Bang For Your Buck and Canon’s T1i
For prosumers who have been wistfully casting their eyes on a more expensive professional camera, this camera can present a real value. The EOS 1Ds Mark III is a $7,000 camera, with 21.1 megapixels. But the EOS 5D Mark II costs only $2,700 and also has 21.1 megapixels. Sure, the 1Ds has major advantages over the 5D (primarily the sturdiness of the body and the better focusing system, as well as a more extensive feature set), but color is equal or better with the 5D. This camera is also only $1,300 more than Canon’s 50D, which is a true consumer DSLR. The EOS 5D Mark II bridges the gap to professional quality and could be an excellent investment.
But if it is an easy-to-use video camera in a consumer-level DSLR that you want (and that’s probably what most of us amateurs aspire to), you might want to consider Canon’s newest DSLR: the EOS Rebel T1i. It costs only $900, including the lens, and shoots HD video at 1920x1080. That’s something the rest of us can get excited about.