Rebel XT questions

[JonathanSQ]

Hello all :) This is my first post. I am looking into possibly buying
a Rebel XT Kit sometime around Sept. I'd like to ask a few questions.

1. For XT owners, what is the adverage # of shots you can
fit onto a 512MB or 1GB card? Do you shoot in RAW or JPEG?
2. What is a good place to buy from besides B&H or Adorama?
3. What CF card would you recommend (on a tight budget)?
4. Where do you recommend I'd buy said CF card from?
5. Can you fill up a 512MB/1GB card on one battery charge?

[rssfhs]

Memory cards are much cheaper than they used to be. Even a 2 GB is not that expensive. Get the biggest one you can afford, especially if you are planning on shooting raw. There is nothing more frustrating than running out of space on your card, except of course running out of battery juice, so be sure and get a spare one while you're at it. Happy shooting!

[buze]

1) on a 1GB card, about 250ish on JPEG fine.
2) dunno, not in the US
3) Any, if you are really on a tight budget, get any of them, they will work, abeit more slowly. Try to pick a "brand" somehow, in case you have to return it. Don't pick very large cards (>1GB ?) ie don't keep all your eggs in one basket.
4) see #2
5) I can do about 800 shots without flash on one battery charge.That is with a lens without IS -- with IS it will probably be less by some far margin. Same for flash usage...

[Tom W]

Answered in order:

1 - 57 on a 512 in RAW, about 135 in JPG, large, fine. There should be a chart at Canon's web site under the camera's specifications. It should be pretty close, depending on subject material of the images.
2 - www.canogacamera.com , www.onecall.com , www.keh.com plus some good local shops in some cities (none here, of course).
3 - I'll let the CF experts answer that, but I've got some Sandisk Ultra II cards in 512 and 1-gig plus a SD card or two and have had no problems with them.
4 - Any camera shop, Circuit City and those kinds of stores, I hear Newegg.com is pretty good on prices as well and is reliable.
5 - You can fill up a few 512/1 gig cards on one battery charge, depending on the size of the card, size and quality of the image, and whether you use flash or not. The camera should give about 400-600 shots on a charge, perhaps a bit less if you use a lot of flash or use the LCD a lot. I'm basing this on test reports, since I haven't really challenged my battery's longevity yet.

[JonathanSQ]

Thanks for the replies :) I've heard before that the (original) Rebel's shutter
has a life of about 10,000 shots. Is this true? Does this apply to the Rebel XT? Thanks :)

Edit: I've used NewEgg.com in the past for PC stuff, wasn't sure how
competitive their prices were for digital cameras, etc. was.
Anybody here have any experience with BeachCamera.com ? They have
the XT Kit for $840. Someone on another forum I visit got his 300D from
them and seems to like them.

[Tom W]

It's rated at 50,000 operations, on average. Don't know where the 10,000 came from but I suspect that someone that owns a different brand might have come up with it.

[JonathanSQ]

It's rated at 50,000 operations, on average. Don't know where the 10,000 came from but I suspect that someone that owns a different brand might have come up with it.
Not sure where this person got that number from, the person is on
a astronomy forum I visit. I suspect it might've been from another astro site.
He owns a fairly new dReb/300D that works fine so it isn't bad experience on his part.
Would long exposures (up to 15mins per shot) effect the life of the shutter? Thanks :)

[2112]

Hello all :) This is my first post. I am looking into possibly buying
a Rebel XT Kit sometime around Sept. I'd like to ask a few questions.

Check the XT kit prices on E-bay before you do anything. There are many camera shops selling kits online you can't get in their stores. Just make sure the store sells new and not refurbished cameras. I got a new XT body, 18-50 and 70-300 Sigma lens, 1GB card, VERY nice hard travel case and leather carrying case, high speed card reader, 55 inch tripod, full lens cleaning kit and some other goodies for only $1,100.

[cmosdos]

1. I have 1gb cards. I shoot RAW 99% of the time and get around 135 shots per card
2. I purchase all my stuff from B&H and OneCall.com. I've been VERY impressed with OneCall's service. Within an hour after every order I've placed at OneCall, They've called to let me know my order was being shipped out and if there was anything else they could do for me. I only order from B&H if OneCall is out of stock.
3. Tight budget being? The more memory you can afford the better. If your planning to shoot RAW, get at least a 1gb card. I would prefer to have 2gb cards, but I decided to go with 3 1gb cards instead. You can get by with 512 is you shoot in JPEG, but to really maximize the potential of the photo, RAW + Photoshop > JPEG. However, it takes more time, skill, and LOTS of patience and learning. Two roads diverged in the wood and I....
4. See #2.
5. Easily. I have yet to completely drain a battery while shooting. Camera on for 12+ hours, and more than 3gb of photos taken. Seems like it just keeps going and going and going. And if you spring for the battery grip (holds 2 batteries) you will fall asleep before you drain the battery. If you use the on camera flash, it will drain quicker. I use a speedlight 420 so it might be slightly skewed.

A note on where to buy product... local places are always nice. Can't beat the shipping price (time+gas). If you need to return stuff, that can also be benificial. The downfall tends to be product price and selection. I've always made it a point to support my local mom and pop shops when I can. But when were talking $50+ difference, my wallet must side on the cheap side.

[JonathanSQ]

I checked up on a local camera store (only dedicated shop round here I know of)
but in a email they said they do not have the XT but do have a Nikon D50 :confused: I wonder
if they stock mainly Nikon stuff. Either way I'll probably go there for some small
items like a UV filter whenever I get the XT. Thanks again for all the replies, now
if only Sept. (or whenever I hit the $1,000 mark) would get here sooner...

[Tom W]

I checked up on a local camera store (only dedicated shop round here I know of)
but in a email they said they do not have the XT but do have a Nikon D50 :confused: I wonder
if they stock mainly Nikon stuff. Either way I'll probably go there for some small
items like a UV filter whenever I get the XT. Thanks again for all the replies, now
if only Sept. (or whenever I hit the $1,000 mark) would get here sooner...

Sounds suspiciously like a Ritz or Wolf camera shop. Some dealers have their favorites. You can handle the camera at places like Best Buys and Circuit City, but they're usually not the best prices around. Plus, they probably aren't going to let you actually shoot images with it. I handled the XT in these stores before buying one from KEH.com.

[dmstraton]

Yeah, Ritz and Wolf seem to favor the Nikon stuff (they tried hard to steer me away from my XT, and then nailed my father for the D70 after he had supposedly made up his mind on Canon), but beyond that, I actually found (in my area) the staff to be competent, informative and generally helpful...particularly when I went through a string of Lexar 1GB cards that had the error problem...

I agree on previous posts: Get as much memory as possible, it is cheap, and after doing a lot of comparing etc., I do the following: shoot in RAW+JPEG simultaneously...I find that quick e-mailing etc favor the jpegs if I want to show off the pictures, but NOTHING beats the RAW output and flexiblity particularly if your white balance is off (assuming no AWB or tungsten). Beyond that, I wouldn't worry about memory, I would worry about getting some good lenses...

:)

[CyberPet]

If the camera is rated to handle 50,000 shots before the camera breaks down, I'll have to replace my camera in 18 months. :D

[JonathanSQ]

Sounds suspiciously like a Ritz or Wolf camera shop. Some dealers have their favorites. You can handle the camera at places like Best Buys and Circuit City, but they're usually not the best prices around. Plus, they probably aren't going to let you actually shoot images with it. I handled the XT in these stores before buying one from KEH.com.

Nope, its a local shop called "Beach Photo" - http://beachphoto.com
There is a small Ritz in Daytona along the main road but it looks like
a small photo drop off rather than a store though I have not gone in it.

[lostdoggy]

Thanks for the replies :) I've heard before that the (original) Rebel's shutter
has a life of about 10,000 shots. Is this true? Does this apply to the Rebel XT? Thanks :)

Edit: I've used NewEgg.com in the past for PC stuff, wasn't sure how
competitive their prices were for digital cameras, etc. was.
Anybody here have any experience with BeachCamera.com ? They have
the XT Kit for $840. Someone on another forum I visit got his 300D from
them and seems to like them.

Beachcamera.com is the parent company of buydig.com. The price at buydig.com is more competative.

[Al Nakib]

2. What is a good place to buy from besides B&H or Adorama?
4. Where do you recommend I'd buy said CF card from?

I had very good experiences buying from 17 Street Photo (NY) and Penn Camera.

[Mohawk]

I had very good experiences buying from 17 Street Photo (NY) and Penn Camera.

I'll second www.17photo.com, ask for Paul. Their prices are better then B&H and very fast shipping. Bought my 1DMKII there, and they are great with returns and credits.

I also like to use www.normancamera.com I have been to their store, bunch of geeky midwest farm boys run the place. ;) Really great bunch there, that know their stuff. Their pricing is good, but the service is awesome. You can walk in the store and ask for the internet pricing and save some serious cash. And the guys actually know about photography! Imagine that? They normally have a good in stock inventory, but they look like they move allot via the internet. It's nothing to see pallets of gear on the floor to be shipped or just being delivered. They need a bigger store.

Mike

[JonathanSQ]

Good news :D While shopping in the local Circuit City (read: tryin out the XT ;))
my dad happened to ask how much I make @ my job, etc. Well 15mins we were
walking out with a XT :D :D :D I admit... we could've saved $ if I got it online but
it was sort of "now or never" lol. As he put it I owe him for life :lol: Here's a quick
photo I snapped via the PC... had to cash in my change jar during lunch break @work,
barely had enough to get a 512MB SanDisk CF card off NewEgg.com - should ship tomorrow.

http://www.fire-fox.info/jastro/gallery/albums/Photography/htj_xt.sized.jpg

Some info bout the shot...
Shutter Spead: 1/60th sec.
Aperture Value: F5.6
Metering Modes: Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation: 0
ISO Speed: 400
Lens: 18-55mm
Focual Length: 55mm
Quality: JPEG - Large/FINE
Flash: On
White Balance: Auto
AF Mode: AI Focus AF

[sboerup]

Heres some cheaper prices. Dont know if anyone has any info on he companies, but the information is nice.

http://www.pricescan.com/digiphoto/items/item164932.asp
http://www.pricescan.com/digiphoto/items/item165241.asp

I saw it 3 weeks ago for $650. Almost KILLED myself after forking out $850 from Buydig. Bought it, and it was here in 24hrs, great service!

Here's BuyDig's price:
http://www.buydig.com/shop/basket.aspx?sku=E1CNDIGRBL1855&act=add&sks=E1CNDIGRBL1855,
(http://www.centraldigital.com/product/?2556)

[JonathanSQ]

Heh would've saved over $100 after taxes :( Oh well
I got it no use complaining bout overpaying now, 'specially
since (like I said) it was a now or never sort of purchase.

To be honest spending that much locally vs. off the net
I would've felt better going to a local photo shop but I had
asked in advance and all they had was the D50 in stock :(

[prime80]

You'll love it. Just shoot, shoot, shoot. You'll be amazed at how quickly you'll get better if you use it regularly. Your next purchase should probably be a copy of Photoshop Elements 3. You'll find that you need some post processing with most shots with a digital SLR, but once you get proficient with it, it's not very time consuming, and the difference you can make in your shots is amazing.