OT. Canon Rebel XTI 400d need advice!
10-02-2007, 12:50 PM
#16
The Rebel xt +xti are excellent values. One note of caution... there is an inherent issue with them having contact pins bend on removal/reinsertion of the CF card. If you Google it you'll see, the issue and fix ($125) is common I don't love the compact slr form factor, but ideal for women.
I just took the plunge on the new 40D and will test it out this weekend.
I just took the plunge on the new 40D and will test it out this weekend.
10-02-2007, 12:55 PM
#17
Race Director
Hi,
I looked at SLRs from Canon and Nikon very closely. I liked the interchangable lens etc. etc. I ended up buying the Panasonic DMC FZ18.
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0707/07...asonicfz18.asp
My issue with SLRs and loose lenses is: to get good tele, thus wide angle lens, say 18-200mm you need lenses with image stablizers, and that get's expensive, and cumbersome, and heavy.
The FZ18 has 18x optical zoom, with built-in image stablizer. It has an excellent Leica lens. I have a FZ10 (from 2000 I think) and it took great pictures. But that is a 12x optical zoom only, thus still not 'wide' enough for some of my scenic travel shots. The FZ18, being an 18x zoom, has a REALLY wide angle lens, built-in. The best part is the FZ18 weighs 14 oz. It is one tidy, convenient camera package.
Listed at $399, now can be had for about $300, it is one third the price of the SLRs with equivalent lenses. Definitely worth a look, depending on what kind of photography she likes to do.
Just my 2 cents.
CP
I looked at SLRs from Canon and Nikon very closely. I liked the interchangable lens etc. etc. I ended up buying the Panasonic DMC FZ18.
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0707/07...asonicfz18.asp
My issue with SLRs and loose lenses is: to get good tele, thus wide angle lens, say 18-200mm you need lenses with image stablizers, and that get's expensive, and cumbersome, and heavy.
The FZ18 has 18x optical zoom, with built-in image stablizer. It has an excellent Leica lens. I have a FZ10 (from 2000 I think) and it took great pictures. But that is a 12x optical zoom only, thus still not 'wide' enough for some of my scenic travel shots. The FZ18, being an 18x zoom, has a REALLY wide angle lens, built-in. The best part is the FZ18 weighs 14 oz. It is one tidy, convenient camera package.
Listed at $399, now can be had for about $300, it is one third the price of the SLRs with equivalent lenses. Definitely worth a look, depending on what kind of photography she likes to do.
Just my 2 cents.
CP
Last edited by CP; 10-04-2007 at 02:16 AM.
10-03-2007, 12:06 AM
#18
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The XTI is a great consumer camera, the kit lens as mentioned above is very low quality. i personally didnt like it cause it feels cheaper, plastic parts all around.. not to mention it's too small for my hands.. the 20D/30D has finer tuned controls and a better interface to the menu system and camera controls and has more room to grow as one learns.. that being said its heavier so it may not be the best choice for her.
If your going to go the XTI route - i'd suggest looking at the older model 350 (XT) - the difference in 8.2 over 10.1MP isnt worth the money. One thing to remember when looking at the MP count is the sensor size isnt changing so even though your getting more pixels they are smaller and crammed onto the sensor... which isnt necessary a good thing as depending on the technology used could mean the sensor is more sensitive to light..
I think for a starter camera the XT or 20D would be a solid choice, 20D only if your OK buying used or refurbished if not look at a 30D or XT most outlets sell the XT/30D new still.
I have a 30D and i love it, the best advice i can offer is get an OK body and spend the money on glass. The newer canons (400D/40D) do have a sensor cleaning technology which helps to keep the sensor clean.. but if your not shooting in extremely dusty conditions and swapping lenses often then it's moot.
Also there is controversy to what the long term affects of the sensor cleaning technology will do to the sensor as it sends vibrations to the sensor to clean the dust from the surface.
As for lenses - it really depends on what she's shooting, a great 'travel' lens with a super wide spectrum of use is the Sigma 18-200mm DC OS, it has image stabilization which is a great feature.. the down side is it's not a USM lens making it a bit slower to focus and you need to swap between AF / manual if you want to tweak the focus yourself.. the canon USM lenses let you tweak in AF mode. it retails for $650 for the OS version and $450 for non OS (optical stabilization) - as mentioned above the canon 50mm f/1.8 is a GREAT lens for non zoom applications and cheap ($100) but it's no good for wide angle applications.
I'd love to own a series of 'L' class lenses but i'm not rolling in money, so the sigma was a solid second choice to fill the gaps and cover the range i needed. Plus sigma offers 5 years on their lenses.
my $0.02
If your going to go the XTI route - i'd suggest looking at the older model 350 (XT) - the difference in 8.2 over 10.1MP isnt worth the money. One thing to remember when looking at the MP count is the sensor size isnt changing so even though your getting more pixels they are smaller and crammed onto the sensor... which isnt necessary a good thing as depending on the technology used could mean the sensor is more sensitive to light..
I think for a starter camera the XT or 20D would be a solid choice, 20D only if your OK buying used or refurbished if not look at a 30D or XT most outlets sell the XT/30D new still.
I have a 30D and i love it, the best advice i can offer is get an OK body and spend the money on glass. The newer canons (400D/40D) do have a sensor cleaning technology which helps to keep the sensor clean.. but if your not shooting in extremely dusty conditions and swapping lenses often then it's moot.
Also there is controversy to what the long term affects of the sensor cleaning technology will do to the sensor as it sends vibrations to the sensor to clean the dust from the surface.
As for lenses - it really depends on what she's shooting, a great 'travel' lens with a super wide spectrum of use is the Sigma 18-200mm DC OS, it has image stabilization which is a great feature.. the down side is it's not a USM lens making it a bit slower to focus and you need to swap between AF / manual if you want to tweak the focus yourself.. the canon USM lenses let you tweak in AF mode. it retails for $650 for the OS version and $450 for non OS (optical stabilization) - as mentioned above the canon 50mm f/1.8 is a GREAT lens for non zoom applications and cheap ($100) but it's no good for wide angle applications.
I'd love to own a series of 'L' class lenses but i'm not rolling in money, so the sigma was a solid second choice to fill the gaps and cover the range i needed. Plus sigma offers 5 years on their lenses.
my $0.02
Last edited by rconnon; 10-03-2007 at 02:38 PM.
10-03-2007, 05:36 PM
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10-06-2007, 01:48 AM
#20
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I just wanted to let you know the XTi is on sale at Costco this weekend. I just was at Costco and saw the deal. It is the kit camera (ie including the kit lens) as well as the 75mm-300mm lens for $939. You may want to check it out. I am not sure what the reviews are like for the 75mm-300mm lens??
