XTi vs 30D

[geoffism]

I'm curious. Weighing the options on these two bodies. I know I won't really

be able to tell until I have the XTi in my hands for comparison, but is there

anything right off the bat that strikes you? 8 vs 10? Dust? Are those the

real differences? Does the 30D have more flexibility? Is there a big

difference on body construction?

 

opinions please!

[phule]

I personally don't care much about the 8mp vs 10mp differences.

 

Anti-dust sounds very promising, especially because Canon has allowed the user to decide when it runs (start up, shut down, manually, or any combination of the three) and pressing the shutter button will interupt the process instantly.

 

Body build and size are subjective. I would have no problems with my 350D in any environment, save a downpour. Thomas Knoll took a 350D to Antarctica, for whatever that is worth. I don't think the 400D will be any different. Some people will hate it some will like it.

[zacker]

the only real diff between the 30 and 400d will be size... who knows what or how good the dust thing will work only time will tell and cramming all those extra MP/s onto the sensor means higher noise ( more noise) ..at least it does for now.. we can only wait and see... i think its a pretty good improvement over the 350D and its good to see canon offering some real improvments but i hardly think anyone (except for the gadget freaks) will up grade from the 350 too the 400 for these. And i hardly think anyone will down grade from 20 or 30D for it either... It looks to me as if canon is just "testing" these new options out before putting them into the higher end bodies!

[steve_mitchell2]

all this having been said, is a 10.1MP sensor in store for the 30D family?

[jim_larson1]

The 30D is built better. More robust. Also, more of the controls are on the body (as opposed to in menus). There is a HUGE difference in erognomics due to the size difference.

 

You really need to have a rebel and a 20D/30D in your hands to appreciate the difference.

 

One could argue that there is only about $100 worth of difference between the two bodies. One can also state that the XTi should have better image quality than the 30D (10mp, is afterall, more than 8mp*).

 

I think the 30D will have a shorter than expected product run.

 

*Of course, assuming the inclusion of the dust gizmo or 10MP has not introduced some evil image degrading side effects.

[mormegil]

I'm not considering either of these cameras, as I already have an SLR.

 

I agree that it's mostly a pick it up and see which "feels" better in your hand kind of thing.

 

I think the 30D is easier to use - being more ergonomic, command dial, faster access to many controls (especially manual ones). Plus the high percision cross-sensor (dunno if the 400D has this), and spot meter.

 

The 400D seems easier to "keep" - as in it's lighter (easier to carry, and more willing to do so), and cleans it's own sensor.

 

I think the 8.2 v 10.1 MPixel is negligable. So in other capabilities, they match up (9 point AF, AI-Servo, etc).

 

But, I just wanted to add one more thing. If you really can't decide, you might want to wait 6 months or so, then I'm sure the 10.1 Mpixel + anti-dust will be in the 40D/35D or whater the successor will be called.

 

If you already have an SLR, waiting shouldn't be a problem. If not...

[hyunyu]

The command dial on the 30D is really nice. When the Digital Rebel was my main DSLR and I also was using Elan 7N, I really enjoyed the handling of the Elan body, even as I out-used the Digital Rebel by 9 to 1. The handling of the 30D is almost as nice as the Elan, except for heavier (understandable) and louder shutter sound.

[trenternst]

The reason I picked up a 20D over the Rebel is the same reason that I won't be jumping

over this, even though it has that fancy sensor cleaning technology: ergonomics. It's been

said before, and I'll say it again, the click wheel on the back makes the 20 and 30

extremely usable; the lack of click wheel on the Rebel makes it not so much.

 

Here's the situation I kept running into when testing the Rebel. I'd set mode to Manual. I

would go to change my aperture. To do that, you hold down a button on the back and turn

the same wheel that you turn to change shutter speed. I would hit the wrong button, and

instead set the camera into timed mode. After a couple hours of this, I decided less money

wasn't worth the headache.

 

Don't get me wrong, the new Rebel has some great things going for it, but I just don't find

it as easy to use. And I will pay extra for something that I don't have to fight to use.

[._._z]

The XTi is smaller, lighter, and more plasticky than the 30D, at 190grams (without battery), compared to around 700grams for the 30D.

 

It does not have a spotmeter as in the 30D.

 

The 30D has a pentaprism. The XTi, like the Rebel, uses a pentamirror resulting in a darker finder.

[bobatkins]

The XTi is a great consumer DSLR. However I don't think it's "better" than the 30D and it may not be "better" than the 20D.

 

It's clearly built down to a price in a lightweight plastic body, with no rear control dial, no top LCD, no spot metering etc.

 

It does have an extra 1.8MP (8.3 vs. 10.1) but it's limited to ISO 1600.

 

I think the XTi is a great camera. I also think the 30D will be replaced by the 40D next spring and the 10D will have a sensor in the 10-12 MP range, ultrasonic dust removal and other feaures of the XTi.

[byronlawrence]

well I am going to wait till the improved version of the 5d shows up and get that.. hopefully I will have saved enough for that.

 

8 or 10 mp is not much difference. but neither was 8 or 6.. but 6 or 10 now that might be a difference.

[kin_lau]

If you don't know why you want a 30D, then you really don't need it.

 

The XTi will be good enough 90% of the time. The other 10% is when you really appreciate the 30D or 20D... otherwise, you'd never notice.

[gdanmitchell]

<p>"There is a HUGE difference in erognomics due to the size difference."

 

<p>Quite subjective. I <i>prefer</i> the size of the 350D and would not trade mine for a

30D if someone offered to trade. I

might trade my 350D for a 400D - but I'll keep it for now since it works well for what I

need it for.

 

<p>(I would trade it for a 5D, but that's a different story... ;-)

 

<p>Here's how I look at it... 350D and 30D image quality are identical. The supposed

"ergonomic" issues disappear after using the camera and learning its interface - it

becomes quite intuitive. I'm not at all bothered by the small body of the 350D - I

<i>never</i> think about it while using the camera - only when I read about the issue in

the forums. The build quality concerns are over-hyped - the use of high-quality plastics

does not necessarily indicate poor construction. More <a href="http://

www.gdanmitchell.com/2006/05/26#a515">here</a>.

 

<p>There is a lot we don't know yet about the 400D. For example, has Canon really

managed to keep the dynamic range and noise the same on the 10.1 MP sensor? Does the

dust control business really work? However, these features should make the 400D

compare favorably to the 30D for many users.

 

<p>Should a 350D user upgrade? I'd say probably no. Certainly the difference between 8

MP and 10 MP is pretty insignificant for virtually all users. (Take a look at the actual

change in image dimensions - it is quite small.) I don't think that I would invest any money

in an upgrade to the 400D

from my 350D.

 

<p>Take care.

 

<p>Dan

 

<p>BTW: I have some <a href="http://www.gdanmitchell.com/2006/08/23#a788">crazy

theories</a> about how Canon <i>could</i> evolve their DSLR line-up.

[jim_larson1]

BTW: The 30D and 350D do NOT have the same sensor. The 350D sensor is a 8mp sensor; smaller than the 30D.

 

And yes. . .XT or 30D is really an ergonomic decision.

 

I agree that the difference is between the sensors is incremental. But it is not "zero". I agree going from a 20D/30D to a XTi is irrational. Going from a 350D to a XTi is not irrational. . but not really that justifyable. (if you had that much money to throw around. . .why didn't you buy a 30D or 5D to begin with?)

 

If you have an dRebel. . .then the XTi would be a good upgrade. (6mp to 10mp, with improved high iso performance). Going from a 10D to a XTi is an option. . .but a smarter choice would be to wait for a 40D and buy that instead.

 

I currently have a 10D. I have a pile of quality lenses. (a full paragraph worth) I am waiting for the 40D, or perhaps the eventual 5D replacement.

[dogbert]

The extra 2 megapixels is significant for me. For most images it does not make much difference but if gives more room to crop and still print large. This was an important factor for me in upgrading from the orginal drebel. While I don't often print larger than 10x8 it is nice to be able to do so when needed.

 

Also while I would prefer the size, ergonomics and viewfinder of the 30D, most of my photogrpahy is done while travelling or hiking. Thus for me the smaller and lighter the camera the better.

 

The plastic on the drebels feels cheap and nasty, but this is only an issue if you are into fondling your cameras rather than taking pictures. It probably bounces better than the metal of 30D.

 

The dust removal is a worthwhile feature too. It should save a lot of aggravation if you shoot landscapes at f11 or higher.

[gdanmitchell]

<p>Regarding the significance of a 10.1 MP sensor vs. a 8.2 MP sensor:

 

<p>350D pixel dimensions: 3456 x 2304

 

<p>400D pixel dimensions: 3888 x 2592

 

<p>While there are about 23% more pixels on the 400D sensor, the horizontal and

vertical dimensions of the sensor only increase by about 12%. So, if you print a

13 x 19 print from an uncropped 350D image you could print a 14.6 x 21.4 uncropped

400D image with the same print resolution. In other words, you'll get a print that is about

1.6 inches larger on the 13 inch side with the same dpi.

 

<p>That may make <i>some</i> difference, but it is not as significant as you might

think.

 

<p>In general, I think that it might be worth upgrading when sensors providing 50% more

pixels become available - though generally would wait for a doubling of pixels if possible.

(Other factors, like moving from crop sensor to full-frame might also affect this value

calculation.)

 

<p>By the way, apply the same logic to the very slightly different usable pixel dimensions

of the 30D and 350D sensors and I think you'll see that the "difference" is likely below the

threshhold of perception.

 

<p>Dan

[ericreagan]

There's several links on <a href="http://photofloor.blogspot.com">this post</a> that are relevant, including a comparison or two.

[mellimage]

Price could be another argument if you are short in money. I saw the first price listings here in Germany for the xti at 679 Euros, the 30D is still at 1.153 Euros (body only prices for both).

[dave_lyons1]

So get a hot model and head into a photo studio for some shots, set up a few soft boxes and get the cord to the studio strobes and grab your xti too plug it in... UT OH, there is not plug for studio lighting!

 

That was why I bought the 30D, it's a bit more of a "proish" model than xti. The XTI takes great pics, get a good lens and its real good but if you want a few more nice features, a much better built body (which people dont seem to care about until they drop it) and easier controls, go with the 30D.

 

With all that being said, I am selling all my 30D and canon stuff to buy a Nikon D200

[hdri]

Lets see, hi, i don't have any of them but i used the 400D for some friends when they visited my town. Any ways, am planning to buy one now for a friend so I've been through this for a while. He asked me if he should go for the 400D or the 30D, in fact some of the main differences none where mentioned here that could be an issue for some ppl.

The number of frames per second, its 5fps in the 30D vs 3fps in the 400D and this could be an issue for some action and sport photographers, another thing is the ability to attach a "wireless file transferrer" to the 30D but cant do the same for the 400D. Of course this will be in addition with all above reasons.

 

Khaldoon

[andrew_baines]

I'm really not sure which SLR im going to get next. Ideally would like to purchase in the next 4 weeks. Almost got the 30D then found out the 40D is coming out. My friend says i should go for the 400D. I shoot outdoors at airshows (aviation photography) so i thought the speed of the 30D or 40D would be very helpful as well as the stronger body. any suggestions? thanks. Andy

[andrew_baines]

I also want a camera that will last me the next 4 to 5 years at least. budget is not a problem at the moment. thanks, Andy.

[emre]

I'd get the 40D then but I'm not sure it will be available in the next four weeks.

[thomas_wagner2]

Geoff started this thread, but I was in the throes of deciding this question, and I would like to thank all respondents for their opinions. I did send back an XTi for a 30D, and I just feel much better for the decision. Really, having one of each in hand helps the decision making. Ruggedness, spot metering, color temperature and user interface along with not feeling like an amateur were the deciding factors for the 30D, while cost kept me from the 5D.