Thanks for a great camera recommendation.

[6000SUX]

I just want to say that based on this review of the Canon Digital Rebel XT, I was intrigued enough to do more research and wound up buying one yesterday. I have an aging Olympus P & S 3MP camera that's decent, but I wanted to be able to take near-perfect pictures when my baby arrives in July. This camera is just what the doctor ordered-- even a relative newbie like me can take some really awesome pictures with this thing, and I didn't break the bank.

 

[Baked]

Great choice and congrats x2. Check out some amazing photos @ photo.net. Did you check out the review on this digicam at dpreview.com and steves-digicams.com too?

 

[6000SUX]

Thanks! I will definitely check out photo.net and steves-digicams.com . I stumbled on dpreview.com via a Google search, and the reviews there were instrumental in my choice; that's a great site for comparisons. Not that I understood everything, of course. 😉

 

[Cheesetogo]

Are you going to stick with the kit lens or buy another one? This site is good for reviews: Text

 

[6000SUX]

That's a great site for lenses, for sure. I will stick with the stock one for now, at least until I am more of an expert. I was debating whether to save $100 by buying just the body, but decided against it because I really don't know the difference yet. I know that lots of semi-pros sneer at the stock lens, but it seems good enough for me for now. I also stretched to start with by buying a $1000 camera, and I'll have to spend extra to get the camera/accessory kit that's coming out soon.

One thing that I find interesting is that lots of people have trouble choosing between the XT and the 20D (priced 600 dollars higher). Here are my thoughts on that:

1. The 20D is bigger and heavier, significantly so. However, this can be a boon for two reasons: the XT is on the small size for people with big hands (like me), and would be seriously out of balance if you attach a heavy lens. On the other hand, the XT would probably be a LOT easier for smallish people to use; my girlfriend loves it already.

2. The 20D has a body that's more damage-resistant. The silver plastic body on the XT, for instance, is rumored to scratch easily. No big whoop-- you shouldn't be playing hacky-sack with these things.

3. The 20D's shutter is rated for 150,000 clicks, whereas the XT's is rated for 50,000. The cost of replacing the shutter is apparently $200-300 (not that I know first-hand), meaning that if you're using it for pro or semi-pro work and very often, it automatically makes sense to upgrade because you get some extra features basically for free (because you don't have to fix the shutter as often, and after two fixes the prices are equivalent).

4. The 20D has some extra features: 7 AF points instead of 5, etc. However, if you don't already know what these are for and how to use them, you won't miss 'em.