I was thinking of upgrading my Rebel XT to the 30D. Looking for advice!

Thanks

//jim

Why do you want to upgrade? What is it about the XT that doesn't meet your needs?

I was told that the 30D will shoot at higher ISO rates and 5fps. Also the salesman told me the spot metering is an excellent feature.

//jim

Those are all true statements as long as you need those features. The 30d will shoot at ISO 3200 (vs 1600 for the XT) and has 5 fps vs. 3 and spot metering can be extremely useful. The question is: are those features that you need? The reason I ask is that camera bodies are replaced about every 18 months. So there is always another body around the corner. If you need these features (say you shoot wildlife or sports) then by all means the 30d is a great upgrade. But if the features are just 'nice to haves' for you and your XT meets your needs then keep using it until it fails to meet your needs - by then a 30D replacement may be out with even better features. If the 30D were $700 it might be different - but $1300 is a lot to spend if you don't need the features. That same cash can buy a very nice lens that will last you 10 years vs. the 2-3 years of the body.

Not trying to disuade you - just want to challenge whether it's a 'need' or a 'want'

Thanks John. I shoot mainly birds and was looking for something faster than the XT. I already have a couple of good L lenses and am saving for the 300 F2.8 - which will take some time.

The local camera store offered me a great trade in deal. Hard to pass up. It will cost me less than a thousand for the body and a second battery.

//jim

Sounds like a good deal then. The frame rate and spot metering should especially be beneficial to you as a bird shooter.