Canon 450D (Rebel XSi, Kiss X2)

[Blessed99]

Does anyone have one? I am thinking of upgrading from Canon Rebel XT. What are the pros and cons of having this camera? Thanks for info!

 

[VVFF]

Does anyone have one? I am thinking of upgrading from Canon Rebel XT. What are the pros and cons of having this camera? Thanks for info!

Some that come to mind...but there are so many its not real easy to compile a list:

1. More MP
2. Better noise handling
3. Live view
4. larger screen
5. Better viewfinder(I believe)
6. 14 bit color
7. Faster burst rate
8. Much better kit lens w/ IS

 

[PhotobearSam]

can't compare since it's my first DSLR but the image quality is really good. It's easy to use, lightweight but not dinky, the kit lens is good and I am already addicted and I have had it less than a month and a 1/2.

LOL

 

[bob100]

can't compare since it's my first DSLR but the image quality is really good. It's easy to use, lightweight but not dinky, the kit lens is good and I am already addicted and I have had it less than a month and a 1/2.
LOL

same here, I have the two lens 18-55IS and 55-250IS and enjoy the camera but an upgrade from the XT may not be worth it, the XT has good image quality.
maybe buying better "glass" ?

 

[VVFF]

same here, I have the two lens 18-55IS and 55-250IS and enjoy the camera but an upgrade from the XT may not be worth it, the XT has good image quality.
maybe buying better "glass" ?

There is definitely enough reason to upgrade from the XT to the XSi! Plus, providing you get the kit, you get better glass in the process anyway.

 

[ccgates]

I just got my XSi a month ago and I love it, but I don't have the background knowledge to compare it to the XT. I guess it really depends on if you think you're being held back by your camera. At this point I know I'm not being held back by the body, but by my lack of lenses. All I currently have is the kit 18-55 and a new 50/1.4 that is sitting in my apartment complex's office since I didn't get home in time to pick it up yesterday.

If you don't think it's the limitations of the camera that are holding you back, I would say to look into more lenses, i.e. macro, prime, fish eye... etc. That might be a more cost effective way to upgrade your camera. (I'll highly stress might!)

 

[boBQuincy]

I have a Canon D30, 10D, and 30D and was interested in a Rebel because of the smaller size and lighter weight, but the clunky handling of the Rebel series always kept me from buying one.
Until the Xsi.

The greatly improved controls, buttons, and menus make the Rebels handle much like the xxD series. The larger & brighter viewfinder is also a big plus. I think you will find the Xsi to be a very nice upgrade, some in image quality but a whole lot in handling.

 

[webshark3]

Pro:
Center AF point is f2.8. Better with fast lenses in low-light.
ISO (finally) in viewfinder
Strong battery life

Con:
I find Live-view almost "useless". I know many people may like it, but it's slow, inaccurate, and awkward to focus.


Otherwise, best SLR purchase in many years.

 

[caniswolfie]

Pro:
Center AF point is f2.8. Better with fast lenses in low-light.
ISO (finally) in viewfinder
Strong battery life

Con:
I find Live-view almost "useless". I know many people may like it, but it's slow, inaccurate, and awkward to focus.


Otherwise, best SLR purchase in many years.

One of uses I've heard described for Live View is in Macro photography where many people manual focus normally due to light and DOF issues. Since you can take live view and zoom in, it makes it easier to manual focus when doing that type of photography.

I think the AF modes in Live view are not the greatest compared to the regular AF, but for manual focus it has its uses.

 

[DopeyDave]

Wow! Glad I found this thread. I'm looking at upgrading to a Canon Rebel XSi from my 5-yr old Olympus C700 point-and-click. I'm tired of how long it takes the Olympus to turn on, and recycle for another picture. Loved playing with the Canon in the store. Poor Circuit City is going out of business, and hopefully I'll be able to pick up my Canon XSi at 40% off!! Otherwise it's Amazon (at approx 20% off MSRP).

I'm glad this thread didn't talk me out of the Canon XSi. But can anyone tell me how it is on 'dark rides' at the theme parks without flash? I.e. Small World, Pirates, Great Movie Ride, etc. I've finally figued if I fake out my Olympus (use the flash, but place my finger in front of it to block the light), I can get a fairly decent picture without being to annoying to other guests.

Thanks in advance for anyone/everyone's advice!!

 

[VVFF]

Wow! Glad I found this thread. I'm looking at upgrading to a Canon Rebel XSi from my 5-yr old Olympus C700 point-and-click. I'm tired of how long it takes the Olympus to turn on, and recycle for another picture. Loved playing with the Canon in the store. Poor Circuit City is going out of business, and hopefully I'll be able to pick up my Canon XSi at 40% off!! Otherwise it's Amazon (at approx 20% off MSRP).

I'm glad this thread didn't talk me out of the Canon XSi. But can anyone tell me how it is on 'dark rides' at the theme parks without flash? I.e. Small World, Pirates, Great Movie Ride, etc. I've finally figued if I fake out my Olympus (use the flash, but place my finger in front of it to block the light), I can get a fairly decent picture without being to annoying to other guests.

Thanks in advance for anyone/everyone's advice!!

It will only be as good as your lens is in low light. With the kit lens, you probably will have to use ISO 1600 at all times and even then you might get blurring and/or underexposure. If you get a faster lens with wider aperture you will stand a better chance depending on lighting conditions.

There should be a way on your P&S to turn off the flash for that shot. Otherwise you will always end up with pictures that are very underexposed.

 

[jann1033]

i have an xt and when the xsi came out considered it but the main thing that held me back is the better speed and the better focus system of the d series. course the xsi costs less than the d so that's a pro. unless my xt died, i would buy new lenses before i bought the xsi ( i'm saving for the 50d which will be less than the xsi is now before i save enough ) the larger lcd would be a plus but not enough for me to upgrade to it.
as far as battery life my xt is great on that , even with third party batteries i've never run out.

 

[webshark3]

i have an xt and when the xsi came out considered it but the main thing that held me back is the better speed and the better focus system of the d series. course the xsi costs less than the d so that's a pro. unless my xt died, i would buy new lenses before i bought the xsi ( i'm saving for the 50d which will be less than the xsi is now before i save enough ) the larger lcd would be a plus but not enough for me to upgrade to it.
as far as battery life my xt is great on that , even with third party batteries i've never run out.

You're right Jann, I had no intention of replacing my Rebel (300D) until it experienced shutter failure. My money was much better spent on lenses.

The good news is the XSi is incredible with battery life. I bought a backup battery, and I don't think I've used it yet. The true test will be Disney this December, but based on what I'm seeing now, 1 backup is plenty. With my 300D, I needed 2 backups.

 

[Liljam]

I don't know much but I will say that I can't imagine being without my Rebel XS and mine is "only" an XS . I don't find much difference really other than LCD, a few more focal points, an i at the end and price (ok I know there has to be more, but I'm a newbie and little uneducated and wanted a camera THAT day which was my BIRTHDAY and the XS was in stock at Sears and the XSi wasn't.) I say go for the XSi if you really love your XT, worse thing that can happen is you end up with TWO great cameras!

 

[DizzyV6P]

The main reason I jumped from my 300D to the 40D was the buffer. I was shooting more and more raw pictures and the 300D's buffer simply couldn't keep up. The 40D solved that problem for me. To be honest, 6.1mp was still plenty good enough for me. I have a few 11x14 pictures from Paris hanging in my office taken with the 300D that look great blown up.

It really depends on what you think you think the XSi can do for you. I find Live View useless for my needs. So that is not a selling point for me. More MP? XT's is usually good enough. Better AF? The XSi's AF is better than the XT. The question is, did you find an issue w/ the XT's AF? If you really want a huge jump, the 50D would be better. But the size bothers folks who are used to the smaller footprint of the XSi.

If it were me, I'd buy better glass

 

[boBQuincy]

Last week was my first real photo trip with the Xsi, after using a D30, 10D, and 30D for years. I really liked the small size and weight of the Rebel but wondered how it would work out with intense use. The answer... just great! It really does not seem to give up much to the xxD series.

The autofocus seems very responsive, at least as good as my 30D (I only use the center focus point). With Extreme III SDHC cards it never had a problem with a full buffer and I was shooting lots of HDR sequences. As Webshark mentioned, battery life seems amazing although I do keep the LCD off most of the time.

My hands are medium size so the Xsi fits them well, if your hands are larger it may not feel right. Other than that, with the larger viewfinder and ISO display the Rebel series seems to have finally gotten it right!

 

[DopeyDave]

I'm so excited... my new XSi was delivered yesterday. Now I've got a lot of learning/practicing to do before my trip to Italy in September! (Not to mention my dilemma of whether I buy another lens, and which one, before then!)

 

[ZephyrHawk]

I am a film nut and have been clinging to my 35mm's for years now beyond their time. One good reason I had for this was money (I have none), however, my husband has informed me that I have a big birthday coming up this summer (30 ) and that I am in for a sizeable gift. As such, I've been comparing DSLRs.

I'm currently of the opinion that the Cannon Rebel XSi or the Olympus E-510 are my best bets. I have no real interest in the 520 from Olympus, and though I'd be willing to wait until the 620 is available, I'm not sure I'm willing to go quite that far in price. I like the Nikon D90, but can't see paying that much for video capabilities I won't use. I would like to hear from some owners of my two front runners, or perhaps encouragement from others to check out some unmentioned good models.

Some info on me and the pictures I'll be taking:

I am not looking for a point and shoot. I have several of those and DH already has a digital one. What I'm looking for is an update of my current 35mm (which I will be keeping around for B&W's, time lapse and as a backup). I will use manual mode almost exclusively. I am not a professional by any means, but I have taken some photo classes and I will be utilizing the DSLR for "beauty shots", some of which will be framed. Primarily it'll be for landscapes, artsy photos of architectural features, and wildlife photography. I'm not really into portraits and don't do much in the way of sports photography. It will mostly be an outdoors camera, but that does not necessarily mean I won't ever use it in low light situations. For instance, I'm hoping to someday get lovely fireworks shots like the folks on this board always display.

I intend to drag the camera everywhere from Disney World to Yellowstone to (I hope...oh goodness, I hope) Africa, so it can't be too clunky. I understand that I'll need more lenses than what comes with a basic kit in order to do all this, but I'm willing to wait a bit before committing to telephoto or perhaps rent some fancy accessories if I can't afford to purchase them.

So please, convince me as to why I should invest in your favorite toy. Photographic evidence appreciated!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I'm going to predict most pollsters will pick Canon.

Either is a good choice. You just have to know what it is that's important to you, what each system offers, which feels most intuitive in your hands, and then be comfortable with your choice.

Canon is by far more popular. You'd enjoy a better choice of less expensive lenses, better high ISO pictures, and an overall sense of being part of a worldwide Canon community.

Olympus is also a good choice, and I can speak more about it since I'm a user. In body IS, excellent quality designed for digital glass (which tends to be expensive), and lighter overall, being part of the 4/3 system (which will also make it not be as good at higher ISOs, which I take it you know since you mentioned nighttime). It's a popular brand for travelers and nature photographers. See here: http://www.nwpphotoforum.com/ubbthreads/information/php/2007_Reviews/Isaac/Oly510Review.php The user community is not as large, by any means, as either Canon or Nikon, so sometimes you feel as if you're working for Maytag. If that would bother you, you're better off with something else. Check out the micro 4/3 systems also, which will work with an adaptor using 4/3 lenses.

If you have doubts about Olympus' capabilities, take a look around at some of the various websites for shots taken with them, like flickr, the dpreview Olympus SLR User Forum, and the Olympus website. You'll see there's some very nice work out there. Realistically, it might take you a while to get them looking that way yourself, but that will be pretty much true of any system you buy.

Good luck with your choice.

 

[ukcatfan]

I vote other and say Pentax.

Another thing to consider is if you had a film SLR or just a 35mm p&s. If you had a SLR, do you still have any lenses? Many of them will work on the respective brand DSLR.