Canon Digital Rebel XTi

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Well Friday morning my wife of 38 years left me and took all 4 cameras with her. I've been wanting a good digital SLR. I've got my eye on a Canon Digital Rebel XTi. Does anyone here happen to have one? If so, do you like it?

Ken


(PS She's visiting her Mom for a month and she took all the cameras. She's returning in August.)
 
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My wife is known as the Camera Queen. She has good cameras in 35mm, APS, digital formats and her Canon camcorder. In 2 weeks all 3 of my kids, 2 granddaughters and their spouses and their 1 year old and 6 month old children (our great grand kids) are descending on Sharon and my mothers" places in Central Illinois for a family gathering and 5 generation photographs. My wife loves to take photos. My computer crashed 2 months ago. Her worry...buy a new computer if you have to but...don't lose the photos I haven't backed up. Well 1 new HD and software reload and a little squirming....I recovered all 12,800 photos that she hadn't backed up. She should be a member of the NRA as she truly believes in "Shoot more" and "Shoot More OFten!"....:eek:
 
I know a couple people with the Rebel XTi, and they're very happy with them. It's a great camera. The Canon and Nikon offerings in the digital SLR market are all very good cameras, and they're going to take better pictures than you're used to seeing with a point and shoot. (Especially if you know a bit about how to use an SLR.)

Personally, I went with the Nikon digital SLR because I liked the way it felt in my hand better than the Canon. The hand grip is a bit bigger on the Nikon, and it fits my hand better. Each brand (and at each price point) has features the other brand doesn't, but the end result with either should be excellent. I'm not real familiar with the Pentax lineup, but I suspect they're good, too. (I have a Pentax 35mm SLR.)

If you haven't already, I'd strongly suggest reading up on a few choices at www.dpreview.com. Good, (apparently) unbiased information on just about any common camera you can think of.

One piece of food for thought...and with the caveat that these are my opinions; other people may disagree with my approach. For my needs (photos for web display and e-mailing, with the very occasional 4x6 or to 8x10 homemade print), I really don't need the number of megapixels that a lot of the cameras have nowadays. My D50 has a comparatively low 6 megapixels, but I still end up reducing most pictures a whole lot before using them. (I throw away a LOT of megapixels. ;) ) To me, it didn't make sense to pay $1000 for a 10 MP camera when a $600 6 MP model would still have more resolution than I need. I used the left over money for other fun stuff instead. I also save a bit of disk space, although with nearly a terabyte of space at home, that's not really an issue. If you're not planning to take pictures that will be blown up into very large prints, you might consider saving a bit of money by buying one of the lower-megapixel models. (6 MP was all the resolution our wedding photographer used last year, even though he was shooting with a Nikon D200. With just 6 MP, he produced 8x10 prints that look great.)

Whatever way you go, you're gonna love shooting a digital SLR. :thumb:
 
Hi Ken,

I know that I answered this on another forum but, Vaughn makes a great point. I recently watched the new show on the Discovery Channel called "it all geek to me" and one thing he pointed out is that very rarely does anyone actually use more than (or need) a single megapixel of resolution. When my Fuji Finepix finally gives up and heads to DSLR heaven I will likely replace it with a camera that offers around 2-4 MP.
 
I read an article recently about digi-SLRs. It seems that the serious market is evenly split between the Canon and Nikon. Which probably means you can't go wrong with either. My son, is a Nikon aficionado, he has several of the top enders. I don't plan to get an SLR soon but would probably go with the Canon because of their lens selection. I'm leaning towards more wildlife work and would want a really biggie long lens. As for the mega pixle argument. I'm for as many as possible. This allows cropping and enlarging without losing (noticable) quality. I know, it's called digital zoom, a phony phrase. But what works, works
 
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...As for the mega pixle argument. I'm for as many as possible. This allows cropping and enlarging without losing (noticable) quality. I know, it's called optical zoom [later edited to correctly say digital zoom], a phony phrase. But what works, works
:huh: I think you may be confusing optical and digital zoom, Frank. Cropping and enlarging has nothing to do with optical zoom, and in fact is more closely related to digital zoom. ("Digital zoom" is the somewhat misleading marketing phrase you're thinking of.) With 6 MP you can so a lot of cropping and still have enough resolution for all but the largest prints. (And you have even more leeway for electronic presentation like on the web or in e-mail.)

Here are two 800 x 531 pixel shots. The first is as it came from my 6 MP camera, and the second is a crop of the same picture. It gives an idea of the amount of cropping available for something like a 4 x 6 or 5 x 7 print.

3008 x 2000 pixels, reduced to 800 x 532:

DSC_2913 No Crop 800.jpg

An 800 x 532 crop from that shot:

DSC_2913T3 C 800.jpg

[Edited to add...]
I see Frank fixed his post (digital vs. optical zoom), so this post is somewhat moot, but I'll leave it here in case someone doesn't have this info.
 
A buddy of mine in the UK, is a pro, he told me that buying the "Newest/Bestest" camera was a twice yearly thing for the big time pros, so there are a LOT of GOOD slightly used one or two year old cameras, he recommended that I get one of them as I'll not use 80% of it anyways :rolleyes:

I fail to remember, but it is worth looking into, he told me one of the big names (Cannon, or Nikon) you can use your old lenses with the Digital SLRs, the other maker you had to buy all new lenses.

Now if you have an SLR and a few lenses, of the kind that you can use with the new Digital SLRs, then it would sure make sense to stay with that brand. If you don't have the brand that you can use the old lenses on, it makes some sense to switch, as you could pick up used older lenses to work with the new Digital SLR camera....... clear as mud :rolleyes: :D

Cheers!
 
The Nikon D50 is what I use when not using the 2 MP camera built into my cell phone :thumb: . And it can be had for a lot less than newer models..
Al,
I've been looking on eBay at the D50's - there seem to be quite a few available and the price is VERY tempting. It sounds like you are very satisfied with yours. What makes this Nikon more, or less, attractive than some other cameras in the same price range? Is the D50 a discontinued model?
Sorry for all the questions, but there is not much I know about this subject and I don't want to make a mistake in my purchase. Thanks in advance for any guidance you can offer.
 
A buddy of mine in the UK, is a pro, he told me that buying the "Newest/Bestest" camera was a twice yearly thing for the big time pros, so there are a LOT of GOOD slightly used one or two year old cameras, he recommended that I get one of them as I'll not use 80% of it anyways :rolleyes:

I fail to remember, but it is worth looking into, he told me one of the big names (Cannon, or Nikon) you can use your old lenses with the Digital SLRs, the other maker you had to buy all new lenses.

Now if you have an SLR and a few lenses, of the kind that you can use with the new Digital SLRs, then it would sure make sense to stay with that brand. If you don't have the brand that you can use the old lenses on, it makes some sense to switch, as you could pick up used older lenses to work with the new Digital SLR camera....... clear as mud :rolleyes: :D

Cheers!


Actually, Stu, with Nikon using older lenses is a yes, no, maybe and sometimes issue. My Nikon manual lenses are basically useless in today's digi world. But many of the auto lenses will work. Some kind soul has put together a guide for those considering going to a Nikon digi-SLR but have access to lenses from the film era. Check out:
http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/nikon_articles/other/compatibility.html
 
Well there you go Frank I knew that some of them worked, nice to see that someone has put a list together.

I know that if I had some of the older lenses that would work with one of the new cameras, it would certainly have an effect on my choice of a new digital camera.

Cheers!
 
Stu....I'm looking at 2 cameras....the Canon Digital Rebel XTi and the Nikon D-40x....It's my understanding that the old auto focus lens will mount on the new bodies but won't "auto focus" and in fact, Nikon shows 2 photos of the bodies of an old and the new D-40X body. They point out the fact that the focus post on the old body is missing on the new camera body because the focus motor is in the lens on the new style. They state the old lens will work on the new bodies but they'll always have to be manually focused.:(
 
Al,
I've been looking on eBay at the D50's - there seem to be quite a few available and the price is VERY tempting. It sounds like you are very satisfied with yours. What makes this Nikon more, or less, attractive than some other cameras in the same price range? Is the D50 a discontinued model?
Sorry for all the questions, but there is not much I know about this subject and I don't want to make a mistake in my purchase. Thanks in advance for any guidance you can offer.
Rennie, be very, very careful buying photo equipment online. There are a lot of scammers and bait & switch outfits in the photo equipment business. I've run into one myself. Be sure you're buying from a reputable brick & mortar store. Also, be aware there is white market (made for and warranted for use in the USA) and gray market (made for markets other than the USA, and not warranted here) merchandise being sold...sometimes even by the reputable places. At least the reputable places will tell you something does or doesn't have a USA warranty.

I believe the D50 is being discontinued (not positive about that), and there are newer models now being offered. That's causing the price to go down, but it's still a great entry level digital SLR. From what I can tell, it has a few more features than the D40, and a few less than the D80. The D40x has more megapixels, though. Much like computers, a camera becomes outdated about the time you walk out of the store with it. ;)
 
Vaughn,

Thanks for the wise words - I'll be as careful as I can. I have also been looking at some used D50's from individuals hoping to avoid the "non-brick-&-mortar" on line sellers. For me, it does not have to be new, just work well. I'm replacing my 30+ year old Canon AE-1 and Nikon F2. Both superb cameras (the Nikon has a 1.2 50mm lens - wow, is it fast), but they weigh a ton and 35mm is just not cutting it anymore.

We're taking a vacation in September - our first 'real' vacation in 22 years - kind of the honeymoon we never took - and I want to bring home pictures, not snapshots (my current Coolpix 320). From what I read about the D50 it seems just right. Light weight, fast, a meter best balanced for outdoor shooting, easy to use, etc. But, you're right. It would spoil our vacation if the camera was a total bust.
 
Rennie, sound like you've got a good plan. That f1.2 lens will rock on a DSLR, even if it's not autofocus. (Part of my reason for wanting a DSLR is so I can focus manually when I want to.) I found my camera on Craigslist and bought it from a guy who got it as a gift...he sold it because he already had a D200.

Just for the education of others who might read this, here's how one of the common photo equipment scams goes...

A Google search for a particular camera leads you a price comparison website like BizRate or PriceGrabber, where they list a number of legit sellers and a few that have the camera for several hundred dollars less than everybody else. If you check out the websites of the low-priced guys, you'll start seeing some similarities. They are nicely done, but you'll see they have a somewhat limited inventory (although it still may be hundreds of products).

In my case, I saw a D50 package deal for a couple hundred less than everyone else, so I decided to order from them. I went through the online order process easily, including paying with a credit card on a secure site, and at the end, I got a message saying for my "security", I needed to call their 1-800 number to verify the credit card.

I called the number, and the guy at the other end of the line pulled up my order and said "So do you want the filters for those lenses?" No, I don't, thanks. Just the deal you had on the website. After spending a minute trying to convince me that I'll ruin the lenses without filters, he said "OK, do you want to upgrade the memory card? The one in the package is regular speed, but if you want to shoot rapid fire you need the fast memory card." As he's talking, I scroll through their site and see the fast memory cards are priced at about twice the price my local Circuit City or Best Buy sells them for. I tell him no thanks. Next he asks "How about the battery? You'll need a battery and charger for the camera." (A close look at the package description on their website did not specifically list the battery and charger as part of the deal.) Another quick check on their site showed they had batteries and chargers at about three times the retail price. At that point I realized this was a scam operation, so I told the guy enough was enough, just cancel the order. He tried to argue with me a bit, so I got very rude and forceful and cancelled the deal. It was not a "Family-Friendly" conversation at that point. ;)

Afterwards, I did a little research on this "company" -- something I should have done in the first place -- and found that they operate under a variety of names, with nice websites and very little actual camera gear in stock. Their standard MO is the bait & switch and upsell approach they tried on me. I read other horror stories of people being sold non-working cameras, then when they were sent to Nikon or Canon for repair, the cameras were confiscated, since they had been reported as stolen. In other cases, when someone stood their ground and refused all the "upgrades" the sales scum offered, they were then told the camera was on back order, and they would wait 3 to 6 months, all the while their credit card had been charged. And when the camera finally did arrive, it was a gray market model that had no warranty converage. In yet other cases, people told of having their credit card info stolen and used for purchases in New York and New Jersey (where these outfits seem to live.) Once I saw this, I sent e-mail and registered snail mail notices to the company stating that if I saw the slightest hint of activity on that credit card, I would prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. So far, no negative repercussions.

So that's why I caution folks about buying camera equipment from the lowest-priced Internet shops. I believe similar tactics happen in other electronic markets as well.

It really is one of those "if it's too good to be true..." situations.
 
As Vaughn said, caution is important when buying photo equipment. There are some dealers out there though who offer both low prices and honesty. B&H Photo is one of the biggest and oldest. They have the ads in the photo magazines with print too small for my tired eyes to read. They do sell gray market equipment but list it as such. They also sell full warrantied identical items, labeled as such, but for more money. It is a customer choice thing. They will try to sell extras. Good business IMHO. The only word of caution I would add is, remember, these are New Yorkers. They talk about sixty times faster than regular folks and are very impatient. In their own, New York City, way, they are courteous. But do be prepared before you call in an order. Say, "Yes" at the wrong time and you'll buy a dozen instead of one. :eek:
 
Hey.....folks.....I just got off the phone with the LOML and she said "Go for it!" I've looked locally at both the Canon Digital Rebel XTi and the Nikon D40X. I found a Nikon D40X with a 18-55mm lens, 55-200mm lens, 1 GB memory, battery, battery charger and camera case for $979......Talk me out of it quick!
 
This is me, talking you out of it...
whistling.gif
My only other suggestion is to handle both the Nikon and Canon and see which one feels better in your hands. And a lot of folks recommend getting UV filters for the lenses, mainly for the scratch protection. I think they're good (and inexpensive) insurance. I found mine (Sunpak...not the greatest, but not bad) on eBay for a good price.

Frank's right about B&H. Good outfit. If you ever have a chance, visit their store in Manhattan. It'll blow you away. :eek:
 
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