Rebel or 40D?

Question

Hello,

I currently have about a $700 budget at the current moment, and noticed that futureship has a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT 8MP SLR Digital Camera With 18-55mm USM Kit for sale on boxing day, $400... is this a good deal?

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10097983&catid=22553&logon=&langid=EN

Or should I just save my cash, and keep saving... and maybe order something off of ebay, like a Nikon 40D kit... for around $700 plus shipping

New to photography, so unsure on what is a better camera, and if the rebel XT is something I should go with...

Answer 1

First be careful about buying on line. There are a lot of misleading advertising and less than honest merchants. They offer you a price and try to sell you something else when you place the order. Its the old switch and bait scam.

With regrads to the Canon Rebel XTI versus the Nikon D40, if you go to the DPreview.com website below you can compare both models.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_eos400d%2Cnikon_d40&show=all

The Nikon D40 is known to be a slightly better product because it has a better metering system than Canon. This means better pictures in low light situations.

We are Canon people because we prefer their wide range of lenses and most of our shooting is during day time.

Depending on you level of comittment to photography, I would recommend to get the new Canon 40D. Truely a leap between the high end Mark III ID and last year Rebel XTI.

Remember that SLR Cameras are meant to provide you a gateway to quality lenses that can produce professional quality pictures if you learn to use its features. There is no getting around learning your settings (ISO, Shutter, etc.) and understanding the lighting situation. The Auto Focus function helps, but you need to understand what does this means too.

Good luck. Save your money or wait for an after the holidays sale and buy the better product for the least amount of money. Afterall no one ever complained about having a better product even if they only use part of its capability.

Answer 2

Please see my answer in cameras.