Is this Digital Rebel salvageable or should I upgrade? (HELP!)

[fenixx]

My camera life has revovled around the following

Canon P&S SD900 (bought 2007)
Canon DS6041 EOS 6.3MP Digital Rebel Camera (recently acquired, bought 2004, the original, lol)

Until recently, I've managed to live with the P&S to fulfill my everyday needs and the DSLR doesn't get a lot of use.

However, I've recently been using the DSLR and have been craving a bit more from it. It's got the basic stock lens that it was packaged with when it was originally bought, however here is the issue I have...

Is the DSLR salvageable... i.e. can a buy a proper lens (if so, recommendations?), and utilities... or should I just shell out and buy a new DSLR?

I'm in a position where my SD900 is being handed off to a family member, and badly want to replace my portable with the G10... but feel like I should outfit my DSLR before I worry about aquiring a new portable...

Should I...
* properly outfit my Canon (original) Digital Rebel, and buy a G10
or
* invest in a new DSLR, forget about a portable right now...

Thanks for any help!

 

[compuwar]

However, I've recently been using the DSLR and have been craving a bit more from it. It's got the basic stock lens that it was packaged with when it was originally bought, however here is the issue I have...

Canon's older "kit" lenses frankly sucked. If you get a newer kit lens, or something better you'll see an immediate increase in image quality.

Is the DSLR salvageable... i.e. can a buy a proper lens (if so, recommendations?), and utilities... or should I just shell out and buy a new DSLR?

I'd get a new lens or two. Which depends a lot on your budget and what you shoot normally. What focal length is your current lens and what focal length do you usually shoot at? Do you wish it went wider, closer or both?

I'm in a position where my SD900 is being handed off to a family member, and badly want to replace my portable with the G10... but feel like I should outfit my DSLR before I worry about aquiring a new portable...

Here's the biggest question: Will you lug the DSLR around with you? A great camera sitting at home is not a good substitute for a poor camera with you. If you'll use the SLR, then outfit it with a good lens or three. If not, sell it while you can and get a good P&S or hand it down and keep the current P&S.

 

[apearlman]

Big question: Do you still want/need 2 cameras?

Personally, I'm a big believer in owning 2 cameras: a DSLR for most shooting, and a pocketable P&S for the (rare) occasions when I'm not willing to carry the bigger camera.

If you're giving your P&S to a family member, then you need a new P&S.

Unless you're willing to always carry the DSLR. But only you can decide whether you're willing to do this.

It sounds like you could get a new lens, and see if you like DSLR shooting and perhaps can live without a P&S for a while. If you find yourself often leaving the DSLR at home and being camera-less, then buy a P&S. Good ones don't have to be as expensive as the G10.

If you do find yourself using and enjoying the DSLR, you can upgrade your D-Rebel body in the future and keep using your new lens with it.

If you don't want to use a DSLR in the future, lenses are easy to sell used. You may not lose much money on the sale.

 

[flinch13]

Buy some lenses, and forget the compact.

If you're looking for image quality, ditch the compact.

Get a couple of decent lenses for your rebel and then you can upgrade the body later. Trust me. The body doesn't really do much for image quality IMHO; the lenses do.

What's your budget?

 

[jbernie]

What photos do you take and what do you do with them?

If you are doing pics of family events and maybe the odd sports game & holiday snaps or something then anything beyond P&S might well be wasted money.

If photography is a hobby and you have a desire for higher quality photos and doing more complex things then the DSLR is a better choice.

Whats the budget?

At under $500 then P&S all the way. If you are willing to spend more, even if over 2 or 3 years then a DSLR is a safe choice.

With recent changes in the Canon lineup you can get the 40D with 28-135mm lens for $970 and that can keep you going for quite a while. If you have any kids or a close relative interested in photography they could use the Rebel as an introduction to DSLRs.