Hi everyone,

I have a friend who is about to go on a 2 week trip into the amazon. He has an old Canon G-something that is on its last leg, and he wants to buy a DSLR for the trip. I've tried convincing him to drop enough money to take weather sealing into account, but he won't do it. Here are his guidelines to me:

"I have really liked my Canon's in the past, so I'll probably stick with that brand. Also, I don't want to spend more than $1000 total--less would be better. Is there a "worker" camera of sorts in the Canon DSLR series? Something that has most of the features, and is a good, all-around camera--but without bells and whistles that I probably won't use anyway?
I would like to buy something solid and proven--if I can get it for $500-$700 that would be awesome. The accessories will probably cost another couple hundred, so it would be nice to keep the camera cost in this range."

I'm struggling with what to recommend. It's down to these 3 options:
  1. The T3i with the 18-135 at $900. But that leaves little room in the budget for bag, cards, extra batteries, etc.
  2. The T3i with the 18-55 and 55-250 at $850.
  3. The T3 with the 18-55 and 55-250 at $680 (if you buy the imported version of the 55-250).
I think Adorama has a few interesting kits that might save a few dollars too. Or should he get a kit through B&H that includes the 3 year Sagemax warranty given that he's going to the Amazon?

What do you think?

Thanks,
Brian