Canon Rebel XTi vs Sony's new DSC-T20/W

[cardplayer]

Hello.

I have a Canon Digital Rebel XTi, which I plan to equip with a Canon 70-200mm f4 L USM for outdoor shots, and a Canon 24-70mm f2.8 L USM for general use. My friend is looking at Sony's new "point and shoot" ultra-compact DSC-T20/W. He insists that with all of the Sony's bells and whistles that it will be just as nice, if not better, than the Rebel XTi with the L series lens.

Now, this is a cute camera and all, but with a focal length of 6.33 - 19mm, and aperture range from f3.5-5.6(Wide), f4.3-10(Tele), I can't see how on earth it will be even close to the Rebel Xti with the L series. Am I correct there? Am I missing something in the specs of these cameras? It seems to me the Rebel XTi with this glass will crush the Sony. Any comments?

Here's the Sony:
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INT...tegoryName=dcc_DIDigitalCameras_style_ultraco

Here's the Rebel XTi:
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=14256

Here are the lenses:
24-70mm: http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-24-70mm-f-2.8-L-USM-Lens-Review.aspx

70-200mm: http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-70-200mm-f-4.0-L-USM-Lens-Review.aspx

Thanks,
cardplayer

 

[hazzayoungn]

wow...a p&s with a zeiss lens...

anyways, id say that hes right in some aspects (taking pictures spontaneously and portability) but full manual control over a camera is usually the biggest selling point of SLRs. theres much more to a camera than its specifications. yes, the sony has image stabilization and face recognition technology, but you (probably) cant change the aperture for effect, or catch star trails

another point is that its not as important how good the camera is, but how good the photographer is at taking pictures

btw...the 35mm equivalent of his lens would be approx 38-114.

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

Sensor size
Canon: 22.2 x 14.8 mm
Sony : 1/2.5 " (10mm)

That is all that I would need to know. Not to mention that the 70-200mm f4 L is one of the sharpest zoom lenses avaliable.

I almost wonder if this is a real question, the only advantages the Sony have are; size (if you think that's an advantage), IS, price and maybe macro ability (unless you use a macro lens on the Xti).

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/com...de&cameras=canon_eos400d,sony_dsct30&show=all

 

[cardplayer]

Unfortunately, it was a real question.

I'm new to "getting serious" about photography. So, I am reading, studying, and shooting thousands of shots and contributing to critique sites to learn what I can improve upon. Hence, I evaluated a lot of equipment and came up with the setup referenced above as a nice kit for a beginner to DSLR. Right now, I am shooting with the kit lens, but it takes nice photos for learning purposes. I plan to purchase the 2 nice L series lenses in the next few months.

So, here comes my friend, saying that the Sony would be just as nice, at $329, and I began to question my sanity! I could not see how there was a comparison. I know you can take junk pictures with good equipment, and you can take good pictures with fairly mediocre gear, but I just felt there was no way the Sony could compare to the XTi on technical merits or image quality, based on my admittedly beginner-level research.

By the way, thanks for the "compare-a-camera" link.

Thanks,
cardplayer

 

[EOS_JD]

There is no comparison. Compacts are miles behind DSLRs.

The small sensor of the compact means lots of noise at higher ISOs. Also have you ever tried to make a background blur when shooting with a compact? Almost impossible because of the huge depth of field.

Sure it'll take nice images if you have some idea about how to take a photo but try it at an event you are at and the images will not compare to a DSLR and a nice lens.

My friend took images at a concert with her camera. Even at ISO400 the images were VERY noisy (although they looked great on the small screen). My images from my 20D and 85mm f1.8 blew it away at ISO 800!

I don't see any advantage to anyone serious about photography using a compact at this time.

 

[Big Mike]

I agree with all of that.

It sounds like you 'friend' is just jealous of your gear. Maybe for his personal standards, the compact is all he will ever need.

Not that a talented photographer can't make great images with a cheap camera...but part of being a good photographer is knowing to use the right tools.

I would even say that your camera with the kit lens is still miles ahead of a compact digi-cam. If you add L quality lenses...you will be ahead of most cameras, period.