Canon Digital Rebel XT v. XTi

[kking]

I have been researchying the Canon Digital Rebel XT and the XTi, I have noticed the major differences to be the megapixels, total focus points, and LCD screen size. I was wondering if anybody has had a chance to to use the XTi yet?

I am curious if the differences warrant the difference in price?

I can get a Digital Rebel XT new for 679.00 and the Digital Rebel XTI for 850.00 new. I would prefer to save the money and get the XT but if the additional focus points are going to make a tramendous difference and the megapixels as well i am willing to spend the extra money.

I am also looking at the EF 75-300 mm f/4-5.6 III USM Telephoto Zoom Lens
any thoughts on the lens selection as well?

I am going to be photographing, local storms, And various events on our vacations to the carribean and Alaska.


thanks

[Photo-John]

I bought the XTi as soon as it was available and have already shot a ton of photos with it. So far, I think it's a great camera. Here's a link to the Digital Rebel XTi gallery on the site:

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi / 400D Photo Gallery >>

As for which camera you should buy, I think that depends on your expectations and how you want to use the camera. What camera do you have now? If you don't already have a digital SLR, I think the upgrade to the Digital Rebel XT is going to be so wonderful for you that you'll be perfectly happy. Plus, if you save a couple of hundred dollars you can invest in a better lens. I would recommend buying just the camera body and buying a better lens like the Canon 17-85mm IS. For most people, that would be a better use of their moeny than buying the XTi.

On the other hand, the XTi is very impressive. I have used the Digital Rebel XT only a tiny bit so I can't really compare. And people were very happy with the XT, which has many of the same features as the EOS 20D, but in a smaller, less expensive package. The new LCD is very nice and so far I'm very impressed with the auto focus. But whether those new features and the extra 25% resolution will make any difference to you is hard to say. Usually, it's best to save a little money and invest in a better lens, though.

Hope that helps-

[kking]

Photo-John,

Thank you for you input, I will deffienently take that to heart. I was thinking about the body only purchase,

The lens that i was considering the EF 75-300 mm f/4-5.6 III USM Telephoto Zoom Lens I am curious as to your opinion on it.

I am looking for a lens with a pretty good zoom.

I also found this lens EF 28-90MM F/4-5.6 would that be better then the one you suggested?

Presently I only have a Point and Shoot Digital. I used 35MM SLR's in high school for photography for the year book but that was many many years ago.

[Liz]

I would give you two suggestions - the Canon 28-135IS and the 28-105. I used to own the IS lens and was very happy with it. I would also suggest getting the 50mm/f1.8 lens as it's a nice, sharp and fast (1.8) lens that is great for low light situations and portraits.

Liz

Photo-John,

Thank you for you input, I will deffienently take that to heart. I was thinking about the body only purchase,

The lens that i was considering the EF 75-300 mm f/4-5.6 III USM Telephoto Zoom Lens I am curious as to your opinion on it.

I am looking for a lens with a pretty good zoom.

I also found this lens EF 28-90MM F/4-5.6 would that be better then the one you suggested?

Presently I only have a Point and Shoot Digital. I used 35MM SLR's in high school for photography for the year book but that was many many years ago.

[Photo-John]

Looks like you aren't sure about the focal length. Keep in mind that both the XT and XTi have a 1.6x digital crop factor. So a 28mm lens will be roughly equivalent to a 44mm lens in the 35mm format. That's why the kit lens is 18mm on the wide end. My "normal" digital zoom lens is the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di (which I bought from Liz!). It's a wonderful lens and not very expensive. I also have the Canon 28-135mm IS and think it's a nice lens, too. But generally, I prefer the constant f/2.8 aperture on the Tamron. I also think the Tamron's optics are much better.

[Liz]

Looks like you aren't sure about the focal length. Keep in mind that both the XT and XTi have a 1.6x digital crop factor. So a 28mm lens will be roughly equivalent to a 44mm lens in the 35mm format. That's why the kit lens is 18mm on the wide end. My "normal" digital zoom lens is the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di (which I bought from Liz!). It's a wonderful lens and not very expensive. I also have the Canon 28-135mm IS and think it's a nice lens, too. But generally, I prefer the constant f/2.8 aperture on the Tamron. I also think the Tamron's optics are much better.

I agree with John - almost forgot that great Tamron lens. I would vote for Tamron! You'll be very happy.

Liz