Opinions needed. (1 Viewer)

Hey all,

I'm not ready to buy yet but I'm thinking about dropping hints to the relatives, as a 21st birthday present in August, maybe they can pitch in to get me an SLR (haha it's worth a shot). Anyways it would be my very first SLR as I'm currently using a Panasonic DMC-FZ18 superzoom. The most I've ever done with a SLR is hold one and I've never read any books or taken any classes on photography(although I plan to do both as soon as I transfer colleges).

So what I'm trying to say is what do you think would be a decent camera for me? I don't really have high funds at the moment to go fancy. If you want...take a look at my gallery (newer stuff) and my photography album on facebook http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=80898&id=580134991&l=8161bb08f7 to see what I've accomplished with my FZ18 and see what you would suggest.

I guess I'm looking for something a little bit quicker so that I can get more of the littler birds and flight shots. I know getting extra distance on the lense will cost money so we'll forget about shorebirds/waders/ducks for now

My one friend suggested this one as he used it for his photography class and liked it, but I wanted your guys opinions too!

http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/Canon-EOS-Rebel-XSi-EF-S-18-55mm-IS-Digital-SLR-Camera-Kit/4354559/product.html?rcmndsrc=6

Thanks for your time,
Matt

Matt,

I'm no camera expert, but my brother owns an xt, and I own an xti. We have both upgraded, him to a 50d and me to a 40d and now the 7d. They are all excellent cameras, including the rebel series, and I believe you will be happy with the xsi. I still carry my digital rebel to work. Search the old threads here on the cameras you are interested in. You will get plenty of help from the experts if you have specific questions.

As important as the camera body is the lens. Lots of threads on lenses appropriate for birding too.

Nice photos, by the way.

Regards, Jim

Thanks Jim,

I appreciate it. I'll look into it.

Rebel XSi is an older model, but it is quite good. You can get it for somewhat less ($569) with the 18-55 IS kit lens at Amazon.com. You would need an additional telephoto lens for birding to match the longer end of the zoom range of your current digicam. An EF 70-300 IS lens will give you practically the same reach you have on the FZ18, but you should be able to crop the shots from your DSLR setup much more effectively.

With the DSLR, you should expect to see significant improvement in terms of high ISO noise and AF performance, as well as per pixel sharpness.

If the EF 70-300 lens puts the combined package above your budget, you can also consider the EF-S 55-250. Until recently, Canon was running a promo where you could get the XSi + EF-S 18-55IS kit lens + EF-S 55-250IS for a good discount. I think this deal is over but I am pretty sure the same combo (plus a compact flash card) was selling for $749 at Costco last weekend.

To summarize:

For a $750 budget: XSi + EF-S 18-55 IS + EF-S 55-250 IS
For a $1000 budget: XSi + EF-S 18-55 IS + EF 70-300 IS

Now that Canon introduced the T2i, I would also watch for a price drop in T1i over the next month or so. However, if you are really interested in birding, investing in a better lens is usually the preferred option.

If your budget is more than $1K, the next step is to look for a 400mm+ lens. That is a whole new topic of discussion.

P.S. Note that XSi (and XT, XTi, XS, T1i, T2i, 20D, 30D, 40D, 50D, 7D) are 1.6x crop bodies. This means that you need to multiply the focal length of a lens by 1.6 to get the 35mm equivalent field of view. For example, a 300mm lens on an XSi will give you a field of view equivalent to 480mm lens on a 35mm film camera.

Thanks macshark, all these numbers and what not are confusing but I got it :t: Thanks for the input.

I got the package macshark mentioned, the XSi/18-55/55-250. The XSi, for a beginner like me, works excellently, since it is a huge step up from my powershot, but still relatively easy to use. The 55-250 has good IQ, but I definitely feel the lack of reach in some situations. However, with 12.2 mp, I can crop a little and still get better results than I did with my digital superzoom. You can see some of my best pictures in my gallery, and if you'd like to see more, I would be happy to provide examples.