EOS 6.3MP Rebel vs. Powershot Pro 8.0MP

[courtknee202]

Greetings all!! The time has come for me to get my hands on a new camera and I am having a hard time deciding between the Digital Rebel and the Powershot Pro. I will mainly be shooting horse shows, and wildlife/animals in action. My only must have is good picture quality (crisp bright colors) and a good zoom lens to be able to capture horses across the ring going over a fence. What are the distinguishing differences between the Rebel and the Pro? I'm fairly new to all the technical terms (once I get my new camera I'll be taking some photography classes to learn), so I'd like any opinions on which camera would be better suited to me.

I'm more of a point and shoot photographer since going between rings I don't have a lot of time to set up, I mainly find my angle, adjust my settings quickly and take the picture. The autofocus has been a big help for this.

What would you recommend for me? The Powershot comes with a 35mm equivalent 28-200mm lens, and the Rebel 18-55mm lens. I have plans to buy an EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III zoom lens, would this work for either camera? I want to eliminate having to use the digital zoom.

I offer the horse show photos for sale and the wildlife photography is just for my personal enjoyment. Any recommendations to help further my picture quality and photography experience will be greatly appreciated!

[michael.luczkow]

wait and get the XT

[courtknee202]

Well I'd love to but the first show of the season starts at the end of this month, is there a wide range of price difference between those two and the XT?

[Andy_T]

Court,

welcome to the forum! :D

the DRebel XT is the recently announced successor/upgrade of the DRebel. It most likely won't be available by the time of your first show. It has 8 MP, faster startup, more flexibility ... and will be a bit more expensive than the DRebel.

The good thing for you (if you don't want to wait) is that it will make the DRebel cheaper ... actually maybe cheaper than the Pro1.

With regards to your original question ... both cameras have their pros and cons.

Pros of DRebel/DRebel XT/10D/20D:
- Better image quality
- Far better low light performance (a must for indoor events, IMO)
- Far more flexible because you can use different lenses for different shooting conditions
- Better AF, more responsive (no shutter lag)
- faster CF write speed (you can take photos a lot faster)

Pros of Pro1/G6
- more compact
- possibility of life preview (use LCD to frame the shot)
- cheaper in the long run (because you'll buy all kinds of add-ons for a DSLR)

OK, maybe I'm a bit biased :wink:
But for sports it's a no-brainer to go for the DSLR, IMO.

You can not mount a 100-300 mm lens on the Pro1, only some kind of teleconverter that will increase the focal length (but also deteriorate image quality)

Also be sure to take a look at this thread (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=49026&page=1&pp=40).

Best regards,
Andy

[Citizensmith]

The Pro1 is a fixed lens point and shoot. A very good point and shoot sure, but it is a significant way behind the rebelD. The Pro1 has a smaller sensor than the Rebel D (despite the higher resolution) which means it doesn't handle low light as well. It has an electronic zoom so the zoom range is limited to discrete steps, and is fairly slow.

Its good side, you get it and your done.

The rebel D takes better photos in a wider range of conditions assuming you've purchased the correct lens. And that's where the money comes in, there are some amazingly good and amazingly expensive lenses out there.

If you've never used an SLR the Pro1 would be a good purchase. If you've used an SLR though its kind of hard to go back to point and shoot.

[DocFrankenstein]

Pro1: 1000$ ? bucks and you take pictures. Slow AF... Slow and inconvenient everything.

Drebel: 10K and you're happy. :confused:

[chris clements]

The Pro1 focuses and zooms f-a-a-a-a-a-a-r too slowly for you to capture horses on the move, or any wildlife in action. Without the facility for interchangeable lenses you can never increase your armoury later when need (or cash) allows. And the image quality isn't close to that of the 300 (Rebel).

Can't you beg, steal or borrow something until the 350 (Rebel XT) hits the stores?
Whilst both that and the Pro1 have the same pixel count on paper, there's a world of difference between their sensors. The Pro1 has a tiny Sony-made chip which has (rightly) received considerable criticism of its performance. Sony have squeezed too many receptors onto too small a chip, and the law of diminishing returns has kicked in with a vengeance.

[Andy_T]

Courtknee,

I've seen your pictures in the 'share pictures' section and have to admit that you surely know how to capture your horses jumping with your A series P+S 8).

Still, you will love the difference that the DRebel can make.

So my advice would be to pre-order the DRebel XT and use your current A series camera just some weeks longer. It might well be worth the wait.

Best regards,
Andy

PS: Someone mentioned the different sensor size in the two cameras.
Let's show you the extent of the difference.

This is how much the sensors and pixels really differ in size:

http://www.bidencap.de/SensorSize.jpg
http://www.bidencap.de/PixelSize.jpg

The sensor of the Pro1 is a bit larger than that of the G6, but as it has more pixels, the pixel size is roughly the same. The pixel size of the DRebel XT is that of the 20D, that of the DRebel is the same as the 10D.

In addition to that, the 20D/DRebelXT have the new '2nd generation' sensors with microlenses that focus the light better on the pixel, whereas the sensor of the Pro1 was not exactly leading edge when it was introduced more than a year ago.

What does all this mean for you?
'Better low light performance' might not sound very dramatic, but the difference in the actual picture means that the 20D/DRebelXT can take usable pictures at ISO 1600 that have less noise than the Pro1 at ISO 400. That's a difference between 1/125 and 1/30 second at the same aperture.

[michael.luczkow]

i just cant stand the LCD anymore. let alone the LCD viewfinder. I was using one in the store the other day and it almost made me puke. its like comparing an IMAX theatre to an OLD television. (the viewfinder LCD that is)

[michael.luczkow]

AWESOME post andy, love the diagrams

[Andy_T]

Thank you, took me a lot of work ... to find them over at DPReview :lol:

Court, one very important thing that Michael mentioned ... the Pro1 has an electronic viewfinder.

Don't know if you like this. I surely don't. Looks like watching a surveillance video camera when composing your shot.

Best regards,
Andy

[michael.luczkow]

good luck focusing :-)

[Andy_T]

Michael,

focusing can't be much worse than on the DRebel and 20D ... no focusing aids like split screen possible. I normally have a hard time using my MF lenses.

Court, one thing more to mention ... the DRebel and 20D are 1.6 crop cameras. So a 70-200 lens will actually give you the same field of view as a 112-320 lens on a 35 mm SLR (or on the Pro1/A series).

If you get the 18-55 (equivalent to 28-90 on 35 mm SLR) kit lens and the formidable 70-200/4.0 L (600$) as 'walkaround' lens for your tournaments, you have your area covered and will surely get a lot better quality than with the Pro1. Of course, you can also go for a less expensive lens, but if you want to invest your money wisely (so you have something from it for years to come), the cheap L lenses are the ticket.

Best regards,
Andy

[chtgrubbs]

I have both a 10d and the Pro 1, and I could never recommend the Pro 1 for action shooting especially under indoor light. It is just too slow focussing and the shutter release lag will throw your timing off. Also, the sensor is noisy when using higher ISO settings.

[Andy_T]

So Court ... what's your opinion so far :D

Best regards,
Andy

[SkipD]

I'd suggest going with a 20D if timing is an issue. Sure, it's a few bucks more, but it will do more for you. A bigger and brighter viewfinder (pentaprism vs a pentamirror) are a good reason to consider the 20D over the 300D.

Even though there's a world of difference between the 300D and the XT, look at the details of the differences between the XT and the 20D: http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/digital/eos_digital_rebel_xt_vs_20d.html#same

[DaShiv]

If good autofocus is critical, the 20D is definitely worth a look as a possible option. The 20D's autofocus is considerably better, especially the center point and (IMO) the servo performance. It's not 1D caliber of course, but still a large step up from the Rebel (and 10D) autofocus.

[KennyG]

My wife has a Pro 1 which I have spent quite a bit of time using, particularly for my trips to the US. My findings are:

Despite the recent firmware upgrade it is not at all suitable for any action work.
Noise, noise and more noise. This is a problem with the small Sony sensor in the Pro 1 and it is there even in well lit shots.
AF isn't that good, problems often being hidden by the greater DOF (which is an issue in itself).
Dust in the lens (I have not had the problem) which Canon recognise as an issue.

20D/XT or Pro 1, no brainer, DSLR every time.

[courtknee202]

I decided to go with the DRebel....I'm borrowing a friends who no longer uses hers (saved me the trouble of buying one!), and I am saving up the extra $$ for the XT, so between now and then I can learn more about using one, and figure out what lens would be the best option for me! Thanks everyone for your suggestions :0)

[CharlesK]

I also photograph horses but in reining events here in Australia. Presently I have a 20D, and 70 200 f2.8L zoom. I find this combination hard to beat. During daylight, even indoor arenas have quite alot of light, but the great part is that I can even shoot in low light at night in a arena with ISO 3200. Not ideal, but with some post image processing and noise reduction, noise nija within Photoshop CS, I get some great natural looking shots, much better than using a flash from a distance. Also with the 1.6 factor, a 70 200mm f2.8L zoom gives you an equivalent of 112 - 320mm lens. Originally I had a 300D, Rebel, but I found the auto focus did not have enough flexibility for action shots, and upgraded to the 20D ( no comparison), so you may find this may a limiting factor with the Powershot Pro, especially with wildlife.

[JaertX]

How about a film Rebel or the Elan 7n with a 28-135 is? It will do everything you need it to, you just have to get film processed.

And as a side bonus, you can use it for your photography classes, unlike the d-rebel.