I'm probably gonna go with the 20D. I want to shoot the kids sports photography and I think the 20D is slightly better for that. Thanks for the replies.

bhphotovideo.com, adorama.com and 17thstphoto all have 20D's in stock... good reputable companies. Also, Dell has them on occasion.

WRONG WRONG!!

Where did you get this info? The crop factor on the 350D/XT is 1.6 AFAIK. If it would have been 1.3, I would have picked it up in a heart beat :)

I just went through the same process of trying to decide btween the same list of cameras. I decided on the 20D for similar reasons. I have had it for about a six weeks and love it. Big learning curve coming from a P&S canon s40. Enjoy your new toy.

Dennis

first off relax... the 1.3 crop factor was in reference to the 1dsMkii that you were talking about... you didn't mention the 350 anywhere in your post... pay attention would ya? :)

did you get a battery grip with it? there seems to be a huge problem with the camera shutting off if you torque it at the grip connector and also with the camera giving incorrect battery life readings. Canon says that they fixed it and all new grips will be ok, but if you got an older one you can send it in to canon for repair at no charge.

5Xwen,

It really depends on your:

1. Budget
2. What you want to shoot (subjects)
3. Do you like post processing or not
4. whether you are impressed with the megapixel war. I certainly am not

If your budget is above 1K, go with the D70 or the Canon D20. I have used both and they both are very good cameras. In the end it also boils down to what type of lenses you use. The Canon L glass lenses are real good but if you are a novice or even on the intermediate level, don't bother with those. I strongly suggest the 28-135 IS USM Canon lens as your normal walk around lens. The 50mm prime (canon or nikon) is a must for portrait photography.

If you would like to shoot fast moving subjects, the EFS lenses or the Canon USM lenses are a good candidate. For stills the 50mm does pretty well.

pictures straight out any DSLR require post processing. Brush up on your photoshop skills. The normal P&S cameras process the images that do seem pleasing to the eye straight from the camera but they do lose a lot of detail. DSLR pictures are normally under processed or not processed at all or come out as flat. Some "jazzing" the pictures up is required.

Also remember no matter what camera you choose, the flash sucks. And when I say sucks, it does really sucks pretty bad for all indoor shots. Get ready to invest around $400 on a nicer external flash for the Nikon or the Canon.

DSLRs are an expensive hobby I warn you. I have stopped adding the $ amounts I have spent over the last 2 years. Stick with one DSLR body and invest in the BEST lenses you can afford.

exactly.

Have you heard anything about the Tamron (Canon EF compatible) 18-200 mm lens for a good all-around lens for us novice user? :dunno: I've been learning on my Canon 10D and have a 28-200mm lens. Apparently, this new Tamron lens takes into account for the 1.6 magnification at the sensor level. So essentially, the lens would be a 28-300 mm in reality for my Canon 10D.

Also agree with your on the external flash. I have had no problems with my Canon Speedlite 580EX and it is easy on the AA batteries. :thumbup:

http://www.tamron.com/lenses/prod/18200_diII.asp
http://www.tamron.com/lenses/prod/as...00mm_thumb.gif

don't be confused by focal multiplier, field of view and focal length.

here's an example:

if you take a piece of 35mm film, that is considered full frame.

now, on a dslr, the sensor is smaller than a piece of film, and it varies by camera.

so when you read that a camera has a 1.6 "crop factor" or "focal length multiplier" it means that the image that gets captured will be 60% smaller than what would normally be captured on a piece of 35mm film. So on a 10D, 60% of the image is cropped out in comparison to film. on a 1dsmkii, only 30% is cropped out because it has a 1.3 crop factor.

How this relates to lenses is simple, in order to get the same image on a DSLR that you would get on a film SLR, you need to get a lens whose focal length is larger by the same percentage as the crop factor. For example, in order to get the same exact image on a DSLR with a 1.6 crop factor as a film slr with a 50mm lens, you would have to put a 30mm lens on the DSLR.

The common misconception is that if you put a 50mm lens on a DSLR (for example) you're really getting an 80mm is wrong. what you're getting is the FIELD OF VIEW of an 80, not the focal length.

So the example you state that about the tamron is a little whacky as no lens "takes into account the crop factor" unless it's a 17-xxx or something similar.

also, stay away from tamron, sigma is a better alternative.