by Margaret Jamal

Created on: December 29, 2008   Last Updated: February 19, 2012

Some people call it the "money shot." I am referring to the photo that people like so much that they are happy to pay for it.

Even amateur photographers like me, can dream of one day seeing their photos in magazines or displayed in a news feature. But to even be able to compete, I needed a digital camera with features that would make up in quality for what I lacked in experience. Essentially, I needed a camera that had a low learning curve, was easy to handle, and yet would produce the quality to help me get the money shot.

Fortunately for me, 2008 offered remarkable selections of digital cameras. I decided that since I was going to make this investment, I wanted the camera that could help me to get the money shot. But with so many options, it seemed prudent for me to make a checklist of what I needed and wanted in a camera. My top concerns included: 1) Speed and reliability 2) High Picture quality -even with enlarging 3) Realistic colors and 4) Good computer interface for downloads and editing.

With my list leading me, the hunt was on. I visited technology stores, camera dealers and the web in search of my money shot camera. When factoring in the checklist along with my budget, the Canon Digital Rebel XTi stood out from among all the others. I found that the price varied from around $600 and even less if you took the time to look online for deals.

Once I purchased the camera and started working with it, I found that it was even easy to use. There was an added bonus of a short learning curve with user friendly graphics right on the camera.

To learn how the Canon Rebel measured up to my checklist, let me count the ways.

1) SPEED AND RELIABILITY

I wanted a camera that would allow me to get those moments that sneak up on you.

I learned that this required a camera that offered speed. I was able to get sequential rounds of shots that gave me the in-between poses. The Canon Rebel XTi has fast 3 frames-per-second shooting with 27-frame burst and a 0.2 second startup time. It also features a high precision, wide area 9-point autofocus system. I even captured an amazing transition portrait from a big toothed grin to a post-pose natural posture. I am saving this for a future photo journalism project.

2) HIGH PICTURE QUALITY

My Canon gives my pictures great clarity. With an effective pixel resolution of 3,904 x 2,598, the EOS Digital Rebel XTi provides wonderful detail. It generates finished files that open at approximately 30MB in my own image-editing software. Even

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