What Camera to Choose?

[Overread]

the kit lens with the XTi is nothing special, but it is good for getting a feel for lenses from a start - the XSi does have a better kit lens with it. However if you have a specific area where you are looking to photograph then it is not a waste of investment to go after a specific lense for that area.
Although its always good to have a good all round lens (often the canon f1.8 50mm - nifty fifty is recomended as being a fast lens with a good focal length. Its a prime so it means you have to "zoom" with your legs (moving the camera) if needed, but the trade off is that the primes have better image quality at their focal length than zooms can get.

 

[lockwood81]

I think everyone on this forum is in full consensus that the camera to choose is Olympus...







:er:

 

[deudeu]

I think I have decided that I definitely will swerve towards the XTi or XSi. Do you have a specific place that you recommend buying used cameras?




When you say the sigma 17-70 has more range, do you mean it does better with different situations such as landscape, portrait, far away, close-ups, etc.?
So should I just purchase a camera body (cheaper than buying it with the stock lens, anyway) and then purchase a lens that would suit me better?

I have been looking for a camera body, but I never imagined how hard and confusing deciding on a lens would be. This is insane!

By more range i mean that it covers more focal length than most of the zoom. For instance, when i was talking about the sigma 17-70, it covers all the focal lengths from 17 to 70mm, when the typical kit lens is 18-55.

As far as a place to buy your equipment at, check out B&H or Adorama if you are in the US. In Canada, you have Henry's and Vistek.
BUT, really, you should go to a camera store first and put your hands on those babies and try different lenses. All of this technical talk will make more sense if you do.

 

[AndrewG]

Have you thought about film as opposed to digital? There are some exceptional older cameras around and many superlative lenses for very little money; for example the Nikon F3HP was the top line camera of its day and many thousands are still in use because they are so rugged and reliable and use virtually no plastic in the construction of the body. Furthermore you won't have to worry about battery use; one lithium battery will give you a year or more service. Nikkor manual lenses are still, in my opinion, superior in quality to their digital counterparts.
Just a thought.

 

[desireeinvisible]

Have you thought about film as opposed to digital?

I did consider it, but I think in the long run digital might be better for me. At least with digital I can view images instead of wasting film on shots I don't like, you know?



Thanks everyone for all of the replies and advice! It was all very helpful!