D-Reb v. 20D v XTi

So I'm pondering upgrading from a Digital Rebel that I have, to either a 20D or an XTi.

I'm using a firmware hacked D-Reb, what advantages do the 20D and the XTi offer over the D-reb besides the higher MP count? (DReb is 6, 20D is 8, XTi is 10, correct?)

How about the advantages or disadvantages of a 20D vs. XTi? What are their strengths and weaknesses?

Thanks in advance for any and all input

I went from a XT to the 20D and couldn't be happier. Better controls, better build, way faster start-up, larger buffer, faster frame rate, better high iso performance, to name but a few. The size of the 20D will be closer to the drebel, the XTi is apt to feel kind of small. Difference between 8mp and 10mp is negligable, and the jury is still out on the merits of the dust cleaning feature.

I went from XT to 20D instead of XTi. On the XT I found that without the Battery grip the camera was not comfortable in my hand so I left it on all the time. I cannot comment on 8Mp vs 10Mp but I like the feel of the 20D and the controls are much better (change ISO without going through clunky menus).

All I can say is that the focus on the 20D is sooooooo much better than the XT, I cannot see how the XTI would be too much better than the 20D. You would not be disappointed with a 20D.

Some may not like my opinion but after having used a Rebel XT with battery grip and moving to a 20D I could never happily use any Rebel (XT, XTi or otherwise) again. The 20D:
-is bigger and is actually comfortable to use w/out a grip
-tougher metal body
-has a bigger, brighter viewfinder that uses a pentaprism vs. penta mirror which makes manual focusing easier
-command wheel which makes aperture in M easier as well as other scrolling
-faster fps at 5fps compared to Rebel's 3fps
-max shutter of 1/8000 compared to Rebel's 1/4000 (not always that useful but there)
-max ISO of 3200 compared to Rebel's 1600

Forgot to add: more MP does not mean better image; the bigger lcd means very little-although bigger is nicer, its most important use should be to check histogram for correct exposure; dust reduction is at best slightly beneficial and at worst a useless gimmick-all cameras will have some implementation of it in the future but I don't think it adds much value currently.

can someone comment on the file buffer? my biggest gripe with my dReb is that I always fill the buffer very quickly. sux when you are taking portraits of your kid. almost embarassing if you are taking pictures of your friends kid. almost.

thanks in advance!

-joel

I haven't tested it properly, but that was my main problem with the 300D as well. Many a time I got frustrated because I was holding the shutter button down and nothing was happening except for the dreaded red light.

Like I said, can't give you figures, but I can tell you that I have never been anything other than impressed with my 20D. It has never reached a point where I wished it was writing faster.

Hope this helps.

PS Do it! You won't regret it. But like someone said, the only catch may be that once you go XXD, you'll never go back.

Biggest difference wil be in the handling and responsiveness of the cameras. You will have a lot bigger buffer, be able to focus with the thumb, be able to turn it on and shoot almost instantly, review shots immediately, and not hit the buffer as much. You may notice a bit less noise at ISO 800/1600 as well.

The XTi will feel smaller and maybe less secure with similar control layout. The LCD will be a lot bigger.

The 20D will feel bigger and more sturdy with better ergonomics.

It really depends on what you are looking for.

Tee Why wrote in post #4215184
be able to focus with the thumb

que?

can you explain that one to me?

-joel

As said above, the XTi is quite small comared to the 20D. i have very small hands, and the XTi seems small to me. BUT, the XTi does have a sensor cleaning system, which has worked out very nicely IMO.
I'm going to invest in a Battery Grip to give my body more meat to hold on to. That's my only negative opinion about the XTi, is that it feels tiny to me.

jojotherider wrote in post #4216103
que?

can you explain that one to me?

-joel

custom function 4-1 allows you to focus with the * button by the right thumb.

I've got both the DReb and 20D for different reasons. To answer your question: YES! Upgrade. The 300D, while still a perfectly great camera, is so much slower, clunkier, and older.

And yes, while everyone always says stuff like "6MP, 8MP, 10MP, all the same", I'm going against this trend and saying that you WILL appreciate the additional MP, mainly if you crop your shot, want to print large prints, and just need that extra resolution. Hey, you can still surf the web, word process, and make spreadsheets perfectly fine with a pentium II computer, but it's REALLY nice to have technology that's not 5 generations old.

I still use my 300D regularly, but mainly as a backup, or a teaching camera.

I went from a 300D to a 350D and the difference was pretty big at the time for all the things you've mentioned. Buffer on the XT didn't fill up nearly as much as it did for me on the 300D.

Start up time on the XT is also much quicker, causing me to miss far less shots. The 300d startup time was very annoying for me as I take a lot of candids and missed quite a few oppurtunities.

Handling was the only thing I missed with the 300. It just was the right size. The XT is a bit small but a battery grip goes a long way in making the camera more ergonomically correct.

Tee Why wrote in post #4216353
custom function 4-1 allows you to focus with the * button by the right thumb.

is that the same as pressing the shutter half-way?

I'm fairly certain that I'll be getting the 20d. I'm looking at used prices and I've seen quite a few priced at $500 around here (thank you canon for releasing the 40d). This is price more comparable to the XT rather than the XTi, but I'm starting to see the XTi for around $600-$700 used w/ lenses and memory. That's one of the benefits of living in a high-tech area (Seattle-Redmond). People always want the latest and greatest and they have the $$$ to buy it. Those of us without the $$$ can sometimes benefit from their bad decisions . Something something about another man's trash is another man's treasure?

I'll probably try and run into a store this week to try them both in hand. I played with a friend's XTi the other day and didn't feel like it was a big step up from my dRebel. I only took a handful of shots though. I didn't really mess around with it very much. I can tell you from the few minutes I had it in my hand, I didn't care for the ergonomics or missing the LCD screen. That's something that just takes getting used to, i suppose. I did however find that the 3fps was lacking. I've already got that with my dRebel. I was less than excited about it.

I haven't decided whether or not to keep my dRebel. I've started doing family portraits for friends and it may be nice to have the backup just in case. Plus it would be nice to have something to take up snowboarding from time to time and not worry about it as much. although, I'd rather have 5fps snowboarding over 3fps.

Another question I have is if my extra batteries from my dRebel will work on the 20d. I just bought 2 sterlingtek batteries two months ago and though they aren't expensive, I don't want to order another set. I'm pretty sure they will, but can someone confirm?

Not sure about 20D (never used it), but XTi offers about 2 stops advantage over 300D in low light performance (I am talking about the noise in the printed photo, not the noise per pixel).