There is a noticeable quality difference between the SLR cameras and the point-and-shoot variety. The quality of the optics in the SLRs is better, and in most cases the CCD (imaging sensor) is larger and of somewhat better quality.

The type of battery the camera uses has no effect on response or recycle time; the rebel XT has an external battery pack that can use AAs (either alkaline or rechargeable) and will cycle equally quickly regardless of which type of batteries are used. However, the amount of on-board flash RAM, and how long it takes to write images from RAM to the memory card does vary, with the more expensive cameras have more on-board RAM and the ability to write to memory cards faster than the less expensive cameras.