Suggest a SLR for a beginner...

[carson0627]

I am new here, but I am looking to buy a DSLR for my 25th birthday. I will be using it to shoot a lot of pics of cars day/night. I was looking at Canon 20D, Digital Rebel XT, and Nikon D70, but I had no clue which one would be the best choice for me. I am just a beginner. Would any of those camera be overkill for me? TIA

[benhasajeep]

I don't think you can go wrong with Rebel XT or Nikon D70. For a beginner I think 20D is probably little too much money for as fast as technology is moving. I am a Nikon guy but just bought a 20D. My reasoning for this is the 20d has the features I want now. I am sure in a year or two Nikon will have a competitive product (some compare d70 to it but I think the 20d has more).

Anyway Canon and Nikon both have very good products. I would lean towards the Rebel XT. Will be the best value for what you get in my opinion. Both the Rebel and D70 are designed to be consumer friendly so I think either will be just fine for a beginner.

[ephereal]

i got the 20D for my 25th birthday a month or so ago, hows that for cooincidence! i'm a beginner also and am having the best time learning.. if you can afford the 20D i would say go for it

[Mohawk]

Carson,

What is your budget? This aint a cheap endeavor as you will soon discover.

I would spend the few extra bucks and spring for the 20D and a couple of good fast lenses. The 20D is great in low light conditions, where the Nikon is questionable. Not to knock Nikon, I shot their 35mm film bodies for years, but Canon has the upper hand on them in the dSLR world. At least those were my findings when getting into digital.

As far as being to much of a camera, I would rather have to much then not enough. The area you will want to put your money, is in the lens dept. The 3 focal lengths I think would be most useful for what you describe are the 10-22, 24-70, 70-200. You don't have to buy Canon lenses, as Sigma, Tamron and Tokina make lenses in these ranges for less then the Canon equivalents. But, you get what you pay for. Get the fastest lenses you can afford, trust me on that, because you will kick yourself later on. (f1.4, f2.0 f2.8 are fast. f5.6, f6.3 are slow)

Then there is the flash, the built in one is OK, but something like the Canon 580EX is a good choice. It was specifically designed for the digital bodies and works quite well.

CF cards, I like the Sandisk Ultra or Extremes. A 1gb card is a good start, they can be had on ebay for a good price.

Have fun! I hope it all works out!

Mike

[LastLine]

I'd suggest the canon 350d, though I have very little experience with the others I know that the 350d is my first SLR of any sort and it's really easy to get around.

[the.digital.guy]

Go for the Rebel XT if your budget is tight. I would suggest trying it out in the store first to see if your hands are comfortable(it has a small footprint).
If your budget allows;go for the 20D.
Best of Luck!

[lost]

Ok I am going to break from the heard here. I would go for the DRebel, not the XT! If you like photography, you will progress rapidly and want the 20D.(at least I did) The DRebel offers cheap entry prices and allows for better glass, which you will keep longer.

It is a great camera to learn on! You will not be limited by it for a while. Don't worry about the megapixel difference unless you print larger than say 20"x30"(best guess, someone correct me).

By the time you are ready for a replacement the 20D will have a successor and will be significantly less than it is now, or you could spring for the ?30D?. But keep this in mind, the largest investment in photography will NOT be the camera body! It will be the lenses. And dont try to fool yourself and say I only need one, maybe two. You will want MORE.

I think I am rambling now. Go for the old rebel used on ebay or the forums here. Then later upgrade after you get mad skilz:) And most importantly shoot plenty, shoot often.

[AjP]

partialy agree with Lost, all depends of u and your budget, if you can easily afford 20D and good lenses, go ahead, this is great semi-pro cam, but if you can't then better get less expansive cam but good lenses and when you will outgrow you cam, always can get better one and keep great lense,
I would recomend start with XT or Rebel and buy good lenses, if money not an issue go with 20D

[mpdej8]

Like everyone else has said, depends alot on your budget. I just did alot of research on this subject as I just bought my first DSLR a couple weeks ago.


I really struggled between the (original) Canon Rebel and the Nikon D70, both are similar size. Then, I met the Canon Rebel XT. I fell in love with it. There is a significant size difference. My best advice is to go to a camera store, or Best Buy and hold the Rebel XT and the Nikon D70, you will feel a big difference. Personally, I like the smaller footprint.

Between the 3 cameras (original Rebel, Rebel XT, and D70), there are also significant differences in speed of the camera. Power on and shoot time, processing time, continuous burst shooting speed, etc. The original Rebel is very slow in all of these categories. That was the main thing that turned me off of the original Rebel.

So, then it was between the Rebel XT and the D70. As I said before, I like the smaller footprint. I also learned that the Rebel XT has pretty much the same "guts" as the 20D. Same DigicII image processor, very fast processor. The Rebel XT just has all the newest digital technology as compared to the Nikon D70. So, I went with the Canon Rebel XT. I love it, still learning how to use it, but it shoots great in full Auto mode as well, when you just can't figure out all the SLR stuff. The 20D costs about $500 more than the Rebel XT, so save the $500 and spend that on a nice lens.

Here is a review that guided my decision between the XT and the 20D.

http://www.completedigitalphotography.com/index.php?p=333


Have fun!

Matt

[CyberDyneSystems]

350D/XT

But be prepared to spend at least another grand on accesories and lenses.

[jobber73]

Personally, I like the smaller footprint.

Yes! It's so nice to see someone say that. Often the XT size is treated as a negative, but I don't think it's small at all. It's larger than my film SLR was!

I can't imagine lugging a larger camera around. For me the size of the XT was a plus.

[booggerg]

But keep this in mind, the largest investment in photography will NOT be the camera body! It will be the lenses. And dont try to fool yourself and say I only need one, maybe two. You will want MORE.

I disagree, for some people, that's not true. I reckon you've spent more on your body than your lenses.... :wink:

[oddball]

My first DSLR is the Rebel XT with no regrets or problems.

And yes, the size is actually comfortable for me


But be prepared to spend at least another grand on accesories and lenses.

...and from a financial angle, unfortunately true ;) .

[carson0627]

thank you all. It looks like I am going to get the 20D, but I will get to the local best buy to try them out first. Again, thank you all.

[bauerman]

300D - you can get them at a GREAT discount right now......makes them even a better deal than they were when first released. Great SLR to learn on.

Not that you can't learn on a 20D - but even Canon classifies it as for the "advanced ametuer".....

[4walls]

thank you all. It looks like I am going to get the 20D, but I will get to the local best buy to try them out first. Again, thank you all.
You may want to look at the 'body only' option along with Tamron or Sigma's new 18-200mm zoom lens if you are going to start off with only one lens for the camera. The new Canon IS lens with the 20D would also be a good choice.

Remember that you will lose a little on the wide angle end of the lens due to the magnification factor of the digital sensor (in relation to 35mm focal lengths). So seriously consider a zoom starting at 18mm as a starter lens.

[calgaryphotographer]

I have baught the 300D w/ 18-55 Kit Lens - AMAZING camera.

I know that in the next two/three years I will end up with a 1D(s) Mark II in my hands - but I want to know more before I make a big purchase.

[lostdoggy]

I'm a current DRebel user and I recommend the XT over the DRebel if your hand is smll enough to fit it. The 20D is a geat camera if you have SLR experience. Canon did an excellent job in upgrading the XT giving it Custom function, faster write speed to CF, and a faster AF. As for the D70, I've just read in an Bitish Mag that the Color from it is very poor by comparison to the Canon's DiGiC II. The D70 and its newer brother is compared o the XT and its older less able Big brother D100 is comparable to the 10D there really isn't a comparable Nikon to the 20D. If your budget can handle the 20D go for it you won't be disappointed.

But the best part of buying a Canon is being with good company. The peeps on this forum is great and very willing to help. You will be hard ress to find a Nikon Forum like this one.

[tacos3]

If you're going to shoot a lot in low light, the 20d with its DIGIC II processor is superior to the D70. They are both good cameras but the 20d and 1DmkII excel at high ISO, low noise photography. I use a simple rule of thumb, camera bodies are replaced every 12-18 months, lenses are kept for a lifetime.

33% of my investment goes into camera bodies, 50% in lenses and the rest in lighting. As I get ALL the lenses I need, the $$ will shift to lighting. Now all I have to do is figure out how to pay for that 200 1.8 and 300 2.8 lenses I've been wanting.....

Good luck....Darren

[Miyamoto Musashi]

Got the 20D for my first D-SLR. I went to Best buy and held all of the above models, and that's what sold me on the 20D. The cheaper feeling XT would drive me crazy forever. I am very pleased with the 20D and the learning curve was nothing. NOTHING>

[CoolToolGuy]

thank you all. It looks like I am going to get the 20D, but I will get to the local best buy to try them out first. Again, thank you all.

I would give serious consideration to getting the 20D kit with the EF-S 17-85 IS lens. It is far nicer than the 18-55, and it has IS. It has become my default walkaround lens in the warm months, when light is plentiful and I am outdoors more.

Have Fun,

[JakeC]

As a beginner buy the XT/350D it'll produce the same quality images whilst being a little less daunting. You'll want to spend anything extra on some quality glass. Lenses are forever, bodies are being upgraded faster than you can say megapixel.

[Tom W]

I would give serious consideration to getting the 20D kit with the EF-S 17-85 IS lens. It is far nicer than the 18-55, and it has IS. It has become my default walkaround lens in the warm months, when light is plentiful and I am outdoors more.

Have Fun,

A good combination. If you're not willing or able to part with that much cash, try the XT with a Canon 24-85 f/3.5-4.5. Build and design of that lens is typical of Canon's mid-priced line of lenses and it is about 1/2 the price of the 17-85. It isn't going to be real wide on the XT or 20D, due to the smaller sensor of those two cameras compared to full-frame, but it is a solid performer. You can always save up and go with a wider range in the future, while you enjoy shooting today. :)

[MadMesh]

20D > Rebel XT ... IT dont matter... $500 more.. are you kiddin me, ur gona spend that on ur next lens purchase... Hell, My next buy is a 70-200 IS cost about $1600 .. more than the camera! I hate thinking about it.. but its gona happen sooner or later man. L BUGGGG