Which to purchase Rebel XT or 20D? And which lens/equipments to buy?

Hello All,

Happy New Year!

I would like to purchase a D-SLR but I am having a hard time deciding which one to purchase. I am looking at the Rebel XT and 20D. Both of them seem similar and do not know whether the 20D is worth the extra cash. Also, I would like some suggestions on which lens to buy. If I purchase the Rebel XT, should I purchase the kit or just the body only and buy some other lens. Please help. Any suggestions will be great. Thank you.

What do you like to photograph? That will help towards deciding which camera is best.

The 20D is going to be better, if you need a simple answer, but that's why its a little more expensive.

If you like taking pictures of the road runner the 20d will be your best friend. If your taking pictures of a turtle, a XT will be your bext friend...

If you like taking pictures of plays, concerts, and other low light things the Canon 85MM 1.8 will be your best friend. If you like taking pictures of the sun the Canon 18-55mm f5.6 will be your best frined (don't take pics of the sun! ) But I think this is comedy style understanding.

I would like to use this camera for products, still protraits, animals and some city lights. This is what I will be using the D-SLR for. I am sorry that I did not clarify it before. So, if I were to purchase a D-SLR based on my above needs, which ones will be the best and the best lens/equipment? I am just confused reading the magazines and reviews, it is better to ask the pros. Thank you in advance for your help. Thank you.

The picture quality between the XT and 20D is the same. U might here some people argue this point but unless you are blowing the picture up really big (and then u would have to look for it) u won't notice. I would save the cash and get the XT and some nice glass.

You mentioned city lights. That to me says u will need some wide fast glass. Think about the 16-35L. I would get an 85 1.8 for portrait work and for the animals, one fo the following- 70-300 IS or 100-400L depending on the budget. This will cover ur initial needs. you could always add the 24-105L or 28-135 IS to fill in.

Good luck

The difference between price could get you a nice lens as others have said, such as the Canon 50mm f1.4 which seems very popular for portraits with the 1.6 crop.

Although some people say the 350d is too small and don't like the build quality, I think it's just fine and I have fairly large hands.

EDIT: It sounds like you don't really need the 5fps of the 20d, but if you still prefer its build quality, have you considered a used 10d? They go quite cheaply these days.

Thank you all for all of the replies so far. I just saw the Canon promotion on their lenses. Which ones would be the best ones on the promotional sale (one must have for all/most situations) for my inital needs. Thank you for putting up with a newbie. Thank you.

hmm..28-135MM IS and maybe a 420 ex should suit you pretty good.

For your needs I would say the XT over the 20D. The 20D is better for high speed photography such as sports and high speed animals. The 20D is significantly larger and heavier. People like me with big hands like that, others don't like lugging the weight around, though I find lugging lenses and an external flash are the main weight factor. The only other real difference is that the dial on the back of the 20D makes it a bit easier shooting in manual mode, but again only if you are shooting in a hurry, in which case you are unlikely to be shooting manual.

I don't know which lenses Canon has on promotion ATM and it's still hard to suggest lenses without an idea of budget guide lines. As for the camera body, both are a good choice. I have large hands (XL-2XL when I wear gloves) and have no problems with the size of the 350D/XT. I also think the 350D/XT is quite able to do high speed/fast action sports and animals as I shoot some pretty fast birds in-flight and it works fine for me.

The end image quality will be the same from both cameras as they are both 8 megapixels and both use the same internal processor (.2 of a megapixel is nothing). The jog dial/shuttle on the back of the 20D was the main reason I didn't buy it as I hated it but others love it so like many things it comes down to your personal choice.

I have used both cameras and the end results in images were the same, the 20D does have some extra features, are they worth the difference in cash ? If you don't know then I'd say there not worth it to you, for me I didn't see the value. I'd much sooner spend more money on lenses as this is what WILL make a difference in image quality, but if money/budget isn't an issue for you I'd grab the 20D. The thing I liked most about the 20D over the 350D/XT was the slightly brighter view-finder.

Back to lenses, if you give us an idea of what kind of money you plan to invest in glass it would make it alot easier to adivse a little. It's always nice to buy the best and it's good to do this but we all also have limitations so it's better to live within our means. One thing I'll say is I'd get the camera with the kit lens because it may not be the best but it's certainly good value and a good starting point. Stop it down and it works pretty good, also a good idea to get a good flash unit.

As for other lens ideas to look at =
Canon EF 50mm 1.8
Canon EF 85mm 1.8
Tamron SP90 Di 2.8 or Canon macro EF 100 2.8 (a macro lens maybe a good idea also for the product shooting depnding on the size of the objects and something in the 100mm range also makes good for portraits or nature like flowers and insects)
Then for animals it depends on if they are largish or smallish.
For large 300mm is good starting point, I'd look at Sigma's 100-300 or the 120-300, if you thinking birds and smallish or skidish animals you will want at least 400mm as a starting point and then I'd say look at the Canon EF 100-400L, Canon EF 400L 5.6 prime or Sigma's 50-500DG.

Well, you mentioned Canon promotion, so i figure you mean their rebate thing which lasts for like another week or so.

Some lens to consider from that setup would be the
Canon 85 f/1.8
Canon 50 f/1.4

These are good for portraits

When you say city lights, you defintely would want to invest in a tripod.

No idea what you mean by animals. Does that mean your animals or wildlife outside like birds and what not.

For your needs, go with the XT. A good lens to accompany it would be the 50 mm f1.4 or f.18. Obviously, the 1.4 is better but if you are on a budget, the 1.8 also does an excellent job. For what I do, I am very pleased with my XT.

I have used an XT and a 20D. Technically I still own the XT since nobody has bought it from me yet. I enjoy the 20D much more than the XT. Why? Personal preference. I prefer the dial on the back and the info LCD panel on top of the camera. I didn't think I would care but after using them both I really care for the 20D more.

Having said that, the XT is a perfectly capable camera in its own right. When I was using the XT I never regretted it and only upgraded because after all of the rebates and working some deals I got a 20D body only for $835. (Dell had a coupon and I used cashback from www.fatwallet.com and the $300 rebate.) Granted I only paid $750 for the XT but for $85 I upgraded.

Get yourself one of these:
http://www.buy.com …S/q/loc/101/103​90647.html

http://www.amazon.com …46&s=electronic​s&v=glance

Go with the 20D, you will not be disappointed.

Unfortunately, I really dont care for your comment here. I have an XT and have taken pictures of sporting events and fast action that have turned out very well. I do realize that the 20D does have double the frames per second, but I dont think that is much of a hinderance. I personally dont use the lead finger to capture my shots, and I dont know many people that do. The XT is a perfectly fine camera no matter what you wish to photograph. The extra money I saved buying the XT has given me the means to buy some decent glass. Personally until you can compare the two side by side in some length, I wouldnt make comments such as the one you made. Your suggestion is that the XT is as slow as a turtle, when that couldnt be further from the truth. I would appreciate it if you would keep comments like this to yourself.

Thanks,
Bill