Digital SLRs: Buying, Reviews, Discussion

[Reinhold]

I purchased a black Digital Rebel XT online today. It should be here early next week.

I got the camera body, a canon 18-55mm standard zoom/ AF lens, a 2gb compact flash card, a 3yr repair/replacement warranty on the camera and 5 years on the lens, and an additional high-capacity battery for about $830 after the $100 canon rebate.

Eventually, I'll get more lenses and a case, etc. This is the single biggest purchase I've made by myself to date, and I don't think it's smart to spend another $300 on accessories today. ... maybe in a few months, once I've paid down the balance significantly and have used the camera enough to know what types of accessories are the biggest priorities.

I want the 5D, of course, but even with one standard zoom lens it has a $3k pricetag. The 5D or whatever the next top of the line camera is will have to wait. Plus, I can buy a gl-2 and fit it with a 35mm lens kit for that price. I went with this camera because all the reviews say that it's the best digital camera in this price range (under 1k total). I've also used most of canon's consumer digital cameras (the power shot series) and have been generally impressed with the integrity of those images.

This is my first SLR and the rebel xt is extremely comparable to the 20D, which has a $1200 pricetag for the body even on eBay. It has the same color processor and 8mp as opposed to 8.2. I bought it to help me develop my skills as a photographer, hoping that will help with cinematography as well. This camera is the bottom of the canon pro-sumer line, but I expect it to be a good place to start.

Even though I'm going into cinema/tv and not still photography, spending close to a thousand dollars on a DSLR made more sense to me than getting a cheapie 3-chip mini DV for a similar price. The difference is that I can produce a pro-quality image with a digital SLR for $800, which I can not do with the inevitably grainy/noisy/cheap looking mini dv cameras in the same price range. If the options for a video camera were better for this price, then I'd probably go with a video camera. At this stage of my career and for the near future, the video projects I do on my own will be more about applying theory to a given element of the piece than creating films for distribution. If I come across a video project that really needs to look spectacular, I'll end up renting a high quality digital camera or shooting on 16mm... until that time, I've got access to mini dv cameras free of charge that will do a job comparable to anything I'd be able to buy. The educational value of $800 seemed to be higher for a DSLR than a Mini DV.

Although my real passion is the moving image, this camera is more usable in my everyday life. Parties, still life, landscapes, etc. Still images are easier to edit and share than video.

I had an unfortunate experience with the first place that I tried to buy this camera from today. They tried to fuck me on the battery ($199 for a "5-hour" battery which doesn't even exist for this model-- I bought the same battery they would have sent me for $1.74 on eBay) and some other accessories. When I tried to buy the camera body alone, they said that the order would take 6-8 weeks for processing and would be shipped from China. (fuck bestpricecamera.com) After checking resellerrratings.com, which I should have done in the first place, I went with Bluestripephoto.com. Their customer service rocks, and their price for the camera/warranty is great. I could've saved $20 getting the 2gb card elsewhere, but they knocked the price down to half for me and this way the card will arrive the same day as the camera.

Coming soon: Reinhold's photo thread.  Don't worry, it'll be better than the poetry.

[Reinhold]

OS X 10.4.7 Canon Photo Software Bug

If you can't get your photos imported using the EOS Utility program through the camera, and you don't have or don't want to use a card reader, try setting your camera's communication to Printer and restarting the EOS Utility.

[last days of gerry the elephant]

I was never keen on Canon's designs really. The XT and XTi are quite difficult for me to handle for their size being one and the ergonomics. I recently picked up the D80, (a big upgrade for me) and looking forward to sharring some photos very soon!

[Chest Rockwell]

My brother ordered one (don't remember which specifically) from www.century21electronics.com for about $500 including a 18-55 mm lens. He bought a couple 1Gb Sandisk cards for it on Black Friday, as well. When he gets it in and starts messing with it I'll post his thoughts.