Canon EOS Rebel XS / 1000D vs Canon EOS Rebel XSi / 450D — Which Is Better?

The Canon EOS Rebel XS / 1000D and the Canon EOS Rebel XSi / 450D are both 2008 Canon DSLRs with an APS-C CMOS sensor and the Canon EF-S lens mount. The shared mount means an EF-S lens collection carries over to whichever body you choose. The XSi arrived first, in January 2008, with the XS following that June as the lighter option at 502 g against 524 g.

The bodies measure 126 x 98 x 65 mm for the XS and 129 x 98 x 62 mm for the XSi, a few millimetres apart in each direction. The viewfinder type matches as well, with both cameras framing through an optical pentamirror finder.

The Rebel XSi is the stronger choice when you want room to crop, with 12.2 megapixels against 10.1 on the XS. The extra pixels give more scope for distant wildlife or tight portraits from a fixed shooting position. Its 9 autofocus points against 7 also give more selectable focus targets for off-centre subjects.

The remaining core settings match. Both use the Digic III processor and a 100 to 1600 ISO range. The 1/4000 second top shutter speed also matches. Neither body offers in-body stabilisation, so any stabilisation has to come from the lens.

If you need video, neither camera is an option, because both the XS and the XSi record stills only. Neither body offers a built-in timelapse mode either, so interval work would depend on an external timer release.

The XSi gives you a bigger window for Live View framing and reviewing shots with others, with a 3-inch LCD against 2.5 inches on the XS. The screens match at 230,000 dots, so the gain is size rather than detail.

Both include a pop-up flash and support Canon external flash units, giving an upgrade path for indoor portraits and event lighting. Neither has GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a touch screen, a flip-out screen or weather sealing, so geotagging and wireless transfer are not built in.

Card storage works the same way on both cameras, which write to SD, SDHC and SDXC cards through a single slot. Your cards swap between the bodies without adapters, and neither has a second slot for backup.

Both carry the same 500-shot battery rating, but they get there with different packs: the XS uses an LP-E5 while the XSi uses an LP-E6. Spare batteries are therefore not interchangeable, so a household mixing both cameras needs one type for each. Neither charges over USB, so both rely on a mains charger.