Click the thumbnail for a larger version of the hard disk photos and the original forum thread where these were posted:

The photographer shares camera settings and the setup for the shot here. Canon Digital Photo Professional (included for free with the camera), Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop CS3 were used for post-processing.

Jovo gives an extensive report about his experience with the 400D / Rebel XTi, saying:

• The XTi is a huge improvement vs the 350D / Digital Rebel XT which suffered from too many out of focus shots, had back focus and a slow buffer memory.
• Lenses used are the EF 17-40 f/4L, EF 70-200mm f2.8L and EF 400mm f/5.6L. The combination of the XTi plus these lenses yields IQ results well above his expectations and allows him to photograph architecture, landscapes, portraiture, figure studies, street candids, macros and birds.
• The light and small body is a huge plus - he found the EOS 30D and 5D to be overkill for his needs.
• The built in anti-dust sensor cleaning mechanism works well.
• He’s able to take up to 800 shots on a single charge.
• All important settings are displayed on the large LCD at the back of the camera, and is a great help to those who prefer not to use glasses.
• His preferred camera settings are: RAW mode, partial metering, center focus point selected, AI Servo auto focus, aperture priority
• An autofocus mechanism that is borrowed from the EOS 30D body means that his 400mm lens focuses readily even when used with a 1.4x TC (teleconverter).
• He likes the 400D’s ability to capture 10 continuous RAW shots before the buffer is filled up.

Sarge912 compares his new 400D / XTi vs his old Canon 300D: The 400D has a bigger buffer, big and beautiful rear LCD screen turns off when the camera is brought to the eye, and works very well with a SanDisk Extreme III 2.0 CF card.

In that same thread, here are the reasons behind why the 400D’s grip feels better than the 350D XT :> 1 | 2

Chael is happy with the better colors from the Rebel XTi vs the 300D. There’s a link to a gallery of some very nice first shots - the photo titled “Road to Show Low” is one of my favorites from that collection.

1. The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi virtual camera demonstration at Canon Digital Learning Center, Photoworkshop.com

Battery
The following tips are by Jovo:

• Get as many shots as possible from the battery by leaving it in the charger for a few hours after the green light has already come on. It is said that the battery is only 80% charged when the green light comes on.
• Also charge the battery on the night before a big event because batteries lose a little of their charge every day.

1. A very useful test by Häakon comparing the ISO1600 capabilities between the Canon 400D vs Canon 350D - 100% image crops of various night scenery and written observations are provided
2. Another test by Häakon, this time pitting the Canon 400D vs Canon 350D for day-time, high-ISO shots - 100% image crops and a gallery of full-sized images are provided.
3. Full-sized 2-minute exposures of the Rebel XT vs XTi at ISO800, f/32, in very dim to slightly less dim conditions. This test should be useful for those interested in using the 400D for astrophotography.

Jovo has a lot to say about his experiences with the Canon 400D … after sharing these images, of course.

View a larger version of these splendid images, and read the start of Jovo’s forum thread.

Jovo’s comments on the Rebel XTi

1. He finds the 400D to be a huge upgrade over the older Canon 350D, mainly because of better AF performance (noticeable when using the EF 400mm f/5.6L lens with a 1.4x teleconverter, and no more lens hunting or backfocus with the 70-200mm f/2.8 … more information on AF problems with his XT and lenses here.). He also finds the 400D’s metering to be better than the Rebel XT.
2. Battery life translates to about 500 shots on a full charge with the XTi compared to 600 shots with the 350D.
3. The 400D is a more suitable camera than the Canon EOS 5D for birding photography.
4. He prefers to shoot handheld and avoid the use of tripods, which is why he bought the 400D instead of the heavier Canon EOS 30D.

Jovo’s comments on lenses

1. Two lenses were used, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM and Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM.
2. He’s not to keen on consumer lenses and believes that L lenses are necessary to squeeze every bit of image quality out of the XTi.

Jovo’s comments on postprocessing

1. This is a link to his thoughts on various RAW converters, and notes that the Canon Digital Photo Professional software is not too good with skin tones.
2. He finds that the images from the 400D sharpens better than the photos from the Rebel 350D, and provides a link to the John Brownlow’s Photoshop smart sharpening action, which he uses.

In the discussion, three links to EXIF readers that work with your browser were provided: EXIF Reader #1 | EXIF Reader #2 | EXIF Reader #3.

Canon 400D vs Nikon D80?

1. Canon has an extensive range of more affordable, high quality, long focal length lenses compared to Nikon. The 400D should also exhibit better high-ISO performance under a wider range of lighting conditions, meaning less noisy-looking images.
2. Why the 400D would appeal to more “average” customers than the Nikon D80 - a camera salesman walks you through the camera comparison sales process.

1. Greg at the Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge with the Canon 400D and a very fine Canon EF 500mm f/4.5L USM lens. View the image samples and read his account of the first day with the XTi in which he states his satisfaction with the autofocus performance and anti-dust feature of the camera.