Planning on buying the XTi / 400D

Carlo Mendoza · Sep 16, 2006

Planning on buying the XTi / 400D

I've been looking at the Canon XTi and the Nikon D80 for my first dSLR buy. I had the chance of testing the XTi today at a local store, and now, I'm leaning towards buying it.

Several things that I makes me think of buying the XTi:

1. I've been very satisfied with how photos turn out with Canon cameras.

2. I own a PowerShot S50 and a ZR500 which use the NB-2L & NB-2LH batteries. I have several of these at my disposal.
3. It's light.
4. It's cheaper.

I've looked at online merchants selling "body only" and "with lens kit". When they say "body only", do they literally mean it doesn't come with the accessories that normally come with it in the box? What comes with a "body only" XTi? Does it mean it does not included the lens?

Since I have no previous experience with SLRs or film photography (the PowerShot S50 was my very first camera), I'm thinking of a general lens. I particularly like macro, landscapes, and portrait shots. I'm looking for a beginner lens that I can basically take anywhere and be satisfied having only that lens with me.

Can this be satisfied by the lens kit (EF-S 18-55mm II) included with the XTi? Is this lens kit something that I might "grow out of" quickly? Is there a lens that I should consider (instead of buying the kit with EF-S 18-55mm II), that is within the price range and might suit me better?

How much advantage can I have with lenses with IS? Is this something I should consider at this stage?

What other necessary accessories do I need to buy?

Any recommendations where to buy for a very low price?

ToddJohnson · Sep 16, 2006

Body only includes everything in the box except for the 18-55 lens.

18-55 is decent outdoors... but doesn't do macro. Does landscapes well, and portraits so so. It doesn't do well indoors since it is so "slow".

Good
You can get the kit with the lens and get a 50 2.5 Macro lens
(or 60 2.8) which will offer Macro ability, better sharpness for portraits
and much better low light photos.

Better
Or you can get a Body only kit and purchase a Sigma 17-70 Macro,
which will offer macro, low light capability indoors, better sharpness
and great landscapes with less cromatic abberations than the kitlens.
(no blue tree branches)

Best

You can get the Body only kit with the Tamron 17-50 2.8 or Canon 17-50 2.8 IS which is stabilized. A Sigma 105 mm 2.8 Macro lens.

For Tele long zoom range you get

Budget
Sigma 70-300 APO DG. Best value for money.

Better
Any 70-200 lens. Sigma or Canon.

Todd

Carlo Mendoza said:
Since I have no previous experience with SLRs or film photography
(the PowerShot S50 was my very first camera), I'm thinking of a
general lens. I particularly like macro, landscapes, and portrait
shots. I'm looking for a beginner lens that I can basically take
anywhere and be satisfied having only that lens with me.

Can this be satisfied by the lens kit (EF-S 18-55mm II) included
with the XTi? Is this lens kit something that I might "grow out of"
quickly? Is there a lens that I should consider (instead of buying
the kit with EF-S 18-55mm II), that is within the price range and
might suit me better?

How much advantage can I have with lenses with IS? Is this
something I should consider at this stage?

What other necessary accessories do I need to buy?

Any recommendations where to buy for a very low price?

Hosebag · Sep 16, 2006

Keep in mind that the LCD on an SLR camera is only for previewing the image AFTER the shot is taken. You don't look at the LCD to frame your shot, you look into the little eyepiece. I bought the body only and added the 24-105 L IS lens and couldn't be happier, this is one fine piece of glass.
Look here for lens reviews:
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/

Carlo Mendoza · Sep 16, 2006

funny that you mentioned that. Although I know the eyepiece was needed to frame shots, I kept trying to make it preview on the LCD when I was trying it.

Lan · Sep 16, 2006

Carlo Mendoza said:
Can this be satisfied by the lens kit (EF-S 18-55mm II) included
with the XTi? Is this lens kit something that I might "grow out of"
quickly? Is there a lens that I should consider (instead of buying
the kit with EF-S 18-55mm II), that is within the price range and
might suit me better?

18-55 II is a good lens for the money. CA is a bit strong at the corners, particularly wide open - but if you shoot RAW then it's not a problem, as you can correct that in Adobe CameraRAW.

Carlo Mendoza said:
How much advantage can I have with lenses with IS? Is this
something I should consider at this stage?

IS will allow you to handhold shots successfully in lower light conditions that you might otherwise not get. I like it

Remember it won't freeze moving objects though, it's not a magic cure-all...

Carlo Mendoza said:
What other necessary accessories do I need to buy?

A largish, fastish memory card - 2Gb+ if you're planning to shoot RAW. Have a look at the 350D card tests, as a baseline - until Rob has time to test the 400D:
http://robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=6007-7699

Carlo Mendoza said:
Any recommendations where to buy for a very low price?

http://bhphoto.com
Some places may be cheaper, but they're reliable in my experience.

FullFrame · Sep 16, 2006

get the Xti, you can start with the kit and latter upgrade to the sigma 17-70, I dont like the canon 17-85is, muy buena camara, se la recomiendo!
--
My english is bad, my photography skills are worse!

kli · Sep 16, 2006

Carlo Mendoza said:
... I've been looking at the Canon XTi and the Nikon D80 for my first
dSLR buy. I had the chance of testing the XTi today at a local
store, and now, I'm leaning towards buying it.

Several things that I makes me think of buying the XTi:

... 2. I own a PowerShot S50 and a ZR500 which use the NB-2L & NB-2LH
batteries. I have several of these at my disposal.

I thought this, too, when I moved from the S30 to an XT. However, in realistic terms, this shouldn't factor into your decision. Because the LCD screen is used only to check a picture after it's taken, rather than as a video preview, the battery life of Canon's DSLRs, contrary to what you'd expect, is far longer than on the point-and-shoot cameras. Typically, I'd burn through three batteries on a shoot with my S30. I rarely need a second battery with my XT, and that's only if I'm using an IS lens. Also, a battery is only $30-$40. That's peanuts compared to most SLR equipment.

What you really need to take a look at is the lens lineups for both SYSTEMS. Don't look at JUST the bodies. Had I known, when I was purchasing, what I now know about lenses, I'd probably have gone Nikon instead of Canon, simply based on what I used to shoot then. Having bought Canon, I've changed what I shoot.

In addition, realize that the amount of money you spend on the body will be roughly one quarter to one half of the money you'll probably end up spending in total, because you'll also want lenses.

Carlo Mendoza said:
... I've looked at online merchants selling "body only" and "with lens
kit". When they say "body only", do they literally mean it doesn't
come with the accessories that normally come with it in the box? ...

No. They mean it just doesn't come with a lens. You'll still get a battery charger, a body cap, strap, battery, etc. Just no lens. This is because a lot of folks may already have an array of lenses better than the kit lens. You'll probably want to get the kit, since you don't have any lenses.

Carlo Mendoza said:
Since I have no previous experience with SLRs or film photography
(the PowerShot S50 was my very first camera), I'm thinking of a
general lens. I particularly like macro, landscapes, and portrait
shots. I'm looking for a beginner lens that I can basically take
anywhere and be satisfied having only that lens with me.

Then stick with a point and shoot. The glory and beauty of the SLR is that you have special purpose lenses that do a better job at its specific thing. That said, you'll probably be all right with the kit lens for a while. You may want to add a specialized macro lens, however.

Carlo Mendoza said:
... Is this lens kit something that I might "grow out of"
quickly?

You WILL grow out of it, but how quickly depends upon how quickly you learn the basics of SLR photography. It's a pretty steep hill, but you can pick a lot by reading here, and taking the lessons on the Canon website. But it is not going to be as simple as putting the camera on the green box and treating it like a point and shoot. You have a huge learning curve ahead of you, especially about exposure settings.

The "limitations" of the kit lens are actually going to be some of your best teachers--especially in terms of what you want when you go and purchase a lens, and how much it's worth to you. Anybody who gives you definitive answers on what lenses you need to buy--before hearing what your budget, needs, and uses are--is blowing smoke. In addition, the lens won't compensate for any weaknesses in technique. No IS to compensate for P&S-style one-handed arm-straight shooting.

No USM to keep you from mastering the autofocus system. No L glass to compensate for the lens sweet spot. It's a great teacher, and well worth the $100. In addition, when you do "ditch" it for better glass, you have a thrashable/losable travel lens.

Carlo Mendoza said:
Is there a lens that I should consider (instead of buying
the kit with EF-S 18-55mm II), that is within the price range and
might suit me better?

Undoubtedly. But the chances are good that you don't know what you want, yet. Until then, the kit lens is not a bad choice. The one lens you'll probably get recommended a gazillion times, however, is the EF 50mm f/1.8 II. This is because it's cheap ($75), sharp, and it does what your S50 could never do: low-light flashless portrait photography with bokeh, all because it can open up wide-wide-wide (that's the f/1.8). And a prime (i.e., no zoom) is great for teaching you about composition.

Carlo Mendoza said:
How much advantage can I have with lenses with IS? Is this something I should consider at this stage?

Depends on how much money you have to throw around. It can compensate for two to three stops, depending on the generation. If you don't know what a stop is, then no, you're not ready to consider this yet. It is not technical magic that can make all blurry photos sharp, despite the marketing hype.

Carlo Mendoza said:
What other necessary accessories do I need to buy?

I'd say wait and see. It depends on what and how you like to shoot. One man's tripod is another man's flash. An accessory, by its nature, isn't always necessary.

steve maec · Sep 16, 2006

17-85 is is also good. Plus 70-300is. Both will work well.

Carlo Mendoza · Sep 17, 2006

At around 10:30 this morning, my dad decided to go to Canyon Lake, AZ. I had the immediate thought of having the XTi to take out there for testing. In less than a few minutes, I placed the XTi for pick up at Circuit City on the way for a total of $881.XX.

I bought the one with the lens kit. I realized that it was the cheapest option for me at the moment.

It's a nice camera! A few things I've noticed:

Some photos don't seem as sharp as what I'm used to with the S50. Edges of things don't seem as crisp. Perhaps it's just the shaking of my hands? It does have settings for sharpenning. Do you have this at the default value or something else? I view the images in "fit to screen" mode.

The colors seem bland on some of the photos. Again some setting might fix this. What do you recommend?

What settings did you modify that you almost never change after?

Overall, it equals or surpases the capabilities I was used to on my S50. (Perahaps that's an understatement. I know it has much more potential)

Do any of you shoot JPEG exclusively? I really don't like editing photos as much. I'd rather get it right when shooting. Anyone in the same boat?

ToddJohnson · Sep 17, 2006

Carlo Mendoza said:
At around 10:30 this morning, my dad decided to go to Canyon Lake,
AZ. I had the immediate thought of having the XTi to take out there
for testing. In less than a few minutes, I placed the XTi for pick
up at Circuit City on the way for a total of $881.XX.

I bought the one with the lens kit. I realized that it was the
cheapest option for me at the moment.

It's a nice camera! A few things I've noticed:

Some photos don't seem as sharp as what I'm used to with the S50.
Edges of things don't seem as crisp. Perhaps it's just the shaking
of my hands? It does have settings for sharpenning. Do you have
this at the default value or something else? I view the images in
"fit to screen" mode.

The colors seem bland on some of the photos. Again some setting
might fix this. What do you recommend?

What settings did you modify that you almost never change after?

Overall, it equals or surpases the capabilities I was used to on my
S50. (Perahaps that's an understatement. I know it has much more
potential)

Do any of you shoot JPEG exclusively? I really don't like editing
photos as much. I'd rather get it right when shooting. Anyone in
the same boat?

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Planning on buying the XTi / 400D

Carlo Mendoza

Active member

ToddJohnson

Forum Enthusiast

Hosebag

Senior Member

Carlo Mendoza

Active member

Lan

Veteran Member

FullFrame

Well-known member

kli

Senior Member

steve maec

Leading Member

Carlo Mendoza

Active member

ToddJohnson

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