I dont have the XTi but I do have the XT - I love it... I went for the canon because it's what I have at work so I was already familiar with it, but from what I hear you cant really go wrong with canon or nikon.

I wish I would have waited a few months because the XTi wasn't out when I was looking. I heard about it, but there was speculation on pricing and I just said screw it and went for the XT.

I'd say it's well worth it... since I got my camera I have been addicted! Planning trips just to take pictures, instead of planning trips and maybe getting a few shots here and there along the way. Sorry if this wasn't much help but it's all I got!

Edit: Welcome to the forum!

Ditto.

I have the XT rebel (350d) also and I love it. If you know anything about photography it's easy to pick up.
The only thing I'd suggest is trying it out before you buy it. Go to the store and hold it a lot of people find the XT too small or uncomfortable.

That's a good point... when I ordered mine (over the interenet) I hadn't held one except for my work model which is a couple years old. I did find it to be a little too small for my pretty large hands, but I got the vertical grip and that solved all my problems!

I think all of the dSLRs out there will offer you manual control of exposure via aperture and shutterspeed, those alone will give you the opportunity for different looks if you're technically inclined. I know the Canon series also have pre-programmed modes for shooting sports, portraits, nighttime, etc. I don't know if the Nikons do or not (I'm a Canon guy)
I would second the notion of physically handling the camera before making a decision. The Rebel series are smaller and lighter duty than their 30d or 20d cousins but also cheaper. Also, play around with the menues and see if the layout makes sense to you.
Finally, look for the automatic sensor cleaning option available on some models. Cleaning the image sensor on these is a royal pain so the less you have to swab the chip the better.

Good luck

Steve

I'm selling my 350d and buying a 30d (Wohoo!).

If you're a guy with average/big hands, I'd recommend Nikon d50 or d70s. If you're not a guy with big hands, I'd still recommend d50 or d70s. They're almost just the same to use as Canon's amateur dSLR-cameras, and have pretty much the same features. Big upside with Nikon's lower ranged dSLRs is that they have bigger viewfinders than Canon's, and personally, I like the Nikon colours a whole lot better.

If you're getting a Canon dSLR, 350d (XT) or 400d (XTi) would be your natural choice. The only practical differences I could find between those were a bigger LCD (1.5" vs 2.5" ?), more focus points (better arranged aswell) and 2 more mpx on the 400d/XTi.

One thing to remember: the ~4mpx difference between Nikon d50/d70s and Canon 400d/XTi will not make a difference unless you're going to make large prints out of your photos (A4 prints from 6mpx pics works great). What makes the real difference is the optics/lens/glass, or whatever you call it. So getting Nikon d50 with a quality lens easily beats the image quality and physical feeling of the Canon 400d/XTi with the kit lens. (Most kit lenses suck. Not Nikon d70s', though.)

To wrap up what Steve said; I can't tell any difference between the manual options you have with Nikon and Canon.

thanks alot for your help! ive been looking around, and here is a deal i found... now the question is, is it a good deal.

kit includes:

Canon xti
Sigma 18-50mm F3.5-5.6 DC
Sigma 55-200mm F4-5.6 DC
wide angle lens
3 different color filters
digital flash
2g memory card
lens hoods
USB card reader
aluminum case
soft carrying case
60" tripod
mini tripod
and a cleaning kit

for $1048

good deal or rip off?

(i also found a kit with same dimension glass, but made by canon, but isnt sigma glass better?)

Canon has different series of lenses, so it's hard to tell.

Sounds like a great deal to me. What wide angle lens is it? And is the kit from another person, or from a store? (is it second-hand?)

I just bought the xti like a week ago. OH MY GOD this is a geat camera. The auto settings are great and its pretty easy to use. also the screen is larger than the xt by a good amount. its nice.

get it

steve

ya it is new from an online store... UHH the more i look the more i go back and forth with the d80 and the xti