Steve'sDigicams

jedmag · Jul 19, 2005, 4:04 PM

i have been into photography as a hobby for the past 2 years, but have
just recently grown to live/breathe it. as for what used to be a hobby,
it has turned out to be either part time/full time future work for me.
i'm currently using a Panasonic FZ10, which is a good
beginner/intermediate camera, but it's far past time to upgrade to an
SLR. i have been looking at the Rebel XT and the 20d, but i don't really
want to spend as much as the 20d costs. i will if needed, but if i can
find a good camera w/ similar specs i'd rather go with it and get an
extra lens or so. that's why the XT has really stuck out to me. but, i
have also had friends that have had the Nikon d100 for example and have
loved it, which i understand this is a higher grade camera than the XT.
oh the choices!!!! i pretty much want a good versatile camera taht will
be a good learning camera in the SLR field for future upgrades.

would you recommend getting the XT? the small size of it kindof turns me
off to it, but i have not held one yet. as far as lenses for these
cameras, how do the nikon lenses compare to the canon in price? is there
a big difference if i were to go nikon?

i'll include a link to my website where i have put a few of my work up,
but for a good camera that's great indoors/outdoors, night anytime...what
would you recommend. i'm looking at spending around $1500, give or take
a few hundred, for a good camera body and a good all around lens for
portraits and minor macro work. the other lenses will come in time.

your help on this is greatly appreciated

thanks so much.
Jon Ed Rowe
[email protected]
http://www.magnolia-net.com/~jedmag/photography/

speaklightly · Jul 19, 2005, 6:42 PM

John-

Why not save a chunk of money and give some consideration to the Pentax 1stDS which is a great dSLR. Because I provide dSLR seminars, I own the Canon 350D/xt, the Canon20D, the Nikon D-70, and the Pentax 1stDs. Of the four, I use the Pentax the most. It just has a better grip and a far better true PentaPrism Viewfinder than the XT.

My favorite combination is the Pentax 1stDS along with the Sigma 70-300mm that I picked on E-Bay for just $180.00. Here is a sample photo.

Sarah Joyce

Hards80 · Jul 19, 2005, 7:02 PM

many of the handling problems associated with the XT's size can be overcome with the addition of the battery grip.. it makes for a nicely balance kit with the grip..

style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000000"get down to your local pro store.. give the cameras in your price class a try.. a real try too.. handle them, take some pictures, play in the menu.. that should help you decide as much as anything..

Jul 19, 2005, 6:42 PM	#2
speaklightly Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 721	John- Why not save a chunk of money and give some consideration to the Pentax 1stDS which is a great dSLR. Because I provide dSLR seminars, I own the Canon 350D/xt, the Canon20D, the Nikon D-70, and the Pentax 1stDs. Of the four, I use the Pentax the most. It just has a better grip and a far better true PentaPrism Viewfinder than the XT. My favorite combination is the Pentax 1stDS along with the Sigma 70-300mm that I picked on E-Bay for just $180.00. Here is a sample photo. Sarah Joyce Attached Images

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Jul 19, 2005, 4:04 PM	#1
jedmag Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 213	i have been into photography as a hobby for the past 2 years, but have just recently grown to live/breathe it. as for what used to be a hobby, it has turned out to be either part time/full time future work for me. i'm currently using a Panasonic FZ10, which is a good beginner/intermediate camera, but it's far past time to upgrade to an SLR. i have been looking at the Rebel XT and the 20d, but i don't really want to spend as much as the 20d costs. i will if needed, but if i can find a good camera w/ similar specs i'd rather go with it and get an extra lens or so. that's why the XT has really stuck out to me. but, i have also had friends that have had the Nikon d100 for example and have loved it, which i understand this is a higher grade camera than the XT. oh the choices!!!! i pretty much want a good versatile camera taht will be a good learning camera in the SLR field for future upgrades. would you recommend getting the XT? the small size of it kindof turns me off to it, but i have not held one yet. as far as lenses for these cameras, how do the nikon lenses compare to the canon in price? is there a big difference if i were to go nikon? i'll include a link to my website where i have put a few of my work up, but for a good camera that's great indoors/outdoors, night anytime...what would you recommend. i'm looking at spending around $1500, give or take a few hundred, for a good camera body and a good all around lens for portraits and minor macro work. the other lenses will come in time. your help on this is greatly appreciated thanks so much. Jon Ed Rowe [email protected] http://www.magnolia-net.com/~jedmag/photography/

Jul 19, 2005, 7:02 PM	#3
Hards80 Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 9,046	many of the handling problems associated with the XT's size can be overcome with the addition of the battery grip.. it makes for a nicely balance kit with the grip.. style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000000"get down to your local pro store.. give the cameras in your price class a try.. a real try too.. handle them, take some pictures, play in the menu.. that should help you decide as much as anything..