So I'm considering replacing my little Canon A540 with a Canon Rebel XTi sometime in the near future. I just wasn't sure about the overall quality of the camera; is it worth the $600-800?

Also, what are some good lenses that would compliment the Rebel. (other than the standard 18-55mm)

Thanks!
John

John - there are plenty of current discussions on the threads here about lenses that would suit. As for the Rebel, it isnt the best selling DSLR of all time for nothing ;-) seriously though - all the cameras in its class are roughly the same prices and specs - just to blur the decision making process a little more :-)

shop around though - you should be able to pick it up for just over $500.

I just got a Rebel XTi for christmas and I love it! I know Canon is a good name anyway, so I was thinking about it. I got it thru Costco so it was in a bundle and was pretty cheap overall. www.newegg.com and www.beachcamera.com are good online places to go and shop for these things. Also, you won't go wrong if you go Nikon either; the D40x and the D80 are really great too.

I had a bad bad experience with my Nikon Digital camera. I would never buy a Nikon again, and I should have known better from square one. I had a Canon AE1 SLR camera for over twenty years and I love it still. So Canon has proven itself as the BEST.Nikon is not a good company to deal with if you have a problem with one of their cameras. They do not stand behind it at all. I paid a darned high price for mine and it was not worth it from the start. So go with Canon! Yayyy...V

i don't mean to put verna's experiance down, but i do want to throw out there that i have had good service with nikon. My macro lens developed a grinding feel and noise when i focused it. I was lazy and didn't get it fixed right away. After some time a friend of mine accidentally dropped it out of my bag and it landed on the asphalt and put a small cosmetic crack on the barrel. Thankfully there was no problem with the image or anything like that, but when i did decide that i better send it in and get the grinding fixed i was slightly worried that they would use that as a way out of fixing the pre-existing problem. They didn't and got fixed the problem in less time than i was quoted. It was very easy and painless to get service done from them. So i guess what im trying to say is every company has stories about poor customer service, but that doesn't mean its the general trend.

I would say you would be happy going with a canon or a nikon. For me I'm glad i went one step up from the entry level slr. I bought a few years ago so the options wern't the same, but im quite sure if i bought something like d40 or the rebel i would have either bought a new body by now, or would really want to upgrade. You might not be me though. Good luck deciding.