Digital Rebel XT owners...

[jenny2]

OK, give it to me... the good the bad and the ugly! (Hopefully mostly good) I've been looking at digital SLRs for months and I finally decided on this baby. DH is getting it for me for Christmas I'd love to hear your experiences with this camera. What lens do you use with it? Did you buy it with the kit lens, or just the body? Did you get the silver or black body?

Thanks!

 

[Madaboutthemouse]

I am interested to hear opinions too! DH wants this camera for Christmas. We've saved about 1/2 of the $$ for it. Friends have recommended the 20D, but it is just WAY out of our price range.

 

[pozey]

I would love to hear some responses as well!! I want a digital Rebel BAD! I think I have convinced DW to get me one for Christmas.

I currently have a Rebel SLR film camera that I have used for several years. I love it. I have a Tamron 28 - 300 zoom lens that I would use with the Digital.

 

[biroberts]

I have had my Canon EOS Digital Rebel for over a year now and absolutely love it!!! One of the best features is the speed in which in powers on and can shoot a photo. It even has a sports mode that can "continuos shoot" several shots, depending on the resolution you have it set on. No more missing the shot waiting for the digital camera to "click". I previously owned a Canon EOS film camera and was able to use the lenses I already had on the digital version. What a bonus!!!!! Tip...get the biggest compact flash card you can! The larger resolution pictures definately use more space than traditional digital cameras. My advice, buy it and don't look back!! You'll love it!!!!!

 

[sleepyone]

I just wanted to let you know that Canon has a rebate offer through December on cameras, lenses, etc.; just in case you're interested.

 

[Brisully]

The Rebel XT is an excellent way to introduce yourself to the digital SLR. If you have used a SLR in the past, you will notice many of the same features as a film SLR.

If you have not used a SLR before, you should know that the Rebel is also easy to use. You will not be disappointed.

 

[sltwinmom]

I got the Cannon Digital Rebel for Christmas last year and LOVE it!! The pictures come out wonderful and I have found that even on the portrait setting, you can take rapid shots which works out great when you are trying to get good shots of those little ones. I just have the lense that came with the kit, but am going to get a new one for Christmas this year, just haven't decided on which one yet.

 

[glass slipper girl]

I'm definitely buying a digital SLR before our trip the first week of December. I am going back and forth between this one and the Nikon D50. I have a Nikon 35mm SLR so I have the lenses already for the Nikon BUT it seems from some reviews I've read that the Rebel XT outperforms the D50 on several points AND it is an 8 MP as opposed to a 6.something MP on the D50.

Here's another question for XT owners...did you buy the kit or did you buy body only and a separate lens? If so, what kind of lens? I am just wondering if the lens in the kit is a decent one or not....

 

[AZ JazzyJ]

Oh no, our first holy war!


I recently did a side-by-side comparison for an online photography business who was trying to decide between Canon and Nikon digital SLR cameras. In the past I had shot film cameras from both manufacturers as well as Olympus so I kind of thought how this would turn out. What I didn't expect was how impressed I would be with the results. Both the Canon and the Nikon took excellent pictures and both stood up extremely well to the rigors of shooting sporting events. The models I chose were the Canon 20D and the Nikon 70s so it was at a price point a little above the Rebel. What I found was that the color saturation on the Canon was slightly more muted than the Nikon which tended to be highly saturated. For portraits and soft lighting the Canon did very well. It was also quite light weight due to the large number of parts that were plastic versus metal. This does not mean it was cheaply built but rather light which was a blessing after carrying it around all day shooting. I would definitely suggest going to a camera store and trying each model out to see which one feels most comfortable. Each camera model (even within the same manufacturer) has a different feel to it so make sure you and the camera are right for each other (geez, I sound like a marriage counselor).

Jeff

 

[Goofyish]

I had the chance to 'play' with an EOS Rebel XT (called 350D in the UK), and the only negatives I had was the small grip. I found I was holding the camera with my finger tips, and after only a few minutes this soon bagan to hurt my fingers.

The other negative is related to the above - because of the way I was forced to hold the camera, my finger nails rubbed on the outsde of the lens mount/body and left tiny 'scratches' in the matt finish. Probably not perminent marks, but it still looked unsightly.

This is a good site for camera reviews:

DPReview

 

[jenny2]

The size of the Rebel is exactly why I chose it over the D50 (my other choice). I loved that it felt solid in my hands and I didn't have to reach with my fingers to get to the buttons. I kept compairing the 2 cameras, and yes dpreview.com is a great site to do this. Between the increased MP and the smaller size - the Rebel won for me. When I originally started looking I looked at the 20D... until I went to the store to hold it and just couldn't imagine carrying it around, lol. GREAT camera, beautiful shots, but just too big for me.

 

[biroberts]

Glass Slipper Girl..
You asked abouat buying the body only vs the kit. I purchased the kit because I got a good deal on it. The lense that came with if fine, no issues there. I do however, find myseld using a lense I had from my film camera most often, probably because it has a larger zoom range. The one that came with the kit is a 18-55 zoom, which works great for landscapes, but I soot a lot of kids and their events so I use my 35-105 most. Hope this helps!

 

[ndelaware]

For the price of the kit lense on the Rebel XT, it would be a mistake to not get it. Unless you already have other Canon lenses, for about $100 it is a bargain and you will not find another zoom lense at that price of that quality. Now if you want to spend $700 to $1000 (yes, on the lense only)you will get a much better lense.

 

[noladave]

I owned the EOS 300 (original digital rebel), and when the XT (or 350) came out, I took a serious look at it. However, I found that the EOS20d offered more, and bought it. I gave my 300d to my wife, and she loves it. The Rebel series cameras are offered as a 1st step in digital SLR photography, and it is great for that purpose.

However, for those that want to go beyond the 1st step, you will probably want the 20d. Otherwise, you find yourself in my shoes, where I bought the Rebel, and then a year later bought the 20d.

So, it all comes down to personal use. If you want a solid camera that takes good pictures, and has some "easy use" features (like sports mode), then the Rebel is a fine camera. If you want to push it a little more, or do some advanced photography, spend the couple hundred extra dollars and get the 20d. (my 2 cents).

To add even more confustion, Canon has come out with some newer cameras, but I haven't had time to look at those!

 

[woj68]

Any opinions on the Nikon D70?

I've been leaning towards the Nikon for a while. Looking for some pros & cons from other users out there.

Thanks.

 

[goofymom/pop]

with a Tamron lens. I went 28-200 because I love to photograph my sons baseball games and wanted a little more zoom than the kit lens offered. I have had the camera since May and love almost everything about it. Still having night time action shot issues, but now that there is a board here i am sure i will get tips on how to fix that problem.

I had the Nikon D70 and did not like the camera as well as the XT, I am picky about the sharpness of my photos and the Nikon was a little too soft for me. This is a personal preference as Jeff said, many I know over on the Craft board love their Nikon D70s.

I used the camera extensively this summer and won a photo contest at a local fair. I was thrilled with the photos I got of some of the boys on my son's tournament team, of course the awesome shots weren't of my boy.... go figure. The one I have posted in my signature is an "ok" one, not one of the best but its not too bad either.

Love love love the feature in TV and AV that tells you that you need to adjust your settings a little more for a better shot, and the depth of field button is cool too.

 

[woj68]

I'm also picky about contrast & sharpness in my pics as well. I've been using a Canon SD300 (4 mp) camera for most of my picture taking. But sometimes the pictures don't come out a little grainy.

It's a nice little camera though and not cumbersome to carry around whatsoever. I always have it with me. On our cruise last month I took a ton of pics with it. Got a lot of nice pictures with it but I wish I had an SLR to get the shots I really wanted.

My DW didn't care though. She scrapbooks as well and she was able to find plenty of nice pics to choose from.

Maybe Santa will leave me a new SLR under the tree this year.

 

[pmcf]

I purchased the original Rebel version (300D in the UK) and have taken thousands of shots with it. Lovely camera, just right in the hand, good shots. Only one negative - it doesn't let you control the focusing mode and, when it thinks you have held the button halfway long enough it starts hunting for focus (into continous mode for action). This doesn't suit me as I really enjoy nature shots and a number of times have a bird all set and focused, waiting for it to look just right and the camera goes off and starts to hunt focus!

This is fixed on the Rebel XT (you have all the controls over focus I used to have with previous Canon film cameras) but I just don't like the feel of it - too small for me, I have always liked the chunky feel of Canon! So, for feel I want to change to the 20D (a professional friend uses one, really good sharp shots and good in low light - not too much noise) but, apart from the price difference, I want to see what they do to it next February (or what price I might get a 20D for when the new model comes out!)

All that said, I am a dedicated Canon user and really love using my Rebel!

 

[pmcf]

Sorry, posted a reply on the wrong thread here (deleted)

 

[glass slipper girl]

The one that came with the kit is a 18-55 zoom, which works great for landscapes, but I soot a lot of kids and their events so I use my 35-105 most. Hope this helps!

I am the same way, most pics of the kids and their stuff going on. On my Nikon 35mm I had a 28-80 and a 70-300 and I found myself using the 70-300 more than the 28-80...just having to back up occasionally. I was thinking of starting with something sort of in the middle on the digital

I've been leaning towards the Rebel XT but I have a hard time knowing I already have the lenses from my 35mm Nikon that I could use....