Billy M

Or some of you may know it as a EOS 350D! It was my college graduation (a couple weeks early) gift from my parents, i'm so excited to go out and use it, I'm just waiting on a 4 gig CF card I ordered yesterday! I can't wait to go use it ths weekend, provided the card comes in on time. I'll be sure to post pictures on the blog as soon as I take some shots with it. From what I hear, there's going to be a little bit of a learning curve from the point and shoot I have been using, but hopefully I remember some techniques from my high school 35mm photography classes. F/stops and shutter speed have suddenly become much more important, as well as all sorts of other stuff, but I look forward to the challenge!

srika

great camera, I am contemplating selling my D70 to get one.

Shiffy

Enjoy! I just got one a few weeks ago for my birthday. Great Camera!

Billiam

Do you only have the kit lens for it? I'm just trying to imagine why you don't just go for an upgraded Nikon body.

Street Spirit

Congrats on the Canon!!

One thing you might want to consider in the future is getting smaller CF cards. I wouldn't go bigger than 1 gig for myself. If your 4 gig card gets lost/breaks/stops working/malfunctions for whatever reason, you've just lost a ton of data and don't have a back-up to use either. IMHO, I'd rather have two 1 gig cards instead of one 2 gig card, etc. If one doesn't work -- I've always got another, and there's only so many pics I can lose on a 1 gig card.

srika

I do have the kit lens, along with a 70-300 or something and a few other things.

If I did that it would have to be something like the D200. And I think those are still commanding a hefty $$$. The XT is like $550 or something ridiculous. And it's pic quality is better than the D70's.

Bdog

Congrats, I love my XT!

cl_jay

Is that just for the body? I am gradually saving for one, and that price sounds great.

BTW, Congrats Billy

srika

Yea... body only. like here you can get body only for $599. Maybe I was exaggerating just a bit.

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4025738

it only goes up about $85 w/ the kit, though:

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4028778

and this is just one place, I know you can get it even cheaper elsewhere.

cl_jay

I hadn't checked the current prices. I was thinking it was going to cost about $899 or more for the kit. Thanks for the info.

Speed_Racer

I just got a 30D for my birthday and it was a great upgrade. You can't go wrong with Canon.

Agreed with the smaller CF card comment. Much better to not put all your eggs in one basket.

Billy M

the smaller card idea is probably a very good idea, unfortunately, i didn't listen to you guys, so for better or worse, i have a 4 gig card, lifetime warranty, but as everyone knows it's not the card that matters, its the pictures on it...

for now i will pray for the best

thanks for the compliments, i got mine with the kit lense, there are two kits, one is a 18-55 lens, and the other is a 17-85 lense, i got the 17-85, and i think its great!

Billy M

posted my first pics from the rebel xt on my blog:

check it out

let me know what u think

cl_jay

Pansy.

I like the second pic.

Billy M

I TOLD YOU THEY WERE TULIPS!


and thank you for the invisible compliment

streetracing901

did u get it with the stock lens? Cause they suck lol. I hate mine.

srika

Billy M

there are two kit lenses, there is the 18-55 and the 17-85. I have the 17-85, they are both EFS lenses, but I think only the 17-85 has IS and USM

CLpower

the stock lens is a pretty good lens for a $200 lens, but definately needs to be upgraded eventually. I know many people who have a ton of great shots w/ the stock lens. The photographer is the biggest factor.

CLpower

I just got the 17-85IS a few months ago, love this lens

zeroday

Got links to any reviews/comparisons to back that up? Guess I always thought the d70 was better than the rebel.

zeroday

hmm..did my own searching..slightly better sensor on the rebel and higher mexapixels..all in all though it doesn't seem like you'd notice much of a difference unless you're doing alot of macro work.

srika

Well I just looked around and it seems most reviews slant towards the D70. But, interestingly most of the pro-D70 reviews are based on features, not pic quality. Features such as wireless flash, having 2 adjustment dials instead of 1, position of the LCD (top vs back) - arguable advantages. The one big advantage the D70 seems to have over the XT is that the lens supplied in the kit is of considerably higher quality - seems they did supply quite a cheap lens in the XT kit.

As for me, I think the XT is "better" purely based on pics I've seen - the XT's background "blur" appears smoother, less noise. And Pics seem clearer and sharper. But, the grass is greener on the other side and I'm a bit of a mp freak.

But needless to say, I'm not thinking about selling the D70 anymore. Also, I was very surprised by the size difference - the XT is diminutive. I like the rugged "big" feel of the D70. Thanks for the clarification.

Here's the best online comparo I could find:
http://www.digitalreview.ca/cams/Nik...sRebelXT.shtml

Billy M

I must admit that having the LCD on the top is a better choice than the back, my dad has a 30D and it is on the top of that one, but it's not a really big deal to me

NOVAwhiteTypeS

i usually carry 2 batteries and 2 1gb cards. the battery usually runs out before my cf cards.

soopa

meh, i've used the same 4GB CF card for 3-4 years with no issues.

in fact, i think you're more likely to have issues with smaller/multiple cards because you have to take the things out and handle them everytime they're full!

my card never needs to be removed. it's spent its entire life inside the camera.

you've nothing to worry about. buying the larger card was definately the smarter purchase.

Mizouse

can you link a place that has the 17-85 kit?

Billy M

B&H Photo And Video

There's the 17-85 kit!

The battery life on this camera is INCREDIBLE, I just got back from the start line of the MYC five boro bike tour and took 935 pictures and there was still 1 battery bar on the LCD screen, and no low battery warning, I used 3/4 of my 4 gig card and still had some battery left, amazing!

Dan Martin

It's not a "factory" kit. They just bundle a body with a lens for a discount. The only factory kit is with the 18-55, but your 17-85 is worlds better than the kit lens.

Billy M

it definitely IS a factory kit, I didn't buy it from them, got it as a gift from my parents who got it at a camera store near them, but it comes in a factory box that says 17-85 kit, digital rebel xt, blah blah, it turns out very few people know about this kit, most people i mention it to seem to know nothing about it

Dan Martin

Cool, must be something new because it's not even mentioned on Canon's website. Well, enjoy!

SilverStoneTTL

Im looking into getting this same camera, albeit the 18-55 package. Id love the better lenses but its about 300-400 more expensive. Yikes. I'll just practice with the kit lens until I can afford a better one. I need to get a book explaining lens and stuff and learn about how to use these cameras.

Ronin317

Congrats on the cam! The Rebel XT is one solid cam.

If I may make a few recommendations...pick up a decent flash, and get the battery-grip and a few extra batteries. The battery grip makes that camera (at least for me) PERFECT to hold and the perfect weight, plus the extra batt life...

As for a flash, I picked up the Canon 430, and wasn't too impressed with it for the price, so I returned it and got the Sunpak PZ40X II and a set of rechargable 2400mAh batteries, and it's great. Lightweight, powerful, and fantastic for only $140! The Canon 430 was comparable, had a few more features and a slightly faster refresh, but was $275...so screw that.

An alternative lens for the cam would be to go for the EF 50mm f1.8. It's about $80, and it will be your best friend in a short amount of time. The 18-55 is good for general stuff, but the 50mm is a great starter lens. I've found more than a few people have learned much more from using the 50mm than anything else. and don't let the lens magnification scare you off of any lens...
As far as books...check out John Hedgecoe's instruction books, and the MAgic Lantern guide for the camera. Once you know how to use it, check out some books on the art of composition and such, like "Photo idea Index" and a few others...PM me if I can help at all!