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  Reviews by: NealeF  
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Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC HSM

113_small
Review Date: Apr 18, 2008 Recommend? yes | Price paid: $350.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Very sharp, even at 1.4. Light weight, nice focal length on Rebel XT
Cons:
Crop lens - but you know that when you buy it

Bought this used off FM site, seller was selling 20D and going to 5D. He had previously had lens calibrated - told me if I wasn't happy he would take it back. It is absolutely sharp at 1.4. It actually made me look closer at my Canon 50 1.4 and I ended up sending the Canon in.

I bought a ID MKII and it appears to work well on that.

Highly recommend - noting that it may need calibration to work at 1.4 - but that isn't just Sigma's problem. Canon has the same problem from my experience.
 
Canon EOS Rebel XT (350D)

rebel_xt
Review Date: Jul 19, 2007 Recommend? yes | Price paid: $900.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Lightweight, small, relatively inexpensive, very fast startup.
Cons:
Focus / limited number of focus points. No real ability to manually focus.

First step into DSLR, did have a T70 with about 6 lenses, most bought used.

Bought without kit lens - bought 17-85is instead. I use this for work sometimes (industrial) and have brought it to China several times and shot great photos inside dimly lit mills.

My only gripe is the limited number of focus points and no real ability to manually focus when I want to (viewfinder dark, no "screen" to manually focus with), have gone to center focus only as it appeared many people on forums had. I did look briefly at the Katz eye focusing screens, but with the XT you loose the red focusing points then.

Never having used a 1 series camera the light weight doesn't bother me - and for relatively compact lightweight travel I now take 17-85is, Sigma 30 1.4 and 70-300 DO is.

Highly recommend the camera to start into DSLR. Being a bit of a gear head I've also picked up 24-70L, 16-35L, 100-400L is, 50 1.4 Tamron 90 Macro, Sigma 70-200 2.8.

At this point I'm looking at second DSLR, leaving the XT for "easy" travel. Was going to go full frame with 5D, but the 1DMK2 really intrigues me - looks like for twice what I initially paid for XT I can get a used one with ALOT of life left in it. 1.3 crop gives me wider with 16-35, but still a bit extra "reach" with 100-400. Better focusing, ability to manual focus (better / brighter viewfinder).