Canon XTi vs. 40d

[Michael Touchette]

Hi, I currently have a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi dSLR (that's a mouth full). I have the 18-55mm kit lens and have recently been thinking about upgrading to the new Canon 18-200mm IS lens and selling the kit lens. So, I was doing some research on the lens and stumbled across some pretty good deals on the Canon 40d with the 28-135mm IS lens. Now I'm torn on if I should just sell the entire XTi and pick up a 40d. (After selling the XTi, I think I could get the 40d for not much more than the cost of the 18-200mm lens would have been). Are the benefits of the 40d over the XTi worth it? How is the 28-135mm as a walk around/travel lens. I am still a photography beginner, but have recently gotten into much more, would the 40d be over kill for me? Thanks for any input, and if you have any idea for a different direction that might be better for me, let me know!

 

[Atlas77]

When thinking of upgrading think of two things:

1. Do you really need the 40D over the XTi?

2. Remember Lens over Body.

Hope that helps a bit

 

[MiaS13]

^^im with him. the 28-135mm is nice, ive shot it on my friends xt at a drift event and it was nice

 

[potownrob]

I think that the 28-135 is a little too long to make for a good walk-around lens unless you don't shoot landscapes, buildings, close-quarters or group shots (I would probably be okay with 28mm being my widest focal length if I shot everything from far away). Does Canon have a lens that starts at 24mm other than the L lenses (24-70 and 24-105)? I can't speak to the quality of the different Canon lenses (let alone the bodies) but, if they're anything like Nikon lenses, I think it would be better (at least IQ wise) to have one standard zoom lens like the 18-55 (if not upgrade to an f/2.8 version) and then have a telephoto zoom lens like the 55-250 IS.

 

[Montana]

I have both the XTi and the 40D. For me, the 40D was worth every penny. I often use spot metering and I love the fast frame rate. (Birds in flight, etc) The viewfinder is better for manual focusing, the controls are way easier for me to work quickly, and the build is much more robust. IQ is very much the same from both bodies, but the features are worth it in my experience.

FWIW, I bought my 40D with the 28-135 kit lens. That lens is a paperweight on my desk. Not near wide enough for a 'walk around lens" for me personally. Its not the sharpest lens by any means, it zoom creeps badly, and its slow.