One word, WOW!

I got my first REAL digital camera for christmas, this baby, and I have been "bouncing" off the walls ever since just looking for anything and EVERYTHING to take a picture of. My experience with it at this point is limited, but being as I have some extensive experience with film SLRs and digital point and shoots I can already give it some comparison.

First thing is first- Canon has made high quality digital SLR cameras affordable for more people, which could be a good or a bad thing. The cheaper they get (price not quality wise) the more people who have them, the more "devalued" good photography becomes since now just about everyone has a digital of some sort. But, beyond that this is still a huge step in digital photography, and one not to be overlooked by those consider a high quality camera. Only a few years ago you paid nearly this price for a 2MP point and shoot!

What this camera was up against:

I was set on a digital SLR camera after having the heart break of several rolls of film taken with a Minolta Maxxum 7000 turn out with only HALF the pictures I wanted. It's always that really awesome picture that doesn't take, and you don't know it until you're home and then it's too late to recapture the moment. With a digital there is no such problem. If it doesn't work out, you see that right away and can delete the dud picture and try again. Typically, with some fiddling and adjusting, you can get a good picture of what you're trying to capture before you go home.

So I started looking around at Digital SLRs. I don't like point and shoot cameras since they're very limited, so it HAD to be an SLR. A year ago I read up on the Sigma SD-9 and fell in love with it's 10+ MP resolution and Foveon technology, but as time went on the reviews just weren't standing up to what I had hoped for and the thought of owning the SD-9 began to lose it's charm. I just happened across the digital rebel while standing in line to pick up some pictures at Sam's Club and I was intrigued. Later I went to Ritz Camera and played with it and I was hooked, but not COMPLETELY. I also saw the Nikon D70 which is also a very good camera for only a few hundred more.

Depending on what you want, the D70 may actually be the better camera. It has a faster shutter speed (up to 1/8000 instead of 1/4000 sec) and can take 4 frames per second instead of the Canon's 3 (if I remember all that right).

Another thing to consider was all the money I had already spent on my Minolta. I have 3 zoom lenses for it, a handful of filters, and lots of film! I'm still collecting stuff for it here and there, so I was really thinking to get something compatible with that. It just so happens that Minolta just put out the Maxxum 7D, a digital SLR but it was 1600 for body alone. As much as I wanted that camera I figured for the extra 700-800 it would cost me, I could easily buy some lenses and filters for the Canon.

Price, and the fact that Sam's Club carried it, was ultimately why I decided to get the Digital Rebel. Everywhere I read the three top picks of mine (the Minolta, the Nikon, and the Canon) all had great reviews, and promised to be great cameras. But the Digital rebel was only 898.00 at Sam's so that did it.

I've taken about 160 pictures with this, which isn't much for a digital (but equivalent to about 7 rolls on a film camera) but in those 160 pictures I have really been testing it's capabilities by using it in different light settings, modes, distances, etc. I am getting a pretty good feel for what this camera is capable of, and already have a great feel for how it'll work for "everyday" photography. The more specialized stuff is still something I'm learning (and plan to take classes for).

BUILD:

The camera is a little larger than many that are out there, but compared to a an older Minolta SLR, it's very light weight for its size. The body is not metal like my old camera, but I haven't seen any metal bodied cameras being sold in a long time so I figure that's to be expected. It does make it much lighter weight and easier to hang around your neck. I don't get the feeling it'll fall apart in my hands like I do with some cameras. It does feel sturdy given that its made of plastic, but only time will tell HOW sturdy it is.

ERGONOMICS:

For lack of a better word, I guess. The camera fits in my hands quite nicely, the right side being very comfortable to hold and the placement of the shutter button very convenient. The dial is a little overwhelming at first, but a short study of the little icons can give you a good idea what they're for and then flipping through the book can help fill in the rest. It has manual mode, aperature priority, programs, as well as modes which are adjusted to be better for things like portraits, landscapes, macros, action, and no flash. I'm still messing around with the manual stuff so I can't give a real great idea how easy that is. I'd assume if you're familiar with using the manual mode or priority modes with another SLR that you could easily pick it up. That is something I'm just learning about.

There are a lot of buttons on the camera, but not an overwhelming number (unless you're used to a point and shoot, then it can get to be a little much). On the left of the LCD screen, which is plenty big for my likings, there are several buttons. One has a menu (where to adjust quality settings, etc), info (for date/time, etc), one I'm not sure what it does yet, the playback button (allows you to view your stored pictures) and the delete button.

On the other side there is a light for the top display (above the view screen) which shows you the current mode and metering information. That could stay on longer, but it works. The timer button is located on top and is easy to use. Just push it so you see the timer symbol on the top display. Just like any camera, a little light flashes and the camera beeps, speeding up a second or two before it snaps the picture.

There are a few other buttons I have yet to investigate, and have not done so yet for lack of need. I am working on that....

One of my complaints where it comes to controls is the inability to disable the flash in any of the other modes except the no-flash mode. I like to play with no flash settings a lot, and the silly thing keeps popping up and I have not been able to figure out how to disable that yet. Only thing the manual shows for that is to use the no-flash mode on the dial.

Metering is good on this camera and easy to understand for those used to SLRs. For point-n'-shooters this is something you'll have to learn, but it won't take too long as long as you can get what shutter speed and aperature mean. For the most part the camera doesn't use the flash unless you get down to 1/60th sec or slower shutter speed. I haven't gotten it to shoot at over 1/125 since I haven't had a need for it to do that yet. Playing with the action mode, or shutter priority (or manual) mode can give one more leway there, but unless you have a need for it you'll only sacrifice picture clarity (higher speeds tend to be noisy from what I'm told).

Shutter lag- the time for the camera to snap the picture from when you press the button- There really is no shutter lag on this camera, however AF can slow you down as it's adjusting (since it meters and focuses prior to snapping a picture). It depends on the situation when using AF, however the pictures are instantaneous in MF mode.

If you buy the camera with lens, you're going to want a better zoom MOST LIKELY. The lens it comes with is 18-55mm which is good, but I'm used to shooting a 35-105 with a 1:3.5 macro, so it's not everything I want. I want a longer focal length and a better macro. For that I suggest Ritz or Camera world which carry quantaray lenses to fit the Canon EOS (EF mount) that have about 70-200mm zoom with a 1:2 macro for less than $200. If you look at lens prices you'll see this is very reasonable. Lenses for SLRs aren't cheap unless they're manual or screw mount, but will be one of those things you'll just want more of as you get more and more used to your camera. More power and more flexibility is always a MUST :)

The autofocus on this camera works great, but I'm not a fan of AF so I rarely use it. It seems fast enough to me, although it seems like my Minolta focuses faster, but it's very accurate. It does get a little burdensome if you're trying to capture a picture of a small child doing something cute because as things moves the AF seems to get confused and it slows you down (and kids don't hold still for ANYTHING). If you can focus relatively quickly by hand and snap the picture you'll be much better off. I much prefer to do it this way 8 out of 10 times. However, when having someone who is SLR ignorant use your camera, the AF comes in handy.

The camera comes with a small flash that flips up when it "decides" extra light is needed (dictated by the metering when the shutter speed goes down too low). You don't need to do anything except push the shutter button and if it thinks the flash is needed it flips up. However, this does ruin the spontaneity of some pictures so if you think it'll need it I suggest just put your hand in front of the lens and push the button just till it flips up so it's ready for all the rest of the pictures. If there's an easier more obvious way to do it I haven't figured it out yet.

The flash does a great job for all the purposes I've used it for so far, but I do have a bigger flash from my minolta that works just fine on the flash mount, which makes this camera a bit more versatile. Usually my complaint is that the flash wants to go off too often and there is little control over that (as I described above).

The camera will amaze you with the range of shutter speed it's capable of. It can go as fast as 1/4000th of a second and as slow as 30 seconds. I have used it in the range of 20 sec- 1/125th of a sec. It is pretty impressive what this makes the camera capable of. I live in a city that is usually so light at night that few stars are visible, but I've successfully taken a very clear picture of the constellation of Orion! A tripod is a MUST for shutter speeds below 1/60th, especially with heavier/larger lenses because no matter how sturdy you are- you are not capable of remaining THAT still to get a clear picture.

The camera has NO built in memory I'm aware of, but takes compact flash cards which are installed on the right side and are easy to take in and out. Depending on your needs, I recommend a 512mb card or higher. Buy at Sam's Club for $42 (Lexar). Ritz carries the professional cards (faster write speeds)and they run closer to $100 for the same size.

The speed of how fast the camera writes and is ready for the next picture heavily depends on the CARD you use, NOT the camera. The camera is fast, the write is about instantaneous and I have no thing to complain about in that department. Lexar makes a decent card, but buy a professional one if you feel you'll need faster.

The camera comes with a USB hookup so you can download the pictures to your computer, or if you have a photoprinter you may be able to insert the card directly into a dock on that, but I do recommend a card reader, especially if you are going to use more than one card. If you find that you are taking hundreds of photos between each card "dump" (unloading onto the computer) I would recommend you spend the $200 on the handheld storage device that holds 20GB and can accept various media cards including the CF cards you'll be using with this camera (check out Ritz). I don't have one yet but want to get one soon.

Also included is a video hook up to view pictures on your TV. This is particularly cool since you can see what the pictures look like SUPERSIZED and this will give you a better idea than looking at it on the display if the picture is worth keeping or not.

The battery that it comes with is a special battery (not standard AA size, etc) and is rechargable. This battery seems to have a great lifespan since I've taken 160 pictures and it still shows full battery on the gauge. The charge time was only a few hours, too, which is a plus. The package I got came with an extra battery and while that's not necessary- it is recommended.

The camera does not come with an adapter, but can be used with one if you'll be taking a lot of pictures in a stationary spot. Those do restrict your movement and if not on a tripod make the camera awkward so I just recommend having an extra battery. From what I understand the battery is supposed to last for 400-500 shots but I haven't taken enough to test this out yet.

I can compare it to all the point and shoots I've used which utilize the AA batteries. Those needed batteries changed every 30-50 pictures, so this is a welcomed relief from having to keep up on batteries. Even nicer, the camera maintains the settings AND date and time when you change the battery so you don't have to redo those all the time. My point n' shoots always did that, and it drove me CRAZY (although newer ones shouldn't).

Battery is easy to install and remove, and comes with a protective backing for storage.

One of the biggest complaints most people I've read have about this camera is the LCD does not act as a view finder. While that would be nice, I don't find this anything to mark the camera down for. I'm used to film cameras where I actually have to LOOK into the view finder to see what I'm taking a picture of, so this is no big inconvenience for me. I also found with my other digitals that the LCD as a viewfinder was limited to certain light environments (too hard to see in daylight) and drained the batteries down terribly fast. This feature (having the LCD for viewing stored pictures and quick previews of last shot) is not only practical, but energy efficient as well.

The view finder is what you'd expect on any camera, and it looks like there's a small correction dial next to it for those who have troubles seeing through it. However, I'm not certain that is what it's for (it's a dial right by the view finder with a +/- symbol next to it) but I don't need a correction so I haven't looked to see if that's what it does. Even if that's not it, corrective view finders can usually be purchased and added on.

There are many packages out there for the Digital Rebel, some on ebay and some elsewhere. Based on price and their excellent no hassle return policy I would HIGHLY recommend that anyone who can check out Sam's Club for their camera. That is where mine was purchased for the price of 898.96 and it included a very nice Canon camera bag, extra battery, and neckstrap as well as the typical camera, 18-55mm lens, battery, manuals, hookups, and software (by the way, I have not used the software since I am a loyal user of Jasc Paint Shop Pro, which I highly recommend for photo editing). They also have very reasonable CF cards (1 GB lexar card runs $72.00) and EXCELLENT prices on prints (.18/print 4x6"). Those prices may vary some from each store, but I don't see the variance being too great- and it's still well worth a look!

(Note: if you can find a place offering photo lab prints from your digital images for less than .25 a print, I'd HIGHLY recommend you use that instead of a printer at home. Not only will the printer cost you 100-200.00 easily, but their average price per print is .29-.39 for a 4x6. Sam's club here is .18/ea and Adorama- http://www.adorama.com- is .19/ea and there you don't have to be a member and their 5x7 prices are better- only .49, and they offer a MUCH wider variety of sizes. However, no arguing with the convenience of printing at home- so balance price with convenience and decide.)

Costco also has great prices/return policies, but I haven't been there to see if they carry the Digital Rebel nor if they offer the prints at the photo lab. I'd take a look and see since they're a good company to deal with, too.

As much as I like this camera, I would say right now if Sam's Club carried the Nikon D70 that is what I'd own now, but I'm not sorry I have the Canon and I certainly don't think you will be either! Great camera for the price, and I won't be taking THIS gift back!

Happy shooting!