Best SLR Camera For Me - Digital Rebel XSi

After four wonderful years, I finally sold my Nikon D70. To this date, I still miss it. I got a D40 not long after, but somehow it just didn’t feel quite right. I couldn’t complain about image quality; it’s without a doubt better than that of the D70. The problem was, it felt tedious just to go through menus and look for settings for ISO, white balance, card formatting, etc. I never had that problem with my D70, as it had dedicated buttons that made settings customization a lot easier. Also, the D40 doesn’t have autofocus when I use my 50mm 1.8 lens. So after three short days of using it, I returned the D40.

Then I checked out the 40D, D80, D300, XTI, and Rebel XSi. They were all great cameras and all came out with excellent photos. But for me, it’s the price, ease-of-use, and features that count. I’m not a pro so the 40D and D300 were too expensive for me. The XTI is a great camera and sells for a good price, but I felt that it was getting a bit outdated. The D80 is also a good camera, but I felt that it needed an upgrade on the features. It had no sensor cleaning and doesn’t come with a VR lens. So basically, I would be buying a 2006-model camera two years after its release. That’s just not right.

I wouldn’t say it was love at first sight when I found the Canon Rebel XSi at Circuit City. But I did notice that it fit just right in my hands. I tinkered with it, explored the features, and found that it had shortcut buttons that make it a lot easier to change camera settings. Well sure, I still have to press a few more buttons to change white balance settings and format the card, and the Auto ISO is not as precise as that of Nikon’s, but it still makes for an excellent camera. Other than those three, all the other buttons which access the other features are there. I especially liked the RGB histogram because it shows individual color-clipping.

The XSi also has great image quality, good skin tones, and has very little noise. I would have gotten the D80 if it had the same features found in XSi; namely, auto-sensor cleaning, highlight tone priority, and pre-bundled VR lens. I still like the D80, except the XSi wins because it’s a 2008 model and has the same features found in the pro 1DS and the semi-pro 40D. It may not be the best SLR camera ever, but it’s the best SLR camera of the moment for me.

Getting the best SLR camera, is never an easy thing, especially with way digital technology is constantly changing. Fortunately, there are plenty of helpful websites online, that can narrow down your search and help you find the camera with all the features important to you.