Hi,
I am looking for advice on which body to get, the Rebel XTi or the 20D. I shoot mostly landscapes and wildlife, with the occasional people photo thrown in. I am not sure if the extra MP will make a difference. Thanks to all for your replies.
I use both. I own a 20D and my job has an XTI (which I asked for due to budget restraints and having to purchase new equipment only).
Honestly? I like the focus on the XTI, but the megapixels mean nothing to me. It's tiny, so if you feel a 20 series is to big, the XTI is a great buy.
ISO wise the 20D is as good as the XTI, and offers ISO H (3200).
I don't think you can go wrong either way. I say if you base it on AF, the XTI should be better, because its the 30D AF, the 20D AF is basically not as new.
I recently bought an XTi as a backup for my 1D2N. It's a great little camera if you don't mind small. I don't care for the viewfinder but I put an Oly ME-1 magnifier on which fits perfectly and works well making the viewfinder acceptable. IQ is excellent.
I traded my walkaround/travel 20D for the XTi for (a) less size & weight and (b) quieter shutter. Turns out I got better AF in the bargain, but at the expense of slightly poorer very high ISO noise performance. All in all, I'm very happy with the trade.
Some people say the XTi is too small. I have big hands and am used to 1-series bodies, and I don't think so. I like my small light camera to be small and light. But you should handle both to see which you're more comfortable with.
I just got an XTI , I reg. use a 5d. I am very impressed with the XTI...great colors and I swear it focuses better than my 5d. High Iso is not as good, but its def. OK. I hated the focus on my old 20d...misfocused all the time.
I just shot a portrait session with the XTI and they look great. Use raw, however...the in camera processing has lots of artifacts. I am going to try out the XTI a little on tomorrow's wedding...want to see how it handles.
The only drawback here is that the camera is not really geared to shooting
a couple thousand exposures a week like my 5d does regularly ( I really don't think even the 5d will last too long.
I have a 20D and had an XT. The exposure compensation function on the XT sent me back to the 30D. The XTI is the same way. The 20D also feels much much more solid.
I also don't think it's fair to recommend against the XTi based on experience with an XT, any more than it would be fair to recommend against the 20D based on experience with a 10D. I wouldn't have owned an XT, but I'm quite content with the XTi, in context. Similarly, I found the 10D unappealing for a number of reasons, but I liked the 20D a lot.
I had 300D, 20D, 30D (x2) and now because of the delays with 1D mkIII, I got Rebel XTi. I actually (I am surprised myself) like the user interface better than 20/30D's. I am happy with AF and it is better than I thought. I am shooting only RAW. As I said, I like that I can see all my settings at one glance and I prefer its controls to "two function" buttons of xxD.
I'd go with the 20D, the XTI may be one sweet little camera but I prefer the noise levels from the 20D, not to mention the dial for when reviewing images.
I have not used an XTi but have an old and much abused 20D which I love. I like the jpeg handling and low noise for my subjects which are mostly night time sports. The 20D has been around for so long now that most third party software is pretty good with the RAW files. It seems to take awhile for software vendors to catch up to the latest cameras and do a decent job. I've seen some 20D bodies around the internet at good prices (from reputable folks, not the scam artists), but if there is a significant difference, I bet you'll like the XTi, too.
I've seen some criticism of the 20D focus mechanism, but (in my case) found it was more a user issue than a camera issue. I used the custom function menu to move AF from the shutter button to an auxiliary button and it's been a dream ever since.
"I am looking for advice on which body to get, the Rebel XTi or the 20D. I shoot mostly landscapes and wildlife, with the occasional people photo thrown in. I am not sure if the extra MP will make a difference. Thanks to all for your replies."
For the type of photography you descibe there is little advantage in getting a 20D besides having a larger body. On the other hand, additional MP cannot hurt for capturing a bit more detail in landscape work. Doesn't sound like you are a big user of high speed burst mode.
The additional 2 MP can make a difference, though it is not a really huge one. Essentially it would allow you to print at a give dpi and produce an image 12.5% longer on a side - or crop a bit and not lose dpi compared to the 8MP sensor.
The XTi has some other advantages. For what it is worth, it does have some dust reduction technology. It has the same AF system as the 30D. Many regard the small size and light weight as an advantage.
Dan
BTW #1: I think that claim of noise problems on the XTi is not backed up by any test results I've seen. Also, you shouldn't have any problem at all with RAW conversion software availability for the XTi.
BTW #2: I have used an XT for over two years and now also use a 5D. Unless the subject calls for the Super Whackagon Digiramus X345b MK II.
The extra megapixels will make little difference. Viewfinder on the XTi is far inferior. XTi doesn't have a second control wheel, and as a left-eyed person, I have to practically stick my thumb in my eye to adjust exposure compensation. I believe the initial burst frame rate is lower on the XTi, but don't recall for sure. The XTi is appreciably smaller and more compact, and for moving wildlife I'd check carefully into the differences in the AF system (I can't recite them from memory, but I believe the central AF point on the XTi is surprisingly good).
Since I use the XTi primarily as a backup to my 1Ds (original), I bought an XTi rather than a 20D or 30D to replace my EOS 10D. If I was using the 1.6 crop as my primary camera, I would give more serious consideration to a 20D or 30D, though.
