Rebel XT, 20D or D70

[Bobtrips]

Is there something that the more expensive body will do that the less expensive won't?  Something that's important to you?

If not, better glass is the Search for the Holy Grail of photography.

That said, better make the Nikon/Canon choice with you eye on their lenses.  Once you marry into one of those families and acquire a few offspring it can be expensive to get a divorce.

[BobMcCarthy]

From my experience, lenses are assets and camera bodies are short term disposable expenses. Any camera 6mpxl or better will do everything the cash limited hobbyist would want.

Avoid most kit lenses. The only exception is the 18-70ED Nikon offers. Its pretty good but they ask twice as much as the others do in their kit.

Digital cameras are all priced like Pro film bodies and unlike film bodies really depreciate. You can buy used if you shop carefully (therein lies the rub) and let someone else take some of the depreciation. Plenty of nicely priced 10D's and D70's around. May not be the bleeding edge but will take great pix

good luck

Bob

[scott_a]

Lets say you have a budget of $1500 which of the above do you get. Cheaper body better lens or standard body/lens combo.

Any thoughts ideas?

Scott

[DarkPenguin]

20D has a nice viewfinder.  (For a DSLR.)

If you plan to take animal photos the better 20D focusing might be worthwhile.

You might want to wait for the D50 (or whatever they call it) announcement.

[BJL]

As everyone before has said, look at the lenses first; performance differences between the cheapest entry-level lenses and mid-level lenses seem to be far greater than performance differences in affordable DSLR bodies, and the bodies are likely to have a shorter life-span. However, many of the camera maker's DSLR kit lenses seem fairly decent, like the Nikon 18-70 f/3.5-4.5; the one that has raised most red flags is the Canon 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 (in both versions).

For example consider Phil Askey's recent review of the 350D at DPReview. Camera body highly recommended; kit lens more or less vetoed in favor of the 17-85 f/4-5.6. Askey declined to use the 18-55 kit lens for any of the shots in his sample gallery, saying it would misrepresent the capabilites of the body. The 17-85 raises the price of body plus one lens to fill your $1500 budget.

I have to throw in some options outside the Big Two; the Olympus E-300 with two lens kit of 14-45 f/3.5-5.6 plus 40-150 f/3.5-4.5 costs only as much as the 350D body alone, $600 short of your budget, and those kit lenses seems to have fairly good optical performance. With your budget you could upgrade that kit by replacing one of the two lenses by the 14-54 f/2.8-3.5 or the 50-200 f/2.8-3.5. Or get the E-1 with 14-54 f/2.8-3.5.