Canon EOS Digital
Rebel XSi
 vs
Nikon
D3000

Updated (August, 2010): Compare the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi vs Nikon D3100

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi

40
"Superb resolution, good per-pixel sharpness"
dpreview.com | talking about the Rebel XSi's image-quality
"Just like the EOS 400D the 450D is primarily made from three materials; a stainless steel chassis, the mirror box which is made of high-strength 'engineering plastic' and the body made of a special lightweight 'engineering plastic' which also provides some electromagnetic shielding. Construction is very good with no creaks or rattles."
dpreview.com | talking about the Rebel XSi's build-quality

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi

Screen size
 Large screen
3.0"
Live view
 Has live view
Preview your photos
Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
400 ms startup delay
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
160 ms shutter lag
Size
 Really small
Prosumer size 129x98x62 mm
Sensor cleaning
 Self cleaning sensor
Avoids dust in your photos
Nikon D3000

32
Runner-up

Nikon D3000
"User-friendly ergonomics, without sacrificing control"
dpreview.com | talking about the D3000's button-layout
"The Nikon D40 was a groundbreaking camera, not only for Nikon, but for the entire entry-level sector of the DSLR market"
dpreview.com | talking about the D3000's overall-performance

Reasons to buy the Nikon D3000

Screen size
 Large screen
3.0"
Sensor size
 Large sensor
APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Size
 Really small
Prosumer size 126x97x64 mm
Thickness
 Thin
2.5"

differences

Advantages of the Canon Rebel XSi
Live view Has live view Yes vs No
Help
 Preview your photos on the camera's screen before taking them
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 692 ISO vs 563 ISO
Help
 The Rebel XSi has a slight edge (0.3 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag 160 ms vs 262 ms
Help
 Around 40% less delay when taking photos
Startup delay Less startup delay 400 ms vs 700 ms
Help
 More than 40% less delay when turning on
Sensor cleaning Has a self cleaning sensor Yes vs No
Help
 Removes dust from the sensor automatically, avoiding spots in photos
True resolution Higher true resolution 12.2 MP vs 10 MP
Help
 Capture more than 20% more detail in your photos
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor Yes vs No
Help
 Autofocuses with all autofocus lenses
Sensor type Has a CMOS-family sensor CMOS vs CCD
Help
 CMOS-family sensors often produce better quality images
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder 0.54x vs 0.52x
Help
 Almost the same
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 3.5 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 Around 20% faster continuous shooting
Thickness Slightly thinner 2.4" vs 2.5"
Help
 Almost the same
Weight Slightly lighter 524 g vs 536 g
Help
 Almost the same
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $485.00 vs $676.55
Help
 The best price we've seen is $192 cheaper (around 30% less)
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Learn more about
the Canon Rebel XSi

Advantages of the Nikon D3000
Color depth Better color depth 22.3 bits vs 21.9 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.4 more bits of color
Sensor size Significantly larger sensor APS-C 23.6x15.8mm vs APS-C 22.2x14.8mm
Help
 More than 10% larger sensor
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.1 EV vs 10.8 EV
Help
 0.3 f-stops more dynamic range
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality 62.0 vs 61.0
Help
 Almost the same
Focus points More focus points 11 vs 9
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Battery life Slightly longer battery life 550 shots vs 500 shots
Help
 10% more shots per battery charge
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available 169 lenses vs 162 lenses
Help
 Almost the same
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 3,200 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Nikon D3000 Learn more about
the Nikon D3000
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent entry-level DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi
40 vs 32
Explain scores
Nikon D3000 Nikon D3000
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonEOS Digital Rebel XSi
 Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi vs Nikon D3000
NikonD3000
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
2
5
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
2
5
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
2
5
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
2
4
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
2
5
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
2
4
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent entry-level DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
Rebel XSi:162 lenses
D3000:169 lenses
Screen size Larger than average screens Help
3.0"
Size Fairly small Help
Rebel XSi:129x98x62 mm
D3000:126x97x64 mm
Thickness Very thin Help
Rebel XSi:2.4"
D3000:2.5"
Fastest shutter speed Slow max shutter speed Help
1/4000 of a second
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Light sensitivity (boost) One has boost ISO Help
Rebel XSi:None
D3000:3,200 ISO
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
1,600 ISO
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
95%
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
Rebel XSi:12.2 MP
D3000:10 MP
Cross type focus points Few cross-type focus points Help
1
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
Rebel XSi:3.5 fps
D3000:3 fps
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Screen resolution Low resolution screens Help
230k dots
Movie format Do not shoot movies Help
No movies
Dynamic range Poor dynamic range Help
Rebel XSi:10.8 EV
D3000:11.1 EV
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
Rebel XSi:61.0
D3000:62.0
Low light performance Above average noise at high ISO Help
Rebel XSi:692 ISO
D3000:563 ISO

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $984 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is slightly larger
Compare the D3100 vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the D3100 vs the D3000
Canon Rebel T3

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$379 body only

$460 - $550 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records lower quality movies
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is significantly larger
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the D3000
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$499 - $949 body only

$579 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D3000
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS

Entry-level DSLR

$334 - $595 body only

$449 - $460 with 18-55mm lens
Screen size Has a much smaller screen
Compare the EOS Digital Rebel XS vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the EOS Digital Rebel XS vs the D3000
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$609 - $800 body only

$709 - $1,180 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is significantly larger
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D3000
Canon EOS Rebel T1i

Canon Rebel T1i

Entry-level DSLR

$445 - $629 body only

$504 - $609 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Color depth Has slightly less color depth
Compare the Rebel T1i vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the Rebel T1i vs the D3000
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$650 - $749 body only

$600 - $750 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is much less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has much better image quality
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is slightly larger
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the D5100 vs the D3000

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi.

Nikon D3000 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon Coolpix P500

Nikon Coolpix P500

Super zoom

$339 - $350
Movie format Shoots movies
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Autofocus Slower autofocus
Compare the Coolpix P500 vs the D3000

appearance

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Nikon D3000
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Nikon D3000
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Nikon D3000

Find similar cameras

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discussion Which do you think is better?

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