Sports and Entertainment Camera advice?

First off, this is my first post... lol

Now that that's out of the way, I'm a junior Mass Communications major, and am starting up a media company (dvds, posters, flyers,web pages, special events, sports photography, etc.) I do a lot of work with photoshop, and am looking to purchase a digital camera that can handle all of my needs. I've purchased my camcorder already, and just need a digi cam to round everything out.. Im going to need clear, (not "noisy") low light pix during those club parties and night games, and the ability to stretch those pix into poster size prints.. Would a Canon Rebel XT work? If at all possible, a list of accessories (tripod, type of flash, etc.) would help me out greatly.. But I realy need to know a price range and maybe a couple of choice cameras to look into purchasing.. Thanks everybody

Twill757 --

We think the Rebel XT 350D rocks, and that seems to be the general opinion of many users. I think the camera meets all of your specs; it has the same processing engine as Canon's major hit Canon EOS 20D (now replaced with the Canon 30D). The difference between the Rebel and the 20D/30D is the latter have a metal body, and there are some firmware features that are turned off in the Rebel. It's a great choice.

There are a number of other Digital SLRs you could consider like the Nikon D50 and the new Pentax K100D in the same price range. For my money, I would go with the Canon, but it's not my money :-)

I have the Canon 10D, which was amongst the first real SLRs, and I love it. My only minor complaints are all resolved in the 350D or 30D.

The Rebel has very low noise, even at very high ISO of 800, and can go higher. You can get one with a lens, but you might determine if the 18-55 lens that comes in the kit is the right one for you. I would strongly suggest getting a longer lens, like one if the 70-200 or 70-300 lenses, and given low-light shooting needs, image stabilization is a must. Sigma makes pretty good lenses that fit standard lens mounts of Canon, Nikon, Pentax, etc. Either way, the lens is probably more dough than the camera itself, though.

As for accessories, get the external flash -- either the Canon SpeedLight 400EX series or the 500EX series are great. They are much more powerful than the built-in pop-up flash, and can swivel and tilt, which is key for getting more natural shots at night. If you are doing any studio work or field setups, get a good tripod. It's amazing how important this is for super-sharp shots; no matter how stable you hands are, especially in low-light situations, sharp shots are the difference between pros and amateurs. Well, that and some other things like good composition :-)

I would get an extra battery, and also instead of going for one big CF memory card, go for a few 256 or 512MB cards. You will probably be shooting in RAW mode for serious shots, and they take a lot of space.

PhotoShop is great if you know how to use it and can afford it -- it's what you need for professionally finished shots. Two other software items to consider: CaptureOne LE is a great tool for managing work flow, and Picasa is a great, fast lightweight tool for doing quick proofs, and organizing your pictures.

Hope this helps you get started!

Tom

Man, BIG UPS on that reply.. I have NO more questions lol I appreciate that!