Budget camera body choice

[Patrick]

Hi all
I'm on the cusp of buying my first dslr having used Canon film bodies back to the AE1 program and the (wonderful) T-90 and the original EOS1.

With my limited budget I have narrowed my options down to the 15-85 f3.5-5.6 and the 70-200 f4 with a battery grip (large hands!) and either a) EOS 60d or b) EOS 650D.

Can I get your opinions please?

[AmbientLight]

I suggest to go with the 60D. This is a pretty nice camera and will keep you happy for some time to come. I would not recommend going for a XXXD, because those are rather too small and eventually you might feel the need to upgrade, so you would invest in another camera body. With the 60D this wish to upgrade won't come so soon. Especially combined with a 70-200 f4 the 60D makes for a good combination. A friend of mine uses this setup to take sports photos and he is quite happy with it.

[fugu82]

If you haven't already, do a hands-on with each of your potential purchases. So often it comes down to how a rig "feels" in your hands. [And I miss my T-90, too].

[Patrick]

Thank you both. I am inclined toward the 60D , which I have handled, as I think it is robustly built. I did wonder if the improved processing and AF on the 650D would incline opinion toward the newer body.
I choose my T-90 over the Nikon F4 when I bought it in 1988 after handling both for about 30 seconds each - the T-90 felt right!

[Ew]

If you are more after picture quality than gizmos - think about the 550D (T2i) - whIch can be had on the cheap!  Spend time with it, and when you are ready to upgrade, it won't be such a big setback. By the way - its the same sensor as the 60D and 7D.

This is exact comparison here:
See here : http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s2EtxQ6Obik

[Patrick]

Thanks for the idea and the link to an interesting video!

[DzPhotography]

I would also suggest 550D

[TriGGy]

I'm agreeable with going Rebel for now, because I'm sure it won't hurt as bad as when you finally will outgrow the 60D and want something better. However if I were to choose, there is a big difference between the pentaprism of the 60D (larger, brighter, clearer) and the pentamirror viewfinder of the Rebels (smaller, less framing accuracy) so it's not only all about the sensor. That was a big influence for my choice of DSLR, including my late father's old mantra to buy the best in a product line-up that you can afford (up to 2nd best).