Need some advice on a camera

gar732 · Mar 2, 2010

I've been looking at some camera and I don't know what I should get. The contenders are the canon SX20 IS or the Rebel XSi. I know its a jump and the XSi is at the top of my budget so there's no more money for accesories or lenses for a while. I know that I have some room to grow with the XSi but just not sure I need it. I thought maybe some of you can sway me one way or the other.

karlm · Mar 2, 2010

I'm no expert, but I was happy when I whet dslr. I went with the entry level rebel, and if you don't mind used you can get some ok deals.

gar732 · Mar 2, 2010

Whats a good place to look for used?

gar732 · Mar 3, 2010

Good morning all! Bump

revhtree · Mar 3, 2010

I would look for a used Canon XT like I use and save your money for the lens! Here are my pics with a Canon XT and a Canon Macro 100mm 2.8 lens.

Rockin Reef- powered by SmugMug

swannyson7 · Mar 3, 2010

Normally I'd say go buy the XSi right now... but don't forget about the frag farmers market coming up in a week and a half. Think about all the corals you could buy!!! If you do go for the XSi, definitely shop around online. I've seen it online for almost $150 less than in local stores and it was from a reputable seller. If you wanna play around with my camera when you come up this weekend, you're more than welcome.

gar732 · Mar 3, 2010

Wow rev, those are some nice shots. I'm just a little scared of used because I don't really know what I'm looking at.

I'll definetly take you up on that swanny. I found the xsi for $550 online, so for $50 more than the xs I figured why not.

I know I'll like an slr, but the sx20 has some nice features. If I could get shot that look somewhat like rev's with the sx20 then Id be happy with it. Just not sure what its capable of.

gparr · Mar 3, 2010

Long-term, you'll be happier with a DSLR because of the flexibility it will provide for all types of photography. However, higher-end point-and-shoot cameras, such as the sx20, are powerful tools that will do just about anything, if you make the effort. It's worth noting that the sx20 doesn't appear to be capable of shooting in the RAW mode. This means, for reef photography, you will have to set a custom white balance to get the correct coral colors.
Gary

gar732 · Mar 3, 2010

I don't know much about photography, so I'd be learning with this camera also. Maybe a used slr would be best. I just need to find a good one.

Troylee · Mar 3, 2010

revhtree said:
I would look for a used Canon XT like I use and save your money for the lens! Here are my pics with a Canon XT and a Canon Macro 100mm 2.8 lens.

Rockin Reef- powered by SmugMug

nice man...love the pics rev!!!!!
im not a camera pro by any means but i would look for one that is user friendly im having a hard time figuring out my new camera...arrrr.... something to keep in mind... i just upgraded from a cell phone camera to a nikon d3000 it's a wonderfull camera if ya know how to use it....im kinda getting the hang of it but it's tuff man theres a million buttons it seems...

lazyreefer · Mar 3, 2010

I have the XSI and wouldn't trade it for anything. Great versatility with different lens and I like the "live view" feature which works flawlessly. The RAW feature is nice and you can tweak that baby every which way imaginable, its really made picture taking fun and has opened up a whole new hobby for me.

I bought a field guide for it after I had already learned from trial and error how to use the camera - which by the way wasn't hard at all, kind of fun messing around and seeing what has what effect and so forth. The guide is very informative and I keep it with me as a quick reference. I wish I could make GPARR's workshop outside of 'chitown and learn more about fish tank photogs.....

gar732 · Mar 5, 2010

After playing with the wifes sx110, I think I will be happer with more control so I think I'm going to go with a dslr. Does anyone know a good place to look for a used camera?