Out this week: Canon's newest entry-level DSLR, which offers a long-overdue improvement on 2006's XTI. That's thanks to a brand-new (and self-cleaning) 12.2-megapixel CMOS sensor, and the same DIGIC III image processor you'll find in the brand's pricy pro-level EOS-1s. Also imported from the top shelf: the (justifiably) coveted live-view option, which instantaneously shows what the lens is seeing on the three-inch LCD. Combine all this, and you'll take some of the sharpest pictures available in this price range.

But despite those enhancements, one new feature falls short: the auto-light optimizer, which supposedly enhances shadows after shooting. I tried it around sunset in the hills near my home, and—despite my best efforts, as you can see below—didn't snap anything that made the fabled Hollywood sign stand out from the late-afternoon smog. Too bad: Soon it might be gone for good. (The sign, that is, not the smog.)
Canon Rebel XSI, $799 (body only), canonusa.com