Well, the old camera just took a dump so I am in the market. The three I am looking at are

Cannon Rebel XTi
Cannon EOS 30D
Nikon D-80

I mainly just take pictures of guns and a few pictures when varmit hunting and of course family pictures. So, which of these three suit my need best. I do plan on getting a Macro zoom to go along with whatever I choose. Thanks for any help as I am dumb as a stump when it come to cameras.

I have a Rebel XT and love it. It is simple to use, but also has the ability to do anything you want without being intimidating. I'm not sure about the differences between the XT and XTi, but my sister just got the XTi and loves it also.

Good Luck!

Gotogirl3 thanks, I am tending to lean towards either one of the Cannon's.
I guess the deciding factor will be the best price I can find on either.

Look up Steves Digicam on google and you'll learn everything you need to know about digital cameras with product reviews. I have the Canon XT and it does everything you'll need plus more and it's cheaper than the newer XTI. Use the savings on a Canon 50 1.8 or 35 2.0 lens for shooting in lower light. I've taken some really good gun pictures with my camera.

I have been using a Fuji 5200 and am very pleased with the results I am getting. The style is sort of a cross between a point and shoot and a digital single lens camera. It has its own built in zoom . Unlike many cameras the actual lens is inside a barrel. That means it is less likely to have problems with dirt getting inside as the system is always closed. The actual lens mechanism moves inside the barrel rather than popping out like most point and shoots or having removable lens like the SLR style. It has fully auto mode as well as shutter priority so one can play with depth of field or shutter priority where one can set to freese motion or let it blur depending on your intentions. Also the usual protrait, landscape night mode etc. There is machro which you mention as well as threads that allow the installation of filters.



I believe this particular model is discontinued but was still available a few weeks ago at some of the big box type stores.

I am not computer savey enough to use a photo server but if you send your email via a P.M. I'll send some pics I have taken with it.

Here's a couple of low quality pictures I took with my XT and a 17-40 4.0 lens to give you an idea of what it'll do.

Pat

For what you want to do, any of those three will do that and more. Out of the three, the 30D is geared mostly to professional photo taking, while the other two are more of entry-level cameras for amateurs and pros alike.

The D-80 and XTi (400D) are somewhat similar according to the reviews. The D-80 is larger and heavier than the XTi, so it feels like a more solid camera in one's hands, but the XTi has a built-in sensor cleaner (the D-80's sensor must be cleaned manually).

I would buy the lowest priced one of the three, prices compared at a reputable dealer.

I took this photos of water droplets with my Rebel XT and a Sigma 300mm lens:

Thanks for all the help, I think it is going to be the XTi as I am no where near the pro level or need So on tuesday it will be shopping day for the best price and we will be back on the photo trail.

Ray, I am awe struck Also Ray, what lens would your suggest for close ups and for the wide angle, for pictures of rifles. Thanks

Ray just proved that it's more operator than equipment. I use a D70 and if I were going to get a new camera now, it would be a D80. I got lenses that work! If it came down to a choice between the three for what you want, get the one that feels best in your hands and is easiest for you to use. The quality of the photo is a subjective thing. I'll bet Ray could do that with about any camera you gave him.

Question for Ray. Did you do that with a flash and colored light's?

Well, just could not wait any longer, bought the Rebel XTi with 2GB memory card, so now I will be looking for a 4GB card and another lens. Happy day for me

well, this camera has got more damn gadets and settings, my oh my!!!!!!!
This is my first shot, not real good lighting but just had to shoot something. Be easy on me as I'm trying to learn Just another shot.I think I will like this camera when I get to use it a bit more and learn all of the functions.

Congratulations on your new camera!

Keep in mind that you over 10MP sensor camera will use a huge amount of space on your hard drive. You can buy an external hard drive to store copies of the photos, and also a CD burner.

For now you may want to use the camera on Full Auto (the green rectangular-shaped icon), but later you may want to use P and some of the other modes. The automatic modes set the ISO from 100 to 400 automatically, but when the camera is set to the "P" mode, you can change not only those controls on the wheel, but a whole bunch of other stuff. Not only that, but any of the modes from P to A-DEP allow you to take RAW photos. The rest of modes do not.

I have been wearing this out since December or January and had just about talked myself out of any camera. Now you go stirring it again, I keep mulling over Nikon D70s, Canon XTi the Nikon D80 and Canon D30. With all theat mental jousting I have been able to save money for a month or two.
Tehn I see that image thru a 300 Sigma (zoom or fixed??) and it stirs my desire for ownership once again.

No doubt I could save a bunch buying the XTI and it will very likely exceed the capabilities I need it for. Savings could go to Lens purchases.

quote:

Originally posted by TCLouis:
I have been wearing this out since December or January and had just about talked myself out of any camera. Now you go stirring it again, I keep mulling over Nikon D70s, Canon XTi the Nikon D80 and Canon D30. With all theat mental jousting I have been able to save money for a month or two.
Tehn I see that image thru a 300 Sigma (zoom or fixed??) and it stirs my desire for ownership once again.

No doubt I could save a bunch buying the XTI and it will very likely exceed the capabilities I need it for. Savings could go to Lens purchases.

Instead of the older D70, I would look at a D80. The D80 and XTi are pretty close in performance, so one or the other should be fine. However the Canon "L" lenses, which are very expensive too, are of outstanding quality and sharpness.

The Sigma lens i used for the photos above is not really a high quality lens, but that's all I could afford when I bought my camera a couple of years ago. The lens is: Sigma 70-300mm 1:4-5.6 APO DG with macro capability.

A Canon or Nikon macro lens would be very expensive, but these allow you to take the best close-up photos. However, there is something else one can do, and that's to buy a good quality 50 through 85mm (or so) 1.4 or 1.8 lens, and use this lens as a macro lens with a set of tubes such as the ones made by Kenko. These "tubes" are just extensions without lenses that fit between the camera and the lens. Canon, Nikon, etc., all have these tubes, but they cost much more than Kenko's and other generic brands. A set of Kenko tubes cost around $170.00 at Amazon.

Most of the Canon "L' lenses cost from over $1,000 to perhaps $3,000 depending on what you want. However, one can buy a camera body such as the XTi, or even 30D, and add a L lens or two depending on your needs. The lenses will be the most important factor, since cameras are upgraded by the manufacturers just about every year. So with a XTi and a good lens, you can take a high quality photo at par with more expensive Canon cameras.

I recently got a D80 for work. We already had an F100 that some idiot in the office bought (unsupervised) about 2 years ago. So I had the big 800 speedlight for the camera and figured I could share lenses. Ended up getting it with the 18-200mm lense. Great for all around. I am total amatuer and just from talking to other photographers have gotten a lot better. I took some shots this past weekend at my niece's party that I think looked professional.

I know a professional who switched from a d80 to the d200 recently, and tlaking to him a couple of days ago he says in retrospect he was just as good off staying with the d80.

Can't compare it for you of course, not being a pro I haven't handled the others.

Red