question?????????

[ignatiusjk]

I'm looking for a decent 35mm digital camera. I mainly shoot 4x5 but want a 35mm to replace my 35mm canon a-1. I found a Canon EOS rebel XSi slr 12.2 MP with a 18-55mm lens for 635.00. Is that a good camera and is the price decent?

[Marko]

New or used? What do you intend to shoot? What are you going to do with the images? Web or print or both? If you want to print, how large?

It's the second best Rebel ever. :) But I would get a different lens with it. In fact, I did get a different lens with my Rebel, which was also the second best Rebel over three years ago when I bought it. It was a very good camera for the money, and it still is. I've been postponing the upgrade for the past year and I will probably wait another six months or so, it's been that good.

The lens I got was EF-S 17-85 IS. It comes with a few warts, just like all kit lenses, but once you learn how to work around those it is a very competent all-around little lens, the equivalent of 28-135mm in FF 35mm terms.

[ignatiusjk]

It's new,a variety of shots,some images may get blown up to 16x20 size

[Marko]

The price is good, I stand by my lens recommendation, but you won't be able to go to 16x20 without some uprezzing. I'd be more comfortable with the T1i for that purpose, it's newer, has better processor and 25% more resolution (15 MP).

The difference in price is about $150, give or take. Thinking in terms of film costs, that would be about a dozen rolls of slide film, processed. Your call. :)

I would also get a 50/1.8 along with it, just to have a fast prime. At under a $100, it's cheap enough and more than good enough. And it makes great portrait lens on a crop-frame too.

<edit>You can get both lenses much cheaper off of eBay. But do get the body new. My $0.02</edit>