Canon EOS Rebel XSi?

ello there! :) uhh, well i'm 14 years old and i'm really interested in photography. as a matter of fact, i just signed up for photography at my high school for next year (hoping i can get in...) and i'm interested in purchasing a camera this year~next year (i'm raising money). last month, the canon eos rebel xsi came out and is priced at $899 for the kit and the eos rebel xti kit is currently priced at $599. do you think the xsi price will drop by the middle~end of this year cause i know the eos rebel xti dropped a few hundred by the end of last year. if not i'd probably purchase the xti but i really like the new features of the xsi :)

Before you spend any money, find out if the school uses digital cameras to teach photography ... the usual process is to use 35mm SLR cameras.

It would be too bad if you had to buy a 35mm SLR AFTER you spent $600 on a camera you cannot use in class.

If you're just starting out in photography, shelling out major cash for a new high end camera like the XSi seems excessive. You'd learn just as much from the base Digital Rebel or even one of the G series Canons. But you want to be sure it has full creative controls, like shutter/aperture priority selection. Raw mode would be nice too, but not essential.

I do not think you will go wrong by purchasing a Digital Rebel. The XTi uses the 10 megapixel APS-C sensor with the Digic II Processor while the XSi uses a newly developed 12 megapixel sensor with a Digic III processor. I also would not drop from my consideration of a used Rebel XT with an 8 MP sensor and the Digic II processor.

On the plus side of the Rebel XTi is that it uses CF cards which you can continue to use when you decide to move up to a 40D or 5D. OTOH, the XSi has live view plus is the only Canon model that has autofocus while using live view. If it were up to me, I would probably go with the Rebel XTi over the XSi knowing that even though the body is an important part of the camera purchase, the more important part of going with an overall system is the quality of the lenses and Canon has some of the best glass in the industry.

So, I would purchase the Rebel XTi with EF-S 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, the Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 lens and possibly the EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III lens. That whole package will cost less than the XSi kit and give you plenty of kit to start learning the craft. And if you need a 35mm body for class, then you can pick up a used Canon EOS K2 with kit lens new for $200.00 on Amazon.

Good luck with your interest in photography.

First, ask what kind of camera you will need for your class. If its a 35mm film camera then go ahead and buy one now. The Pentax K1000 is considered the best student camera - 100% manual so you'll get to really learn about f-stops and shutter speeds and ISO. Get the K1000 with a 50mm f1.7 lens and the Owner's Manual for it and you can start practicing photography right away.

I recommend the book "Object & Image: An Introduction To Photography, Third Edition" by George M. Craven.

The HPBooks "How To Select & Use Pentax SLR Cameras" by Carl Shipman will also be helpful.

Good luck!