What would you rather get? Drebel with extra lenses or 10D

[dilla]

Hello,

looking at purchasing a new camera in the near future but want some advice on purchasing. First let me tell you about myself or my needs. I'm an amatuer so i won't be using the camera to make money I'm gonna be a new dad soon and i want a good camera for taking family and vacation photos.

My money is limited so i was thinking of getting the Drebel and purchasing an extra wide angle or some other type of lens or get the 10d and purchase an all around more versatile lens. I'd like a good camera to learn and grow with to be able to perfect the art of photography the 10d looks like a much better camera but is it too much for me? anyways what do you all think?

[blinking8s]

it really would depend on the lenses...but for the price difference you probably can only get one or two worthy lenses to make it remotely sway...id def get a 10d and a 50mm prime, preferably the f1.4

[Conk]

Another option is to buy the D-Rebel and install the hack. Ut upgrades the D-Rebel almost to a 10D. Personally I haven't tried it but there are many Rebel users that swear by it. The kit lens that comes with the Rebel is half decent.

[RichardtheSane]

My recommendation is buy the rebel and get the 18-55 kit lens, that should cover your wide angle needs. Then buy a short zoom like the 80-200 USM or the 75-300 USM

[eastcoast909]

Hi, been there, done that. agonized for days/weeks. cruised the boards for used, not a lot of people willing to deal cross borders with an unknown (can't blame them), I was unwilling to take much of a chance either.

IMO with a limited budget, not having a specific purpose in mind that would require the differences between the 10D and the Rebel, I went with the Rebel (new).

I feel that I and you will be better served spending the money saved on a lens that we might have not had the money for at the beginning.

That said, if you keep your eye out on this board and Fred Miranda there are always good used deals coming up but all at buyer beware. Most of the boards will offer help, and opinions on who is a reputible seller.
Don't forget reseller.com if you are going to do online. Most often a deal online to good to be true isn't.

What ever you end up with come back and post your pictures!

[CoolToolGuy]

Spend money on lenses. You may not have the luxury of doing that after the diaper bills, doctor bills, and toy bills start coming in. And, if you get one or two now, you may be able to convince the wife you need more after you show her what lenses can do - 'See that? I couldn't have gotten that shot if I didn't have that lens!' The camera will take care of itself.

My 2 cents.

Have Fun,

[dilla]

Thanks for your opinions,

After I posted this i thought to myself I should just go ahead with the 10D and at a later date get another lens but I'm gonna check out the Drebel some more and price some lenses.

What do you guys think about 3rd party lens I've heard some people say you should only get canon lens if you have a canon camera while i've heard that some 3rd party lenses are just as good. I was looking at the tamron and sigma lenses significantly cheaper than the canon line but my opinion is you get what you pay for, so I'm wondering are the canon lenses more expenisve than 3rd party lenses because they are better or because they have the canon name?

Also iv'e seen some lenses with image stabilization and other features, what kind of lense features are necessary in your opinions?

Thanks

[scottbergerphoto]

You can find some good deals from reputable dealers on 10D's now that the 20D has been released. I would go with a 10D over a 300D because of it's Custom Functions, ability to manually select one shot vs. servo, and magnesium alloy body.

As to third party lenses, you need to check reviews of each lens. Sigma makes some really good lenses and some really crap lenses. Stay away from 3rd tier lenses like Quantaray. You can check for lens reviews on this forum, Google, www.photodo.com , www.popphoto.com , and others.
Regards,
Scott

[su719]

dilla,

For your needs I would go Drebel. You stated that you are going to use the camera for family photos and vacation travel. This is not advanced work, so you are not going to take advantage of the greater functions of the 10D. If you were planning heavy use of the cam and lots of artistic or sports work then the extra features of the 10D would be worth it.

As far as lenses, you would be better off with the Drebel as you would get a decent lens with the Kit. A few lenses worth getting in addition are the Canon 50mm 1.8, Tamron 70-300 LD, and the Tamron 28-75 Xi. This will give you a good range to cover what ever you want from indoor shots to high telephoto and will allow you to enjoy your camera without worrying where all the $$$$ went. In a few years when you master Digital Photos you can tink about upgrading to proffesional quality equipment.

[Mark Kemp]

Yep,

Unless you need the extra features and controls of a 10D go for the lenses and the rebel.

Good lenses will serve you well and you can always get the next generation camera or the next in a few years if your needs grow later and keep the same lenses.

[Andy_T]

Tell you what ...

go to a photography shop and try them both out.

Do not underestimate the 'look and feel' of the camera.

Now this might just be the way I am, but if I save 100$ and get a cheaper body, I will think about the 100$ saved for about a week.

However, I will most likely think 'What if I had spent that additional 100$ ...' every time I turn on the camera :roll: .

Best regards,
Andy

[dilla]

you guys have changed my mind

i was leaning towards the 10d but i don't have a lot of photography experience so the drebel sounds good to me right now 10d looks like a great camera but im sure by the time i get good enough to take advantage of a 10d camera there will be a better camera out there.

What about the drebel vs. the nikon d70 the d70 has got good reviews but would it be better to stay canon since i might purchase a more pro-quality canon in the future and to have lenses that would match that camera? I figure which ever camera i purchase thats where i will stay since i plan on purchasing a few extra lenses

[dds]

I am a newbie and I will be dad *****y (december), then I am almost in your situation.
I have a 300D, EF 50 1.4 and tamron 28-75 2.8. Happy (very happy) with all of them. I also have an EOS 33 (film, the equivalent of a 10D on film): I MISS ITS FEATURES (especially a nice AI servo) ON THE 300D (that I use 99% of time). I installed the hack, but it's not the same thing... other than that I don't feel any real missing in the 300D.
Then, I don't know............................... sory about that!
DDS

[Andy_T]

I have a 300D, EF 50 1.4 and tamron 28-75 2.8. Happy (very happy) with all of them. I also have an EOS 33 (film, the equivalent of a 10D on film): I MISS ITS FEATURES (especially a nice AI servo) ON THE 300D (that I use 99% of time).

Then it's time to upgrade to the 20D :lol:

Best regards,
Andy

[12345Michael54321]

I'm gonna be a new dad soon and i want a good camera for taking family and vacation photos...My money is limited
Such being the case, are you sure it makes sense to spend the money on either option you've mentioned? Perhaps you'd be better off spending $200 on a digital p&s, and saving yourself $1000+.

It really isn't necessary to have a "good" camera (if, by "good," one means a digital SLR) to take family pictures and vacation snapshots.

I'd like a good camera to learn and grow with

Fair enough, although you could do the learning and growing thing with pretty much any camera capable of manual control.

the 10d looks like a much better camera but is it too much for me?
Well, it's not too much for you, in the sense that even the most sophisticated digital SLR typically offers various "idiot modes" (and I didn't coin that phrase, okay?), whereby it can be used by someone without any photographic experience. One might argue that to use a fine camera that way is sort of a waste, but that's another question.

Anyway, getting back to the question posed in the topic...

The old rule used to be that a camera is just a light tight box (maybe with a shutter, film advance/rewind, and perhaps a built-in meter); put your money in lenses. This made at least a little sense, way back when, but today a digital camera tends to be far more than just a light tight box, so it's not as easy to say one should buy a cheap camera body and mount great glass on it.

However, this having been said, the "heart" of the Digital Rebel is essentially identical to that of the 10D. The same 6.3MP sensor, same capability to output RAW files, pretty much the same metering system, etc. Yeah, the 10D is better in a number of ways - bigger buffer, more durable body, faster film advance, greater manual control over some things - but the fact remains that the two cameras have a whole lot in common. (There's also a rather popular firmware hack, which makes them even more alike.)

So in a situation like this, I'd go for the cheaper body and an extra lens. Notice I said "lens." Singular. Not plural. Because the price difference between a Digital Rebel and a 10D isn't going to buy you more than maybe 2 additional good quality lenses, and perhaps just 1 additional lens. But that's okay, since (1) it's generally better to have 1 really good lens, than to have 3 mediocre ones; and (2) if you meant what you said about learning about photography, you're probably much better off with just 1 or 2 lenses, than with a half dozen of them.

But I still maintain that if money is somewhat limited, and you've got a baby on the way, and you primarily want to take pics of the family and vacation snaps, you'd be better off buying a used Canon G3, than dropping coin on a digital SLR with a lens or two.

25 years ago, I'd have told you that you don't need a Leica M4 and a couple of Summicrons. Today, I'm telling you that you probably don't need a digital SLR with a couple of EF lenses. And I like Leica M4s, Summicrons, digital SLRs, and EF lenses. If you'd stated that money wasn't an important issue, that'd be another thing entirely. But since money is an issue for you, I just wouldn't be comfortable telling you that to take pictures of baby's first Christmas or the family vacation to Disney World, you need a $1000 camera (plus lenses).

[Molydood]

there are a lot of people on this forum that have been through this dilema, try a search for extra info. if you don't get what you need from this thread.

Personally, I went for the Drebel/300d, as I knew I could install the hack and end up with something really similar to the 10d in performance (if you are new to photography like me, it will take a lot of learning before you start to outgrow the Drebels features IMO)

regarding lens decisions, you need to decide what focal lengths you want covered, but if you want pictures of your family then I strongly recommend you get the 50mm 1.8, as it is very, very cheap for the results you will get, and the 1.8 means you can take low light shots without flash, so perfect for indoor stuff, which I am assuming you will be doing a lot of

the kit lens (18-55mm) is a pretty good all rounder for the money, and for ultimate zoom performance at non silly prices, the canon 70-200Lf4 will cost you £400-500 here in uk.

a good place to visit when deciding on lens purchases is pbase.com as you can actually search for pictures taken with specific lenses, and you can see for yourself the results you can expect.

If you search on here, you will find tons of hits about every lens too.

Good luck with your purchase.

[dilla]

All good info i appreciate it but i guess i should have stated that not only do i want a camera for family and vacation photos but also i want a camera for a hobby as well. I have a point and shoot camera i have taken some very descent pics with but i want someting that will expand my options and creative abilities. Money is always a concern but not so much of a concern that a $1000 would seriously hurt me. To me a good camera is an investment for the future memories of my family i have taken quite a few good pics with my p&s (I have a canon s30 it allows you to adjust the aperture and shutter speed, focus, white balance etc) but i feel i have outgrown that camera and i want something where i can experiment more. Primarily an slr.

:wink:

[roanjohn]

Lenses first.......and then when you're satisfied with your collection.......splurge on the body...........

RO1