My readers know that I love a good used digital camera. Why? I love the idea of taking something that was once valuable, then discarded, and giving it new life. I love the idea of recycling.

I also love the idea that I make better pictures (hopefully pictures that my readers enjoy) not because I use a particular tool, but because I show up, work hard, and have fun doing y job.
Don’t get me wrong: new camera, lenses, computers, phones, camcorders, drones, and much more, make generating content faster and easier.
And, of course, some older technology didn’t age well. Thus, today’s topic: 2005’s Canon EOS Rebel XT.
Someone gave me this camera a couple of years ago in kind of a “grab bag” of camera gear. I was happy to get it. I charged up the battery and turned the camera on, and it worked (and still does) just fine.
But this camera was designed and built for casual photography, so it was made to be as small, light, and affordable as possible, and it just doesn’t hold up to the rigors of everyday journalism.
However, if you know what you are doing, it can make nice images. So then, Richard, what don’t you like about this camera?
- It is slow; slow to focus, slow frame rate, and slow image processing.
- The controls are small. Their markings are too small, and they are laid out inconsistently.
- The viewfinder, the LCD display, and the monitor on the back are really small. Part of this is that I am older, and my old eyes like bigger, brighter information, and part of it is that we have all been spoiled by the big, bright images from our smartphones.
- It’s fragile. Canon made this camera with a lot of plastic, so it feel like a toy in my hands, and I can see how it would be easy to damage in day-to-day use.
But, Richard, what if I have one of these relics from 20 years ago? Should I just throw it in the trash? I haven’t thrown mine in the trash, but I don’t use it much, but when I am willing to put up with its flaws, I make perfectly good pictures with it. If you get out your old digital camera and make great pictures with it (which you can), don’t worry about the technology in your hands, and just have fun!
