Should I buy this Camera or not? Please help!

[lovinglife]

I did a little search and I don't want to spend to much money on Camera as I'm just gonna use it for some artistic photography of mine or family photos and stuff. So what I have decided is buy a new lens and a used Camera. The lens is CANON EF 50mm f/1.8 II and Camera is Canon EOS Rebel XT 8.0m And the money I'm paying about 200$ for both..

So my question here is am I doing the right thing? I'm just gonna use it for my personal photos only not for some landscapes or pro work as I don't get desired artistic pics from my phone camera. Will this camera and lens combination give me satisfactory and less noisy images in low light even at high ISO. Plus I found out this camera is very prone to Error 99 so should I buy it or leave it or what? I'm so confused with all this, it's my first camera purchase I'm new to DSLR world so any pro's help is most welcome. Thanks!!

 

[Whereslee]

The XT or (350D depending on where your from) is a rather old camera and there are newer model such as the t2i/550D with offer much greater features for only a slightly higher used price. When purchasing a used camera I would always suggest viewing the camera physically if possible, some thing to look for would be scratches on the viewfinder eyepiece and on the mirror as well as any body damage that could suggest it being dropped. So if your able to save up a little more, something like a t2i will last you alot longer and will help you grow your photography skills, it also has live view, shoots at 1080p, has a much larger ISO range and has a significantly better screen for reviewing your images.

As far as lenses you are going in the right direction with getting a new lens as opposed to a used one. Something to be aware of is when using a 50mm prime is you will need to be a few meters away from your subject (family) to fit them in frame. Canons 50mm 1.8 is a great beginner lens to advance your photography at a fraction of the cost of any other lenses on the market. It is also rather sharp for the price point.