Is the 450D / Rebel Xsi the best DSLR for it's price?

[chrisbos]

[Patrick]

Re: Is the 450D / Rebel Xsi the best DSLR for it's price?

First of all can you tell us what the two Sigma lenses are you have already.
If they are Sigma EX lenses and depending on there focal length forget buying a kit lens they are usually inferior things.
Also if again the lenses you own are Sigma EX for Nikon then why consider a Canon you will only have to sell them and start from scratch, not a good idea with a limited budget.

I myself us Sigma EX lenses on my Canon 40D, they are pro quality and give excellent results.

There isn't any poor quality DSLR's from either Nikon or Canon, the cheaper ones are built with plastic and feel tacky but still give 1st class results, the middle range (I class the 40D as middle range) feel much more robust and better built but probably don't give better results. High end cameras the Canon 1D range and the Nikon D3 feel solid and are built for heavy use, they probably do give slightly better results but will only show on bigger prints A3 or A2.
A second hand Nikon D200 in good nick would be a fine buy.

I do however have to say one thing and you won't like it, if you have to ask these questions you are not ready to go pro or semi pro. Its not the camera that makes the photographer its the person behind the camera whatever its quality.
Its a highly competitive market.

Patrick

[chrisbos]

Re: Is the 450D / Rebel Xsi the best DSLR for it's price?

Hi Patrick. Thanks for your valuable input. Yes, I am an amateur, but aspiring semi-pro My Nikon fit slr lenses are as-new but I suppose they're also entry level? Sigma 28-80mm AF 1:3.5-5.6 Macro, and Sigma 100-300mm AF 1:4.5-6.7 DL. Will not help much sticking to Nikon if these lenses are not good, Nikon D80 and D200 are great dslr's but more expensive and the lenses may be not as responsive as they were on my slr camera...?? Can get a D80 in good condition at a good price, can get D60 new, great price but it can't do AF with my lenses since there's now motor drive in the camera. I've heard the kit lens that comes with the 450D is quite good?

[Patrick]

Re: Is the 450D / Rebel Xsi the best DSLR for it's price?

Hi Patrick. Thanks for your valuable input. Yes, I am an amateur, but aspiring semi-pro My Nikon fit slr lenses are as-new but I suppose they're also entry level? Sigma 28-80mm AF 1:3.5-5.6 Macro, and Sigma 100-300mm AF 1:4.5-6.7 DL. Will not help much sticking to Nikon if these lenses are not good, Nikon D80 and D200 are great dslr's but more expensive and the lenses may be not as responsive as they were on my slr camera...?? Can get a D80 in good condition at a good price, can get D60 new, great price but it can't do AF with my lenses since there's now motor drive in the camera. I've heard the kit lens that comes with the 450D is quite good?

No they are not pro lenses but will be no worse than kit lenses, (Nikon kit lenses are said to be slightly better than Canon kit lenses) but kit lenses are made very much to a price, the plastic mounts IMO are awful.
Don't buy a camera that limits the lenses you can buy.
Buying a quality second hand camera rather than a cheap new one would be my choice.

Patrick

[Ian]

Re: Is the 450D / Rebel Xsi the best DSLR for it's price?

The Canon 450D is inexpensive, but if you can get a good price on the Nikon D200, that would be my preference. The Canon 40D is good, but having used both, I prefer the Nikon. That's saying something as I am more used to Canon than Nikon in terms of my history of camera use.

Ian