Best under $400? Xsi vs. 20d vs. 30d

Christopher2222 said:

The XS also has dust removal and live view. I also got a good deal on the Rebel XS 18-55mm IS kit for $529 cdn. At the time the deals for the XSi were $100 more.

The only difference missing in the XS are 2Mp's, spot metering, larger viewscreen and then price. Compare these and see if you can come up with some good prices. The XS was released a few months after the XSi.

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There's a bit more than that. The XSi has these upgrades over the XS:

10 vs 12MP
14 bit RAW
spot metering
larger viewfinder and LCD

high precision center assist point (for increased accuracy with f2.8 or faster lenses)
high quality textured grip

3.5 fps vs 1.5fps in RAW shooting. This was the killer for me when I had an XS.

I got some great pictures with my XS and it was great camera to start on. But I think Canon designed it so that anyone serious would grow out of it really fast. I swapped for a 30D myself and it's a better camera in most regards (I miss liveview).

I kind of doubt that the difference in price between the Xsi, a 20D, or a 30D is going to be enough to get a decent lens; one that really matters.

Kind of off topic, A short, but true story.....

Following a recent concert, a friend and I were talking (who owns the 450D). He was all worried and bummed-out about the quality of his photos coming out his camera when compared to the shots I captured. He wanted to clarify what camera I was using.

I showed him my 8 MP Canon 30D....and his eyes grew wide with amazement. And he was shaking his head with anxiety and disillusionment. And then he said that my 30D was such a better camera than his 450D. And his proof was with the direct comparison of his images to the ones I just taken.

And I simply laughed out loud!!!!!! Friend to friend, of course!!!

I told him (and he’s still my friend) that it wasn’t the camera….it was the photographer!!!!!

My advice to him:

• Get out of Auto mode
• Understand the causal affects to exposure
• Shoot RAW
• Try to see the light
• Learn to bounce his flash
• Invest in decent lenses
• Don't try to hand hold every damn shot

Back to your brother....

Any one of these three cameras will capture stunning images. Your brother (who as you say wants to get into digital photography) will be the defining aka "weak" variable. These three cameras share some very nice features. One thing that you may not be aware of between the bodies...the Xsi is plastic, the 20D/30D are a magnesium alloy body. The 20D/30D are significantly larger too.

My recommendation, get the one that feels the best in his hands.

Regards, Mike

Stevoo said:

Hello!

My brother wants to get into digital photography and is hoping to spend approximately 500. Of the three bodies I listed, which would you recommend? I'm leaning towards the Xsi or the 20d because the 30d wasn't much of an improvement and the extra cash could be used in purchasing lenses.

Thanks!

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B.R.A.S.S. (Breathe, Relax, Aim, Sight, Squeeze)

I have a 3rd party grip for my Xsi and it works rather well. Not that I am a big battery grip type person. And I personally love all the external buttons on the Xsi. Everything you can think to want to use is in button form. See, I think people get something a bit confused about button vs menu concept. The rear LCD in a rebel is its display for your settings, because it does not have an LCD. When you have a direct external button to bring up something like ISO or WB, I do not consider this necessarily "menu" based. It still has an external button, and if you decided not to view the LCD to change the setting, it would still change if your simple still looking thru the view finder and scrolling your wheel say for your ISO. The only difference in my eye is that when I click ISO on a 30D, I see it on the top LCD and the rebel I see it on the rear LCD because it only has 1 LCD. But both change by scrolling the wheel after you press the button. I do not view this as "menu" based. And so to me the layout of the buttons on the Xsi is far better to me than the XXD line. And I am not just saying this as if I own an Xsi and never a XXD body, I have owned the 20D and 30D at some point, but still in my position own a 50D and 60D and will still tell you I like the Xsi button layout the best. This is because every function I want to use, they have an external button for. Even over the later rebels that replace certain buttons like WB or spot button for newer functions. I do not like that "Q" button in later models. I love the Xsi layout the most. Just stating my view.
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Darkness is the monster and your shutter is your sword, aperture your shield and iso your armor. Strike fast with your sword and defend well with your shield and hope your armor holds up.