my son. who is out at sea, asked me to purchase an SLR for his wife. i've decided to stick with Canon because i have lenses i can give them. i use a 5D and a 50D. i guess i could buy the 50D but it's very costly considering they are used to point and shoot digitals. i thought the above cameras sounded like good possibilities. if you can give me some feedback i'd really appreciate it. thanks. jen

Hi Jen: I read your comment and cant help feel that you are in a tricky situation. If I remember right, your son got married not to long ago, and now you have a new daughter-in-law who wants a camera. You lucky girl Jen, you get to pick one for her. A tricky situation to be in, indeed. The first thing that bothered me was your comment "they are used to point and shoot digitals" I would think that unless she is really into Photography as a hobby, she will seldom use the DSLR over the easy to use and carry P&S. They are young and active, and a Point & Shoot fits their lifestyle, I of course am assuming, I am also assuming that because they enjoy your pictures so much, they want a camera like yours. I will just bet my boots that you are a loving Mom who trys to do what you can for your kids. But I think you need to discover more information from your daughter in law about her shooting habits, before spending considerable money on a DSLR she may only seldom use. A DSLR presents great opportunities for the user. So may I suggest that you loan her your camera for a short term, and see how she likes it compared to a P&S. If I were purchasing one for my daughter, which by the way, she has asked me for a DSLR, I would purchase the 50D. My daughter has not delighted us with a Grand baby yet, so I am holding off on the purchase. I know I havent directly answered your question, but only given my opinion. When my daughter lived at home, she had access to my 40D but preferred her P&S, because it fit her lifestyle. Good luck in your decision. Moose

thanks so much jen

Hi Jen! I chose the XSi over the T1i for two reasons. I didn't feel the extra megapixels (15 vs 12) in the T1i were important to me, and I didn't plan to use the camera to take videos. For me, these differences weren't worth the extra cost, and I've been very happy with my XSi.

One other advantage of the T1i is that it can go up to 3200 ISO which they might like if they take lots of indoor or night shots and don't mind a little grain in exchange for getting the picture. Not a factor for me, but for some people it would be a nice perk.

I think Moose's advice about making sure a DSLR is right for your daughter in law is sound. If you have any questions about the XSi, please let me know. :) ~ Rebecca