Rebel XSi (1 Viewer)

[LuvBlueJay]

Does anyone own the rebel? I see alot of owners of 40-50D cameras (the more expensive camera)... Is the rebel a good choice for a beginner and can i get just as good a picture?

Also im looking at a point and shoot Sx10 but i dont think its as fast as a dSLR.

 

[Epsomsalt]

Hi I have the canon eos 400D - I think it was called the rebel XTi in the USA. All the pictures in my gallery are taken with it coupled to a canon 400mm F5.6 prime lens.

The auto focus is not as good as that in the eos40d / 50d and the frames per second is much less than either of these. My 400D was / is a good starter camera for me and the Xsi should prove to be a good start for you. However be warned, you will 'get the bug' and whatever you buy you will always belooking to upgrade to something better.

If you can afford the extra the eos50D is a much better camera but if funds are tight go for the Xsi and invest in a good lens - either the 400MM F5.6prime (my preferred choice as it is lighter to carry) or the 100-400mm zoom which has the advantage of image stabilisation.

Whatever you decide there is little to beat a nice day out takng photograph's of Birds!
Chris

 

[Lewie]

Does anyone own the rebel? I see alot of owners of 40-50D cameras (the more expensive camera)... Is the rebel a good choice for a beginner and can i get just as good a picture?

Also im looking at a point and shoot Sx10 but i dont think its as fast as a dSLR.

I purchased the XSI about 6-weeks ago. Just getting back into photography so didn't want to spend too much money. I have been very happy with the Rebel XSI. It is very easy to use and takes great pictures. I had much more trouble figuring out my point and shoot than I did the Rebel. I am sure the Canon 40D/50D is a better camera, but I was a little intimidated by the complexity and, I hate to say it, the cost. My understanding is that the 40D/50D has a more study (and heavier) body and offers more options. But the XSI does everything I want.

I purchased my XSI with a kit lens and the Canon 70-300. Though I think the 70-300 is a great lens and takes great pictures, if I had it to do over I would have purchased the Canon 400L or the 100-400L instead of the 70-300.

Just my thoughts. Good luck with your choice.

Lew

 

[Highcountry]

Something else to think about is the 40d as the price as fallen dramatically since the advent of the 50d. For $200-300 more, you can pick up a new 40d. Amazon is selling them for $783. Even though there are NYC stores listing the 40d cheaper, make sure that you do business with a legitimate store.

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-40D-10-1MP-Digital-Body/dp/B000V5P90K

 

[clydeboy]

My brother recently gave me his "old" 350d body as he had upgraded to something far more expensive.
Finances had dictated that I could only afford a 80-200 zoom and I also purchased a 2x tele lens with which the results were very poor and I wouldn't recommend.
I have found that the 350d isn't a great deal better with the above lens than my fuji s1000fd superzoom is for my purposes (fairly close shooting).
Obvious advantages are of course lens flexibility with the canon, but I find that the "natural light" setting on the fuji, 12x zoom, 10megapixels and the ability for on camera cropping find me reaching for the Fuji more often than the canon, yet I know that when I eventually get the 100-400 zoom for the canon everything will change.
However the Fuji can be purchased for around £140 making it fantastic value for money.
The canon is obviously a better camera, but costs can hamper the ability to get the results you may be looking for.
It's all a matter of choice and requirements.:-O

 

[tjsimonsen]

yet I know that when I eventually get the 100-400 zoom for the canon everything will change.

Yep - I have used that setup for 2.5 years and about 10K pics in Europe, North America and South Africa, and I've been very satisfied. I recently got the 40D to go with the zoom, though. But will keep the Rebel as my landscape/macro camera.

Thomas

 

[eastwood]

I started up with Rebel XT, then XTi, 40D and now 50D. I found the XTi is a very usable DSLR. I have shot close to 100,000 shots with the XTi. The XTi model is now with my daughter. I have not used the XSi, so I cannot comment on it. The reason why I skipped this model in my upgrade is that by the time it came out, I am using the 40D with the XTi as back up. I do not want to get another set of battery (I normall keep at least 2 back up batteries with me) and a new set of memory cards (SD). But the XSi has a slightly higher MP than the XTi and marginally faster FPS.I can see no reason why it is not at least as good as the XTi.

 

[HouseFinch]

I don't have the Rebel XSi yet, but should in a few short days(though with my impatience, that will feel like forever). I've browsed through hundreds of photos on Flickr taken with the XSi, and for all purposes they look as good as professional in my eyes. I was going to get the Rebel XS, but was recommended to get the XSi. |8)|

Happy DSLR searching!

 

[ulfg]

I have the XSi (or 450D as it is called over here). Upgraded from the superzoom Powershot S3IS in August and (even though I loved the S3IS) haven’t regret the change for a minute. The camera is perhaps a little too small for me, but I am using it with the battery grip, and with that it lies very fine in my hands.

As so many have and will point out; it is important that you get good lenses. I started with the 70-300 mm zoom, but the AF was too slow and inaccurate, more than 85% of all 300 mm photos came out unsharp. So I changed to the 400/5.6 prime and, since then, I’m very satisfied. It is fast, sharp and has much better magnification. All bird photos dated later than August on my Flickr page (www.flickr.com/ulfgotthardsson) were taken with the XSi (and the earlier ones were with the S3IS).

Since I haven’t used the 40D/50D, I can’t really compare, but I imagine that the disadvantage for the XSi is the weaker construction, the slower saving (I often get a “camera busy” message when I take many pictures), perhaps a less exact AF point and that the highest ISO to use is 1600.

But to conclude: I am very happy with my XSi/400 combination. Photographing has never been this fun before!

Ulf

 

[QuantumTiger]

Hi Ulfg

Some really nice pictures on your flickr site - love the osprey and the owl!

To the OP - I started out with a point and shoot (Minolta A2) but rapidly realised that the time to shot was too long for what I wanted (combination of time to turn on, focussing speed and shutter lag). It was a great camera - but I got annoyed with how slow it was and eventually upgraded to the 20D.

Things have improved since then in P&S land but generally they are still not as fast as DSLRs in terms of time to shot and buffer speeds. I can't find any figures on the Sx10 to compare with the XSi but it is worth digging around for them.

 

[lmans66]

I have the 450 or XSI and feel it is great. Sure there are always features one might need or think they need but in reality this camera does what I need. One consideration I always take into account is 'weight'.....

I travel a lot and hike in Ecuador, Central America and even in the US and find that just an ounce or two more makes a huge difference when hiking 4-5 miles. That is something I look for and make sure that lens, camera and bags etc...are all geared with that in mind. The 40-50d cameras are great but simply weigh more and the features are not that great for me to move up.

Like in all hobbies....as someone mentioned, you will want more. True...but first be content and enjoy what you have and if so, you will find you really do not want or need more in most instances.