Cheap old Canon DSLR recommendation

[IronMaskDuval]

I have two kids, 7 and 9, who are really interested in photography. I have two Canon EF lenses, 35-135 and 75-300, so I would like to find two old bodies that would work with this. Would something like a Rebel XT or a 10D do the trick? I can pick these up used on craigslist for about 70 each.

 

[PixelRabbit]

Personally I would check out KeH and Adorama for used stuff like that before I went to Craigslist, I just picked up a 30D in mint condition for $179 and I'm sure I saw the cameras you mentioned at similar prices to what you listed, at least you know they've given it a good once over and graded it and I've had great experiences with KeH so far (ordered a couple times from them), heard good things about Adorama also. Just a thought

Now my 30D is HEAVY, much heavier than my 60D, not sure about the 10D but it might be something to look into with older gear for them.

 

[Dao]

I believe the 30D has a Full Magnesium alloy body while the 60D has only partially metal body and is slightly smaller. As for the 10D, it is too old I think and it will not take EF-S lens even it is a cropped body.

 

[PixelRabbit]

I believe the 30D has a Full Magnesium alloy body while the 60D has only partially metal body and is slightly smaller. As for the 10D, it is too old I think and it will not take EF-S lens even it is a cropped body.

Ah, that makes sense, I haven't had them side by side yet to confirm but I definitely noticed the weight difference.

 

[KmH]

Yep. After the prosumer grade 50D Canon de-featured the 60D, in part by changing from the metal chassis to a plastic chassis for the 60D making it a consumer grade DSLR.

 

[Gavjenks]

Regarding magnesium alloy: I've never seen any actual evidence supporting it being any stronger or better for a camera than polycarbonate.

Better cameras tend to have magnesium alloy, but it is entirely unclear to me or anybody I've talked to about it so far whether that's actually because it's stronger, or if it's because it sounds stronger on paper and thus can allow charging more money in cameras already marketed to more serious photogs.


In fact, what evidence I can find seems to all point toward polycarbonate being stronger, more shock resistant, and lighter weight, in addition to being easier to manufacture. And likely more vibration resistant on a tripod, but not sure about that.

 

[Derrel]

Some people love to refer to MANY different cameras and lenses as "consumer grade", or "prosumer grade"...it's a regular thing...classifying items based on some vague set of preconceptions and 1980's-like-think...

Even though the Canon 60D has a better sensor and better image quality than a mid-2000's-era $5,000 Nikon D2Xs or Canon 1D Mark II, it's a "consumer grade" camera...Because as we alllll know, if it ain't got magnesium alloy, it's crap!

Reminds me of this old Saturday Night Live bit, ,"If it's Not Scottish, It's CRAP!" with Mike Meyers.

[video=dailymotion;xgzfxs]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xgzfxs_if-it-s-not-scottish-it-s-crap_shortfilms[/video]

A Canon 10D for $70 seems like a good camera for a couple of kids to use. Keep in mind though--the 10D is not compatible with EF-S lenses...the 10D came out BEFORE the EF-S lens specification was invented. So the three earliest Canon crop-body models (D30,D60,10D) can NOT use the low-cost EF-S lenses like the 18-55 EF-S. Or any of the other EF-S models.

 

[lambertpix]

When I shopped for my first Canon body (30D), I skipped the Rebels in part because the small body felt flimsy and squished together, but that might be just the trick for small hands. I think if they're going to be mainly concentrating on composition (shooting in "Auto" or "P", for instance), there's nothing control-wise they'd miss in a Rebel, but I know that I really appreciated the extra buttons & dials on the 30D -- they make it so much easier to change settings, especially if you want to change two at once (one dial for A & one for T, for instance). That might be way beyond where your kids need to go, though.

The durability of the bigger bodies is nice, too. I drug my 40D up & down mountains for ten days in NM a couple years ago -- zero issues, though I never *actually* pounded tent stakes with it or anything. I wound up letting my son use that camera for a semester for a photography class -- again, no problems, and he's been known to test the durability of things now and then. I still use the 40D as a backup. Obviously, I can't conclude that a Rebel would have been any less durable, but I've been very impressed with the 30D, 40D, and now 7D.

I don't know if this sounds ridiculous, but I'd consider hauling the kids down to a Best Buy and let them hold a Rebel and a 70D (or similar) to see if they seem intimidated by the larger, heavier body.

Anyway, note Dao's comment about EF lenses only on the 10D. I thought that had to be wrong, but it turns out the 10D was actually released before Canon started making EF-S lenses, so I'd give that some thought before popping for one of those.

 

[Gavjenks]

I agree, I mainly am annoyed by my Rebel t2i due to the small form factor not fitting my hand well. But that's an ADVANTAGE for kids.

The buttons and options are of course less good than a pro-level body. But the basics are all still quite easy. Exposure compensation is just hold button + wheel, still one handed, instead of its own wheel. Not a big deal. Where they fall behind is in stuff like Custom modes, etc. which your kids won't care about for a couple years or ever.

 

[JerryLove]

Yes. For kids, the Rebel bodies will likely be easier. I have an XSi, which was my first DSLR, and I'd have no hesitation of using one as a starter camera.

 

[Big Mike]

I would avoid the 10D. It's an odd ball in that it is (I think) the only Canon DSLR with an APS-C (1.6 crop sensor) camera that is NOT compatible with EF-S lenses. EF lenses would be fine, but some of the EF-S lenses would be a nice option.

The 20D, on the other hand, was a big improvement on the 1D and was the best camera in it's class for many years. The 30D is basically a 20D with rather minor updates.
I'd suggest either one of these models.

However, as some have mentioned, one of the big differences between the 10D/20D/30D etc. and the Rebels, is the size and ergonomics of the body (and the material of the chassis). The Rebels are significantly smaller, which I don't like, but may be great for your kids.

Maybe look for a Rebel XT, or T2i. They should be rather affordable.

 

[gsgary]

There is nothing wrong with the 10D i have one with about 250,000 clicks on it, here's some published shots of mine

 

[Derrel]

When the 10D came out, my buddy Michael brought his brand new one over and he had me shoot some pics of his then-new son in a garage studio family portrait session with my lights and backdrops...it was great to get to shoot a brand-new d-slr model. I had a Nikon d1 or D1h back then, which was both had GREAT bodies and AF systems but only so-so image sensors. We were BOTH just AMAZED at how CLEAN the 10D looked with studio flash at ISO 100!! We were absolutely THRILLED with how very,very much better, and smoother, the images were than color negative film of that era! That was on April 12 of 2003!!!!

[ looks better at 1,200x pixels and has text at IMG_2161-softbacklighting.JPG photo - Derrel photos at pbase.com ]

I think the dual-button controls on a 10D or 20D or 30D would be easier for kids to understand...although if they are just shooting in Green Box mode or in P mode, it doesn't matter, one of the Rebels would be plenty.

 

[IronMaskDuval]

Thank you for all of the responses! I didn't think I'd get this many or that in detailed. The lenses that I have are not ef-s lenses. These are old EF ultrasonic lenses that was given to me.

 

[IronMaskDuval]

Well, I went ahead and pulled the trigger. Instead of getting a 10D, I got the 20D so that my kids can use both ef and ef-s lenses. I'm going to go grab a cf card today and see how it shoots. Seeing that I already have 3 Canon EF lenses that I got for free, and this camera came with the regular 18-55(?) kit lens, my kids are set.