Stick with the XSi or move on?

[aphex]

So i debating long and hard before getting back into the mix with photography again (former D70 & D80 owner), and decided a few months ago to get back into it with a Canon XSi. I had previously sold off all my lenses and wanted to change things up a a bit. I wanted something smaller than my old cameras, but with a CMOS sensor and the ability to use AF on the pocket rocket (50mm 1.8, which knocked out the lower end Nikons)

So here I sit, months later, with a beautiful Canon XSi, and I just can't get myself to love it.

Its a fine camera no doubt, but its just never felt right to me. Not entirely sure what i mean by that, but as a Nikon user for 3-4 years, this camera just feels awkward for me to hold and use. Enough so that i've actually been leaving it behind on trips rather than take it with me. Its not that its bad or anything, far from it, its just different and I fear not my cup of tea.

I kinda feel like I was going for something small (easier to travel with), but didn't go far enough and settled for one of the smaller DSLR's. So, as I see the new Sony NEX-5 come out, truly a small mirrorless cam, I'm thinking I might try that route for a little while.

Am I crazy?

 

[jpeyton]

I'd try the NEX-5/16mm if size is a primary concern.

Or a D5000/35mm if you want to get back to Nikon. The new 35mm/1.8 is much better than the 50mm/1.8 on an APS-C camera, IMO.

 

[alkemyst]

I'd try the NEX-5/16mm if size is a primary concern.

Damn it's about twice my budget, but I like it.

 

[Hyperblaze]

I owned a Rebel XSi and I loved it.

Only reasons why I upgraded:

1) HD video on the t2i.
2) ISO scale was killing my night shots (true light wanted).

I've never felt uncomfortable handling the camera, not sure how you can "judge" comfort

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

If it's too small a grip will make the feel a lot nicer, but what of the technical reasons don't you like the XSi?

I have a T1i and while the T2i is very nice and the future TXi series might have a lot more features, I definitely know that I need a more demanding AF system with a bigger body. 7D or XXD will be my upgrade sometime later.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

I hear what you're saying with the Nikon/Canon divide. Every time I pick up a Nikon DSLR, I feel like I'm in a foreign country. It just doesn't feel right to me. If you're a former Nikon user and feel that way about Canon, then by all means switch back to Nikon! The Nikon 35mm f/1.8 should kill your yearning for the 50/1.8.

 

[randomlinh]

i wouldn't get the NEX just because it's the first generation. And they lack a standard "50mm" prime I love so much

But more importantly, the NEX is very menu driven compared to the DSLR's you've had. Is that something you're willing to sacrifice? this first round of NEX cameras is really geared at the P&S crowd I believe. And I would like to hold it w/ the 18-55 just to see how awkward it might be. For the record, I never did like the F707 and similar series... so odd to use. But neat nonetheless.

sounds like you want to go back to nikon, or should if you're leaving the camera behind.

 

[twistedlogic]

Or a D5000/35mm if you want to get back to Nikon. The new 35mm/1.8 is much better than the 50mm/1.8 on an APS-C camera, IMO.

I'd also suggest looking into the D3000, as they are dirt cheap refurbished right now. The sensor might not be as good as the D5000, but the 11 area Multi CAM1000 is much preferred over the 3 area Cam 5xxx found in the other lower models. So output and AF should be similar to your D80 you had, but in a much smaller body.

 

[jpeyton]

i wouldn't get the NEX just because it's the first generation.

Sony has a few generations of DSLR cameras and lenses under their belt. Their knowledge of digital camera sensors shows in the NEX cameras, which both having noticeably better IQ than their mirror-less colleagues.

And they lack a standard "50mm" prime I love so much

A standard 50mm lens on a APS-C camera gives you a 75mm field-of-view.

But more importantly, the NEX is very menu driven compared to the DSLR's you've had. Is that something you're willing to sacrifice? this first round of NEX cameras is really geared at the P&S crowd I believe.

That's why Sony has a winner on their hands. The P&S crowd wants big-sensor image quality without a plethora of dials/buttons/settings. Power-users who want more manual controls would be better served with a E-PL1 or GF1.

 

[randomlinh]

Sony has a few generations of DSLR cameras and lenses under their belt. Their knowledge of digital camera sensors shows in the NEX cameras, which both having noticeably better IQ than their mirror-less colleagues.

Well, their IQ had better be good on the sensor side I'd expect since they are sticking with APS-C. I should have said first batch run, and let early adopters work out the kinks.

A standard 50mm lens on a APS-C camera gives you a 75mm field-of-view.

I know, hence "50mm." I would have liked to see a 30~35 f/2 pancake in there, f/1.4 even better.

That's why Sony has a winner on their hands. The P&S crowd wants big-sensor image quality without a plethora of dials/buttons/settings. Power-users who want more manual controls would be better served with a E-PL1 or GF1.

Indeed. Not to mention marketshare. I've seen the E-PL1 marketed in best buy. But where have I even seen a single Panasonic m43 camera or the E-P1/2? BHPhoto. Well, Microcenter had the G1 for a while too, but that's it. Where will I see the Sony? Probably everywhere.

My comment was more geared toward the OP, seeing as he was more familiar w/ Nikon controls and logic, that the menu drivenness might be an issue.

 

[ElFenix]

Well, their IQ had better be good on the sensor side I'd expect since they are sticking with APS-C. I should have said first batch run, and let early adopters work out the kinks.


I know, hence "50mm." I would have liked to see a 30~35 f/2 pancake in there, f/1.4 even better.


Indeed. Not to mention marketshare. I've seen the E-PL1 marketed in best buy. But where have I even seen a single Panasonic m43 camera or the E-P1/2? BHPhoto. Well, Microcenter had the G1 for a while too, but that's it. Where will I see the Sony? Probably everywhere.

My comment was more geared toward the OP, seeing as he was more familiar w/ Nikon controls and logic, that the menu drivenness might be an issue.

fry's, which doesn't carry nikon.

 

[Madwand1]

So here I sit, months later, with a beautiful Canon XSi, and I just can't get myself to love it.

Try shooting with it more and making images instead of trying to fall in love with an inanimate object? There are trade-offs, and your path of minimizing the camera yet having it delight you is a bit of a self-contradiction.

I don't really get the new Sony line myself -- a cute slim body with massive lenses; an incompatible mount with fake alpha branding; a "real camera" without a viewfinder. Sony and others have made many cute cameras in their time. A cute camera is unlikely to make an ideal photographic tool.

Bigger brother cameras, from Sony, Nikon, and even Canon, among others, are more likely to have ergonomic pedigree which comes from daily usage by professionals which puts functionality ahead of looks and size.

 

[randomlinh]

fry's, which doesn't carry nikon.

lack of fry's on the east coast though, I forgot about the local Penn Camera. I bet they have an E-P1 at least. They flat out said no Panasonic stuff, and a drop of the Pentax stuff (at least, almost a yr ago they told me that).