http://gizmodo.com/350944/first-canon-eos-digital-rebel-xsi-hands-on-your-xti-is-now-junkTwo generations higher than my XT that's been giving me trouble lately. I was playing with an XTi, and even though the important hardware is the same, it feels a lot more responsive, a nice, solid refinement over the XT. Not enough of a refinement to justify a 500 dollar purchase, but now that the XSi is coming. Word on it featuring more solid-feeling construction is good, too. There will also be a quality bump, since this one is using the next gen version of the image processor used in the XT and the XTi, and they are apparently promising a significant reduction of noise along with faster shooting speeds. The image sensor itself seems to be the same as the one in the XT and XTi, aside from the megapixel increase. No new tech there.
There's also this:
14-bit A/D Converter
With the EOS Rebel XSi, analog to digital signal conversion is executed by a 14-bit processor, which generates digital data with incredibly smooth tones. Formerly a feature only present in top-of-the-line pro digital SLR cameras, the 14-bit conversion gives incredibly smooth transitions from light to dark colors, with far less risk of "banding." A sky at sunset is a perfect example. With this rich 14-bit gradation the EOS Rebel XSi offers RAW images of the highest quality that can be processed with Canon’s Digital Photo Professional software. Even JPEG files, which are always finished at 8-bits per channel, use the full 14-bit conversion initially to generate the best possible color and tonal detail. Another huge benefit of the 14-bit conversion is the Highlight Tone Priority option, which allows critical shooters to increase the level of detail in bright areas of a scene up to one stop, without affecting overall exposure.
They don't generally bullshit in their press releases for cameras, so this sounds pretty neat. Looks like I don't need to spend 3-5k on a camera yet, although I am gonna pick up a Leica rangefinder for fun. That should only be a few hundred bucks.
And I dunno if those pictures are accurate to what ships in the box, but if so, that's a lens upgrade for the kit lens, too.
