Canon 400D (Rebel Xti, Kiss X)

[country-mom-of-4]

I need some help - I'm just about to purchase my first DSLR - having a tough time deciding which of these to go with.
I'm going from a digital p&s - what I'm wanting is to be able to take action shots of my teenage boys during basketball and baseball.
I also have 2 little girls as well.
Does anyone have a suggestion as to why I would go with the XTI vs. the XT?
Thanks for any help you can offer!

 

[KrazyPete]

DPReview has a pretty good breakdown of what was changed between the two models. For your sports shooting I think the higher burst rate would be a benefit. Is it worth $200-$300 more? I don't know.

XTi on DPReview

Both come with essentially the same kit lens (if you are buying that way). It's an 18-55 f3.5 lens. I don't think you are going like it for the basketball photos. Shooting indoor sports is tricky and you'll need a fast zoom. If money is an issue you might want to buy the XT body only then spend a little more to get a faster telephoto.

 

[DVC Jen]

Definately do not let the automatic sensor cleaning being a deciding factor.

I have an XTi that got several dust spots on it - it was sent out for cleaning because they are stubborn lil boogers.

I really like my XTi it has been a great camera. Due to other issues I had with cleaning (not the XTi's fault but rather a bad business) DH got me the Canon 30D and I am loving that so much - but I will gladly use the XTi as a backup or for those times when I don't want to weight of the 30D or to risk it getting wet when we are out storm spotting.

 

[jann1033]

i have the xt.. the differences in what i think i would benefit from are the better auto focus and the wb on the viewfinder...i think the settings on the lcd while useful would still be a pain( it needs to imo be on the top) and if the lcd was brighter it would help in bright light, maybe. the histograms and picture styles i do in post processing anyway since i shoot raw so the rebels histogram is ok for me, not sure i would ever use the picture styles since i like to change things in post processing better than being locked into something...the continuous speed on my rebel is faster than they say but depends on which card i use, i only get 4-6 raw images till it slows down with my cheapest slowest card but more with my best card ( i did a unscientific test a while back of all my cards and forget the actual result per card but i usually use my cheapest card and know i get 4-6 before it slows down). personally i'd go with the cheaper model because i know i am upgrading to a 30 d as soon as i can but if you plan on keeping this for a number of yrs, i go with the better focus so the xti
i don't take sports shots but haven't had any problem getting birds mid flight so i am guessing that would be similar

 

[mhm]

Is it worth the extra money for the XTi over the XT?

 

[ukcatfan]

It depends on what your needs are. Can you give us a little more info?

 

[photo_chick]

IMO if you can get your hands on an XT, save the $$ and get it. TO me the XTi si not that big of an upgrade in features and I would look at that money saved on the body as money for lenses! Just remember not too long ago many paid the $800 or more for the XT, so price relative. In a few years the XTi will be the cheaper one and a new model will be out!

 

[jann1033]

to me it would depend on how much difference in price and how long i was planning on keeping it...if i thought i'd upgrade in a yr or 2 and/or the difference was over $100 i 'd go with the rebel and concentrate on buying good lenses i will keep and use later..if i thought i 'd keep it till it died and/or the price was under $100 diff. i'd go with the xti. i don't think the differences are enough to really make it or break if either way. some things would be nice but none of it is really that important imo.

 

[Anewman]

With the prices I am looking at(BUYDIG.com) $160 gets you a all around better camera IMO, but the XT is still a great camera and a deal at $500.

I shoot lotsa sports and the larger buffer on the XTI comes in real handy.

 

[JR6ooo4]

I shoot lotsa sports and the larger buffer on the XTI comes in real handy.

I seem to remember many were hoping for spot metering with the XTI upgrade and it did not have it. or maybe I remember poorly... hehehehehe

Mikeeee

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Is it worth the extra money for the XTi over the XT?

I don't think anyone can answer that question but you.

For me, increasing the RAW shot buffer from 4 to 10 shots makes it a no brainer. My old D60 had something like a 8 or 9 shot buffer and even that drove me nuts. With the XT, you'll be forced to shoot JPG in any situation requiring you to take a large number of shots quickly.

It looks like the AF has improved as well. If you shoot a lot of rapidly moving subjects, that could be really handy.

The histogram is RGB, which is another big bonus. With that, you won't have to worry about whether you've blown out a color channel.

The anti-dust system sounded really nice, but I haven't heard anything good about anti-dust systems from real life users.

I didn't find any of the other differences to be that significant.

So what's it worth to you to have a bigger shot buffer, improved auto-focus, and a more useful histogram?

 

[Anewman]

I seem to remember many were hoping for spot metering with the XTI upgrade and it did not have it. or maybe I remember poorly... hehehehehe

Mikeeee

You remember correctly, still no SPOT meter in the Rebel line but both have Partial metering(larger spot).

I dont think I would use Spot when shooting sports even if my cameras(20D) had it, I do use Partial to get a reading and keep an eye on the histogram.

 

[rhiansmom]

I'm having trouble deciding between these two cameras. I quit my job and plan on taking a lot of trips this summer with my daughter and I would love to learn how to use a digital SLR during the process.

Anyone have any suggestions as to which would be more "user friendly" to use/learn? I plan on taking one course in photography in June but it's a one day thing other than that doing it all on my own.

 

[MICKEY88]

REbel xti,

I'll let others explain why...

 

[ukcatfan]

For user friendly considerations, pretty much all entry level DSLRs are about the same. Some might include certain scene mode where another one will not, but will have an auto mode.

It would probably be better to know why you narrowed it down to these models and what you are looking to get out of the camera.

Kevin

 

[rhiansmom]

I guess I narrowed it down to these two based on reviews on dpreview as they both got really decent reviews. I originally wanted the xti becuase I'm a scrapbooker and many "popular" scrapbookers use the xti with great successs but then wanted to check to see if I was getting swept up in their hype.

I'm open to other suggestions, if you have them but need to keep it below $1000.

 

[ukcatfan]

What focal length range do you want to have? Are you just thinking the basic kit lens or more? Plus, do you plan to expand your use later on and might need to move up to pro level equipment.

One last question. Is low light performance important to you?

Kevin

 

[ukcatfan]

As for reviews, have you read about the Nikon D40 and D50, Rebel XT, and Pentax K100D? The rebel is a better deal than the XTi at the moment. The D50 is a great model, but getting hard to find. The K100D is one of the cheapest routes to a DSLR right now. Probably the only cheaper one would be the K110D, which gives up IS in the body.

Kevin

 

[rhiansmom]

Basic stuff for now... something that will get us thru our vacations (Washington DC with the museums, Colorado Rockies and the Florida beach). I have only ever had a point and shoot and a nicer Panasonic Lumix (but still was point and shoot).

If I figure it out I will buy more lenses but dont' want to overwhelm myself and get frustrated right off the bat.

Thanks!

 

[ukcatfan]

For museums, you are probably going to want to get a 50mm wide aperture prime lens. Most brands have one from between $100-250. This also sort of cuts out the Olympus b/c it does not have as good of low light performance compared to Canon, Nikon, and Pentax. You would probably also cut out the D40 b/c it cannot auto focus the Nikon 50mm prime. IMO that leaves the K100D, K110D, XT, XTi, and D50. The D50 and XT are getting harder to find b/c they were discontinued already.

Pentax has some great offers right now with rebates, so you might want to check that out. I have the K100D and I am very happy with it, but any DSLR is going to be good. The kit lens from Pentax is also built to a little higher standard than C&N. It is not a fault of those systems. They intentionally keep the quality a little lower in the hopes that you will upgrade to a better lens. Pentax does not have the market strength to play that card.

Kevin