Camera Broke

[daq7]

As I said in another post, my digital rebel xt broke. It just stopped working. I don't know whether to get it repaired or just get a new camera. Problem is I want to get a semi pro one and just wasn't ready to make the commitment. Was trying to wait and see if this infatuation with photography will last.

The problem is I bet getting the Rebel fixed will cost hundreds of dollars. It costs a whale of a lot just to get the damned thing cleaned.

Any thoughts on the best price-performance point in Canon just above the Rebel?

[gahspidy]

If its not still under warranty, it still might be worth getting an estimate. If it comes back that it will cost in the hundreds to repair, then why not just go for an xti which can be found for just a few hundred bucks and has amazing quality for the buck, much better than your XT.
Good luck

[Photo-John]

The problem is I bet getting the Rebel fixed will cost hundreds of dollars. It costs a whale of a lot just to get the damned thing cleaned.

For what it's worth, I just got an XTi repaired. I'm not even sure what was wrong with it but it wouldn't even power up. It cost me just under $300 to get it fixed. It wasn't really worth the cost of the repair. Except now I can loan it to a friend who can't afford a camera. And that makes it worth the cost of the repair. However, for you, I don't know if it's worth it - especially for a camera that's one generation older than mine. On the other hand, I think you can send it in for an estimate without paying. If I remember right, they ran my card for something like $150, but didn't charge it. It's worth looking into just so you know.

Any thoughts on the best price-performance point in Canon just above the Rebel?

My first question is, "why?" Why do you want to step up above the Rebel? If you bought an Rebel XSi or the brand new T2i, you'd have a much, much better camera than you have now. What do you need that those cameras can't offer? I am a strong advocate for buying less expensive cameras. I think we all have a tendency to buy with our ego. in other words, we buy a more expensive camera than we really need in order to make ourselves feel more important. So I counsel everyone to really look hard at why they want that next step up. I think most of the time we'll find that the cost can't be justified. And it's almost always true that the extra money would be better invested in new glass.

[daq7]

Good questions John. I want live view. But they do now have a rebel with that. I also want full frame, but that is expensive. I want the best noise performance I can get. I think you are right that rebel class bodies are good enough for my skill level atm. I guess I am just reacting to the irritation of not having it. The semi pro cameras tend to have the best sensors and noise characteristics.

[Photo-John]

The semi pro cameras tend to have the best sensors and noise characteristics.

The new Rebel T2i has the exact same sensor as the 7D. I would expect it to have the exact same image quality. The 5D Mk II does have much better image quality. But it's gonna cost you a lot more. And unless you already have great lenses, I don't think that's a good way to spend your money.

[daq7]

Yeah the t2i looks nice. It is nice to have more megapixels if the noise profile does not go up to allow for more aggressive cropping. It also fixes probably my biggest irritation with my rebel which is the utterly useless lcd. I will look into this camera, because price performance is important.

[daq7]

Dpreview says the t2i is not the same sensor as the 7d but that it is very similar. For the price difference that is likely good enough. I think if I can get the xt repaired for about 200 I will do it so I can use it as a camera to lug around on the motorcycle, which is kind of a rough environment. But if it costs more that 300 to fix I will likely get one of these t2s. I had some complaints about the xt, but it was a decent camera over all, and the t2 looks really nice.

...sure wish they would put a swivel mount lcd on these things. Makes self portrait taking a LOT easier.

[**fancy**pants**]

I recently had my mother's Rebel repaired by Canon after bumping it on accident (note to self: do not attempt to go down a slide with my 3 year old and camera in hand). The flash would no longer pop up after my little accident. It cost around $300 to repair. And now, a month later, it's doing the same exact thing. I wish I would have just bought her a new camera instead of trying to have it repaired. I am hoping that they will fix it again for free because it obvioulsy wasn't repaired good enough the first time around.

I am a whole lot more careful with my new 7D now.

[Photo-John]

Dpreview says the t2i is not the same sensor as the 7d but that it is very similar.

I believe the only difference is the readout - the 7D has an 8-channel readout and the T2i sensor is only 4-channel. That means the 7D can dump the data faster, which gives it its faster burst rate. Aside from that, I don't think they're any different. The actual imaging sensor is the same. I actually met with Canon about this camera and that's the information I brought out of the meeting. Here's the article I wrote when it was announced:

Canon EOS Rebel T2i / 550D DSLR – 18 MP & Full HD Video >>

[daq7]

Thanks again for the info John. It looks like almost a perfect compromise camera. If it had an articulated lcd I would already have bought one. I likely will buy one of these, but I am going to wait just a bit.

[Photo-John]

If it had an articulated lcd I would already have bought one.

I agree that Canon needs to get with it on the tilt-swivel LCD. Olympus has been doing it for a couple of years now. I've used the Olympus DSLRs a ton and when I'm using a Canon on a tripod, I really miss the tilt-swivel LCD. It really is a great feature.