T1i or XSi?

[stephen_sturdevant]

<p>Okay, I am saving $1,000 for photography. And I wasnt sure if I should buy the T1i?<br>

OR.. the XSi, but the xsi comes with a 55-250 is lens and a bunch of other accesories,<br>

But the T1i only comes with a couple essentials...<br>

I would love some input. :D<br>

Thanks!</p>

[phule]

<p>You should buy the one you can afford. Either camera can be used to produce high quality results. The limit is almost always the photographer.</p>

<p>Certainly, though, starting off with a camera and two zoom lenses (assuming Canon 18-55 and Canon 55-250) gives you more versatility than a camera and one lens.</p>

<p>If you're thinking about buying some sort of "kit" off of ebay I would recommend you think twice. You'll likely end up paying good money for really poor quality "accessories" (lenses and camera body aside).</p>

[stephen_sturdevant]

<p>Well in this package (off of amazon) I am buying it because the things i need, it would be around 300 dollars cheaper than if I bought of a normal retailer.<br>

So you think the XSi?<br>

Might I ask if thrre is a significant difference between the T1i and XSi??</p>

[rdjc]

<p>I am not a canon expert by far, but the T1i gives you more MP 15 compared to 12MP and higher ISO capabilities. You might want to check out other retailers like B&H Photo, Adorama, etc; try to get a camera with a USA warranty some Amazon sellers offer gray/after market products, which may only have an overseas warranty. Otherwise you may have to ship your camera overseas for warranty repair. You might want to buy a body only then build with individual lens, (better apertures, and so on). </p>

[mark_ethridge]

<p>You should definitely check out the Amazon seller before buying. Sometimes it's Amazon or Adorama and sometimes it's some really shady dealer. I will only buy through Amazon if the item is being sold by Amazon or by Adorama or if I can verify that there are not a lot of complaints about the retailer. Also, check with the retailer directly (if it is not Amazon). On a recent purchase, I was going to order an item from Adorama through Amazon, but when I checked with Adorama directly the shipping was cheaper. </p>

<p>I will agree with the above comment that usually when you buy a bundled kit, everything outside of the camera and lens is usually really cheap/low quality. I would never buy a kit because of the lens cleaning accessories or filters that are included. They are almost never worth the extra cost of the kit. </p>

[phule]

<p>Stephen,</p>

<p>You can directly compare the specs of the two cameras at dpreview.com:<br>

http://lnk.nu/dpreview.com/ytp.asp</p>

<p>The biggest differences are that the T1i shoots HD movies (720p at 30fps), is 15MP, has an expanded ISO range, and a higher resolution LCD screen. </p>

<p>If these things are important, then perhaps the T1i is for you. The review of the T1i at dpreview does a comparison with the XSi so you can see, more directly, how things stack up.</p>

<p> </p>

[kari v]

<p>If you're just interested in good old fashioned still photography then XSi (or perhaps even 40D if you want aim a bit higher, check the price) is a fine tool and 18-55 IS + 55-250 IS kit offers very good price/performance.<br>

About Amazon etc. kits: Do not buy a "cheap" kit with older non-IS lenses and steer away from dirt cheap 70-300 zooms (usually Sigma but Canon's own is pretty bad too).</p>

<p>T1i is still pretty expensive. Video is nice if you feel you have use for it and better lcd doesn't hurt but speaking about still photography it really doesn't offer anything over XSi. Expanded ISO range might be useful but ISO 3200 quality won't be that hot and it requires careful exposure and processing for good results. Lens upgrade for low light offers more control and quality when (if) you need it.</p>

[matthijs]

<p>Kari's right but one remark might be confusing. The cheap Canon 70-300 is indeed pretty bad but the more expensive 70-300 IS is rather good. These should not be mixed...</p>

<p>That said, any modern Canon DSLR (say a 30D, a 400D/XTi or newer model) will enable you to make great pictures. Sometimes you can get one of those at a pretty good price.</p>

<p>Lens wise the learned people say that you should stay away from the non-IS kit lenses. Choosing lenses can be made harder the more you read. So maybe you just want to stick with the two IS kit lenses. (at the most throw in a cheap fast lens like the 35/2 or the 50/1.8)</p>

<p>What's essential equipment?<br>

Camera, lens, a sturdy bag, 2 memory cards (if you want to shoot RAW use 4 GB or bigger), a computer, a backup device like an external hard disk.</p>

<p>Anything els is just icing on the cake but not essential.</p>

[davidbaldwin]

<p>Matthijs,<br>

a tripod is a must.<br>

Stephen, both cameras are good, the 320,000 lcd of the lesser is darn good also(crystal clear). 920,00 is just better, but keep in mind that on any DLSR up to and including this years the lcd is only for viewing pics already taken. I am in the market too. comparing Xsi, Xti, T1i 50D, D90(nikon). So I went to the shop and checked them out. A real important feature for me was the 920,000 T1i, 50D, D90 and being able to use it for shooting instead of viewfinder for the type of shooting I plan on doing mostly(and I've basically gotten use to it since I put my 35mm up 7 years ago and got a digital POS) However, I was SOOOOO disapointed at how INCREDIBLY SLOW they are. The D90 wouldnt even focus on a large subject 15 yards away using its contrast based focus system. Canon 50D wasn't any better. Now they were all very fast through viewfinder. But It will depend on what kind of shooting you plan on doing. Studio Portrait style, the LCD will be ok, also for landscape. Moving target will REQUIRE looking thru viewfinder. XSi T1i are rather small, 50D is larger and heavier(but can I tell you, besides slow focus thru LCD) it is a WHOLE LOT of camera! You'll need good lenses to take advantage of 15.1 MP, 12 MP on the Xsi is still very good. Xsi has older, a tad slower processor.<br>

But bottom line, if you have only 1,000 smackeroos, seems your choice will have to be the Xsi, as the T1i will be around 1200 after tax with one lens(if there is tax).<br>

Its is also close to year end, sales will be coming. I think I have decided to wait just a few more months cause I believe the next versions will be much faster in the live view area( around march if you can hang on), and all the rest of older versions will drop around 200 dollars.<br>

sry if I bored ya, good luck, happy shooting</p>

[jeffrey_synn]

<p>I have owned the XSi for about a year now. It is my first SLR. At the time, the difference between that and the XS was a mere $50 so I took the higher one (0.5" bigger screen + spot meter). Now the difference is more like $150, which is meaningful enough to matter. If I had to do it all over again this year, I'd most likely get the XS. The difference essentially gets you the 50mm f/1.8 lens for free.</p>

<p>Since then, I've bought a number of lenses and a film body on the used market. I've seen the prices and the age-old wisdom of going for lenses instead of bodies is completely true. Your $1000 budget is extremely limited so you have to make the best of your money. Spend the bare minimum on the body. Find the cheapest (current) model with the features you need and STOP THERE. All the current models support built-in sensor cleaning, live view and have more MP than you'll likely need. I'd say that's a pretty decent minimum feature set.</p>

<p>(Live view saves me from buying a $200 angle finder and sidesteps the problem of a tiny viewfinder for macro/telephoto manual focus. This is why I didn't choose a refurb 30D which cost the same as the XSi at the time.)</p>

<p>If/when I sell my XSi years from now, I would expect it to sell for a lunch and a song. I might have to give the thing away! This is certainly not true with my lens collection--used lenses are often sold for 50-70%+ of their retail value. The basic basic basic EF-S 18-55mm IS kit lens would retain more of its value over time than the body--it's light, decent and has IS. And it will remain current in Canon's line for years to come.</p>

<p>I know you're asking about the T1i and the XSi and not the XS, but all I have to say is that if you don't need the video, stay cheap. As you build your lens collection (and tripod and camera bags and filters...), you'll be glad you did. There a lot of other accessories "essential" to explore different types of photography and you'll need all the money you can spare.</p>