Canon EOS-350D / Digital Rebel XT with 18-55mm f3.5~5.6 II EF-S lens

3rd June 2011

Written by Gordon Laing

Samples

Canon EOS 350D / Rebel XT gallery

The following images were taken with the Canon EOS-350D and the optionally bundled 18-55mm f3.5~5.6 EF-S lens. The recording mode was set to Large / Fine, thereby using the full 8.0 megapixel resolution and the least-compressed JPEG setting. The individual exposure mode, file sizes, shutter speeds, aperture, ISO and lens focal length are listed for each image.

The crops are taken from the original files, reproduced at 100% and saved in Adobe Photoshop CS2 as JPEGs with the default Very High quality preset, while the resized images were made in Photoshop CS2 and saved with the default High quality preset. The three crops are typically taken from far left, central and far right portions of each image.

Harbour: 3.52MB, Program, 1/320, f11, ISO 200, EF-S 18-55mm f3.5~5.6 at 18mm

Canon EOS 350D with 18-55mm lens at 18mm

This Weymouth harbour shot, taken with the EF-S 18-55mm kit lens at f11 and its widest setting, has a sufficient depth-of-field for details on the nearby boat and distant quayside to be in sharp focus.

The crops reveal a high level of detail both in terms of optical resolution and lack of smearing through image processing. There’s no noise to speak of.

Canon EOS 350D with 18-55mm lens at 18mm top left crop

Canon EOS 350D with 18-55mm lens at 18mm top middle crop

Canon EOS 350D with 18-55mm lens at 18mm top right crop

City: 3.09MB, Program, 1/250, f11, ISO 200, EF-S 18-55mm f3.5~5.6 at 55mm

				This shot of St Paul’s Cathedral and the Millennium Bridge in London, was taken with the EF-S 18-55mm kit lens at 55mm f11. Despite zooming-in, the f11 aperture has ensured sufficient depth-of-field for both the bridge and background to be sharp. The crops reveal a high level of detail and again there’s no noise to speak of at ISO 200.

Portrait: 2.30MB, Aperture Priority, 1/800, f5.6, ISO 200, EF-S 18-55mm f3.5~5.6 at 55mm

Canon EOS 350D with 18-55mm lens at 55mm

This portrait shot was taken with the EF-S 18-55mm kit lens at 55mm f5.6.

A long focal length, small aperture and close subject distance were used to minimise the depth-of-field, but while the background is out-of-focus as desired, the Canon kit lens is clearly not comparable to traditional portrait optics.

The corner crop of the map is fairly sharp though considering the open aperture.

Canon EOS 350D with 18-55mm lens at 55mm lower left crop

Canon EOS 350D with 18-55mm lens at 55mm middle crop

Canon EOS 350D with 18-55mm lens at 55mm lower right crop

Mountains: 4.04MB, Program, 1/250, f10, ISO 200, EF-S 18-55mm f3.5~5.6 at 21mm

				This shot of mountains around Loch Lomond was taken with the EF-S 18-55mm kit lens at 21mm and f10. Shooting partly towards a bright sky has presented some challenges in exposure, although subsequent Levels adjustment can greatly improve the appearance. The crops show a good level of detail, and again no discernable noise at 200 ISO.

Night: 3.79MB, Manual, 30 seconds, f3.5, ISO 1600, EF-S 18-55mm f3.5~5.6 at 18mm

				This shot was taken at night using the EF-S 18-55mm kit lens at its widest setting of 18mm and maximum aperture of f3.5. It’s a 30 second exposure at 1600 ISO. As pinpoints of light, stars represent a great challenge for any lens, but again considering the price of the kit lens and the fact the aperture was wide open, the results are pretty good; the crop of Orion’s belt reveals slight trailing due to the Earth’s rotation. The crops unsurprisingly show high noise levels given the ISO setting.