Helping a friend's Mom pick out a camera

[skywalkerbeth]

Hi everyone

I'm a medium-newbie and his Mom is a rank newbie.

I have a Canon 30D.

His Mom is thinking about a Rebel XTi and wants advice both on that camera and on a good IS lens to go with it - most likely a zoom lens. He hasn't given me her budget, but I assume since the Rebel is half the price of a 40D it is sub-1000 for the whole enchilada. But I don't know that for sure.

My short answer to him would be "get the 40D with either the 28-135 zoom (1400) or the 17-85 IS (1700 bucks). That may be out of her price range.

Is there a limit on the "kind" of Canon lenses you can put on a Rebel XTi? Can she for instance put an L model lens on it if she chose?

Many thanks for looking at my question.

 

[HASHASHIN]

the 400d will take any lens made for the canon ef or ef-s mount.

new xti $517 / body only/ you can get cheaper refurbs if you dont mind a refurb
http://www.adorama.com/ICADRXTI.html?searchinfo=canon xti&item_no=34

18-55 IS $170
http://www.adorama.com/CA1855AFU.html

for around 700 bucks you can have a great camera and an IS lens, that leaves money for an extra zoom lens, camera bag, or any other accessories she may want.

 

[HASHASHIN]

28-135 IS $299

http://www.adorama.com/CA28135ISUR.html

 

[skywalkerbeth]

thank you!

what are the primary differences b/w the 400D and the 40D?

 

[HASHASHIN]

the 400d has a lightweight plastic body

it uses the digic2 processor instead of the digic3 that the 40d uses, they have the same size and mega pixel sensor though.
the 40d has some other upgrades, including the bigger lcd, and live view. but for the price, the xti is a great camera that takes great pictures

 

[Aw45]

When thinking about buying a camera you should really consider the glass that you are using more than the camera.

I can not stress enough that you should buy better lens. The 28-135is and the 18-55mm lens by canon are on the cheaper side. They are both slow with only 3.5-5.6 apeture. You will not be able to shoot in lower light situations without cranking up your ISO. There is also a huge lack of depth of field control. Yes, you can get a set up for 800 dollars, but not one you will be happy with in a few months.

If you have to save money then get a cheaper body and save for better lens, not the other way around.

 

[Milhouse]

28mm may also not be wide enough. Remember on the XTi there is a 1.6 crop factor on all the lenses it uses (due to a smaller sensor). The crop factor doesn't effect the magnification of the lens, just how much image it can capture. 28mm will look like 45mm on an XTi.

Find out what she plans on shooting. I am shooting general stuff, a bit of everything (with a lot of "travel shots"). When I first started, my thinking was "gotta have a good zoom", but as I slowly get more experienced I realize how important wide angle is. I have realized that for travel, my wide angle lens (18-55) is more useful than my telephoto (55-250 is). I will probably only be using it (55-250 IS) to photograph animals and every now and then to capture something in the distance. If you want to take a picture of a building from across the street, or a tree in the forest, you will be too close to the subject to use a telephoto lens.

If the budget is tight, put the money on the lens most used.

 

[Mystwalker]

Sell her your 30D - for a newcomer, that's a lot of camera
Upgrade to 40D yourself.

Personally, unless someone specifically wanted a DSLR, I would go with point and shoot because of price difference - my wife uses a Canon SD850 which produce excellent stills - different story with trying to take picture of daughter running around.

AND something I did not know when I jumped into DSLR - you will want new lens.

 

[nicfargo]

the DSLR world is a scary and expensive place...very expensive. And you will want the expensive stuff as time goes by. I've got what, 4 $1000 or more lenses...ugg. Crazy! If she can get by with a decent P&S or a hybrid model, steer her that way...you'll save her a lot of money in the long run, and she'll be able to still take some pretty decent shots.