Think I finally found a good camera!

[scorpion_tyr]

Canon Direct Store - Refurbished EOS Digital SLR Cameras

That's the link to the refurbished Canons. With a trade in you'll also save 20% off that price. Any Canon camera can be traded in for that 20% so pick out something less than $50 and you'll save some money.

 

[colintrax]

Is a T1i a bad camera? Seems like it's just as good as the new ones minus a self cleaning sensor (how much dust could be in there anyways) and slightly lower ISO, but it can still go to 12,800.
Keep in mind, my girlfriend has never used a DSLR, only point and shoot. And most of what she'll shoot is nature/sports and pretty much just outside. 90% of the pictures she takes now is of my racing, her brother's baseball, or plants/animals.

 

[zcar21]

Considering that you can purchase a brand new Canon T3 with the kit lens for $440... it's not so hot a deal. It was introduced in 2005 and is REALLY outdated in terms of it's abilities.
I wouldn't pay $200 for an XT, to be honest. I'd save until I could afford the current entry level. After it came the XTi, then the XSi then the XS, then the T2i THEN the T3. Leaps and bounds in between there.
It will work and you can use it, but it's got some real hard limits.

Where can you buy a canon t3 for 440?

I don't see any limits in the xt, specially if it's the first dslr. Canon keeps putting out more and more rebels with more features but it doesn't always mean a better camera. They're just saying, here's a new feature come and buy it. And about ISO, the improvement is not a big deal, I don't think she's going to be doing any big printing, so 1600 is PERFECTLY usable.

My only complain about the camera is the kit lens. It's crap. Photos are ok, but soon you'll want a better one.

 

[colintrax]

^ on the big printing, I'm pretty sure she'll do some poster sized stuff. And whatever lens it comes with will probably have to stay, so if I even get a choice, whats the best all around lens? The stock ones can't be that bad, it is what canon/nikon put on all the cameras.

 

[fjrabon]

^ on the big printing, I'm pretty sure she'll do some poster sized stuff. And whatever lens it comes with will probably have to stay, so if I even get a choice, whats the best all around lens? The stock ones can't be that bad, it is what canon/nikon put on all the cameras.

wait, posters? like large posters? Um, the quality you'll need just shot up a pretty fair amount.

for posters, you'd almost be better off with a really nice P&S with a higher MP count than the camera you linked earlier.

 

[DiskoJoe]

You can get an xs for $325. That is really cheap. I would get that over the XT. Do what scorpion said. Probably best deal you'll find. If you wait until after christmas you could probably get a really sweet deal to from people selling stuff they dont want.

Personally I shoot sony. Good cameras and the lenses cost less too since the stabilizing features are internal to the motor and not in the lens.

 

[zcar21]

^ on the big printing, I'm pretty sure she'll do some poster sized stuff. And whatever lens it comes with will probably have to stay, so if I even get a choice, whats the best all around lens? The stock ones can't be that bad, it is what canon/nikon put on all the cameras.

wait, posters? like large posters? Um, the quality you'll need just shot up a pretty fair amount.

for posters, you'd almost be better off with a really nice P&S with a higher MP count than the camera you linked earlier.

Looks like the OP is getting a lot of wrong information here. A dslr is always better than a p&s for larger printing. Personally I don't print anything bigger than 8x11, however you could get away with 11x17 if is a very good picture. About the lens, pictures are good, but it looks and feels cheap.

Here is a picture I took at iso 1600 with a 50mm lens at 2.8. raw no noise reduction. click on the picture to see it 100%.

Edit: You could lower the noise by taken it in jpeg or add some noise reduction.

 

[fjrabon]

^ on the big printing, I'm pretty sure she'll do some poster sized stuff. And whatever lens it comes with will probably have to stay, so if I even get a choice, whats the best all around lens? The stock ones can't be that bad, it is what canon/nikon put on all the cameras.

wait, posters? like large posters? Um, the quality you'll need just shot up a pretty fair amount.

for posters, you'd almost be better off with a really nice P&S with a higher MP count than the camera you linked earlier.

Looks like the OP is getting a lot of wrong information here. A dslr is always better than a p&s for larger printing. Personally I don't print anything bigger than 8x11, however you could get away with 11x17 if is a very good picture. About the lens, pictures are good, but it looks and feels cheap.

Here is a picture I took at 1600 with a 50mm lens at 2.8. raw no noise reduction.

11X16 isn't really what I consider a poster though. 8MP (what the XT is), and you will actually be able to see individual square pixels on a 20X30 print (what I consider poster sized). A P&S isn't good in that scenario, but at least with a 14mp P&S, you wouldn't actually see square dots. My main point was just that if his girlfriend wants to shoot poster sized, the EOS XT isn't going to work. 8MP is more than enough for normal prints, just not 20X30.

 

[Pau1]

You've been dating a year, and you have $250 to spend on her camera. Wait until year 2 and spend $500. She'll appreaciate a $500 camera on your 2nd "anniversary" more than an old $250 camera on your 1st "anniversary."

You can also take go out for dinner with the McDonald's dollar menu and skip the movies for the next year and give her a $1,000 camera. She'll appreciate your frugality and budgeting skills more than the $250 camera.

 

[fjrabon]

You've been dating a year, and you have $250 to spend on her camera. Wait until year 2 and spend $500. She'll appreaciate a $500 camera on your 2nd "anniversary" more than an old $250 camera on your 1st "anniversary."

You can also take go out for dinner with the McDonald's dollar menu and skip the movies for the next year and give her a $1,000 camera. She'll appreciate your frugality and budgeting skills more than the $250 camera.

Where do you meet these women who appreciate frugality and budgeting skills? I have yet to come across this varietal.

 

[zcar21]

Larger posters are meant to be seen from a distance, so in theory an 8mp image can be printed to 20"x30" at 115pi and it would look fine from a certain distance.

 

[fjrabon]

Larger posters are meant to be seen from a distance, so in theory an 8mp image can be printed to 20"x30" at 115pi and it would look fine from a certain distance.

well yeah, but you also shouldn't be able to walk up to it and see individual pixels from a foot away either.

 

[zcar21]

unless you have a magnefying glass you won't see any square or pixels, it would just get a little bit blurry. With a p&s, even if you double the megapixel, you'll get more blur. Besides, to print such a big size you shouldn't even use a dlsr aps-c (I don't care if it has 20mp). A larger format would be needed for very sharp images.

 

[Pau1]

Where do you meet these women who appreciate frugality and budgeting skills? I have yet to come across this varietal.

If someone can find a woman who would rather have a $250 camera instead of $250 in clothes/jewelery then anything is possible...

 

[fjrabon]

unless you have a magnefying glass you won't see any square or pixels, it would just get a little bit blurry. With a p&s, even if you double the megapixel, you'll get more blur. Besides, to print such a big size you shouldn't even use a dlsr (I don't care if it has 20mp). A larger format would be needed for very sharp images.

I can tell you from experience that you can see individual pixels on a 20X30 print using an 8MP camera.