what do we think about this one? any thoughts? dpreview seems pretty pleased. considerably cheaper than the 20d.

 

I have actually purchased the 350D aka Rebel XT just last sunday. So far I am in absolute love. The camera I have been using was a 35mm canon EOS-1 from about 12 years ago. If you don't know yet, the 350D is currently the smallest and lightest digital SLR you can buy. Some people prefer their camera to have a well weighted camera so it feels good in the hand, but I don't mind the small design at all. I actually love the small design, since I can bring it with me just about everywhere I go.

I think the 350D is a wonderful camera, for its money's worth. This little camera packs quite a punch in image quality. I bought mine as a kit for $900, the kit comes with a 18-55mm lens which goes quite well with the 350D in terms of size. I don't use that lens much though, since I already have a few. Overall, the 350D is great if you don't mind the size of it.

 

thanks for the review! sounds like a good deal too. i love canon cameras. was conisdering the 20d but this came along. might have to go for it instead.

 

Consumer reports still lists the Canon S410 in its latest review. It isn't as small as its replacement the SD400, but it has a decent movie mode and can print directly to certain printers through printbridge (if you are believe in printing yourself and dealing with inks,etc.) You can get these from mass marketers now on eBay for about 225.00, but you'll need more memory. I got mine for 235.00 shipped from an Amazon.com partner and it is great. It has a metal case and 4 megapixels. These retailed new for like $350+. Its hard to imagine a more solid and versatile camera for around 200.00 bucks. I had a Nikon Coolpix 4600 with a plastic case and no sound and got rid of it.
Don't mean to highjack this thread, but I thought I use a camera discussion to tell forum members about this great camera from last year's stock that is still available new in boxes. Oh, by the way, it is still small enough to fit in a pocket. So, who needs to pay $350 for the new one because its a little smaller?

 

I have a 300D and had a 350D. I liked the quality of the 350D images, nothing wrong there - and it was faster to boot up, and *slightly* faster to shoot with, but in RAW virtually identical performance. JPG was faster and shot more in burst, if you shoot that way.

I took it back for three reasons: First, it wasn't worth more than $50 over the 300D performance wise when shooting in RAW.

Second, It was WAY too small for me. It felt cramped, especially at the grip. I have big hands, and it's a step away from the standard Canon Pro series bodies. It's definitely aimed at consumers.

Third, I didn't like the button and **** layout compared to the 300D. The top selection **** is knurled metal rather than indented plastic as all the other series, the buttons are harder to push in some cases, and more easily bumped in others. The layout just does not flow with the rest of the line on up. It didn't impress me for what I do with it. If it were just for snapshots, sure it would be a fun toy.

 

drsms22 - thanks for the tip but i'm after a DSLR, not a point and shoot.

i should probably play around with one to get the feel of it as it is smaller. my hands are big too so i'm wondering if it'll bother me as much.

 

I have a 10D with the vertical grip. Probably pick up a 20D at some point and let the 10D play back up. Both Rebels have felt too small for me. But for the price/technology point the XT is a great deal.

 

I am playing with it and still sorting it out but first impression is that it shoots very fast and is easy to use. Macro setting with kit lense works well.

There were some deals on fatwallet.com hot deals forum where people were getting the kit for about $700 from dell. I bought it from costco.com however with their great return policy.

I also just got the SD500 too which is incredibly portable. Check out DPreview.com for some good reviews on both.

 

I considered the XT when shopping for an entry level SLR and couldnt pull the trigger. I didnt think it was too small overall, but its poorly designed for its size. It feels unnatural in my normal sized hands. I think its a good camera but that was the deal breaker for me. Definately feel the camera before buying it. FWIW, I went with the *ist Ds instead. Pentax doesnt have the selection of glass that Canon has, but they have quite a few nice pieces.


--
Cheese

 

Hafid: have you had a chance to put your hands on an XT yet to check out how the controls feel to you?

I haven't played with the XT, but on paper, I think I would get the XT with the 17-85 IS over the 20D, then put the money saved towards some nice glass like the 70-200 F/4 or 70-200 F/2.8 IS. Just my $0.02 from when I flirted with going the canon route.

 

A friend chose the 20d after much consideration of the XT. In the long run the controls just felt better/better placed (as is the shutter as someone here on this forum mentioned), and the quality of the camera/materials was higher. In the end the cost difference was not huge, and in thinking about the overall expense (which is a lot of money in either case) and the point of such a high end purchase a few hundred for the better camera seemed to make sense.

As an aside, buying the body only worked out well as the standard pkg lens does not seem to be very good. This leaves the option of finding nice used lenses for a good deal, non canon options, or whatever suits your needs and budget.

Also, a nice promo going on now is a $100 rebate on the 20d (as well as some lenses):
http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/con...=PromotionsAct

Just be sure that you buy the camera from an authorized dealer to claim the rebate. To check the reseller call the Canon support number with the reseller's name and zip code and they can confirm it. I found the camera available for a variety of prices and both Dell and Abt had promotions at the time that made it much less then retail. If you are serous about getting a deal you can find them, just look around, find online coupons and sales, and you can save a lot

 

My wife is a professional photographer. It was always her love and its been her business for some time now. She's never owned anything but Canons. She has a 10D, a 20D, and a 1DS Mark II. Depending on what sort of shoot she is on, she prefers to take the 20D. It has good enough image resolution for most work and is compact and lightweight. Stay away from the 10D. The XT is a fine camera that has good basic features for the entry level buyer; very similar to te 20D. Recommend on getting the cheaper camera as it gives you more money for all the expensive L series EF lenses you'll likely to eventually buy! Stay away from the EF-s lenses as they don't fit the upper range of Canon's cameras. XT or 20D you can't go wrong because you get to use the great Canon lenses. Don't forget to same some money for Adobe's Photoshop (Elements 3.0 is ok for starters).

 

Actually, the trend is TOWARDS the EF-S lenses, as the sensors are coming down in size, yet higher resolution. There are some really good ef-s lenses out this year, you are no longer limited to the crappy standard kit lens. In a few years you might even see a 1DSIII with a reduced frame sensor, wait and see.

 

As I said, don't buy the EF-S lenses now. Get the EF lenses to suit your purpose, L glass if you can afford it and quality matters. Buy Canon, although there are some good Tamron lenses. Stay away from Sigma. Trends are fine for future purchase consideration. Not immediate purchase. Your lenses are more important than your body. Buy as good as you can afford. Good luck with your purchase and happy photo'ing!

 

I highly doubt that. A bigger sensor is intrinsically going to produce a higher quality image, that is why the DSLR sensors are so much larger than PnS sensors (and consequently have much lower noise). The trend is certainly not towards smaller sensors as Nikon too has a full frame rumored to be on the way in their next batch of cameras to compete with Canon's professional full frame DSLRs. I wouldn't be suprised to see a full frame prosumer DSLR within the next 2 or 3 years.

 

Why do you say stay away from Sigma? My experiences with Sigma's EX (professional) line has been nothing but superb. Not only do they produce a much larger range of professional type lenses than any other 3rd party, but they're also the only third party manufacturer to have their own version of Canon/Nikon's USM/SWM and IS/VR (HSM and OS respectively). My Sigma 70-200/2.8 is truly outstanding, for the price no other lens I've seen comes close!

 

interesting comments. Dave, I need to just play around with one to see how comfortable I am with it. Hopefully will do that this week and let you know my thoughts!

haf

 

My wife bought me a rebel XT for fathers day... she still loves me after all these years...
Anyway... I liked the camera but it didn't feel right to me. I also wanted the larger buffer of the 20d.. So I returned the camera and bought the 20D.
I got it from Costco with the less than perfect 18-55 lens. The price was $1299 with the rebate. Which is less than most places for just the body.... The camera feels much more substantial and better weighted. I also like the fact that it is a magneisum alloy as opposed to plastic body. While the rebel is a great camera, its still too costly to be made of plastic... it just feels wrong to me, IMHO Still a fine full featured camera that just falls a little too short.. Will post some pics of the mini with 20D when I get the car...

 

well it looks like i'm going to pickup one DSLRs of these this week i hope. the irony is i'm selling my car i never drive it anymore as i'm never home so i'm not going to bother with it.

the funny part is my mum is buying the car which is a hoot if you ask me. so i suppose i'll still get to drive it when i go visit the fam in kansas city (which is where I bought it from in the first place).

 

Interesting. First I'd heard you were event thinking of selling it. Makes sense though given your travel schedule.

Any idea yet which way you're going to go on the 350D vs. 20D decision?

 

I'm going with the 350D...for the most part this is based on price. I won't be carrying it around with me all the time but I will use it quite a bit I'm sure. I'll actually be shooting a wedding in late Sept in in NorCal so I'll be anxious to get in some practice before then. They're good friends and it's a relaxed wedding so it's nothing to fear really. Should be a fun thing to do!