Which camera will be better!! Please help!!

[Colinsmom]

Hi, I'm going to be buying a camera in a week or two and there are 3 I have been looking at!!

Canon EOS Digial Rebel XS 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera With 18-55mm IS Lens Kit

Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1MP DigitalSLR Camera With 18-55mm and Case Package

Canon EOS Rebel T2i 18.0MP DSLR Camera With 18-55mm IS Lens Kit


I also bought two books Understanding Digital Photography & Understanding Exposure, Revised Edition. Amazing books, I've already learned so much!! I love taking pictures, I feel I have a good eye & have been complimented alot on photos I've taken w my point & shoot little nothing special digital camera.

So i want alot of camera but not so much I will feel buried!! Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!!!

[Jim Poor]

The bigger question is what do you intend to photograph and under what conditions?

I can't really speak to Canon, but others surely can. In general, the best camera is the one that does what you need it to do, does it well and fits within your budget.

[Colinsmom]

Thank you Jim....well I want to take photo of my son who is 8 playing....our dog swimming, rain hitting balcony & bouncing back up, my horses. I also want to do some portraits, however I would prefer outdoors than in....although I've also thought of doing alot of action shots. Be it my friend playing the drums, the kids bouncing on the trampoline to bird flying or swooping down diving into the water to catch the fish.

I have so many ideas so I guess I need a camera that will help me capture all those moments. So far I'm leaning towards the Canon EOS Rebel T2i.....its priced at $1,000.

[lputman]

I agree with Jim.

I probably wouldn't purchase an XS now. You get video with the T1i and T2i with improved video in the T2i.

http://blog.planet5d.com/2010/02/new...-canon-eos-7d/

[Colinsmom]

Thank you to you too Iputman....that does make sense!! I think I will go for the T2i. It seems to do all that I want and why get something I already think will not do enough for me...no sense in spending money just to upgrade in 6 months or less.

Thank you!!

[Colinsmom]

One more question.....the computer I'm going to get has Corel Paintshop Pro Photo software....the books i'm reading suggest Photoshop. Any idea which would be best...I'm thinking Photoshop.

[Jim Poor]

Most will prefer Photoshop, however, there is a free program called Gimp that is nearly as powerful as Photoshop.

Photoshop Elements is another option between free and the full version.

The most important thing to remember about all the programs that cost is that they all offer free trial periods so download them all one at a time and see which one you prefer.

Originally Posted by Colinsmom

One more question.....the computer I'm going to get has Corel Paintshop Pro Photo software....the books i'm reading suggest Photoshop. Any idea which would be best...I'm thinking Photoshop.

[Colinsmom]

What a great idea...thank you Jim. I was leaning towards PhotoShop also.

Have you used the Kodak Digital Gem Noise Reduction program?? Its another sugestion from the book I am reading. I guess thats from shooting at high ISO.

I'm so excited...hardly wait to get started. I know there will definately be some frustrations but simple isn't worth doing!!

I really appreciate all the advice!!

[Jim Poor]

What book are you reading?

I've never used the Koday noise reduction program, but there are others out there.

Noise Ninja, Topaz and a few others. They also have free trials. Some are stand alone, some are plugins for Photoshop, Lightroom, etc.

Originally Posted by Colinsmom

What a great idea...thank you Jim. I was leaning towards PhotoShop also.

Have you used the Kodak Digital Gem Noise Reduction program?? Its another sugestion from the book I am reading. I guess thats from shooting at high ISO.

I'm so excited...hardly wait to get started. I know there will definately be some frustrations but simple isn't worth doing!!

I really appreciate all the advice!!

I own the XSi and T1i (and 5D Mark II)

The XS is a nice camera. Picture quality wise, you won't see any difference between the XS and T1i. At ISO1600 and higher, you'll get less ISO noise with the T2i.

With the T1i and T2i, you get a much nicer LCD screen. You get video as well. You get the ability to shoot higher than 1600 ISO (XS is limited to 1600). In AV mode and auto ISO, the ISO will go up to 1600 (only 800 on XS).

Personally, I'd at minimum do the T1i and probably go with the T2i, just for the noise reduction. Then again, the new Lightroom 3 has such good noise reduction SW in it, it's probably not a big deal.

When you go up to the 5DMarkII, you get better image quality and quite a bit less noise at higher ISOs.