Why buy the more expensive bodies?

[chip l.]

Steven,

 

The issue with lenses is one of a changing market place, and changing technology. Back in the day of the FD, SLR photography required a commitment from the photographer. Now with AF, AE, and auto that, the SLR has reached the masses. The masses think that an SLR will give them better images than their point and shoots. Yet they want the convenience of the zoom that they were use to.

 

If there were a market for them, manufactures could make "affordable" primes. But the market is not there. So the primes being offered are for the pros, and those that know that primes perform better than many a zoom. And given the limited market, the costs are higher.

 

There is another factor playing into your comments. That is the "deflation" of the cost of entry into SLR photography. Back in the 80's the Nikon FM body sold for about $300 I believe. Today the FM3a sells for about $700. Given the cost of inflation, the FM3a is not much more than the FM of the 80's. Yet we have the N80 and Elan 7 selling at 1980 pricing. So those that remember what they paid in years gone by have a hard time in looking at gear that we are used to buying.

[sk_arts]

Yeah, but who wants to be seen with a camera with the word "Rebel" stamped on it.

 

Steven-

 

DOF preview is extremely useful, and perhaps the biggest reason i went with SLR and not RF after my other cameras either broke or got stolen...

[steven_clark]

So does this make a good summary?:

With Canon the cheaper models do not lose anything TOO critical like non-program modes. On the other hand the viewfinders aren't great, especially when it comes to manual focus work, and you may lose some performance and alot of control over the specifics of the AF system. At the lowest models you will lose the some other feature such as DOF preview which while not absolutely required are very useful. Also alot of convenience features getadded in the higher models which also have tougher build quality.

 

These are most of the reasons to get a better body, but alot of people get them just for bragging rights which is the WRONG reason. While better cameras have their advantages if you don't need these advantages a Rebel may be just fine.

[joe_lempkowski1]

Why is it looked down on so much? Because they are inexpensive and made of plastic. Granted you get some nicer features as the price increases, but you still can get a decent camera for a couple hundred bucks, if you don't have anything against plastics. If you drop a Rebel G and it shatters into a thousand pieces (not likely), you can pick up another from your nearest Walmart or mall for less than $200.