Canon EOS M5 vs Canon EOS Rebel XSi

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS M5 and the Canon EOS Rebel XSi, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Canon EOS M5 was introduced in September 2016 and Canon EOS Rebel XSi was introduced in May 2008. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS M5 over Canon EOS Rebel XSi.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Canon EOS M5 has a 3.2" Tilting screen with 1,620k dot resolution and Canon EOS Rebel XSi has a 3.0" Fixed screen with 230k dot resolution. Tilting screen makes Canon EOS M5 very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Canon EOS M5 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Viewfinder

Canon EOS M5 has a built-in Electronic viewfinder with 2,360k dot resolution and Canon EOS Rebel XSi has a built-in Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder. Canon EOS M5 has 100% coverage magnification and Canon EOS Rebel XSi has 95% coverage with 0.87x (0.54x 35mm equivalent) magnification.

Canon EOS M5 features a 24.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 22.3 x 14.9 mm and a total area of 332.3 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 25,600. Canon EOS Rebel XSi features a 12.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 22.2 x 14.8 mm and a total area of 219 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 1,600.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Canon EOS M5 is equipped with DIGIC 7 processor and can take pictures up to 6000 x 4000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3:2 (6000 x 4000, 3984 x 2656, 2976 x 1984, 2400 x 1600), 16:9 (6000 x 3368, 3984 x 2240, 2976 x 1680, 2400 x 1344), 4:3 (5328 x 4000, 3552 x 2664, 2656 x 1992, 2112 x 1600), 1:1 (4000 x 4000, 2656 x 2656, 1984 x 1984, 1600 x 1600) with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Canon EOS Rebel XSi can take pictures up to 4272 x 2848 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3088 x 2056, 2256 x 1504 with 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Canon EOS M5 has Canon EF-M lens mount and Canon EOS Rebel XSi has Canon EF/EF-S lens mount. Due to their APS-C sensor their crop factor (also called lens multiplier) is equal to 1.6x. This means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.6.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Canon EOS M5 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS Rebel XSi nothing can be done. On Canon EOS Rebel XSi it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS M5 nothing can be done.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Canon EOS M5

Canon EOS M5 has a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth on Canon EOS M5

Canon EOS M5 has a built-in Bluetooth which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

NFC on Canon EOS M5

Canon EOS M5 has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS M5 comes with LP-E17 battery pack with battery life of 295 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS M5 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot. Canon EOS Rebel XSi has a single SD/SDHC/MMC card slot.

Shutter

Canon EOS M5 has Electronically controlled focal-place shutter. Canon EOS Rebel XSi has Electronically-controlled Focal-plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Canon EOS M5, and up to 1/4000 sec on Canon EOS Rebel XSi. Canon EOS M5 can shoot continuously up to 9.0 fps. Canon EOS Rebel XSi can shoot continuously up to 3.5 fps.

Focusing

Both cameras have Dual Pixel CMOS AF system with Canon EOS M5 having 49 focusing points and from -1 to +18 EV detection range and with Canon EOS Rebel XSi having 9 focusing points. and Canon EOS M5 having from -1 to +18 EV detection range.

Exposure

Both cameras' exposure metering ranges from +1 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±3 EV range on Canon EOS M5 and ±2 EV range on Canon EOS Rebel XSi. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS M5 and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS Rebel XSi.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 5.00 m at ISO 100 on Canon EOS M5 and 13.00 m at ISO 100 on Canon EOS Rebel XSi. They also accept external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe to Canon EOS M5. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on both cameras.

Canon EOS M5 body has dimensions of 116 x 89 x 61 mm (4.57 x 3.5 x 2.4") and Canon EOS Rebel XSi body has dimensions of 129 x 98 x 62 mm (5.08 x 3.86 x 2.44"). Canon EOS M5 weighs 427 g (0.94 lb / 15.06 oz) and Canon EOS Rebel XSi weighs 524 g (1.16 lb / 18.48 oz).

Canon EOS M5

Canon EOS Rebel XSi

116 mm

89 mm

129 mm

98 mm

89 mm

98 mm

61 mm

62 mm