equivalent, though, and their differences are reflected in price, appropriate owners and features. The Sony Alpha A100 is intended for buyers who don't plan to buy more advanced equipment soon. The Canon certainly could be, and the Nikon is not just an entry camera, it's an appropriate backup body for prosumers and pros on a budget."

With the EOS 400D, Canon deliver an excellent digital SLR camera. It truly offers value for money, especially when considering the remarkable software that comes with the camera: a proper, extensive version, not one of those light editions. The Canon EOS 400D is an excellent first step into the world of DSLR cameras, as well as a great back-up camera. It is a genuinely versatile model, that remains user-friendly, offers comprehensible features and a clear operation..."

...Canon have done exactly what they had to do with their latest entry-level DSLR by adding new features like their EOS Integrated Cleaning System and the larger 2.5-inch LCD screen. There is no doubt that this camera will sell by the bucket-loads and any consumer wanting to take their first step into DSLR ownership won't go far wrong with this DSLR..."

This one is a toughie. Usually your intrepid reviewer has no problem calling winners and losers. Here there really aren't any losers in the negative sense - there are trade-offs. The Sony has the heft and features including image stabilization for every lens. This makes it easier to shoot in available light with less chance of blur. And the Sony has a more powerful kit lens."