DIMA Shootout

[kes]

On this forum I have seen advocates rave about the Canon Digital Rebel, yet I do not see a single Canon among the winners. Can anyone share some background about DIMA and opinions about how or whether a first-time buyer might use the results of DIMA to make a selection?

[Michael Fanelli]

On this forum I have seen advocates rave about the Canon Digital Rebel, yet I do not see a single Canon among the winners. Can anyone share some background about DIMA and opinions about how or whether a first-time buyer might use the results of DIMA to make a selection?

No committee or panel of judges can determine the best camera for you. The Rebel is often overlooked or deemed a "toy" because it doesn't have all of the whiz-bang features the panel is looking for. Also, it's silver rather than "professional black."

I realize that it is tempting to look for some rating that will allow you to skip over all the complexities of making a choice. But only you can detremine the best camera for you.

What features do you currently use all the time and can't live without? Which features are those you think you should need but have no clear idea why?

Many of us love the Rebel because it works well for us. When I used film, I chose the "backup" Rebel 2000 over my EOS-3 more than half the time. I really have no interest at all in what DIMA or others choose.

[Photo-John]

kes-
The DIMA shootout is about image quality and nothing else. I'd say it's a great tool for deciding what camera to buy. But I wouldn't base my decision only on the DIMA results. The reality is that the Digital Rebel is still the only sub $1000 digital SLR available. The Nikon D70 should be in stores soon, but if you want to buy something now, the Digital Rebel has no competition.

I'm actually looking at the DIMA Shoot-Out results right now and I know why you didn't see the Digital Rebel. It doesn't look like there's a Digital SLR category. And if there was, it wouldn't have won, anyway. It also doesn't belong in the Prosumer/Professional category because it's changable lens SLR with a much larger sensor and the image quality would have blown away the competition. The only available competition it really has is the Pentax *ist D, the Nikon D100, and the EOS 10D, all of which are functionally much better.

So, in the case of the Digital Rebel, I don't think the DIMA results are applicable. And really, image quality needn't be a concern with the Digital Rebel. It's better than any compact camera out there since it has a bigger sensor with bigger pixels. The real question is whether it has the features you need, whether you're comfortable with how it handles, and if you want to buy into the Canon EOS system. If you want to compare it to other cameras, compare it to the Nikon D70, the Nikon D100, the Pentax *ist D, and the Canon 10D. And don't waste much time worrying about the image quality. They're all going to be excellent. Concern yourself more with how well the camera fits your needs.