New Camera

mcavotim

I have been looking to buy a new camera for my brother who loves photography. For the price the Canon Digital Rebel XTi / Canon 400D looks like a good buy. I was hoping everyone could give me some help. The most I want to spend on the camera is $600.

tofu

What kind of camera does he shoot with now?

mcavotim

He has just a plain point and shoot now and has been saving up for a new one.

Pheezer

You can save some money by going with the XT. It has basically the same features, slightly lower MP (although 8 MP vs 10 MP is meaningless and those 2 extra MP will never, ever matter) and will cost a couple hundred less, and may come with an additional kit lens.

mcavotim

Thanks, I'll check that out.

spacerobot

I bought a Rebel XT on amazon this summer for $580. I have no regrets about it at all, and I love the camera.

Dark Moon

As this thread is very similar to one I was about to put up myself, I'm just going to tag a question of my own regarding a new camera on.

I'm looking to purchase a small point-and-shoot camera for everyday use, as the camera on my cell is woefully inadequate, and I'm looking for suggestions. A few points that matter a great deal to me, in descending order of importance:
-Budget: <=$300, less than is preferred but I am willing to pay for a quality device
-Manual controls. I am interested in photography and would like to be able to fiddle around with the various variables (focus, exposure, etc.)
-Portability: Not that big a deal. I always carry a laptop bag, so a larger camera can easily be stowed in there, but small enough to fit in my pocket would be nice.
Unimportant: - Ability to accept SD memory cards: I already have a 1gb microSD card (with size adapter, so I can do any SD card size) which isn't getting used, and which I'd love to be able to toss in my new camera.

I was hoping someone with a bit more knowledge about cameras could point me in the right direction in terms of either specific model #s or at least a good model line. Are there any other features I should be looking for in a camera that I've neglected to mention?

Edit- Moving Portability down to a less important position, and adding what seems to be a well reviewed camera that I might be interested in for your scrutinizing pleasure, the Fujifilm FinePix S700, which seems to be a pretty good buy. A 7.1MP camera with manual options for most major controls, 10x optical zoom, and a neat super macro mode. It will also accept SD cards, which means I won't have to buy any new memory cards. All at the low price of $240 CAD, this seems a good deal. Can anyone see any problems with it?

Dulcius_ex_asperis

Dark Moon wrote: »

-Budget: <=$300, less than is preferred but I am willing to pay for a quality device
-Manual controls. I am interested in photography and would like to be able to fiddle around with the various variables (focus, exposure, etc.)
-Portability: Not that big a deal. I always carry a laptop bag, so a larger camera can easily be stowed in there, but small enough to fit in my pocket would be nice.
Unimportant: - Ability to accept SD memory cards: I already have a 1gb microSD card (with size adapter, so I can do any SD card size) which isn't getting used, and which I'd love to be able to toss in my new camera.

You can do all of this with a Canon Powershot SD1000

I got one in August for 220 USD. It has tons of awesome settings and manual controls to mess with. You can slip it easily in your pocket or whatever, because it's teensy. It also takes SD cards...and I love mine. It takes wonderful pictures. Highly recommended.

Cycophant

Dark Moon wrote: »

Edit- Moving Portability down to a less important position, and adding what seems to be a well reviewed camera that I might be interested in for your scrutinizing pleasure, the Fujifilm FinePix S700, which seems to be a pretty good buy. A 7.1MP camera with manual options for most major controls, 10x optical zoom, and a neat super macro mode. It will also accept SD cards, which means I won't have to buy any new memory cards. All at the low price of $240 CAD, this seems a good deal. Can anyone see any problems with it?

I have a fairly similar model to this (the now-discontinued S5200) with the same lens on it, and a fairly similar list of features. I've been quite happy with, and the fact that it'll accept SD cards as opposed to just the Fuji-brand XD cards removes the only major gripe I had with the camera.

One point to make though; when you first get the camera, test it in as many conditions as possible, including low-light. When I got the camera the first time, the sensor had some nasty artifacts on it, so I had Fuji replace it. It's been fine since, and I don't know if that's common at all with that lens, but it's something to mention anyway. Other than that, I'm quite happy with the camera and would buy it again.