G3 or Rebel EOS?

[David Prahl]

Yes, I've started another thread on essentially the same question. So... :P

I'd like to get a nice "prosumer" camera for hobby photography - mostly landscapes and nature shots. I really want the "film look" and control, but would like to spend less than $500.

The G3 seems to be a great camera, but I'm wondering if it's worth it to spend the extra money to get a 300D "Rebel". I'm a relative newbie when it comes to photography hardware, so please use small words. :)

So that's my question - as a poor student would spending the extra cash on the 300D be worth it? Are there other high quality cameras I should consider?

Thanks!

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

So that's my question - as a poor student would spending the extra cash on the 300D be worth it? Are there other high quality cameras I should consider?

If you use it enough, and use it well, then yes. If you end up leaving it in storage for too long, no.

But if cash is really tight, I don't suggest you stretch your budget too much. The G3 is really great at that price. Don't think you can go wrong with it.

[David Prahl]

Thanks, yslee!

What about purchasing a G3 (or any model, for that matter)? Would eBay be fine, or should I buy locally? I've found most G3s on eBay to be $250-$450 USD.

[Bob12]

I agree that it's not good to stretch a tight budget but, some things you should consider . . .

The 300D is a single lens reflex which gives you a truer view of what you are photographing than a range finder camera will, especially on close ups.

The lenses on the 300D are interchangeable with a large selection available. Granted, some are pricey but many are reasonably priced. This allows the camera system to "grow" with you as your talents and needs increase.

And finally, the 300D is a 6.3 megapixel camera.

But, as yslee says, if the budget is critical, it's not good to stretch it.

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

If there's a good store in your area that still stocks the G3 and is selling it for under $500, go get one. I'm not sure about ebay; I tend to use it only to find older 2nd hand stuff. Newer equipment tends to be not much better than the stores for me, and the ebay shops tend to add a lot of fluff accessories to puff up the price.

[Jason Dunn]

If you're a newbie at photography and just want to dip your toe into the water without a big investment, then a G3 would do you just fine - the 300D is still fairly expensive, and I think in the next 12 months we'll see a lot of competition around this price level.

[David Prahl]

Thanks for your help, everyone!

:werenotworthy:

[Suhit Gupta]

Since it seems that budget is critical, the G3 may be the way to go. But like Bob12 points out, the 300D is an SLR which means you can change the lens. Therefore, one thing to think about is that in the future, you could buy an additional lens to augment the abilities of the camera (something you can't really do in a G3). Although, lenses tend to cost a lot of money, so that is double edged.

Suhit

[Doug Johnson]

Another thing worth mentioning...

The 300D (Digital Rebel) is a camera you'll probably be able to use longer into the future. The quality is quite a bit better than the G3, so you're likely to get more use out of it and keep it around longer.

I had an original G1 that I didn't use much. But since I bought my 10D i shoot constantly. 3000 pictures in 2 years on the G1, 6000 pictures in 6 months on the 10D. It's just more fun and I get better results that I know I'll want ot keep. To me the 300D/10D are good enough to replace film in most circumstances, the PowerShot G series are not.

[Gary Sheynkman]

Apart from the 300D consider the D70 from Nikon. If you plan on delving deep into photography you might be limited by the feature set of the G3. Get a Rebel. You will not regret it.

[Sonus10]

If your budget is really tight, the G3 is probably the way to go. The Digital Rebel on the other hand is a money pit. With all the accessories and lens available, you will want to sink more money into it. Also, if you don't like to do a lot of post-processing (computer graphics editing), most DSLRs probably won't be for you.

On the other hand, the Digital Rebel is a far better camera then the G3. The Digital Rebel lacks some of the limitations the G3 has and will let you learn a lot more in the long run.

[Godsongz]

The Digital Rebel lacks some of the limitations the G3 has...

what an interesting way to put it :P I have to agree about it being a bit of a money pit though. I'm soooo not complaining, but I bought my 300D before Christmas, and have since picked up a bigger memory card, a bigger lens, and more recently a bigger flash. Lots of money! Still, I am having a great time with my camera and I don't regret any of it.

[Jason Kravitz]

One thing you may want to consider since you mentioned doing landscape and nature stuff... The SLR body and ability to buy lenses is quite useful for this type of photography. You can buy a telephoto lens (I have the 75-300mm IS lens which is great for birds and critters) which allows you to zoom much more on a subject (that is you can be farther away) than the G3 will. Plus you can achieve a much shallower depth of field (target is sharp focus background is blurred) with a tele lens. You mentioned getting that "film look" and you just can't get that quality with the G3 unless you are right up on top of a subject which is not usually the case when photographing wildlife. Same goes for sporting events - when you see the guy catching the football in focus and the crowd is a blur behind - that was taken with a telephoto - I don't think it is possible to get a shot like that from the stands using a G3 type camera.

Also, when doing landscape photography it is useful to use certain filters such as circular polarizing filter (removes glare, makes water clearer, sky more blue) or a graduated neutral density filter (allows you to get a proper exposure for a bright sky and still get detail in the land below)

As far as I know you cannot attach these types of filters on the G3 although I may be wrong... the point is, if you want a camera you can grow into it may be worth taking that $500 for the G3 and applying $400 more for the 300D instead of finding out the G3 is limiting you and spending $900 more a year from now.

The G3 is a great camera and can take very professional pictures but there are still cases where an SLR will give you that extra edge and push your skills that much further.

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

The G3 can take filters with an adaptor.

Increased DOF (depth of field) on the G3 is due to its smaller CCD. Nothing to do with the lens used.

I can see where you're coming from, but I think David has already made his choice, and should have his G3 in his hands by now.

And yea, now that I've mentioned it, quick, update us on your purchase!

[Gary Sheynkman]

dont forget to show us some of your work with it too!

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

Heh, ok, I should be clearer. The lens does matter, but the difference in CCD sizes means that the increased DOF on the G3 is so silly it doesn't matter even if you stuck a 10x zoom lens on it; it's going to have more depth, unless you plan your shoot to use the longest end of the lens all the time (and even then it's not really practical).

[debbie.ipaqants]

Hi,

Last year I also was considering the G5 or the EOS 300D (europe model# for the Rebel).. But i went with the 300D just because i already owned a 500N (RebelG, analog) with a telelens 28-200 by Sigma, so i just bought the new body of the 300D, put my existing lens on it, and bought a 1GB microdrive to go with it...

I have to say, the choice was not that easy, since the bulkyness of a DSLR and the slimness of the G5/G3.

I have to say that i really noticed a big increase in the ammount of photos i take with the 300D, experimenting a lot and seeing the results. The result BTW are very good for a DSLR, it is very quick and pictures come out great

just my 2 cents

perhaps you should take a look at the site www.dpreview.com ?
It has helped me a lot


good luck with your choice in camera

Cheers
Debbie

[mrkablooey]

perhaps you should take a look at the site www.dpreview.com ?

I prefer steves-digicams.com.... thorough reviews and full sized sample images of the same subjects so you can compare cameras side-by-side. put the images on a CD or memory card and take them to a place that prints them to compare them that way, too.