I was amused by the email response to Reichmann’s Canon XSi review from the man who now (finally) finds low end DSLRs good enough for most work. I made that decision years ago with the Rebel XT. Yeah I know the image quality was just good enough too, and sure its usability left a lot to be desired, but it was good enough then for my clients and my personal work. So the Rebel XSi and perhaps even the new XS are sure to be good enough now as Reichmann notes in his review.
However, there is one factor that is generally not considered when comparing these DSLR bodies: the lenses. The APS-C sized sensor has resulted in new made-for-digital lenses, and these have generally been low-cost, consumer-grade zooms (to my thinking anyway). So yes, the XSi is a small compact body, but if you want the best glass as Reichman (and I) suggest, you wind up buying the big made-for-35mm-film lenses and dealing with that annoying lens crop factor. For example, the Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS that he suggests is not exactly a small nor lightweight chunk of glass.
Before everyone rushes to say this or that lens works fine (because they do; they’re good enough), all I’m saying is that Canon and Nikon are making good cash from their DSLRs. It would be nice to see some good dedicated glass for these smaller camera bodies… Some fast zooms (like a 24-105mm f/4 EF-S) and some fast primes (like Pentax’s pancake lenses) would be great. We have these lenses for full-frame 35mm, why not yet for APS-C?
