which canon to buy

[Hillbilly270]

wifey wants me to choose between canon XS or XSi.  I dont know crap about cameras but we would mostly be taking family photos and sports stuff but i would like to get a lens for wildlife.  Are these cameras capable or do I need to tell her to buck up and get the 40D?
thanks for your input.
brandon

[grandpawrichard]

Canon XS:
 Product Features

    * 10.1-megapixel CMOS sensor captures enough detail for poster-size, photo-quality prints
    * Large 2.5-inch LCD display; includes Canon's EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens
    * DIGIC III image processor provides fast, accurate image processing; Live View Function
    * EOS Integrated Cleaning system and Canon-designed Self Cleaning Sensor Unit, plus Dust Delete Data Detection in included software
    * Stores images on SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)

Approx. price $440


Canon XSI
Technical Details

    * 12.2-megapixel CMOS sensor captures enough detail for poster-size, photo-quality prints
    * Large 3.0-inch LCD display; includes Canon's EF-S 18-55mm, f3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens
    * DIGIC III image processor provides fast, accurate image processing; improved Autofocus and framing rate
    * EOS Integrated Cleaning system, plus Dust Delete Data Detection in included software
    * Stores images on SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)

Approx. Price $559

Canon 40D
Technical Details

    * 10.1-megapixel CMOS sensor captures enough detail for photo-quality poster-size prints
    * Large 3.0-inch LCD display with enhanced Live View and broadened color gamut
    * 6.5 frame-per-second continuous shooting capability (for bursts of up to 75 Large/Fine JPEGs or 17 RAW images)
    * sRAW mode; 35-zone metering system; integrated Self-Cleaning Sensor Unit
    * Powered by BP-511A, BP-511, or BP-512 lithium-ion battery pack; stores images on CF cards
Approx. Price $1,049

Any one of these fine cameras would work wonderfully for you Hillbilly. They are all capable of taking Award Winning Photos and they will all accept a variety of Canon's top notch lenses for taking family photos or wildlife photos.

For me, I chose to go with a Canon 30D to start with and have since upgraded to the Canon 40D. The choice was simple for me because I am old school and have a ton of Compact flash cards. The XS and the XSI's use SD cards, so I would have had cards that I could not use with them.

The XS would be a mighty fine choice because of the price. That would save you enough money to be able to afford a Great, Fast, telephoto lens.

I hope that this helps.

Dick

[Tom Reichner]

   
Canon 40D
Approx. Price $1,049   

Actually, you can get a 40D much cheaper than that.  Most are now selling (used, of course) for $600.  I just bought a 50D in "like new" condition for $750. 

I would strongly recommend buying a used camera and lens, as used equipment will work just as well as new.  You just get more for your money, and the prices on these discontinued models just keeps dropping every month.  These days, you can get a lot of camera for the money.

[huntnphool]

Tom is spot on HillBilly, PM sent.

[boneaddict]

Solid information. 

Is the 50D full sensor Tom or cropped?  Do you like it much better than the 40D

[Tom Reichner]

Solid information. 

Is the 50D full sensor Tom or cropped?  Do you like it much better than the 40D

The 50D is a 1.6 crop sensor, just like the 30D and 40D.  I've never had a 1.6 crop sensor before, so using it is different than using the 5D and 1D2 that I've been accustomed to. 

So far, I do like it.  I thought I would be sacrificing dynamic range compared to the 5D, but once I figured out how to expose with it I found that it handles bright and dark areas just as well as the 5D. 

Hard to say if I like it more than the 40D because I never had a 40D before.  I was all set to buy a 40D, but when searching the classifieds for a 40D I came across this 50D for only $750 - only $150 more than I was prepared to spend.  At that price it seemed like a no brainer.  Because I'm trying o sell my images by submitting them to magazines and stock houses, I can actually use the greater # of pixels that the 50D offers (15mp compared to 10mp).  Not because more pixels means better pictures, but because a lot of publishers think that more pixels means better pictures.   

[boneaddict]

Cool, thanks for the info.  I thought you were shooting with a 40D, not the 5D. 

[Hillbilly270]

thanks for the info guys.  I am a beginner and have never taken any kind of education on photography so all this terminology is new to me.  I just know that the pics you guys post are incredible and i would like to learn how to do it also.  is getting a 40D going to be overwhelming or do you think i would be able to figure it out with some practice?  should i start small with an XS and work my way up or would this just be a waste of money?
thanks again.

[Craig]

I just bought a used 40D for $450 ( not counting lens ). Great camera. I don't know much so this camera is more then I can handle right now. So I have a lot to learn. It's Fun.

[wabow]

I'd call canon and ask if there are any customer loyalty specials. They may still be running the 50D for $500 special but not sure. Sometimes they want an older Canon as a trade other times they have refurbs and dont care. We grabbled a couple late last year both refurbs but same warranty as new.
If your shooting adult or fast high school sports then the faster camera with faster cf card in great.
Also check out Photography-on-the-net. Its a canon forum, once you register you can see the classifieds section. Lots of great deals but not really a friendly web site.

Don