hetismij - I just joined you on the wild side and I love it!

How do you like the Pentax? If they had had a digital SLR when I was first in the market, I would have bought it. I "grew up" with a K1000 and loved it and my sister still uses one.

Could never afford a Pentax so bought the Minolta XD11 in 85. Have been waiting and hoping for Minolta (Sony) or Olympus to produce a body for those lenses and finally ralized it ain't gonna happen and bit the bullet.
I wanted shake and dust, felt the Canon was over priced. Tried the Olympus 510 but it felt too small. The K10D felt just right.
Love it so far and sooooo much to play with on it. Takes great photos. I want to get up to speed before the France trip in September.

My sister has a Canon Rebel and her photos are amazing. She can zoom on a hummingbird and you can see the wing flapping. You can see all the detail on a bumble bee including the wings.

While my digital has a 10x optical zoom the definition is no where near as good as her Canon.

Here is her website to look at a few photos she's taken.

Sorry...pressed post too soon

http://www.killornphotography.com/index.htm

Get the XTi or a Nikon D40. Sensor quality is improved with every release...not just in size, but also in dynamic range.

IMO, the D40 is the best value out there. I'm shooting with a Canon 5D at the moment for most of my work, but I love the feel & ease (and size & weight) of my D40...a beautiful little camera, and a bargin.

toedtoes have given a great comparison of the two. There are two other differences:

- 10MP vs 8. It's not going to make any difference for regular-sized prints or looking on a computer screen. Until you crop the picture down significantly, or you're printing huge images.

- 9-point AF vs 7. The AF system in the XTi is the same as the 30D, which is very good. But like the difference in writing speed, if you are mostly shooting stills or landscapes, then really no difference. But for shooting sports or kids, etc, then probably.

I would also mention that while the XTi has dust removing feature, it doesn't mean you will never have dust. I certainly have gathered dust on my XTi while requires some manual cleaning.

The K10D is a fantastic camera. The inbuilt shake reduction is a real plus, the dust removal is less succesful I find, but the whole package is wonderful. And you can use it with ANY Pentax lens, even M42s with an adaptor.

Another vote for Pentax K10D, certainly the on camera shake reduction is a major plusThe camera probably gives much more bang/buck than the competition at that price.

I have a Pentax Optio 750Z with a 5X zoom and the lens says 7.8mm-39mm. It has 7.0 megapixels and has more than adequately met my needs for at least 3 years now. It was pretty pricey when my husband picked it out for me and I probably would have been happy with something less at the time, but am happy that he chose this one. My 13yo daughter took a class in digital photography in middle school this past year and used this camera and had to find out how to use all the settings and program things, etc.--I hadn't ever read the manual (bad me) since I got it on Christmas morning and then promptly used it to take all our pictures that day. Reading the manual got lost in the shuffle (shrug). I didn't even know that it could do video and record sound--she knows how to use all the bells and whistles on it though and that will come in handy for us this summer. I was happy without the bells and whistles though and haven't gone back to my SLR very often since getting this camera--the quality is just as good, even to my extremely picky husband.

It's interesting that the OP asks a very specific questions, but we get so many non-specific answers.

Anyways, one does not just buy a SLR camera. One is buying into a system. So, the key thing when deciding on a SLR is what other lenses and accessories one will buy now and in the future. It doesn't matter how good a camera is, but if one can't get the right lens for his/her needs, then it means nothing.

The OP seems to know about SLR system pretty well, and is a long-time Nikon user. I am sure she has done her homework, and has decided the Canon system is the right one for her.

Those who suggest the OP to get something else should write more why she should go with the Pentax or Nikon systems. Not just because the D40 is a better value or the K10D is an excellent camera. Those are both very true, but not enough to tell her to switch.

rk- I am not sure that the reponse is all that so unusual if you have ever followed camera threads. The answer to the OP question is so dependant on personal, subjective things - budget, use, what is important, feel, etc.
I had read Consumers Reports, read the reviews and was all set to buy the Nikon 40D until I went to the Camera store and picked them up and talked to the reps there.
To make a decision you need to hear all sorts of opinions, contrary and supportive. You might not be asking the right questions. As you say you are buying into a system.

To answer rk's challenge:
I found the Canon too expensive compared to others with similar features.
The Canon hasn't evolved as quickly. Much the same as they were a few years ago.
The Nikon anti-shake is only good for 1 stop compared to Pentax at 3.
Like the k10D seal, dust removal, anti-shake.
Found the Nikon too small.
Got 2 year warranty with the Pentax.
Like the k10D Raw system - both i and out of camera.
Like the Pentax processing software.
More capture priorities on the K10d than the others.
Like the new crop of lenses that Pentax has just announced.
Got a great deal on Pentax with 2 kit lenses.

Hi Nikki. I have the Canon XTi. I am sorry to say that I am actually a little disappointed in it. I've had about 6 digital cameras now, but this is the first digital SLR. Before I got it (last year) I had several "pro-sumer" (I don't think I spelled that right) - not SLRs but shaped like them and have all the manual control options, and zoom lenses. Shutter lag and slow start up were problems, and after using a Nikon SLR (someone loaned it to me) I decided to get the Canon XTi. It is nice to use - the viewfinder is superior to the non SLRs, speed is fantastic. BUT - it's heavy, much heavier and larger than the "almost" SLRs, and after a while that became a problem for me (considering it's on my shoulder about 16 hours a day for three weeks on a trip). AND - the quality of the image is not as wonderful as I expected. In fact the colors are way over saturated, and the images are a bit soft. It is possible that there may be something wrong with my specific camera. There are lots of discussions on the photo boards about exposure problems so apparently there are some lemons out there. Clearly there are some wonderful results with this camera - so either it's me or the camera.

Anyway - a few weeks ago I decided for my upcoming trip I didn't want to deal with it (I'll either send it back and see if there is anything wrong with it or possilby I'll just sell it). So I did some fast research and bought a Panasonic FZ8. I've only done a few test shoots with it but I love it so far. It is incredibly light (I also consider the Canon S3 which is almost identical in terms of features, and reviews of it, but the Panasonic was lighter). Anyway, I shot the same things with the Canon XTi, my "backup" camera, the Canon SD700, and the Panasonic. Everyone who looked at them agreed the best results were from the Panason, followed by the SD700 (which is a great tiny camera).

Also, the Canon XTi has no image stabilzation in the camera. You can get it in a lens, but it's an expensive lens. I find I really need image stabilization.

So just my thoughts on the subject. I know you were only asking about the XTi vs the XT but I had to share my feelings about it. I'm not saying it's a bad camera, tons of people love it. But if you haven't bought it yet, you just might want to consider a less expensive non SLR as your first digital, especially if it's mostly for travel where size matters.

Hey, I'm not saying the OP should get a Canon SLR. There are reason why she should and there are just as many why she shouldn't.

But since we don't know how she comes to her decision, it's really pointless to tell her to buy something else, based on nothing.

Now, we're seeing people even telling her not to get a SLR.

Hey, maybe I should tell her not to buy a digital camera. Stay with film!!! ;)

I just recently purchased an XT as I switched from Olympus digital system to Canon. I love my XT. The Only difference between the XT and XTi are megapixels. The XT has 8 and the XTi has 10.1. Both are the newest generation of Canon EOS digital prosumers and you'll get your use out of either for at least the next three or more years before they are discontinued with new, better improved models.

Check www.dpreview.com, for more detail information. Great source for information on digital cameras most especially when you plan on purchasing a new one.

Hope that helped!
-CS

Robjame - I would have gone with the Pentax if it had been available because my sister has Pentax and I could have gotten free lenses out of it. :) Unfortunately, they only had a prosumer at the time and it wasn't that great.

Rkkwan - I agree out the suggestions for a totally different camera that being asked about. I figure if someone's got their choices narrowed to just a couple cameras, then they've done their homework. When they just say "what do you recommend", then they haven't done any. The OP has done her homework.

Isabel - dSLRs don't do as much in camera processing as the point & shoots. That's because traditionally, SLR users prefer to do their own processing. Most point & shoot users go directly from the camera to print. SLR users tend to go camera to computer processing program to print.

If you don't want to do post processing, try adjusting the camera settings - saturation, etc. Play around with the different settings until you find a combo that works for you.

I know a lot of point & shoot owners who have been "convinced" to go dSLR because of shutter lag, etc. Many of them are very disappointed in the end.

P.S. Kodak just announced a new sensor that is great in lowlight situations. They expect to start producing by next year. It will be in every level of camera (cell phone to SLR). If you're starting to look at cameras but don't HAVE to buy now, you might wait til next year.

Glad you've all been carrying on without me.

My Canon Rebel XTi arrived three days ago and the card arrived last night, so today was my first outing. So far I'm really glad I went for the XTi, mainly because of the nice big screen. So much information, so easy to see it.

After being very disappointed with all the digital point-and-shoots I've tried, I am very happy to be pressing down the shutter and hearing a nice, satisfying click.

Isabel, hmmm, I would have considered your reservations had I seen them in time, but hopefully I will not find the same problems.

Jim Tardio, I'm happy to read your opinion about the improvement in sensor quality.

Rkkwan, I have been reading this message board long enough to know that even a very specific question gets answers to all sorts of unasked questions, and that the original poster can not control the responses or the direction they take. (Q: Should I go to Rome and Florence or London and Paris? A: You should go to Venice.)

So thanks for everyone's input. I probably could have spent another three years dilly dallying and reconsidering all the options, but I was just ready to pull the trigger and my shutter finger was getting itchy. How's that for a mixed metaphor!

Congratulations Nikki!!

You may want to consider a photo editing program like photoshop elements or similar (there's even a free one - Gimp, I think - that's very good).

Those issues that Isabel mentioned can be easily handled with a bit of post processing. Warning: it gets addictive and you may find yourself really getting into the processing.

robjame - Let me just give you one example why you can't just recommend a dSLR based on how good the value of the body is.

Let say the OP bought the excellent K10D, and after a few months, wanted a higher quality and very fast normal zoom lens to replace the kit lens.

One of the most popular and high quality one out there is the Tamron 17-50/2.8, which goes for $439 right now at B&H. Unfortunately, they don't make one for the Pentax mount! But hey, Pentax makes a DA* 16-50/2.8 too - it's very nice and is weather sealed (which the Tamron isn't), but it's $899.

Now, if the OP is a pro that needs weather sealing, then it's still a very good deal, compared to say buying a Canon 1D and L lenses. But maybe the OP doesn't really weather sealing.

These are the things I'm talking about.