Would you get a D20 or Rebel XT / 350D?

[Kombisaurus]

hehe Adam.. its dead easy with digital. Almost disappointingly so considering the amount of mystique that seems to be attached to it.

Just buy a Hoya R72 filter, make sure you're on a tripod, there's lots of light around, and be prepared for very long exposures, and then have fun.
You won't be able to see through the filter to compose your shots, so simply compose your shot without the filter, gently screw the filter on without disturbing the camera, and then set your exposure with the filter in place (it acts like a really strong ND filter, but the light meter should read through it fine and compensate for it being there).

I use a 55mm R72 filter on my olympus, and I'll bring it with me on the 9th if you want to have a play with it, either on my camera or on your camera if you have an appropriate step-up ring to make it fit.

Cheers
Adrian

[shuttertalk]

Hey thanks for the link Kombi! I've seen so many 350D comparisons that I've lost track of them all!

I think the 350D must be one of the most anticipated cameras out there...

[adam]

I've got a 58mm R72, but not prepared for long exposures! haha;

[adam]

mmm, the write speeds of the 350D are nice!
http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_p...=6007-7699

[shuttertalk]

If you haven't seen it already, dpreview have completed their full review of the 350D/XT.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos350d/

Very interesting bits, especially towards the end when they do their comparisons:

Quote:As you can see there's almost no visible difference in noise levels between the EOS 350D and EOS 20D, our measured results (see graph below) show that the 350D's noise levels are very slightly higher between ISO 800 and 1600. Image sharpness is also virtually identical with a slight softening at ISO 800 and 1600 but nothing like the levels we have seen from other cameras.

Quote:It's interesting that not only does the EOS 350D not use the same sensor as is used in the EOS 20D but that Canon deliberately designed the pixel count of the 350D to be less than its bigger brother. Despite this there's really no visible difference between the performance of the two in this test. You could easily perform a blind test and not know which crop is from which camera. Remember that both also use DIGIC II hence identical tonal and color response.

Quote:No surprises here the EOS 350D delivered exactly the same resolution as the EOS 20D, with one exception, it manages to produce a little more detail near to extinction in the vertical direction. As we mentioned earlier in the review this makes it identical in resolution to the Olympus E-300 and a step up from the EOS 300D. Although it's not a big enough difference for me to recommend anyone to go from the 300D to the 350D on megapixels alone.

[Wedding Shooter]

Don't forget that the 20D has 5FPS - got to be worth a few points.

Does the 350D have a preview button? The 20D does.

You also get the wheel on the back of the 20D along with the multi controller (I don't think you get this on the 350D) - these are both really helpful and increase the useability of the 20D.

Just to further muddy the waters.

[Toad]

So many threads about choice of camera bodies. Best to get the one that suits your requirements and that feels right to you.....or if you have existing lenses - just get the camera body that best preserves your investment...

If you shoot sports (or other contact sports like weddings maybe) the 5 FPS is important - for me - I shoot one frame at a time - except by accident - how do I turn that damn continuous shoot feature off?

Do you really shoot at 5 FPS for weddings? That is probably overkill for most people.

[shuttertalk]

Toad Wrote:Do you really shoot at 5 FPS for weddings? That is probably overkill for most people.

Maybe if the bride does a runner ...

[Wedding Shooter]

No - I was just adding further features that had not been mentioned on the side of the 20D.

I actually prefer the 3FPS with a larger buffer on the 5D as 5FPS is too fast at a wedding.

Cheers,

Chris

[Kerridwyn]

Kombisaurus Wrote:ok, well I have a bit of a dillema.

I've currently got a 350D on order with an EF 70-200 L f/4 USM lens... Total price (with a couple of other cheap bits and pieces) is around AU$2750.

Im interested to know were you are purchaseing this from, I would check out JB HiFi as I obtained the following for $2308 under Finance (24mths interest free)

1 x Canon EOS 350D Digital Camera
1 x EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens
1 x EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 Lens
1 x 2gig Scandisk Ultra II CF Card
1 x Camera Bag
1 x Tripod
1 x 5 year Extended Warrenty

[Kerridwyn]

Kombisaurus Wrote:I use a 55mm R72 filter on my olympus, and I'll bring it with me on the 9th if you want to have a play with it, either on my camera or on your camera if you have an appropriate step-up ring to make it fit.

Whats the filter acheive??

[Toad]

The R72 is an infared filter.

[shuttertalk]

Kerridwyn Wrote:Im interested to know were you are purchaseing this from, I would check out JB HiFi as I obtained the following for $2308 under Finance (24mths interest free)

I think Kombi got his right when they first came out, so it would have been quite expensive...

[RikWriter]

I own both the 20D and the 350D (as a backup) and I have to say that there really is no comparison for me. The Rebel feels flimsy and plastic, is way too small for my comfort and the controls are much less instinctive than the 20D. There is no way in hell I would ever want the Rebel for my main camera.

[StudioJ]

The 2fps for sport is a real killer difference. The only other negative point I'd see about the 350d would be the lack of pc sync.

[csnudelman]

Rufus Wrote:0= No value at all, 10= Great value.

*The EOS 20D has a pentaprism with a 0.9x viewfinder magnification, the Digital Rebel XT has a pentamirror with 0.8x magnification. 2 Rufus points

You give some very low scores to issues I would rate quite a bit higher. Each to his own, I guess. However, I would like to add that a penta-mirror viewfinder is not as bright as a pentaprism. This is just the nature of the beast, a pinta-mirror loses more light than a pintaprism.