Questions about upgradeing

[schacr8569]

What my entire delima is is that i have 3 kids and everyone plays in sports, and in my opinion i miss a lot of great shots. I currently own a kodak z740. which isn't a bad camera for the money. but i feel that it doesn't recover from the last picture fast enough for my likeings. For example, when i take a picture of my kid batting and hitting the ball i often miss a picture of them getting on base or something. I would like a camera rebelxt for example that when i take a picture i can almost instantly click and take another. What i would mainly like to know is that would the 350d rebel xt take fast pictures with a real fast recovery time. without being on multi shot mode. I know that the rebel xt would be a signifigant upgrade, but i have very often used the kodak on manual mode so i do kinda know how to operate them in that aspect. I believe that this is all i have at the moment.

[crn3371]

Yes, as an upgrade, the XT would fit the bill perfectly. Keep in mind though that you will probably have to budget in some money for a tele zoom lens in order to get good coverage on the sports pics. Figure on around $1,000 to get you started. That should get you the XT with kit lens, and a 70-300 zoom for the sports stuff, and maybe an extra battery and memory. There is currently a $100 rebate being offered on the XT. One option for you would be to take a look at Costco if you are a member. Their prices are competitive, and with their no questions asked return policy you're covered in case you don't like the camera.

[evandavies]

Yeah, the XT would be a good choice as a first DSLR. Its able to take shots without a delay in between and has the burst mode for action sequences like the swing :)

The thing to remember is that its mainly the lens which determines the quality of image you will get. So it will be worth spending time deciding on the best one to get for you. There are may people here who can give you advice on that.

Something that many people don't expect when changing from point &shoot to DSLR's is post processing which is a standard practice with these types of camera. The main things you will control with post processing are contrast, colour and sharpness.

I think the XT would be a very good camera for you but go to a shop and try holding a few because it has to be comfortable for you. Do as much research as you can on the types of camera in your price range and don't forget to ask if you have any questions... ;)

[schacr8569]

ok since you have said that the rebel would be an excelent choice in the matter. and i cam currently not a costco member. I have found a place where i can get the rebel in black "my choice" 28mm-80mm f3.5-5.8 auto focus "i know not the best but it would work at first", a 128 Mb card "get me by until i can get the wife to let me have a bigger one", a lense care and maintenace kit, full sized tripod, cap keeper, and a deluxe carrying case for around $630 after shipping. It sounded like a good deal to me what do you think.

[Jon]

Got a link, or a vendor name? 128 MB cards are practically give-aways these days. I got a 1 GB SD for $30 this weekend. The lens kit may be worth about $5, tops. The tripods in these bundles typically aren't too good.
B&H Photo (http://www.bhphotovideo.com) has the Digital Rebel XT for $649 after rebate, including Canon's 18-55 mm lens. They're reliable. They have 256 MB cards starting at $16.

[Big WIll]

I would go for a bigger memory card, as you will soon fill those cards up with 3 kids events.. Have a look at B&H like others have suggested... 350d is a great little camera that will last for years of sports events :)

[schacr8569]

Here is that webistie that i found the camera at. http://www.expresscameras.com/prodetails.asp?prodid=310763.

[Jon]

Express Camera has a very poor rating (http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1805.html) from Reseller Ratings. Check out the customer reviews listed there. I'd feel a lot safer paying the slightly higher B&H price and knowing I was going to get what I ordered, I wasn't going to be pressured to buy more stuff I didn't need, I was going to get the US warranty with the camera, and that they wouldn't change my card and then tell me the product was backordered. Then compare their 0.53 (out of 10) rating against B&H's 9.43 rating.

[schacr8569]

alright i may try to go that way. but the wife is gonna kill me. she told me no more then 600.ugg well wish me luck getting this done.

[Jon]

B&H still has the Digital Rebel (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=432837&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation) with 18-55 and 1 GB SanDisk Ultra II (a good card and good size) for $599 plus shipping. Not the DR XT; the 6.3 MP original Digital Rebel.

[Jon]

Oh, and you'll need something like a 70-300 or 100-300 mm zoom for sports. Sigma's 70-300 might be a good choice.

[steved110]

It's always worth paying a little more to get your gear from a reputable merchant. there is a heap of horror stories about people getting ripped off by some of these internet sellers. If a deal looks too good to be true, it is. there are no free lunches.
what ever camera you end up with ( sounds like the Rebel is your best bet, but try to get the newer version XT!) the lenses are the issue. I'd suggest go for a reasonable quality tele zoom like the sigma 70-300 APO macro, and probably stick with the 18-55 kit lens - it's more than good enough for most purposes, unless you are planning to make big prints you'll hardly notice image quality differences even if you look for them.
It's often hard to get advice here if you are trying to work within a tight budget, but don't feel bad if you have to ge consumer lenses. Just do your research first, and don't buy from wierd internet sharks, check here before you buy! You might also find it is worth waiting till you can spend a little more if your budget is really tight.
The reseller ratings site is a great tool, wonder if the Uk has something similar?