kent_barry

<p>I really want to thank you folks for the comments and ideas. So many of you have presented me with genuinely thoughtful insights, even referring to my portfolio. I wasn't quite ready to replace my camera--I've liked it quite well. It's quite reassuring to have access to folks who own and use the types of gear I'm considering and who don't have a vested interest in selling me a particular product from their inventory. <br>

Whatever I choose, I'm sure of a couple of things, 1) I'll still love taking photographs, while wondering why my results aren't better; 2) I'll still get that mysterious 3/3 rating when I post my perceived masterpiece on photo.net! (I'm glad those folks aren't here on this thread telling me to sell all my remaining equipment and just give up.)</p>

<p>Thanks for the ideas. I don't plan on launching any more cameras from the top of the car, but you can never be sure. I'm not counting on purchasing anything capable of withstanding that kind of impact--the worst I've usually faced was the dog knocking over the tripod. <br>

I like the notion of a larger, clearer LCD. I have a hard time gauging how sharp my shot turned out on this current display, and I like the notion of sensor cleaning. Mine seems to get very dirty all too often and small aperture shots get ruined. I'd like more megapixels, just because I end up cropping my shots a lot and that would give me more flexibility, and I would like to do the occasional large print--bigger than letter size--for display. (I used to do cibachrome from Velvia or Kodachrome 25--but I've never done a large digitial print.) <br>

This is the only digital SLR I've had, and I've liked the compact size and the quality of images I've gotten so far. </p>

<p>I just smashed my Digital Rebel XT and have to find something to replace it. I've got some great canon lenses (100-400 IS L, 24-105 IS L, and even an EFS 10-22) so I figure I'll stay with Canon, though I'm not sure whether I should stay with the crop sensor--even if that means parting with one EFS lens. <br>

I'm just a hack (who but a hack leaves their camera on top of the car and drives away) and I shoot mostly landscape and wildlife kinds of stuff. I'm torn between going cheap; finding a used XT or XTi or going all out and getting the newest and latest features. </p>