Canon 40D or Rebel XSi

[DawnM]

Would you choose one over the other? Why?

The cost difference is fairly minimal (I am looking at Costco.com), so I am curious as to your thoughts.

I am 90% sure we have narrowed it down to these 2 models.

I will get to lens recommendations next!~ be forwarned!

Thanks guys!,

Dawn

[jann1033]

i recently read a review that mentioned if you are planning on being a more serious shooter go for the 40d,,,it's more rugged,faster and well i forget what all it mentioned other than that since i can't really remember all the xsi features but basically for the same price it's a little more advanced. i wish i had bought the 30d instead of my rebel xt, although i probably would have wanted to upgrade by now anyway.

[boBQuincy]

Good question, one which I am thinking about too.

The Rebel has more pixels, is smaller & lighter, and takes SD cards. The 40D is probably more rugged, maybe has a longer life shutter, and takes CF cards.
The 40D is sometimes reputed to have lower high ISO noise but I can't find anything confirming that. It does go to 3200 where the Rebel only goes to 1600 *but* the 3200 is maybe only some in camera boosting, more effectively done in Photoshop anyway.

I had never seriously considered the Rebel series as they didn't "handle" as well as the D but a recent article on Luminous Landscape reports this has all been corrected on the Xsi.

I think it all comes down to personal preference as to how they feel in your hands, I doubt anyone can see a difference in image quality between the two cameras.

[DawnM]

When you say rugged do you mean in terms of carrying it around all the time and bumping it, etc...???

I do travel quite a bit, but honestly, I have taken care of cameras and haven't had too much of a problem with it, but it is something to consider as we travel in the US and overseas quite a bit.

Dawn

[Anewman]

40D shoots faster, not important to everyone.

but for sports it really helps.

[Metallicat]

I just recently sold my Rebel XT and got the 40D.
The 40D is alot faster. continuous shooting of 6.5 frames per second. the XSI has continuous shooting of 3.5 frames per second. that makes it twice as fast.
The 40D has SRaw mode. the XSI does not.
40D has a LCD screen on top where you can see and adjust settings without having to go into the main menu. XSI dos not.

[DawnM]

All good reasons to go with the 40D. Thanks. :thumbsup2

Dawn

I just recently sold my Rebel XT and got the 40D.
The 40D is alot faster. continuous shooting of 6.5 frames per second. the XSI has continuous shooting of 3.5 frames per second. that makes it twice as fast.
The 40D has SRaw mode. the XSI does not.
40D has a LCD screen on top where you can see and adjust settings without having to go into the main menu. XSI dos not.

[DawnM]

DH is meeting me after work today to look at both and touch and feel them. We will either buy today or order tonight!

The cost is a little more different than I had thought. I was comparing the 40D body only to the XSi with a 18mm-55mm IS lens kit....oops. The 40D would be about $400 more for the same thing.....that may sway us. We will see.

I am getting so excited!

Dawn

[MarkBarbieri]

Groucho is busy, so I'l' pick up the slack for him.

Have you checked out the Pentax line? They've some comparable cameras that might suit you better than the Canon. Just because the Canons (and Nikons) way outsell everyone else doesn't necessarily mean that they are better. They are just easier to find. You might want to look at the equivalent Pentax, Sony, and Olympus models. :thumbsup2

[boBQuincy]

I have a 30D and was not looking to upgrade for at least another generation. What caught my eye about the Xsi is the weight, almost a pound lighter than the D. The upper LCD is not much of a feature anymore, everything we need to see is in the viewfinder now. The Xsi also has a dedicated ISO button now (finally).

I wouldn't miss the high frame rate, I don't photograph sports and normally keep my 30D on the slower burst rate anyway. sRAW is an ok feature but I have enough memory cards that I always use RAW anyway.

The D series is built around a magnesium frame which should be more rugged than the Rebel's plastic frame, although the plastic may be more resilient against impact.
We have a Xt and it is small but fits my hands ok, the 30D feels very large by comparison. Overall I still think it comes down to personal preference but the $300 savings of the Xsi could go toward some nicer glass which would improve our photos. :)

Bottom line, I plan to buy a Xsi, the question is when. Hmm, I could get DW one and "borrow" it...

[jann1033]

I have a 30D and was not looking to upgrade for at least another generation. What caught my eye about the Xsi is the weight, almost a pound lighter than the D. The upper LCD is not much of a feature anymore, everything we need to see is in the viewfinder now. The Xsi also has a dedicated ISO button now (finally).

I wouldn't miss the high frame rate, I don't photograph sports and normally keep my 30D on the slower burst rate anyway. sRAW is an ok feature but I have enough memory cards that I always use RAW anyway.

The D series is built around a magnesium frame which should be more rugged than the Rebel's plastic frame, although the plastic may be more resilient against impact.
We have a Xt and it is small but fits my hands ok, the 30D feels very large by comparison. Overall I still think it comes down to personal preference but the $300 savings of the Xsi could go toward some nicer glass which would improve our photos. :)

Bottom line, I plan to buy a Xsi, the question is when. Hmm, I could get DW one and "borrow" it...

till the 19th with the instant rebate on the 40d they are almost the same price, in fact some places the xsi is a few bucks more ( no rebate on that one)

[DawnM]

Oh, you mean like when my thoughtful DH bought me a punching bag and punching gloves for mother's day? I can tell you exactly what I wanted to do with both of them! He kept them and proptly used them himself.

But I am not bitter. :rotfl2:

I do see your point about the weight. That is a consideration for sure.

I am heading out the door right now to look at cameras!! I sure hope my kids cooperate and behave while I am there! Then DH will meet me at Costco later this afternoon for possible purchase.

:banana:

Dawn

I have a 30D and was not looking to upgrade for at least another generation. What caught my eye about the Xsi is the weight, almost a pound lighter than the D. The upper LCD is not much of a feature anymore, everything we need to see is in the viewfinder now. The Xsi also has a dedicated ISO button now (finally).

I wouldn't miss the high frame rate, I don't photograph sports and normally keep my 30D on the slower burst rate anyway. sRAW is an ok feature but I have enough memory cards that I always use RAW anyway.

The D series is built around a magnesium frame which should be more rugged than the Rebel's plastic frame, although the plastic may be more resilient against impact.
We have a Xt and it is small but fits my hands ok, the 30D feels very large by comparison. Overall I still think it comes down to personal preference but the $300 savings of the Xsi could go toward some nicer glass which would improve our photos. :)

Bottom line, I plan to buy a Xsi, the question is when. Hmm, I could get DW one and "borrow" it...

[DawnM]

I have actually considered the Olympus because I have a couple of older Olympus lenses that are very well taken care of even though they are old. I like the idea that the IS is in the camera too.

My concern is the reports I am reading about something with whites not showing up as real white (or some such thing, I didn't look too closely).

But I will head to a camera store in a bit and look at several models.

Dawn

Groucho is busy, so I'l' pick up the slack for him.

Have you checked out the Pentax line? They've some comparable cameras that might suit you better than the Canon. Just because the Canons (and Nikons) way outsell everyone else doesn't necessarily mean that they are better. They are just easier to find. You might want to look at the equivalent Pentax, Sony, and Olympus models. :thumbsup2

[jann1033]

DH is meeting me after work today to look at both and touch and feel them. We will either buy today or order tonight!

The cost is a little more different than I had thought. I was comparing the 40D body only to the XSi with a 18mm-55mm IS lens kit....oops. The 40D would be about $400 more for the same thing.....that may sway us. We will see.

I am getting so excited!

Dawn
you need to check else where then, they should be very close in price as the 40d has a 200 instant rebate till july 19 which i am guessing the price you got isn't reflecting..they are all over the place for $850-$1000, the xsi around $800+ from what i have seen( no rebate on thatone). there are also instant rebates on a lot of lenses..check the canon site for which ones and how much. i think buydig was 900 , someplace else was 849, both well rated sites( i was looking on dpreview, they have a list of prices after the reviews)

[DawnM]

Well, that is true for a body only. I don't really know why the Rebel comes with an IS lens at Costco and a standard lens for the kit for the same size lens.

I will let you know what I think when I get back from shopping today.

Thank you!,

Dawn

you need to check else where then, they should be very close in price as the 40d has a 200 instant rebate till july 19 which i am guessing the price you got isn't reflecting..they are all over the place for $850-$1000, the xsi around $800+ from what i have seen( no rebate on thatone). there are also instant rebates on a lot of lenses..check the canon site for which ones and how much. i think buydig was 900 , someplace else was 849, both well rated sites( i was looking on dpreview, they have a list of prices after the reviews)

[jann1033]

Well, that is true for a body only. I don't really know why the Rebel comes with an IS lens at Costco and a standard lens for the kit for the same size lens.

I will let you know what I think when I get back from shopping today.

Thank you!,

Dawn
sorry i misread your post before...i thought you were looking for the body only for the 40d...since that is what i am looking at i naturally assume everyone must be lol!the cheapest i saw for the 40d with the 28-135 was closer to 1000.
check out and see if you olympus lenses will work or not...some systems have old lenses that work with newer cameras( http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_support_faqs.asp?id=1372#11 mentions them here) although some of the electronics won't work the olympus is only around $500( i think and you know how well i think so take that with a grain of salt) so you could get a new lens as well for the $900 or so

[DizzyV6P]

I liked the feel and size of the 40D. The speed was perfect for my shooting style as well. be sure to pick each one up to see which one suits you better. i found the jog wheel on the back of the 40D to be a god-send in changing settings on the fly. How the camera feels in your hands is what I deem the #1 consideration. A DSLR may have all the bells and whistles, but if you can't carry it comfortably, then it ends up staying in the bag most of the time, while you pull out the little Canon Powershot instead ;)

I personally found SRAW next to useless. So I wouldn't even take that issue into consideration.

40D is "weathersealed" while the XSi is not. Weather never affected me when I had the original Digital Rebel (300D) so it wasn't a big factor in my decision. Sony, Olympus, and Pentax brag about their weathersealing as well. My opinion is that if ur going to take ANY SLR to some place that it will get splashed on, dust on, etc...a nice plastic ziplock bag will do wonders. Or you can spend $50 for those "weatherproof" kits for the SLR.

Don't get caught up in the Megapixel hype. it doesn't mean much in the DSLR world. My old 6mp Canon Digital Rebel took fantastic pictures that I can blow up to 11x14 w/o any issues. No P&S can do that. Its a matter of sensor size, not how many MP a camera has.

You'll be hard-pressed to find any other competitor out there with a better 3200 ISO performance than Canon 40D. Nikon's D300 could do better..but its also $700 more. It's in a completely different class than the 40D...hence the huge price gap.

Good luck w/ your purchase

[jann1033]

I liked the feel and size of the 40D. The speed was perfect for my shooting style as well. be sure to pick each one up to see which one suits you better. i found the jog wheel on the back of the 40D to be a god-send in changing settings on the fly. How the camera feels in your hands is what I deem the #1 consideration. A DSLR may have all the bells and whistles, but if you can't carry it comfortably, then it ends up staying in the bag most of the time, while you pull out the little Canon Powershot instead ;)

I personally found SRAW next to useless. So I wouldn't even take that issue into consideration.

40D is "weathersealed" while the XSi is not. Weather never affected me when I had the original Digital Rebel (300D) so it wasn't a big factor in my decision. Sony, Olympus, and Pentax brag about their weathersealing as well. My opinion is that if ur going to take ANY SLR to some place that it will get splashed on, dust on, etc...a nice plastic ziplock bag will do wonders. Or you can spend $50 for those "weatherproof" kits for the SLR.

Don't get caught up in the Megapixel hype. it doesn't mean much in the DSLR world. My old 6mp Canon Digital Rebel took fantastic pictures that I can blow up to 11x14 w/o any issues. No P&S can do that. Its a matter of sensor size, not how many MP a camera has.

You'll be hard-pressed to find any other competitor out there with a better 3200 ISO performance than Canon 40D. Nikon's D300 could do better..but its also $700 more. It's in a completely different class than the 40D...hence the huge price gap.

Good luck w/ your purchase
or those optech rainsleeves, 2 for $5, except they make me think of puppets which is disconcerting to me:lmao: must be an old childhood fear???

[Golf4food]

My concern is the reports I am reading about something with whites not showing up as real white (or some such thing, I didn't look too closely).

Dawn

Any camera will do that if the user does't know how to properly adjust the exposure for the lighting... including Canons! :teacher: :cool2:

[DawnM]

Thanks guys! We went to the store tonight and decision is made.....DH is adament about getting the 40D.

I feel relieved!

Now to figure out our first lens to add on.

Thanks!,

Dawn

[DizzyV6P]

Now to figure out our first lens to add on.

Thanks!,

Dawn

Tamron 17-50 f/2.8

If you have money, Canon 17-55 f/2.8

Add any of the Canon 70-200 "L" zooms and you're set.

Or, the new Canon 50-250 IS has gotten good reviews for the price...so many things to think about ;)

[DawnM]

Thank you Dizzy.

I ended up getting the standard lens (IS) 28-135mm for now. It isn't a high end, but I found it with the camera for only $150 more and it is one they actually sell separately so I figure when I am ready for a nicer lens I can probably sell it for about that on ebay (retails for $399.)

It will get me by for now.

Oh, man, I can't wait to get it!!!!

Dawn

[DizzyV6P]

28-85? What lens is this??

[DawnM]

Oops....I have looked at too many things....my brain is on overload with numbers.....it is 28-135 IS standard lens.

Dawn

28-85? What lens is this??

[boBQuincy]

The original post was regarding whether to upgrade from my 30D to a 40D or get a Rebel Xsi for the reduced weight. After the reviews are in the solution is no more clear:

The Xsi has about 1/2-3/4 stop less dynamic range than the 40D. Noise is about the same up to ISO 1600, 40D goes to 3200 but this is probably better done in software anyway.

I played with both at Circuit City last night and found the Xsi to be easy to use, a great improvement over the previous Rebels. Changing ISO or exposure compensation does not require taking your eye away from the viewfinder.

The Xsi looks absolutely tiny and light as a feather next to the 40D, very tempting. Amazon's price of $640 makes it even more so... :)