Wait for XSi or get the XTi with better lens?

[nukiduz]

Hello! I need some advice here. I'm buying my first DSLR soon and I was quite about to buy the Canon XTi when I read that XSi was around the corner (April, in fact). I am not too interested on the XSi's 2 extra Mps, but there are other improvements that I don't know if could be relevant for me (Digic III, Live View, better battery, bigger screen). Besides, I could sell this camera sometime so the XSi would have a better sale price.

My budget is no more than $1000. I'm considering getting a XTi with the Canon 17-85 IS lens, which I think is a good combination. Or maybe wait for the XSi and buy it with the 18-55 IS lens from the kit. I like the first lens more but I'm not sure what to do. I could also wait for the XSi to release and wait for a XTi price drop.

So my options are:
Get the XTi with the 17-85 IS lens now
Get the XTi with the 17-85 IS lens after the price drop
Get the XSi with kit lens
Get other camera/lens (?) (no please, it was hard to reach this point)

Considering all I've pointed out, what do you think? What is the best choice? Is there any other better one? Are XSi's improvements worth the price and the wait? Thanks.

 

[zioxide]

I'd wait because the XSi has some good features, including SD cards instead of CF (cheaper, smaller design, more widespread usage), better designed body, spot metering, etc.

 

[miloblithe]

I think the XTi has already come down about as much as it's going to. It's $520 at bhphotovideo.com. The XSi lists at $799. Say you can get it at $720, I'd say it's not worth the $200 difference if your budget is $1000.

I'd look at some different lenses though. The 17-85 suffers from barrel distortion (although that's correctable if you have software to do it) at the wide end and is just not that great a lens.

On the other hand, if you can't decide on a lens you'd rather have than the new version of the Canon kit lens, it might be worth getting the new XSi to get the kit lens for $100 more (separately it'd be like $200?).

 

[djejrejk]

Ken Rockwell claims that a good lens is always a better investment. He still shoots with a D40.

KenRockwell.com

 

[ChePibe]

Wait for the Xsi rather than get the 17-85.

The Xsi is slightly larger and should be more comfortable (finally, thanks Canon!), has a better viewfinder, and a few other improvements.

More importantly, the kit lens it comes with is likely better than the 17-85. At least that's what the guys at <a href="http://www.photozone.de/Reviews/Canon%20EOS%20Lens%20Tests/45-canon-eos-aps-c/181-canon-ef-s-18-55mm-f35-56-is-test-report--review">Photozone</a> think. After spending $800 on this setup, you'll still have money left for a nice 50mm f/1.8 lens as well.

Good luck on your choice!

 

[nukiduz]

OK! Thanks for the replies. I'll wait for the XSi to get reviewed and if there's nothing bad compared to the XTi I might go for it.

 

[OreoCookie]

The viewfinder is very, very important. (I wear glasses, so it's even more important to me than for people with good eyes.) The D40 and the various entry-level Canons (300D, 350D and 400D) have a tiny viewfinder compared to -- say -- the D80. As a matter of fact, that was the single reason I upgraded from a D70 to a D80 within two weeks (I bought both on Craig's List).

If the viewfinder on the 450D (XSi) is appreciably compared to its immediate successors, then I suggest you wait. If not, you might as well get your camera now.

 

[1337cowsgomoo]

Hello! I need some advice here. I'm buying my first DSLR soon and I was quite about to buy the Canon XTi when I read that XSi was around the corner (April, in fact). I am not too interested on the XSi's 2 extra Mps, but there are other improvements that I don't know if could be relevant for me (Digic III, Live View, better battery, bigger screen). Besides, I could sell this camera sometime so the XSi would have a better sale price.

My budget is no more than $1000. I'm considering getting a XTi with the Canon 17-85 IS lens, which I think is a good combination. Or maybe wait for the XSi and buy it with the 18-55 IS lens from the kit. I like the first lens more but I'm not sure what to do. I could also wait for the XSi to release and wait for a XTi price drop.

So my options are:
Get the XTi with the 17-85 IS lens now
Get the XTi with the 17-85 IS lens after the price drop
Get the XSi with kit lens
Get other camera/lens (?) (no please, it was hard to reach this point)

Considering all I've pointed out, what do you think? What is the best choice? Is there any other better one? Are XSi's improvements worth the price and the wait? Thanks.

Wait on it. Although the XSi might have great features such as Live View, the Digic III processor, etc., you won't see any immediate results in terms of image quality. If I know anything about retail, it's that as soon as the XSi starts coming in they'll want to liquidate their XTi supply because no one will want to buy it since it's 'inferior'. Unless you're shooting weddings and other sports-like topics (yes, weddings are somewhat sportlike since you have only one shot to get the perfect picture), I doubt you'll have any need for the Digic III processor's faster capabilities. As it is right now, the XTi starts up in .2 seconds and is actually really fast.

I would suggest getting the XTi once the price drops (like the XT, it will drop in price) and look at higher lenses. If you have a $1,000 range (which it sounds like you do), I'd look at some better lenses.

First choice to consider would be the EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-28-135m...=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1202059220&sr=1-4

I would choose this over the 17-85 for many reasons. Sure, it's not as wide as the 17-85, but its telephoto abilities greatly dwarf those of the 17-85, especially when considered that the XTi is a 1.6 crop sensor. It has IS too, so you won't have to worry too much about camera shake. It's about the same price as the 17, and it will cause less hassle when you have to buy a new lense to replace the 17 (if) you choose to go onto a full frame body someday (EF-S does not support full framers).

Another would be the 17-40mm f/4L.

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-17-40mm...r_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1202059220&sr=1-13

Sure, it's $600. But, it's a great lense. It doesn't have IS, so you'll have to train yourself to use the right settings to get a fast, sharp picture. It's a reasonable spread (17-40mm), but you just won't be able to get pictures of people too far away without having to crop. It's also an EF, and you'll be able to use it for the rest of your life. Plus, it has some of the best bokeh I've ever seen. It's a reasonable portrait lense, too. What's not to love?

 

[nukiduz]

Wait on it. Although the XSi might have great features such as Live View, the Digic III processor, etc., you won't see any immediate results in terms of image quality. If I know anything about retail, it's that as soon as the XSi starts coming in they'll want to liquidate their XTi supply because no one will want to buy it since it's 'inferior'. Unless you're shooting weddings and other sports-like topics (yes, weddings are somewhat sportlike since you have only one shot to get the perfect picture), I doubt you'll have any need for the Digic III processor's faster capabilities. As it is right now, the XTi starts up in .2 seconds and is actually really fast.

I would suggest getting the XTi once the price drops (like the XT, it will drop in price) and look at higher lenses. If you have a $1,000 range (which it sounds like you do), I'd look at some better lenses.

First choice to consider would be the EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-28-135m...=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1202059220&sr=1-4

I would choose this over the 17-85 for many reasons. Sure, it's not as wide as the 17-85, but its telephoto abilities greatly dwarf those of the 17-85, especially when considered that the XTi is a 1.6 crop sensor. It has IS too, so you won't have to worry too much about camera shake. It's about the same price as the 17, and it will cause less hassle when you have to buy a new lense to replace the 17 (if) you choose to go onto a full frame body someday (EF-S does not support full framers).

Another would be the 17-40mm f/4L.

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-17-40mm...r_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1202059220&sr=1-13

Sure, it's $600. But, it's a great lense. It doesn't have IS, so you'll have to train yourself to use the right settings to get a fast, sharp picture. It's a reasonable spread (17-40mm), but you just won't be able to get pictures of people too far away without having to crop. It's also an EF, and you'll be able to use it for the rest of your life. Plus, it has some of the best bokeh I've ever seen. It's a reasonable portrait lense, too. What's not to love?

Thanks for the reply, it is very reasonable. I am not convinced though about the lenses you're suggesting. I like wide angle lens and those 28-135mm would become 45-215mm with this camera. It could be nice for portraits and telephoto but I'm interested in indoor and landscape pics (and not in sports or weddings ). So I guess something wider would fit me needs better. I didn't know about EF and EF-S lens so thanks a lot for that too. For now, I'll wait for some XSi review and see how low does the XTi's price go. My brother is a pro photographer and he told me it is better to invest in lens than in cameras; would you agree?

edit: i've been looking for some other lens. How about this? As you see, I'm new to the DSLR world so I am not confident in buying non-Canon lens. What do you think about this?

pd: sorry for the poor english

 

[1337cowsgomoo]

Thanks for the reply, it is very reasonable. I am not convinced though about the lenses you're suggesting. I like wide angle lens and those 28-135mm would become 45-215mm with this camera. It could be nice for portraits and telephoto but I'm interested in indoor and landscape pics (and not in sports or weddings ). So I guess something wider would fit me needs better. I didn't know about EF and EF-S lens so thanks a lot for that too. For now, I'll wait for some XSi review and see how low does the XTi's price go. My brother is a pro photographer and he told me it is better to invest in lens than in cameras; would you agree?

edit: i've been looking for some other lens. How about this? As you see, I'm new to the DSLR world so I am not confident in buying non-Canon lens. What do you think about this?

pd: sorry for the poor english

No worries about the english. It's actually pretty spotless...

Getting back on track, the Sigma you were looking at is quite reasonable. The only thing I have to say about those lenses with giant optical zoom ranges such as this one (18-200mm) is that the image quality will not be as sharp as something with a smaller range, such as the 24-70mm f/2.8L and other such lenses. Judging by the sample images that are on Amazon, I'd say go for it. Since you're going to be mostly shooting landscape photography, you shouldn't worry too much about the f/#, as landscape shots are generally done with fairly small apertures, such as f/7, f/14, etc.

As for non-Canon lenses, Sigma and Tamron lenses are always good bets. My friend's father is a portrait photographer and relies solely on Tamrons (although he shoots on Fujifilm bodies, too), and from the Sigmas I've seen/played around with, their image quality is usually up to par with Canon's. Sure, the build quality will not be as good as Canon's L series, but with Sigma, you get what you pay for.