Canon EOS Xsi (450D) Field Report

In the 20th Century
Less than 10 years ago, before digital's rise to dominance, any camera of the same format with interchangeable lenses would take pictures no different than any other. Film was the great equalizer. The camera was simply a light-tight box. Yes, some had more and better features than others, but the camera itself had little to no affect on image quality. The least expensive camera in a manufacturer's line up had the same IQ as the top-of-the-line model.
Film though had character. Kodak, Fuji, Ilford, Ansco, Agfa – each company's products had a certain visual signature, and within each company's product line there were film types with different characteristics; speed, colour rendition, contrast, and so forth.
Today, for most photographers, film is just a memory. The sensors in our digital cameras have taken the place of film as the primary determiner of image quality. Top-of-the-line camera bodies typically have better (and usually higher resolution) sensors tha...