First Post (help getting started)

Hi everyone! I am new to the idea of photography and would like to get some help making a decision on what camera to purchase ( Digital SLR). I have read some books and have taken an interest.
I would like to purchase a camera that will allow me to grow as a photographer, so not just a point and shoot will do. I am looking to spend in the neighborhood of $500 CDN give or take a few dollars. Some i have considered are Canon SLR (digital) Rebel XT and a used EOS 20D. both about the same price XT is new and the 20D is used like a stated above.
Any comments would be appreciated.

Welcome to POTN - enjoy your stay. The lounge is through the door on the left, and happy hour starts at 6

Well, those are both OK options, and it's a tough call between them.

The 20D is arguably the better camera, but after giving this some thought, and wanting to say something to keep this thread active, I'd go for the new XT myself.
Here's my reason: if whichever you buy happens to have a problem, and that is not rare, as a newcomer to digital photography, it may take you a time to realise that it isn't your fault. With a used camera, you may have no, or a limited warranty; however with a new one, you should be covered for a year. If you buy locally, you may also have local support, and if it is from a large outfit, they may even offer courses for beginners.

Those are my thoughts. I hope others chime in before long with theirs, and probably some brilliant ideas that haven't occurred to me.

Second that, buy the new one. After you outgrow it, you can sell it off and upgrade. Here's something else to ponder though - I've bought (and later sold) a lot of B-grade (consumer-grade) equipment over the years. Pro-grade quality equipment costs more the first time, but you don't end up buying everything twice or even three times. An example, lets say you need a long lens, so you get a 70-300 f/4 - f/5.6 or something like it. Say you pay $250. then you outgrow it, and decide you need a fast, pro-grade optic like a 70-200mm f/2.8 for $1100. So you sell off the first lens on eBay and get maybe $150 or so. You actually paid $1200 (=$100 + $1100) total to get where you are, instead of just buying the good lens in the first place for $1100. I can't tell you how many times I've done this. If you think you are going to get into this hobby or even do it professionally, it pays to buy quality first, once. You're never better than your equipment, and often it takes pro-grade equipment JUST TO GET THE JOB DONE.

If you know that you're going to go into this professionally, then I'm inclined to agree with nebula_42 that you should buy pro-grade equipment out of the gate ... assuming you can afford it (if not then at least you should buy the best you can afford).

If you're not going to go into this professionally, or are not sure about it, then the choice is less clear.

Buying new gets you the warranty and while that will give you some peace of mind, you do sacrifice something for it. In this case, the 20D is a significantly better camera than the 350D (a.k.a. Rebel XT). Reportedly, the 20D's autofocus system is noticeably better, particularly in low light. If you're looking to expand your horizons as much as possible, you'll want the camera to limit you as little as possible, and that argues for the 20D (or even a 30D if you can swing that).

I suspect the best way to minimize the chances of getting a dud 20D is to buy it from one of the people in the POTN market forum. Buy it from someone who has been a POTN member a while and who has racked up a number of messages, and chances are better it'll be someone who can be trusted (mainly because you'll at least know that they're not here only to sell their stuff). You can even look over their previous postings to see what sorts of things they talk about, if you want to get some idea of that sort of thing. There are no guarantees, of course, but there are things like that you can do to maximize the chances of a satisfying purchase.

Keep in mind that you'll need lenses as well. There's a lot of good advice on these forums about what lenses are excellent and what lenses to avoid. Some lenses, such as the kit lens, can be had for amazingly little money and are surprisingly good (see my sig for a link to a thread with some impressive pics taken with the 18-55 kit lens).

Good luck, and don't be afraid to ask questions! We're here to help.

EDIT: one more thing: you should go to a store (like Circuit City, Best Buy, or your local photography store) and handle both the 30D and the Rebel XTi. Those two bodies are almost identical to the 20D and the Rebel XT, respectively. If you find that the XTi is too small for your hands (as I did) then you'll be quite unhappy with the XT for that reason alone, even if it would otherwise meet your needs. That kind of issue would be a very good reason to go for the 20D despite the lack of new warranty.

Thanks for the help so far. It's interesting that people would recommend purchasing a new camera rather then one that has been lightly used (hopefully) which was worth twice the price or more a few years back. Any comments to this?? or would is it having a warranty that closes the deal for most?

One last thing, is anyone selling a good camera around the $500 range that would suit my needs (read above) I will be placing a new thread in the purchase section too. I am open to decent offers.

Thanks!

Read your PM's

I am with the new camera crowd. When it comes to cameras, I would never buy a used camera unless it was a certified factory refurb, or a fantastic deal from a well known, reputable seller. Cameras have mechanical parts that are prone to failure and expensive to fix. They are used in all sorts of environments, and are always in motion (not like say a TV that has probably sat in a piece of furniture its whole life). And in the case of the 20D (and almost all other DSLRs) even if it was very well taken care of, you don't know how many shots it has already fired. It may be on its last legs.

I'm going to go completely against the grain here, and vote "buy used".

My first DSLR was a 300D that I got off eBay. It is brilliant, but a few things like the buffer and FPS rate started to irk me.

So I got a used 20D from a POTN member, and it is also brilliant!

Maybe I'm just lucky, maybe I'm too naive and trusting. I have an old car that you can't get new parts for anymore, so spares come from eBay and other sites secondhand. So maybe I'm just used to the whole "why buy new when used will do?" culture. But so far it's paid off for me.

I just got a used 30D and had to immediately send it in
for a $200 clean and calibrate.
Go new.
Then start saving for a lens.
IMO L lenses make a difference in image quality.
One of the less expensive L's will cost more than your XT body.
Try Lensplay.com to quickly compare price and quality
then get an L that you can afford.
You will keep your L's way longer than your bodies.