So Hellpuppy has been having me eye this new Digital Rebel.
Id like to get some thoughs on your lenscrafters on what you think of it?
Personally I think its quite an exceptional buy for under a grand!

You know Gonzo, I ain't gonna show you my other side after some of the stories I have heard about you.....BUT....cameras that is another matter. I don't actually know that camera, but I have seen it and I think you are probably right about great value. Outside of Olympus, Canon has been making the best value ccd cameras for some time. I shoot with a D-60 which they no longer make. The Rebel has a similar block I am told and is just not as well made which is not really an issue in our business. It all depends how serious you are and what you need. I would buy it in a heartbeat. You can always put good glass in front of it and probably get some professional quality pictures right out of the gate. But it all gets down to lighting in the end.

You know Gonzo, I ain't gonna show you my other side after some of the stories I have heard about you.....BUT....cameras that is another matter. I don't actually know that camera, but I have seen it and I think you are probably right about great value. Outside of Olympus, Canon has been making the best value ccd cameras for some time. I shoot with a D-60 which they no longer make. The Rebel has a similar block I am told and is just not as well made which is not really an issue in our business. It all depends how serious you are and what you need. I would buy it in a heartbeat. You can always put good glass in front of it and probably get some professional quality pictures right out of the gate. But it all gets down to lighting in the end.[/b][/quote]
Ill be upgrading from my last serious camera the Olympus D620L.
So you can see why I would consider the Digital Rebel.

But your right its all about the lights.

I've had almost every Olympus digital, since they came out with the DL600.

Same have been great, some have really sucked (ie. D-2500)

We also picked up the Nikon D-1 when it came out, as we already had all the lenses and attachments due to the F-90, F-100, and F-5 we already have. Good camera, but big and complicated.

A few months ago, I wanted a small, but quality, digital camera that I can carry with me. One that fits in a pocket. I picked up the Olympus Stylus 400 Digital, and am I ever happy with it. High resolution, high quality images. Shoots well in all light. The perfect "dumb guy" camera.

Ill be upgrading from my last serious camera the Olympus D620L.
So you can see why I would consider the Digital Rebel.

But your right its all about the lights.[/b][/quote]
OK, here's the deal. If you go with the Canon, its an slr. What that means is if you spring a little extra cash and get a serious lens, when you upgrade your body in a few years, you still got good glass and the upgrade is not costly. If you buy the Olympus which I am sure is a fine camera, you gotta toss it all when its done and start all over. My advice is go with the upgrade path and keep building. Canon makes some great lenses called L series and there is a 28 to 70 mil f2.8 zoom that is quite breathtaking. It has been replaced by a 24 to 70 but you can get some great deals on ebay. I bought one for about 800 dollars and you will not believe the difference it makes. Worth every penny. It all depends on your final application and if it will make you money. I personally think it does.
Also look for good deals on used D-60's. These cameras have great buffers for speed. I usually shoot about 700 images a day which means it paid for itself very quickly.

Ahhhh Grasshopper-san, you learn well!

We've gone thru a lot of Olympus equipment also dating back to the 620. The last couple we've bought cost a lot more than the Digital Rebel when they were new and now pale in comparison.

Of the SLR bodies, the Digital Rebel looks to be a bargain especially if you're starting from nothing on lenses as I believe it comes with a very good starter lense (digital equivalent of around 28mm-100mm).

Only knocks I've seen on it is they cheaped out on the body just a bit so it feels a tad light and cheap....this could be a very small issue with a big flash on top as the balance would be off. And also it lacks some of the adjustments that it's big brother and the Nikon D100 both offer for $600-700 more. For anyone but a hardcore shutterbug, I doubt they'd be missed.

Prices on the SLR digitals are really starting to fall. I hope the high end 3 CCD video cameras aren't far behind...

We shoot with the EOS 10D, the Rebel's big brother. Great camera and you can do just about anything with it. If you don't like the plastic on the rebel, you can spend a little more and get the 10D.

I got a Cannon Elph series camera for my birthday a year ago, it's the size of a package of cigarrets, but takes really good sharp images, no screwing around with photoshop. great manuel and automatic features. The battery life is fantastic.

I recently purchased a digital rebel, it is a lovely camera, and it will remind you all the reasons why you shouldn't buy a cheaper (non slr) digital:

1 - you can use Canon EF lenses.... my 300mm comes in handy now and again!

2 - it is an SLR, it is FAST, none of this digital delay stuff that gets you blurry pictures and crap results.

3 - It uses compact flash memory cards, so moving stuff around is easy.

4 - The picture quality is surpremely good! 6.3 megapixels give syou a 3000 X 2400 ish picture which can be printed directly as an 8 X 10 images without any expansion or pixel stretching. Images are more than good enough for most magazines.

5 - Real pro controls. You shoot like a real SLR. Includes an ISO setting for simulating faster or slower film (100 to 1600 iso, more than enough stops to make up for lower light).

6 - nice built in flash, plus a real hotshoe that can really be used with real flashes!

7 - with the additional battery holder / grip on the bottom, you get space for two batteries, plus extra shutter and accessories controls where you hand is naturally when shooting vertical. Easier operation.

Basic camera and lens is about $1000 US, add the battery holder, UV filter, and a few other simple toys and you are well on your way for less than $1500. This is a camera you won't have to replace in 6 months because it isn't good enough - the insides of this camera are basically all from the more expesive 10D. It's a keeper!

Alex

We have 3 Nikon D100s. Nikon is a great camera, the main reason we went with it is that we have thousands tied up in lenses from the old F5s we used.

It does a good job.

If you want to see what that camera "Canon EOS 300D / Digital Rebel" is all about, go here.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos300d/

If memory serves me correctly you were dragged to digital kicking and screaming, one of the last of the hold outs!

The D1 and later D100 was the first digital I remember seeing in person where I absolutely could find NO advantage of 35 mm over it. Nor could I spot the difference between the image shot straight to digital versus scanned off chrome.

Now it's amazing, a couple of grand gets you a damned fine camera and a printer that is capable of producing prints from it that most people wouldn't be able to distinguish from true photo processing.

The current wave of digital SLRs finally has broken down all the barriers, even my teachers in camera classes are admitting that it is only a matter of time (and a very short time at that) before 35mm cameras will be things talked about like 45 rpm records and such. Some will still use them, but the majority of the point and shoot marketplace will move to digital cameras and that will be that.

With the level of photos coming out of the 6.3 mega pixel and up cameras, you are able to do full 8X10 prints from the original digital image at 300 dpi without any pixel stretching or compression, giving you as good an image as the human eye really needs. Except for the highest of thehigh gloss magazines, digital can now shoot pretty much everything you see. Unless the magazine is running more than 100 lines per inch, you are pretty muich good to go.

Alex

If anyone has any old lens's they'd like to part with, get with me...

I'm about a month into my Rebel, and I love it.

Still learning though ;)

I have the Rebel Digital and I love it. Very easy to use and takes kick ass pictures! Of course like with any digital you get grainy in dark areas. I just overexpose a stop to get more information and then if I have to I'll mess with it in photoshop. I think you can take great pictures with any SLR, it's all about the glass and what you want to achieve.