Help deciding between XS and XSi

JC32 wrote in post #8643615
Anymore advice guys?

do a simple side by side comparison
http://www.dpreview.co​m/reviews/sidebyside.a​sp

go for the XSi (450D)

watt100 wrote in post #8643793
do a simple side by side comparison
http://www.dpreview.co​m/reviews/sidebyside.a​sp

go for the XSi (450D)

Or you could try this one:

http://www.dpreview.co​m …/canoneos1000d/​page31.asp

And see that they have identical IQ.

From everything I have read, the XS and XSI will have the same image quality, if all you care about it best image quality for the price get the XS. The XSI has some bells and whistles that many people valued in excess off the extra charge. However, from what you have said, I think you will be happy with the XS. Pardon my assumption, but I sense you will not be shooting much RAW, so who cares about the 1.5 fps in raw.

Get the XS, spend the $100 saved on nice memory cards, tripod, bag, battery, and an external hard drive because you're about to fill your current one up.

JC32 wrote in post #8643615
Anymore advice guys?

If I was making the decision, I'd forget both Rebel Models and buy a used 40D off the Buy/Sell forum

Way better camera and a bit bigger in frame size so it feels more comfortable in your hands

I dont mind the Rebels, but after a day of shooting, my hands cramp up from how small the handgrip is

EveryMilesAMemory wrote in post #8643839
If I was making the decision, I'd forget both Rebel Models and buy a used 40D off the Buy/Sell forum
Way better camera and a bit bigger in frame size so it feels more comfortable in your hands
I dont mind the Rebels, but after a day of shooting, my hands cramp up from how small the handgrip is

the OP could do that and hope he doesn't get any problems from a three year old (discontinued) model or he could get a brand new XSi or XS and get better image quality and ISO performance right out of the box. true, he will have to suffer from the lighter and smaller size - the horrors!

Get the XSI

EveryMilesAMemory wrote in post #8643839
I dont mind the Rebels, but after a day of shooting, my hands cramp up from how small the handgrip is

I agree that the 40D is more comfortable to hold in the hand, but I think that your statement is a bit of an exagerration. How often have you really held your camera in your hand, supported by only the grip, for an entire day?

I agree with the XSi. When I bought my first dSLR things like spot metering and extra AF points meant squat to me. Trouble is, it doesn't take long for the photo fever to catch up with you and when you understand the importance of such things. I started with an Olympus e-520 cause i wanted it yesterday so I spent what I had, not knowing about anything else ahead. I got very frustrated and now have a 50D and have spent much more money than doing just a bit more waiting.

Just my opinion.

Recognize that you have written to a group of people who are obsessed by cameras (me included). It's a little difficult to make a recommendation without knowing more about your expectatations and how you plan to use the camera.

If you are buying a digital slr because you want better pictures, but don't really want to make a big effort to learn the camera - i. e., you plan to shoot most of the time in automatic mode, I'm sure that you'll find either the XS or the XSi to produce excellent pictures under circumstances that a point and shoot couldn't. On the other hand, you need to recognize that no camera can produce great pictures in some very difficult circumstances unless you spend some effort on learning the camera's controls and limitations.

My first digital SLR was a Digital Rebel - a camera that is less capable than either the XS or the XSi, but it produced excellent pictures.

In the end, if the difference in price is an important factor in your decision, you should feel comfortable with the XS - it will do well by you.

Go with the XS

No believe me I plan on exploring the camera and learning the manual modes and everything about DSLR photography....That being said I'm not advanced enough to really need the spot metering and etc, but I'm on a budget and wanna get the best quality camera for my money...In the end tho, image quality is very important to me as I'm sure with all of you...if I get the XSi plus a 3 year warranty, I wont have enough money to buy a camera bag and a few other accessories , but if I go the XS route with the extended warranty, i'll have enough left over to buy that camera bag and a few other accessories, but not if I'm not gonna be happy and not satisfied if I didn't get the XSi...

johnbachel wrote in post #8644102
Recognize that you have written to a group of people who are obsessed by cameras (me included). It's a little difficult to make a recommendation without knowing more about your expectatations and how you plan to use the camera.

If you are buying a digital slr because you want better pictures, but don't really want to make a big effort to learn the camera - i. e., you plan to shoot most of the time in automatic mode, I'm sure that you'll find either the XS or the XSi to produce excellent pictures under circumstances that a point and shoot couldn't. On the other hand, you need to recognize that no camera can produce great pictures in some very difficult circumstances unless you spend some effort on learning the camera's controls and limitations.

My first digital SLR was a Digital Rebel - a camera that is less capable than either the XS or the XSi, but it produced excellent pictures.

In the end, if the difference in price is an important factor in your decision, you should feel comfortable with the XS - it will do well by you.

tkbslc wrote in post #8644020
I agree that the 40D is more comfortable to hold in the hand, but I think that your statement is a bit of an exagerration. How often have you really held your camera in your hand, supported by only the grip, for an entire day?

For the middle of July this year, we both (my wife and I who shoot as a team) covered the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo which meant we were shooting for about 8 hours each day. Camera in hand the entire time for 6 days straight

Covered Bonnaroo Music Festival in 2007 which meant we both had cameras in our hands from sun up to well beyond sundown for 4 days straight

Covered CMA Music Fest in Nashville which meant a camera in both our hands for the entire week of the festival

Covered numerous bike shows, auto shows, music events and rodeos that all mean we have a camera in our hand for very long periods of time....so yeah, the comfort of the camera in our hands is one of the main selling factors of which body we choose and why all of our cameras have the grips on the bottom to add the comfort of holding them for long periods of time

Also why we originally chose Canon over Nikon, because Nikons are built with more metal, or used to be in the film days when we started shooting, and Canon's were half the weight

JC32 wrote in post #8644200
No believe me I plan on exploring the camera and learning the manual modes and everything about DSLR photography....That being said I'm not advanced enough to really need the spot metering and etc, but I'm on a budget and wanna get the best quality camera for my money...In the end tho, image quality is very important to me as I'm sure with all of you...if I get the XSi plus a 3 year warranty, I wont have enough money to buy a camera bag and a few other accessories , but if I go the XS route with the extended warranty, i'll have enough left over to buy that camera bag and a few other accessories, but not if I'm not gonna be happy and not satisfied if I didn't get the XSi...

Skip the bogus warranty and buy the XSI with the other items you`re after.
Extended warranties are a suckers bet. Today's electronics are very good.
This camera is an entry level purchase and you`ll probably upgrade before long, so spend that warranty money elsewhere.

I've got the 1000D (or XS as it might be known) and I'm happy with it. The money I saved over a 450D (XSi) bought me a bag and a few accessories like rocket blower and lens pen etc. It seems to be much of a muchness between the two, so you might as well save yourself a few quid (dollars).

I agree about the extended warranty - in most cases they are a bad investment. You will get a year warranty from Canon when you buy the new camera. It's unlikely that you'll ever need it. I've had a Digital Rebel, XSi, and 40D (used). None has had a problem.