Canon Rebel XTi or EOS-40D

[jweinraub]

Hi all,

It has been quite some time since I been to this site. I first came here when I decided to buy my PowerShot S2 IS and I love it. However, I am ready to go to D-SLR. I do have a 35 mm SLR, Nikon N60. It too was a great camera. Now I want to go digital. I been toying the idea of Canon now. Mainly I prefer CMOS sensors over CCD.

I am willing to spend in the ballpark of a grand so both cameras are in that category. I've heard some negative things about the Rebel, and a lot of people saying go for the EOS.

I will be taking mostly outdoor shots (going on holidays, etc.) indoor family functions, and what not.

I still have yet to visit the local camera store so I can see both cameras in my hands, but before going I like to know more about what I want to see.

I know good lenses are expensive, so if I'm going to spend good bucks on a "standard" lens, what would you recommend? 27~85 mm I would suppose. Perhaps a good telephoto, 85~200 mm as well. I know with the PowerShot I got 12x optical which is close to 430 mm, so I guess one day I'd get a lens like that. Is filter besides UV necessary? Is speed flash necessary?

Since there is no official review yet of the EOS-40D, what would you guys think about one over the other?

Thanks!!!

[timmciglobal]

40D + Sigma 18-50 F2.8 Macro would be a neat combo.

70-200 F4L is a great lens, 70-300 F4.5>5.6 IS is good too (not the 75-300) as is the 70-200 F4L IS (500, 550, 1K) roughly on used market.

Tim

[fionndruinne]

I'd wait until the 40D is out and has weathered the usage of a few folks before making up my mind. Also the Nikon D300 will have a CMOS sensor; it sounds to be a whole lot of camera, though, and has a higher price to go along with it. But if you have any good Nikon lenses, mayhap worth checking out.

[Rooz]

Hi all,

It has been quite some time since I been to this site. I first came here when I decided to buy my PowerShot S2 IS and I love it. However, I am ready to go to D-SLR. I do have a 35 mm SLR, Nikon N60. It too was a great camera. Now I want to go digital. I been toying the idea of Canon now. Mainly I prefer CMOS sensors over CCD.

I am willing to spend in the ballpark of a grand so both cameras are in that category. I've heard some negative things about the Rebel, and a lot of people saying go for the EOS.

I will be taking mostly outdoor shots (going on holidays, etc.) indoor family functions, and what not.

I still have yet to visit the local camera store so I can see both cameras in my hands, but before going I like to know more about what I want to see.

I know good lenses are expensive, so if I'm going to spend good bucks on a "standard" lens, what would you recommend? 27~85 mm I would suppose. Perhaps a good telephoto, 85~200 mm as well. I know with the PowerShot I got 12x optical which is close to 430 mm, so I guess one day I'd get a lens like that. Is filter besides UV necessary? Is speed flash necessary?

Since there is no official review yet of the EOS-40D, what would you guys think about one over the other?

Thanks!!!

the only negative about the xti is the feel/ size/ ergnomics about it which is purely down to personal preference so i wouldn;t always believe what you read. you are best off feeling it for yourself.

not really fair to be comparing the xti to the 40d. the rebel is less than HALF the price. a whopping $700+ different, thats a serious glass investment with that kind of money, hell it's like 75% of the cost of a 70-200 f4 IS. :eek:

if you are going to canon, i'd also be seriously thinking of grabbing the 30D for a bargain.

[Gintaras]

the only negative about the xti is the feel/ size/ ergnomics about it which is purely down to personal preference so i wouldn;t always believe what you read. you are best off feeling it for yourself.

Rooz, i fully agree with you. For me XTi feels perfect. Whilst i agree about hand grip of XTi this is not an issue for me as my hands are not large enough probably.:D

I also agree 40D is not comparable to XTi in this case. Just to begin with 40D has magnesium body vs. XTi... and much more putting 40D into prosumer segment while XTi is rather a consumer DSLR IMO.

as for plastic quality, i carry my Xti with me most of the time and put it on wooden, brick and etc hard surfaces to steady the camera for low light shot (because i am lazy for tripoid). and to date i found no scratches underneath XTi, if one does not believe i can photogrpah it and post pix here.

Plastic quality is very good, and plastic finish is subject to personal choice. I can live without that fancy finish found on Nikon's D40 or D80.

On the rest, i WISH Canon had a dedicated AF assist lamp as i am not a big fun of AF assist in flash. I also wish kit lens would be better, probably the new 18-55/IS lens should address the issue.

For D40 i WISH it had a lens motor inside but then Nikon offers a good range of AF-S lenses... so for an average consumer i cannot see any trouble. I also wish D40 had more WB options.

This talk about high ISO makes little here sinse many probably shoot at ISO 100-400 and D40 has very good high ISO performance as I could see from reviews. Also D40 has ISO 3200 while XTi max ISO1600 (if i am not mistaken).

[Gintaras]

the only thing i recommend, buy XTi in black, not silver.

[jweinraub]

the only thing i recommend, buy XTi in black, not silver.

Is it any different other than colour?

[jweinraub]

I also agree 40D is not comparable to XTi in this case. Just to begin with 40D has magnesium body vs. XTi... and much more putting 40D into prosumer segment while XTi is rather a consumer DSLR IMO.


My only fear is if I were to buy the consumer level, after I start buying expensive lenses I may want to get the prosumer 40D a few years down the road.

People tell me if money is not an issue get the 40D. I am not trying to be frugal here, but I want the best bang for the buck. I am sure the XTi would make me very happy, since it will be my first D-SLR.

I reckon I'll need to visit the camera store and check them out in person.

[jweinraub]

Wow! That Nikon D300!!! Man oh man! I almost wet myself reading the description! It looks awesome!

Assuming I decide to get a Nikon camera instead, would a 35 mm film SLR lens work with D-SLR?

I have an AF Zoom-Nikkor 35-80 mm f/4-5.6 D

[fionndruinne]

Your lens would work with a Nikon DSLR (excepting the D40 series, which would not autofocus), but it doesn't seem to me to be a terrifically valuable lens given the specs, so I wouldn't let it sway your decision.

I know, that D300 sounds insane! We're all better off waiting for now, though, to see if it lives up to its "genetics".

As for lenses, Sigma makes a high quality 18-50mm f/2.8 macro, which is 27-75mm on a Nikon camera; slightly longer on a Canon. You could pick that up whether you went for Canon or Nikon, I know folks are using both versions and liking them a lot, and the f/2.8 aperture comes in very handy. (There's even an HSM version for the Nikon D40, now too bad I'm broke:D)

[jweinraub]

I agree, I think waiting is going to be the best. I think the proper title of this post should be now D300 v D40.