350D or 20D

[993cpe]

Trying to decide what to buy: 350D or 20D
I am going to use this primarily for taking action shots of my kids: volleyball, baseball, basketball.
A friend told me to use a 100mm/F2 lens.
Any thoughts?
Relatively amateur photograher.

[AjP]

if $$$ not an issue get 20D

[Jon, The Elder]

1) The 20D will give you 5fps burst rate as opposed to 3fps for the 350xt. The 20D has greater flexability in programming. If you are shooting the sports listed, that means you are inside and the lighting will be from marginal to really lousy. Your built in flash is useless after about 10-12ft. A 420EX (canon) or better is a mandatory accessory. Yes you will need as fast and as long a zoom as you can afford. It is all about light !!! How much gets in and how fast.
I suggest you check out a few forums and ask what people are using now. This will give you first hand info from real users who are shooting the same subjects you are interested in.
PM me for details.

[993cpe]

During my daughter's volleyball matches, you cannot use flash photography. So I guess I need to find out what kind of lens will be best under those conditions. As i said before, a friend uses a 100mm/F2 lens and his results were good. I am thinking of another lens to get and have heard that a 17-85mm might be a good choice as opposed to the 18-55 that comes with the camera.

[askohen]

I would go for the 20D. I had a similar dilemma. I found the XT too small for my hands, and my hands are not that big.

Splurge on the body, get a kit lens, and buy a better lens when you have the cash. Also, the view finder is a good deal bigger on the 20D. I had trouble seeing with the XT, and after all photography is about seeing.

You will not regret the 20D.

[grego]

During my daughter's volleyball matches, you cannot use flash photography. So I guess I need to find out what kind of lens will be best under those conditions. As i said before, a friend uses a 100mm/F2 lens and his results were good. I am thinking of another lens to get and have heard that a 17-85mm might be a good choice as opposed to the 18-55 that comes with the camera.

The 20D will defintely be better for you for something with low light in a gym. The high ISO is pretty acceptable with a 20D. And the ability to underexpose a little with RAW(to clean it up later) will help you much more. The faster camera combined with RAW(if you decide to use it), is probably the best way to go combined with a good lens. You will need to spend a little bit here.

For lens that are good for indoor(depending on where you can be in the gym):
24-70 2.8(Tamron has a great inexpensive solution) or 70-200 2.8 for zooms

85mm 1.8 or 50 1.4 for primes (under 400 dollars with atleast a 3 year warranty from mack camera).

[RikWriter]

I'd go with the 20D for action shots, definitely.

[voksboy]

I had the same dilema in regards to these to camera's, less than a month ago. I picked the 20D and never looked back! It's really a great camera :)

[tim]

The 20D is faster in burst mode (which I never use), and is quicker to operate because it has more external controls. There are other differences, but they're the main ones, and most people can forget the rest, except the 350D is a fair bit smaller. If you think you need the advantages, get the 20D, otherwise get the 350D.

[Jesper]

Look here:
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT (350D) vs. EOS 20D - A Comparison (http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/digital/eos_digital_rebel_xt_vs_20d.html)