Drew’s Daily Deliberations

After a couple of days with the XT, I returned it with an eye on the XTi. The XT was really an impulse buy, and it gave me the initiative to research digital SLR cameras so I would best know what I really should get. This is not to say the XT would not suit my needs, it would. Having bought it for $950 (kit lens) at McBain’s, I figured paying the same amount for a body only XTi was worth the upgrade.

www.cameracanada.com is a great site for buying SLRs in Canada. So far, it is the cheapest I have found. In fact, for fun, I went to McBain’s and asked about price matching lenses. They would match the canon 100mm macro, from $800 to $720, but as soon as I mentioned the 17–85mm IS was $600 (they were asking $800) the salesman pretty much was done with me, saying there was no way they could even come close to that price. Hopefully the purchase with cameracanada.com goes smoothly.

For the record, I got the following:

Canon - Digital Rebel XTi w/ 17-85mm IS lens BONUS (Black) ITEM PRICE: $1,549.00
SPEEDLITE 430EX  with Soft Case ITEM PRICE: $330.05
Canon - RC1 Wireless Remote ITEM PRICE: $29.25
Canon - Digital Rebel XT Accessory Kit ITEM PRICE: $247.84
Canon - 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM EF Lens ITEM PRICE: $736.84

I have an eye on the 100mm MACRO, but I will have to wait a while to afford that. What I did buy should do me well over the winter (not a whole lot of macro opportunities during an Edmonton winter I reckon). I think I would also like a wider lens, but I will see how well the 17–85mm captures scenes during our Christmas trip.

What made me pick the XTi and the lenses? It was actually tough, I very highly considered the Sony A100, as it had the built in image stabilization. However, lack of accessories (no flash readily available) cooled me on that idea. Plus, while the IS of the Sony seemed like it did a decent job, most of the opinions I found said in lens IS was even more effective. Thus, I ended up back with Canon (I did not really consider Nikon at all). 

The general consensus was that the kit lens of the Canon was crying for an upgrade, so that led me to the 17–85mm with IS. While I think it was the 17–55mm got better reviews, it was just too much money. I definitely wanted the reach of 300mm, so I went with the IS lens (the DO version, while apparently smaller, again was too much extra cash to be worth it at this point). The remote may be nice for self portraits with Merissa, and it was relatively inexpensive, so I figured why not. Everywhere I looked, using on board flash was frowned upon, so I went with the 430EX. There were no compelling reasons I could find to go to the 580EX, since I do not plan on using multiple flashes any time soon, and shouldn’t need the extra light it offers. The accessory kit seemed like a decent buy, getting the battery grip (many positive comments found online), and the extra battery, with basically a bag thrown in for free (as opposed to buying the grip/battery on their own).

Aside from the lenses I previously mentioned, future purchases will likely include another bag, depending how much of the gear I can fit into the Canon one. As well, a sturdy, light tripod would be nice. I do have a $20, basic one, but already found it frustrating to use with the XT, as it does not allow smooth adjustments, and it wobbles when pressing the shutter. UV filters to protect the lenses may be nice, and polarizing filters may also be a useful addition, but again, wanted to keep the initial purchase price down. Besides, those are great gift ideas for others, what with Christmas coming up (hint hint).

Once everything arrives, I will surely post my thoughts on the XTi as compared to my brief time with the XT. Cameracanada.com states the XTi will be available Friday, but Best Buy/Future Shop are saying the 21st, so we’ll see when it comes.

Bookmark to: