Help me decide please.

[Azazael13]

Or at least give me some good info

I have gotten the wife talked into getting a DSLR finally. I have been searching around and have decided on a Canon body, my choice is between these two (ignore the Body only part).

Canon EOS Rebel XT Black 8.0 MP Digital Camera (Body Only)

Canon EOS Rebel XTI Black 10.1 MP Digital Camera (Body Only)


Now for some more info.
What I plan on using the camera for.
Fish tank shots (obviously).
Action shots with my dogs.
Still shots.
Nature shots that my wife would like to blow up to poster size for framing and decoration.


I know a lot of how the pictures look comes down to the lens that you use, and the initial lens that we would be getting is the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 (no way I can fight for the DSLR and a bad *** lens right away ). I know a lot of people would say get a used body, but my wife (and me to an extent) would rather get a new body.

In the opinions of the the smart people here, which of the above two would you get? Or could you break down the pros/cons of the two.

 

[c.rob]

The only con to the XTI would be the price over the XT. I have the XTI with the standard lens and the standard 300mm Zoom. They work great for sports shots if you have a steady hand or tripod.

The extra 2 mp will also come in handy for poster size shots.

 

[Azazael13]

it seemed like the XTi had more features but I wasn't sure. Does the XTi do video? I also see the burst mode for pictures, does that work pretty well?

sorry one last question. You can also manually zoom with the XTi correct? I was thinking for those times when I am looking in my tank at 1 am and see some weird critter that I want an ID on (I seem to do this way to often ><).

 

[Phyl]

Nikon.

 

[spline9]

XTi does not do video.
Zoom is dependent on the lens, not the camera body.

From what I've read, there is negligible difference between the XT and XTi. Even the sensor cleaning ability isnt very good (according to the reviews I've seen, it rarely works well in most cameras) to make it worth it.
If youre pinching pennies, go with the XT. I have one and am very happy with it. I dont feel the need to upgrade just yet.
The 2 mp benefit, as mentioned above, is image size. But on the other hand, theres also the larger file size. Meaning, it will fill your memory card/hard drive faster if youre a prolific shooter.

 

[Azazael13]

so if I save the money on an XT I can get myself some more lens sooner Anyone got a good macro lens to recommend for that body??

 

[spline9]

Haha good thinking!
The 100mm Macro is the lens of choice around here. I just picked one up myself a week ago!

 

[TitusvileSurfer]

The 100 Macro rocks, but it would be bad for your dogs. The auto focus really sucks. If you are photographing something still (corals, flowers, people) the clarity is unrivaled accept by the best L's (85 f/1.2 135 f/2 come to mind). A great little lens for fish and dogs is the 50 f/1.4...I recommend skipping the f/1.8 as its in the $80 bargain bin for a reason. The f/1.4 is a worth wile improvement (if you can fork out the extra $200). While the 100 macro would be better for your corals and every Canon shooter should own one, I recommend getting an Xt(i) body only with the 50 f/1.4 (after you get some half way decant lenses the 18-55 will never leave the bag). I do hear promising stories of the brand-spanking-new 18-55 IS however.

If getting an Xt over the Xti means getting better lenses, get an Xt.