Rebel XT or Minolta 7D?

I think I read the new Pentax DSLR's will have body incorperated IS now like the old Minolta's. And Pentax still makes lenses under the Pentax and Samsung labels.

Thank you all for your comments. They've all been helpful.

I think I have decided on the 350D. I don't think I can go wrong with the Canon, but the Minolta gives me an uneasy feeling. I think the Canon is also capable of producing better results.

I probably won't buy one for at least a couple more days, so if anyone has any other comments, I'd be happy to see them.

There is nothing to be concerned about support for Minolta. Sony has officially commited to continue the service for KM DSLR: http://www.sony.co.uk …2610582823&site​=odw_en_GB
Also, the new line of Sony DSLR (AKA Alpha) will be close to the ex-KM bodies. The first one will be released very, very soon. Alpha bodies will use the KM lens system, so it's another reason not to be worried about continuity.

You should compare your 2 options based upon both the body itself and the lens system.
IMO, the 7D offers more for the price. But Canon lens line definitely has an edge over KM (more diversity, some unmatched killer lenses).

What I say here is that if you decide to go for the 350D over the 7D, it should not be for unfounded reasons (support).

Good luck with your decision!

Krapo wrote:
There is nothing to be concerned about support for Minolta. Sony has officially commited to continue the service for KM DSLR: http://www.sony.co.uk …2610582823&site​=odw_en_GB
Also, the new line of Sony DSLR (AKA Alpha) will be close to the ex-KM bodies. The first one will be released very, very soon. Alpha bodies will use the KM lens system, so it's another reason not to be worried about continuity.

You should compare your 2 options based upon both the body itself and the lens system.
IMO, the 7D offers more for the price. But Canon lens line definitely has an edge over KM (more diversity, some unmatched killer lenses).

What I say here is that if you decide to go for the 350D over the 7D, it should not be for unfounded reasons (support).

Good luck with your decision!

I agree. Everything official from both companies I've read is consistent with that.

Here's a little more info about Sony's agreement for anyone interested.

I found this brief article about Sony's new Alpha DSLR line. This is a picture of the 5D. To me, the Alpha looks exactly like the 5D with a Sony logo. I wonder if it really is the case that Sony will be selling the same camera as a Sony. It doesn't seem like they have had a lot of development time since taking over the camera division to make major changes. Of course, KM might have already had a successor in development.

My guess about this $699 deal is that Wal-Mart got a good deal on an inventory of 7D's after it was announced that Sony would be buying KM's camera division.

I do kind of wonder about future firmware development with Sony. I doubt KM would have released further firmware revisions anyway, but it seems even less likely that Sony would.

Another thing I wonder about is the reliability of KM's image stabilization system. Shifting the sensor in two dimensions is one more moving part to wear out or fail. I haven't seen any information regarding its reliability, so that's kind of an unknown for me. With either camera, I will be purchasing it with a credit card that doubles the one-year warranty to a two-year warranty for free, so maybe I shouldn't be too concerned. However, I'm not sure Sony is obligated by their agreement to make repair services available outside KM's original one-year warranty. I assume they will though, or they will have a lot of unhappy people to deal with.

I don't have any lenses at this point, so I am free to choose either system. I really hate getting locked into a system like this, but there's really no choice but to get locked into one or the other. Canon seems to have the better system overall (as you've pointed out). With either camera I would be starting with the kit lens and buying additional lenses as I see fit in the future. At this point, I don't plan on amassing a huge collection of lenses, and I'm probably too much of a cheapskate to ever consider an L series lens. However, I think by picking Canon I will be keeping my options more open to a better selection of lenses in case I change my mind.

At $699 for the 7D, it's not easy for me to pick one over the other. Before I place an order, I'm probably going to go to a store to play with a 350D once more to decide how important its compact size is to me and how convenient its controls are to use.

go read on some reviews on the 7D. The IS feature is alright. But with the Canon's excellent performance at high ISO, one don't really need the onboard IS feature at all. If budget is a concern, then consider the Nikon d50. Also Oly's e-500 has a special deal going on right now that comes with two lenses! I was very tempted by it. But the Rebel XT won out due to sheer image quality stuff. not to mention I came from a Canon 35mm EOS background.

i still havent decided between canon nikon and pentax, but basically canon and nikon have more lenses available, all 3 are good cameras, and what matters more is the person behind the camera! you can't go wrong with any of the major brands IMHO

I believe the Minolta 7D is reported to have lower luminance noise across the board than the 20D ...

Bob_A wrote:
I believe the Minolta 7D is reported to have lower luminance noise across the board than the 20D ...

whoa! then the 7D it is!!! i read the 5d's ergonomics are horrible. Will it be the same with the 7D?

The 5D is an excellent camera with IMO nicely layed out controls, as is the 20D. Not sure where you've read that the "5d's ergonomics are horrible".

Minolta made some good DSLR's, and it's a shame that they couldn't continue. Personally I bought a 20D because of the Canon "system", and the only alternative that I would have considered at the time was Nikon.

Noise test results are shown at the bottom of this page.

According to most of the 7D reviews I've seen, the ergonomics are superb. One of the 7D's strongest features is its use of real controls instead of menus. Most people indicate that having to use menus on this camera is rare. I haven't seen the 7D in person and likely never will since it is being discontinued. From what I've read, though, the 7D is a clear winner over the 350D when it comes to ergonomics.

the dynax 7d is a really good camera ,when i picked one up i was smitten,it just felt psrt of my hand,even more so than the 20d i have now,all the settings are on control and not through menu ,which i liked and was extremely well built,but the extra 2mp,and image quality ,and whole system swung it for me ,the 7d just came out a year to late ,most manufactures had moved on in tech terms and the 7d was behind,but none the less its still a good camera.....but i wouldnt buy one now...the canon brand is way ahead of its game ,and has been for a long time

Its worth reading back, especially the "Similar threads" box

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=99955

Looking at the review in DPreview posted by Zrebel its clear that the 7D has less noise than the 20D because of heavier softening which clearly loses detail.

The Canon range of cameras produce better image quality.

I'm thinking about buying a 7D, I'm not too impress with feel of Rebel 350xt and seems to feel cheap. I'm having a hard time between the Canon 20d and Minolta 7D, but at $699 the Minolta is starting to look real good. The money I save could go to some better lenses for the camera.

The fit finish and ergonomics of the 7D have never been the issue, it's now finding the glass. Minolta glass is running low if not out of stock on the retail shelves from what I've seen.

That said, if you don't mind a 3rd party lens kit like Sigma for example. The shelves are good for you. And the fact that the 7D adds IS to all the Sigma f2.8 glass is a total plus IMO.