Canon XS vs XSi

[justumbo]

Hey everyone! First time posting on the forums, but I've been reading the articles on DPS.

I've gotten into photography this past year, and my point and shoot is pretty decent because I can shoot manual, but it's really old with only 1 memory card of a whopping 128 mb! The batteries are also used up insanely fast since I have to use the lcd screen to change settings. I know I'm not a pro at photography, but I've been getting a lot better, and I'm getting frustrated with not choosing what to focus on, batteries dying on me, limited space, etc...

So I've been saving up for a DSLR for the past few months. At first I was set on the Canon XS since it's the least expensive out there, but I've been looking at the XSi and I'm wondering if I should save up $100 more to get it. I would probably have to wait another month to get it, seeing as I'm a high school senior without a job. I occasionaly babysit, wash cars, or do odd jobs around the house that my parents will pay me to do. Are the extra AF points, larger lcd screen, 2 more megapixels, and faster burst speed for shooting in RAW worth it? I know I'm going to do a lot of shooting, especially once I get to college. I'm 99% sure photography will stay a hobby and will never become my career.

What do you think? Go for the XS or save up a bit more to get the XSi?

[MastrChang]

Hey Justumbo,

I got the XS about a month before Xmas as an early Xmas present and I love it. I can't say anything about the XSi because I don't own one, but I was contemplating the same dilema as you.

I went with the XS because it was cheaper, and by most reviews I read about the two cameras, the XS was nearly the same camera with a couple of missing features that I din't think was worth the extra $100+ price difference. Only you can decide that though.

As far as the XS, I have taken some wonderful pictures with it. I am really impressed by the ISO 1600 quality if you get a good exposure. my old point and shoot would get very noisy above ISO 400. So the ISO alone is a huge upgrade for me. I've added the "nifty fifty", and a nice tripod. I feel like I have a very caple kit to produce very nice portraits of my family. What I am lacking is a nice zoom, but that will come.

Good luck with your decision.

T

[inkista]

One additional option: save up the extra $100 and wait to see if they're going to replace the XS in February.

The Canon XS was first announced in June of 2008. The sub-5D Canon models tend to have an 18-month product life, before a new model is announced.

The XS is a new tier, and had no predecessor, so we can't be sure what the lifespan really is, but judging by the dRebel line, it's due for one soon. My guess would be that it'll be speced similarly to an XSi, with a few tweaks, and will probably cost in the $500-$550 area (which was the initial MSRP of the XS).

[justumbo]

Yeah, I've been thinking about it the past few days and the differences really aren't that big. I probably won't have enough money until feb/march, seeing how it's going now, so maybe they will release a new rebel

Thanks!