Canon Xsi...any owners???

[tiktok 22]

I'm considering an Xsi or a 40D. I'm currently using an XT(my brothers) but don't know which model to get. Any thoughts??

 

[Interlude]

Great camera... does virtually everything the 40D does for about $400 less. It does have a plastic rather than magnesium body and some people prefer the 40D's wheel navigation rather than the buttons of the XSi but really that's the only real difference.

The 50D was just announced and should be hitting the street soon. You might consider waiting to see if the 40D price comes down, or just get the XSi now. As bodies go, they'll take equivalent quality pictures and I'd rather dump the money into a better lens.

 

[da.gee]

I'm agonizing over the same decision. Image quality will be the same or similar but there are differences. Off the top of my head:

• Build. The 40D is a tank compared to the XSi. Larger, heavier and more metal. This may or may not make a difference in durability. Weight could be a factor.
• Shutter Speed. 1/8000 for 40D, 1/4000 for XSi.
• Shutter Rating. 40D shutter rated for 100,000 actuations vs 50,000 of the XSi.
• ISO. 40D will do 3200 vs the 1600 of the XSi.
• Frames Per Second. 40D will do 6.5 fps vs. 3.0 fps. That can make a difference in high speed activities like sports shooting. The buffer in the 40D is also larger for continuous shooting (both RAW and JPEG).
• sRaw. Available on 40D only.
• Megapixels/Sensor. Both use the DIGICIII but the XSi produces 12 MP images vs. 10MP for the 40D. Unless you're making poster size prints this is a negligible difference. It can be an advantage when cropping images but same sensor, more pixels can also equal more "noise".
• Storage media. SD for XSi and Compact Flash for 40D.

There are many more differences which may or may not factor into your decision. Your own level of expertise and enthusiasm may dictate your choice as well. In the end either will take great images. That is probably true of many in the Canon line below those models (XS, XT, 30D, 20D). More megapixels does not mean better images. Your understanding of the process and the equipment are the biggest factor.

I would suggest reading to your heart's content on dpreview.com or any of the other various sites. With the 50D just announced the 40D should drop a bit or be widely available used from the early adopters. The body is already available for less than $1K. Tough decision.

 

[drmaxx]

I just decided for the XSi over the 40D. I would qualify me as an ambitions point and shoot user - with the need to be able to control the picture from time to time. With this in mind, I just couldn't justify the price difference for the 40D. I played around with one for a while and really liked it - but the XSi does the same for me. The solid metal body is sure nice - but the weight was highly disliked by my wife.

 

[modamag]

If you're doing sports the 40D might be better due to it's higher shutter speed & FPS.

I could use the 6 FPS when I was trying to pan capture several race earlier with my XSi/450D

BTW: 50D is right around the corner

 

[da.gee]

Always something just around the corner. The 50D may actually be worth the upgrade when it is released in October.

 

[geepondy]

In reading the different shutter speed actuations, I wonder if anybody has ever actually worn out a shutter.

I'm agonizing over the same decision. Image quality will be the same or similar but there are differences. Off the top of my head:

• Build. The 40D is a tank compared to the XSi. Larger, heavier and more metal. This may or may not make a difference in durability. Weight could be a factor.
• Shutter Speed. 1/8000 for 40D, 1/4000 for XSi.
• Shutter Rating. 40D shutter rated for 100,000 actuations vs 50,000 of the XSi.
• ISO. 40D will do 3200 vs the 1600 of the XSi.
• Frames Per Second. 40D will do 6.5 fps vs. 3.0 fps. That can make a difference in high speed activities like sports shooting. The buffer in the 40D is also larger for continuous shooting (both RAW and JPEG).
• sRaw. Available on 40D only.
• Megapixels/Sensor. Both use the DIGICIII but the XSi produces 12 MP images vs. 10MP for the 40D. Unless you're making poster size prints this is a negligible difference. It can be an advantage when cropping images but same sensor, more pixels can also equal more "noise".
• Storage media. SD for XSi and Compact Flash for 40D.

There are many more differences which may or may not factor into your decision. Your own level of expertise and enthusiasm may dictate your choice as well. In the end either will take great images. That is probably true of many in the Canon line below those models (XS, XT, 30D, 20D). More megapixels does not mean better images. Your understanding of the process and the equipment are the biggest factor.

I would suggest reading to your heart's content on dpreview.com or any of the other various sites. With the 50D just announced the 40D should drop a bit or be widely available used from the early adopters. The body is already available for less than $1K. Tough decision.

 

[brokenknee]

I stumbled on this while looking for something else. It is a nice little upgrade program for canon cameras. I have not downloaded it yet so not sure how it works, but it seems to have some nice added features. and it is free. http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK