That's right, I'm still using a D30 (not 30D), and am ready for something with a higher pixel count (8-12MP sounds about right), better high ISO performance, and hopefully better continuous shooting performance. Other than that I'm not picky, and just want to keep costs down.

I'm planning to buy secondhand. Given a budget of around $600, would I be better off going for something recent in the Rebel line, or something a bit older from the X0D line?

Thoughts?

Well, for $600 you'd be just about at the price for a used 40D which would be (from your perpective) light years improvement over the D30 but still retaining much of the same 'feel'. Alternatively, you could go with the latest Rebel that would give you Video function, high resolution LCD, & a smaller body. I don't like the general ergonomics of the Rebels but for your budget, you can't go wrong with either of those choices. The 40D may be a little older and lacking a few features (like video, etc) of the new Rebel but it's a well proven camera that ALOT of people swear by.

HTH,
Omar

Yep, a 40D sounds right for your requirements.

Check out Canons $200 rebates that started on the Camera lens Combos today.

You can get a XSI with 2 lenses for pretty close to your budget. It will be a incredible jump. I sold my D30 earlier this year, you can get good images from it, but it takes a lot of work when compared to the newer models.

... OH, One More Item I Forgot...You could also call Canon regarding their 'Customer Loyalty Program'. You may qualify to purchase a 'refurbished' 50D (or other camera) at a discount. Just one caveat, in order to qualify, your old camera is technically supposed to be 'broken'.

HTH (again),
Omar

Hehe

I'm in the same situation as the OP, I'm saving up for a second hand Classic 5D, can't wait

J

I'm absolutely drooling over the 40D, but it seems to be going for closer to $700, although I suppose that will drop after a little while.

Where are these rebates being offered? I can't seem to find them at the major electronics retailers.

200231786 wrote:
I'm in the same situation as the OP, I'm saving up for a second hand Classic 5D, can't wait

Reassuring that I'm not the only one insane (or broke) enough to stick with this old workhorse for so long. The 5D looks like an amazing camera -- hope you enjoy it!

I am slightly mad, and quite broke, but I do have an EOS 3 and 1V, and an addiction to slide film, so the D30 doesn't get the chance to frustrate me every day

nufferkay wrote:
I'm absolutely drooling over the 40D, but it seems to be going for closer to $700, although I suppose that will drop after a little while.


Alot of 40D's may be going for around $700 or so but if you look around, you might find a good deal closer to $600.

nufferkay wrote:
Reassuring that I'm not the only one insane (or broke) enough to stick with this old workhorse for so long.

Yes, ALOT of people 'trade-up' their gear everytime the latest/greatest comes out without ever mastering their current equipment under the illusion that better/newer equipment will automatically improve their photography skills!

Omar

omarlyn wrote:
Yes, ALOT of people 'trade-up' their gear everytime the latest/greatest comes out without ever mastering their current equipment under the illusion that better/newer equipment will automatically improve their photography skills!

Haha, well, I know my skills could still use a heck of a lot of work, but when I *do* get composition and exposure just right, it couldn't hurt to have better image quality and more detail. That said, it's pretty neat how well the D30's results hold up even now -- at least at low ISO.

Reading the reviews, though, it sounds like the more recent sensors are more forgiving in terms of exposure, dynamic range, and even autofocus -- is that true?

I still use my D60 but am upgrading to a 7D.

scalesusa wrote:
Check out Canons $200 rebates that started on the Camera lens Combos today.

You can get a XSI with 2 lenses for pretty close to your budget. It will be a incredible jump. I sold my D30 earlier this year, you can get good images from it, but it takes a lot of work when compared to the newer models.

Didn't see this anywhere.

Where did you find that

thanks

d~

fotografur wrote:
scalesusa wrote:
Check out Canons $200 rebates that started on the Camera lens Combos today.

You can get a XSI with 2 lenses for pretty close to your budget. It will be a incredible jump. I sold my D30 earlier this year, you can get good images from it, but it takes a lot of work when compared to the newer models.

Didn't see this anywhere.

Where did you find that

thanks

d~

I'd also like to know where this deal can be found! The closest thing I can find is this, but it started about a week ago, not today, and it's only the one lens: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16830120262&CMP=AFC-C8Junction

It was in the Canon newsletter email this morning.

http://www.usa.canon.com/app/emails/eosnov09/?WT.mc_id=EM0911EO01004

Thanks for the link John. I was thinking the price was going to be closer to $600 based on the OP's budget... for $800 I can pass. Worth noting I guess, that it can be stacked with the $50 loyalty rebate for those who qualify.

That NewEgg deal is in the right range, on the other hand. Or one could buy just the XSi body, which seems to be going for $500-550 new.

Thanks for the link!

d~

Definitely go for the 40D, but look for a price closer to $650. I've got a 40D and I've also played with my dad's T1i and I find the 40D to be a good bit easier to use, as it's more button-driven than menu-driven like the Rebels. The 40D also feels more solid in my hands than anything in the Rebel series.

If you do decide to go for something in the Rebel series, you might want to consider getting the battery grip for it. The grip makes the camera feel more solid and helps balance the larger lenses better than just mounting them on the camera alone. Dad and I have played around with his T1i both gripped and ungripped and that grip does make a difference with heavier lenses like the 24-105/4 and 70-200/2.8 IS.

HTH,
Heather

The 40D is excellent. It is solid, has lots of features, FAST, and performs well at high ISOs. B&H had around 4 used 40Ds in stock a couple days ago, but now they're all gone. They were $650-$700, I think. I would check B&H constantly until you catch a used 40D. I think a bunch of people are selling their's to get a 7D.

Just a note: I use a refurb, and I can't tell a difference beside that it came in a plain box, so don't be afraid to get a refurb.

I will +1, +2 and +3 the 40D recommendations. I moved to one just this week from a 30D, and wasn't ever inclined to do a 1 camera jump. This past week a local CL posting had a 40D Kit with the 28-135 & 8Gb III Card for $600, I took the leap. I couldn't be more pleased that I did either. It's handling is more comfortable than the 30D, and AF speed, files, and Live View(my main reason for the move, for close up and macro) are all out of this world.

If you're in the US, you might want to consider using the Canon Loyalty program and they are offering a 50D Factory Recondition for $638. There is a couple of posts regarding this. 1-866-443-8002, call and inquire. Might work out in your favor.

The 40D is an excellent camera, very solid, fast, and well thought out. As someone said, it would be light years ahead of your D30. That being said, a friend of mine just bought a Rebel T1i last week and I got to play around with it yesterday. It's definitely small and a little plasticky, but the responsiveness is impressive and it has the AF from the 20/30D. The video is awesome as well. All in all it's really a nice camera. I still think that the 40D might be more satisfying in the long run though. Even with the 50D and 7D eclipsing it in the Canon line-up it's still a superb camera and will be for some time to come.

A pertinent related question is how old is your computer? If it is as old as your camera you'll want to add a new one into your budget equation.

There will be a domino effect when making a quantum leap from the circa 2000 D30 to any of the newer models. File sizes are much bigger so there is much more processing overhead. When I made the final jump from film SLR to Canon 20D in 2004 and started shooting RAW I found it necessary to switch from OS9 to OSX and upgrade Photoshop. Coming back from vacation with a couple thousand RAW files to edit caused me to bite the bullet and replace the computer with a faster one.

As for bodies? I used an liked a D30 back in 2001 but waited to enter with the 20D which was the first 8MP under $1,500 and had improved DigicII ambient and ETTL-II flash metering. I skipped over the 30D and 40D hoping the AF system would improve, and pulled the string on a new 50D a year ago when a trip to the floor damaged the 20D. In retrospect I wish I'd waited a bit longer and gotten the 7D.

Since you seem to buy for the long haul there would be some logic in buying the latest model, the 7D, but I don't think you'd go wrong with the 40D or 50D either. Apart from the bump in resolution the 50D added micro-adjust for lenses, the 7D has improved 19 point AF, a new flash metering system and HD video.

Thanks, everyone! It sounds like the overwhelming consensus is in favor of the 40D -- and it should be enough camera to cover my use for another 5-10 years. I've waited 6+ years to upgrade, so what's another couple of months of saving up?

A pertinent related question is how old is your computer? If it is as old as your camera you'll want to add a new one into your budget equation.

I've got a powerhouse of a workstation, a few years old, but no dinosaur. It should suffice until I buy a new Macbook Pro in the spring (necessary expense for the day job, and a major reason cash is so tight).

I'm actually more worried about needing to buy new glass, since obviously the D30 wouldn't have benefitted much from the sharpest lenses. Should that be a concern?

Honestly, with that budget, I might try to get a 20d at ~250 or 300. I got a 40d first, then a 20d as a backup, and while the 40d is nicer.... the 20d would get you 80% of the upgrade for half the price.

Btw, I have since sold the 40d (replaced with a 1d mkII), yet kept the 20d as a backup.

Well, as OP says, the upgrade may include glass....what lenses do you have now?
Perhaps the 28-135 IS? In any case, they're likely EF lenses, (unless you modified an old 18-55 to fit) so you may not have anything wider than 24mm...I'd definitely recommend the 18-55 EF-S IS (image stabilization), unless you're happy with whatever the widest FL is now on the D30....I liked my 24-85 on it, but the 18-55 ImageStabilization version, though shorter is much better...