Canon EOS Rebel T3i Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (discontinued by manufacturer)

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The Canon Rebel T3i takes the consumer level dSLR a couple steps closer to the mid-level Canon 60D with the addition of the rotating rear LCD screen, remote flash firing, and in-camera processing features. The already highly competent, older Rebel T2i already shared many important features with the 60D (and even features of the semi-pro 7D) including the 18 MP sensor, 63-zone exposure metering system, high ISO performance, HD movie capabilities, and Digic 4 image processor. With these new upgrades, it might make it even more difficult to choose between them. But there are some important differences. If you are considering the Rebel T3i vs T2i, the Rebel T3i is replacing the T2i. Since both cameras share the same 18 megapixel sensor and Digic 4 processor, both the T2i and T3i will create images with exactly the same image quality, produce the same low light/ high ISO performance, shoot at 3.7 frames per second, and have nearly the same size and build quality. They are both offered with the same 18-55mm kit lens (with some minor cosmetic differences on the new T3i kit lens). The T3i is very slightly larger and heavier due to the addition of the rotating rear LCD monitor. And that is one of the biggest differences between the two cameras. Do you want and need a vari-angle rear screen or not? The other major difference is the ability of the T3i to remotely control multiple off-camera flashes. Like the 60D and 7D, you can use the built-in flash of the T3i to trigger other Canon Speedlites. Some other minor additions to the T3i include the Scene Intelligent Auto Mode, which is a feature borrowed from point and shoot cameras. When in Auto mode, the T3i will make a determination of what type of scene you are shooting - close-up, portrait, landscape, etc. - and automatically configure the camera settings accordingly. However, if you want to use a powerful and costly digital SLR as a point and shoot, you should probably save the money and just buy a nice, high quality point and shoot like the Canon S95. Other additional but not essential upgrades include the in-camera processing Creative Filters, and the ability to choose different image size ratios and to rate your images. (Helpful hint: press the Q Button while in image playback and you can access features like rating, rotating, and Creative Filters.) There is also a marginally helpful Feature Guide which gives brief descriptions of various settings and some additional video features like Video Snapshot, which you can use to shoot short video clips that are automatically joined together into a video, with music. Canon Rebel T3i vs. 60D vs. 7D Sensor and Image Quality: All three cameras share a very similar sensor and 18 megapixels, and so their image quality will be virtually the same. All are capable of taking professional quality images. Exposure Metering: The three cameras all share the latest 63-zone, dual-layer exposure metering system and 4 metering modes. That means they will all determine the exposure virtually identically and enable you to take properly exposed photos in most every situation, including difficult back-lit scenes. The size of the areas metered for Partial and Spot metering vary slightly between the cameras, but that isnt anything critical. Autofocus: The T3i shares a similar autofocus system to the 60D, with 9 focus points and three auto focusing modes. However the 9 AF points of the 60D are more sensitive than those of the T3i: all are cross-type in the 60D, only the center is cross-type in the T3i. The 60D autofocus system is much less complex than the sophisticated AF system of the 7D with its 19 AF point system and its additional Zone, Spot, and Expansion focus modes. These various modes address how you want to deal with and group the numerous AF points. Plus the custom settings of the 7D allow one to customize how the AF system works - how it tracks subjects, how it deals with objects that come between you and your initial subject, how quickly it responds to these changes of possible subjects that are at different distances from you, etc. However, if you are not an avid sports photographer, a wildlife shooter, or someone who understands, needs, and will use the elaborate features of the 7D AF system, then this shouldnt sway you. Construction: As you can probably figure out from the prices, each camera is not built the same. The T3i has relatively strong construction of a stainless steel frame with polycarbonate body. The 60D has a stronger and lighter aluminum frame and polycarbonate body, but not as strong as the 7Ds magnesium alloy construction. The 60D also has some amount of weather sealing - more than the T3i, less than the 7D. But for most users, including even those using the camera daily or in travel situations, the construction of any of these cameras is far more than good enough, strong enough, and durable enough. ISO: Since they all share a very similar sensor, the ISO sensitivity and performance at high ISO settings is virtually the same for these three cameras. But dont take my word for it, dont be swayed by pixel peepers on forums, instead check out the camera sensor tests at dxomark to verify this. As you can see, they all share the exact same overall score, and show very similar performance. Controls: As with construction, the buttons and controls vary with these cameras. Unlike the T3i, the 60D and 7D have nearly every control an advanced photographer needs on the exterior of the camera and they also have the top LCD panel and rear Quick Control Dial that are not on the T3i. With all the cameras, any controls can also be easily accessed with the Q Button and Q Menu or in the other menus on the rear LCD monitor. The top buttons of the 60D set only one setting each, so this is less complicated than the multiple-setting buttons of the 7D. Canon has removed the white balance (WB) button on the 60D that the 7D has, but that isnt a big deal - use the Q Menu. Another change on the 60D is that the Multi-controller has been moved from the thumb joystick like the 7D and 50D and placed in the middle of the rear Quick-control dial. This doesnt change how it functions, and should just be a matter of getting used to the difference. If you plan on using your camera on Auto or Program most of the time, then the controls of the T3i are more than sufficient for your needs. If you work in Av, Tv, or M modes and need quicker and more direct access to your controls and the additional top LCD screen to view and change your current settings, then you need to consider the 60D or 7D over the T3i. Menus and Custom Functions: These allow for greater control over customizing how the camera functions. The T3i has less Menu and Custom Function setting options than the 60D, and the 7D has yet a few more than the 60D. These settings enable you to customize the operation, function, and controls to work how you want them to, including things like exposure increments, peripheral illuminations correction for lenses (fixes dark corners), tweaking how the autofocus system operates, setting more precise white balance settings, and customizing which button does what. There are ebooks such as my Canon T3i Experience - The Still Photographers Guide to Operation and Image Creation With the Canon Rebel T3i / EOS 600D and Your World 60D - The Photographers Guide to Operation and Image Creation with the Canon 60D which walk you through all of the Menu settings and Custom Function settings so that you can set up your camera to work best for how you photograph, and also begin to learn to master all the advanced features, settings, and controls of these powerful dSLR camera. Wireless Flash: Like the 7D and 60D, the T3i incorporates wireless flash triggering. This allows you to trigger multiple off camera flashes at different output levels. The T2i does not have this feature. Articulating LCD Screen: The big new feature that the 60D and T3i have that the 7D and T2i do not is the articulating rear LCD screen. This may prove useful for videographers, as well as for setting up compositions while the camera is on a tripod, for macro use, or for using it from unusually low or high vantage points. Some users will be able to avoid buying an expensive angle finder because of this feature. There is also an electronic level in the 7D and 60D, visible in the viewfinder, rear LCD, or top LCD. Viewfinder: The T3i has a pentamirror viewfinder with 95% coverage of the actual resulting image. The 60D has a large, bright pentaprism viewfinder with 96% coverage, not quite as nice as the nearly 100% view of the 7D pentaprism. Processor: The T3i shares the same Digic 4 processor as the 60D. The 7D has dual Digic 4 processors. However, if you dont need to shoot dozens of continuous images, you probably wont notice any processing speed issues. Continuous Shooting Speed: The T3i can shoot 3.7 frames per second. The 7D can shoot a blazing 8 frames per second, in which the photos barely change from frame to frame. The 60D can shoot a respectable 5.3 fps which is actually a more useful rate. If you need the extremely high fps for sports, wildlife, or other action shooting, get the 7D. If not, dont be swayed by this excessive feature. Memory Card: The T3i and 60D use the SD memory card. The 7D uses the CF card. Battery: The T3i and T2i use the smaller LP-E8 battery with less capacity than the LP-E6 battery used by the 60D and 7D. Size and Weight: The T3i is smaller and lighter than the 60D, which in turn is smaller and lighter than the 7D. Go to a store and hold them to get a better feel for their size, weight, and feel. The 60D and 7D "feel" like the more substantial cameras that they are. A nice improvement of the T3i is that its hand grip area has been modified, and has a different feel than that of the T2i - the area where the thumb rests is contoured differently and has a nice channel for the thumb, which allows for a much more secure one-hand-grip of the camera. AF Microadjustment: The 7D has this feature, the 60D and T3i and T2i do not. This allows you to adjust the focus of each of your lenses in case any of them are slightly front-focusing or back-focusing. Locking Mode Dial: This is a new feature for a Canon dSLR, only on the 60D, that keeps the Mode dial from accidentally rotating. A nice touch. Full HD video: Of course they all offer this capability. Note that this is not video for your kids parties and soccer games. It does not have continuous autofocus while shooting, as a camcorder does. It is not designed for that kind of use, but rather for serious videographers who typically manually focus. You can adjust autofocus while shooting by pressing the shutter button or the AF button, but it may have a less than desired looking result and unless you are using an external microphone, the autofocusing sound will be picked up. The T3i has the digital zoom feature in video, which allows for nice smooth zooms while filming. Flash Sync: the 60D and T3i do not have a PC sync flash socket to plug in PC sync cords for off camera flash use. The 7D has this. However, they all offer wireless remote flash capability with the built in flash as a commander. Ease of operation: While beginners may find all the buttons, controls, and menus of any dSLR difficult and confusing at first, the menus and controls of the T3i and T2i are pretty basic and simple to learn for a dedicated user. The additional controls and menus of the 7D and 60D are all quite intelligently designed, intuitive, and straightforward for the more advanced user. Again, have a look at helpful guides such as my Canon T3i Experience - The Still Photographers Guide to Operation and Image Creation With the Canon Rebel T3i / EOS 600D and Your World 60D - The Photographers Guide to Operation and Image Creation with the Canon 60D to begin to learn to master all the advanced features, settings, and controls of these powerful dSLR cameras.

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I am not a camera expert, but rather, Im a busy mom who likes to take pictures and who adores my subjects. This, then, is a review from a mom/amateurs point of view. MY GOALS/EXPECTATIONS: I have always been a photo fiend, taking my camera everywhere and pulling it out at any opportunity. While Id gotten to a decent level of archiving important moments with my point-and-shoot cameras over the years, I wanted to take my photography to the next level. I was inspired by my brother-in-laws photos of his kids to take the dSLR plunge. But I knew (and still know), very little about professional photography. I wanted to start taking better photos right away. But I also wanted to have room to grow as a photographer and a camera that would grow with me. I also wanted the focus to stay firmly on my family - while I was willing to invest some time and care into the camera, I didnt want it to become like a pet I had to constantly watch over. While any dSLR takes some care and consideration, Ive found the T3i has been an excellent camera for me and Ive been quite pleased with it. PROS: * VERY USER FRIENDLY: The auto mode (or auto without flash, my favorite) is highly forgiving, taking fantastically sharp images, true to color. They look so clear that I feel Im capturing as close to real life as Ive ever seen before in a camera. * FAST: While I sometimes go in for trying out new modes and manual settings, I often leave the camera in auto or auto-sans-flash mode and just click away so that I can at least capture a moment before its gone. I then play with manual settings if my kids stay still long enough for me to try something new. My previous cameras always had a horrible delay for the autofocus (the only mode they usually had), meaning I nearly always lost the moment when the toddler was on the move. The t3i is so ridiculously fast that I can snap multiple pics in the time one picture took before. * BEAUTIFUL PICTURES: This kind of goes without saying at this tier of camera, but the pictures are just amazing quality. Coming from the land of point-and-shoot, Im pretty blown away. And I know Im only touching the tip of the iceberg for whats possible. * BEAUTIFUL VIDEO: This is the nice new feature of the t3i. I wasnt sure Id want or need the HD video. But hey, when youve got it, you use it. Ive gotten some amazingly clear footage of the kiddo playing in the park with daddy and Im so glad we went for the model with that feature. * BIG, CLEAR DISPLAY: Its really easy to see what pics youve just taken and adjust your photo-taking accordingly. Just by seeing what Ive gotten, Im able to try again and improve a shot almost immediately. * CLEAR MENUS/ABILITY TO IMPROVE: The interface on this is so intuitive that Ive been able to learn a lot without even cracking open the manual (though that manual is my new reading material). The entry point for a new user is just a step up from normal photography - the possibilities, however, are nearly endless. * NICE KIT LENS: For all that photographers get into new and better lenses, the kit lens on this is really nice and easy to use. I think it will hold us for a good long while before I get to be more of an expert. It gives me the range of zoom and focus I need for now. * EYE-FI COMPATIBLE: WOW. I cannot even tell you how much I love this feature. If you get an eye-fi card, your pictures can be set up to automatically upload to your computer whenever you are within range of your synched wireless network. My husband set up a SmugMug account and the eye-fi capabilities. I take pics to my hearts content while out on walks, in the park, etc., and come home, then leave the camera on (auto-shut off after 8 minutes) to upload the pics. I can then tag and sort pictures later at my leisure. For me, this is amazingly useful. I dont have to take time out of my day to upload the pics - the camera does that for me. * BATTERY LIFE (for common use): So far, the battery we bought for the camera lasts very well during normal photo-taking. Its just a standard Canon battery for the rebel line and it charges quickly. Even when taking pics like a mad-woman, it lasts through a shoot. HD video eats it up more quickly, so be warned. Still, I rarely run out of juice during the day so long as I pop the battery into its charger in the evening. However, uploading is another story (See below in cons). Those are just the first few things I love about this camera. Here, however, are the...not cons, really, just challenges: CHALLENGES: * dSLRs ARE EXPENSIVE, DELICATE, BIG AND BULKY: And parents have enough precious and delicate things to worry about - namely, the kids. No getting around it - you cant just toss a dSLR into a pocket and go. Im in a quest for a good bag/carrying solution (heh, yeah, wish me luck with that.) and Im trying to get used to having one part of my brain keeping an eye on the camera as well as keeping the majority of my focus on the kids. When Im in photo-journalist mode, its no problem, but switching back to mom-mode is the hard part. Ive already seen the camera knocked onto the ground (a very short distance onto very soft ground, so it was okay, but still, the experience practically gave me a heart attack) and once, when bending over, I caught the toddler on the temple with the kit lens (She sobbed. I felt so awful!) This thing requires constant awareness to both the camera AND the kids when using it. Im quickly adjusting, but if youre not totally committed to learning to use and love the dSLR, you may want to stick to really good point-and-shoot camera if youre a busy parent. ^ Thats the big one. * BATTERY LIFE (when uploading pics via eye-fi): Uploading pictures by eye-fi seems to eat the battery alive. It appears that the camera wont autoshutoff when uploading, so this morning, after a few hours of uploading big, glorious pictures to my SmugMug account, the battery finally ran out of juice. I wish there was a plug-in mode or some sort of docking-station I could plug the camera into when I return home. If its only a few pics, they upload and the camera shuts itself off. But if its a bunch of pics (and when the weathers nice and the lightings good, I take a lot of pics), the camera requires a battery recharge just to finish uploading my pictures. * SWIVEL SCREEN WORRIES: I find that the swivel screen, while hugely useful, is something I constantly worry that Im going to snap off. However, you can keep it closed with the screen facing in(a nice feature) or tuck it onto the camera with the screen facing out. I also find if Im looking out of the eye-piece, I leave cheek smudges all over the screen when its facing out. * MANUAL-MODE GOOFS: Some of my manual mode forays have been less than stellar. Ive taken a shot - set up so nice, focus just perfect, subject just so... only to find out I left it in white-balance adjustment for indoors and I was outdoors so the whole picture looks like I dipped it in blue. Ive learned to take pics in auto-mode first before experimenting too much. I also learned to check the screen a LOT before proceeding. SUMMARY: While the dSLR has required me to make some adjustments for including it in my busy life, I really love this camera, am pleased with the investment, am inspired by its ease of use, and I LOVE the pictures Ive gotten of my family. 5 STARS: And so I give it 5 stars - my whole point in buying a nice camera was to make and preserve FAMILY memories - and the t3i records those memories beautifully - in .jpg, raw, or HD video - with a minimum of dSLR fuss. *** UPDATE: about 6 months later *** STILL AWESOME: I totally stand by the above review. If anything, Ive come to adore this camera even more than I did when we first got it. When baby #2 arrived, the quality of pictures that we got far surpassed the pictures from the first babys photo shoots. Im truly pleased with this investment, as the pictures we get are lovely, clear, true-to-light/true-to-color, and just capture the memories so well. Really, this is EXACTLY what I was hoping for as an amateur photographer/mom. GOT BETTER: Battery Woes: We invested in an A/C adapter for the camera and now no longer eat the battery alive when leaving the camera to upload pictures via the Eye-Fi connection. Its a little annoying to have to swap over to the A/C and then back to a battery all the time - I would rather have a charging station of sorts - but it works and it means I stick the battery in the charger so its almost always ready to go. Ease of Use: I adjusted to using this thing pretty quickly. I invested in a LowePro FastPack 250 and it works nicely as a diaper-bag/day bag/camera bag. Not the most attractive purse, but it works well. Im much better at being ready for any photo situation now. Swivel Screen: No problems to report. I just leave it screen out all the time. SAME: Awesome camera all around. Truly, truly impressive. There might be higher tiers of quality out there, but for what I use in following the kids around, this captures amazing shots quickly. Love it. GOT (just a little) WORSE: Eye-Fi Annoyance: This is going to differ from person to person, but our Eye-Fi stuff has had some kinks to work out. The card we bought required several updates lately, then we had to change SmugMug account stuff, but the changed password meant Eye-Fi couldnt upload. Blah, blah, blah, Im sure most of the problem is ME not getting the changes my hubby made. Still, Eye-Fi is usually automatic, but from time to time, it requires maintenance and understanding from all parties uploading stuff. Just be warned, it isnt so automagical as I hoped it would be. Getting used to the dSLR bulk: Id be lying if I said the size of the camera wasnt occasionally an issue. There have been quite a few times I think, "Oh, wheres the camera? Thats right, I left it at home/in the car because its kind of a pain to pack around." On many occasions, the hubbys phone camera stood in for us (and it takes pretty decent pictures, so its okay). But if Im not being really deliberate about bringing the dSLR and using it, this camera becomes a very expensive toy that I never play with. Other than that ^ though, awesome camera. Im truly loving it. On the whole, a Lotta camera for Low maintenance.

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Amazon tells me I purchased this item on March 17, 2011. 6 years later, I love this camera. Paired with a Canon 430EX II, I consider it my "old reliable" camera. When used by someone who knows what they are doing, it nearly always produces sharp and clear photos. I mainly use it at my daughters elementary school and the pictures I can take with it impress the teachers enough for them to ask for me to be their photographer. There are other parents with better equipment (Nikon 7000) but this camera is good enough. I recently upgraded to a Canon 80D. The autofocus is better and this is an important difference when taking photos of small children. The sensor does better with low light (but I use flash most of the time) and the two custom modes are convenient. The difference between 18 megapixels and 24 megapixels does not matter to me. Even 12 megapixels would be fine. All things considered, I could have easily put off the upgrade for a year or two. If youre on a budget and can buy a used T3i, its an excellent camera to start with. I got a nice photo of a bald eagle.

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This camera takes some amazing quality photos as well as some amazing video! I was skeptical about it but I am surely happy with my purchase because it is lightweight enough to be a vlogging camera but also makes it look like I mean business when Im recording a video for my youtube channel! another plus would be the flip screen! I had to have it once I saw that it was a flip screen AND that screen just so happens to be a touch screen! also the best customer service Ive ever got on Amazon!

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This camera is pretty good, and I use it quite a bit (not a professional here). Pretty light, and takes great pictures, but make sure you have a good lens as well! I am not a fan of the kit lens that comes in the whole package in some orders. I use the 50mm 1.8 EF lens from Canon. Build quality is nice, features are nice, but if you want the most out of this camera make sure you look at some youtube videos (like I do) and make sure you start to understand the full set of features. Great buy if youre willing to invest a little time into learning. Nice to have even if youre a beginner. The auto mode will still take great pictures! THE ARTICULATING SCREEN HELPS OUT A LOT! :)

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Its not a 5D, but it shoots nice video along with excellent still pictures. I had to relearn the button positions from my old 300D, but that is coming along. It has a ton of features. The image quality is right up there with anything that doesnt have a full frame sensor. I like the sturdy feel of the build and the relatively light weight, again, considering all the features. I shot a lot of pictures on my old 300D and made enlargements of up to 16x20 and printed them at home and they are awesome, and that was with just a 6.3 mega pixel sensor. Im looking forward to blowing some of the new ones up to that size. it is interesting because even when you use Photoshop, you really have to zoom way in to see the actual pixels for sharpening, and i am not seeing much, if anything, in the way of loss or distortion.

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Bought it as an upgrade for my XTi and its been a great camera. Made 1000s of pictures with it and generally good quality. I use it mostly with the Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM SLR Lens, on occasion i use the 55-250mm with IS. I bought it for 499$ on black friday when the normal price was 599$ and i bought it with kit lens simply because the body only price was more expensive (weird but true). Ive never used the kit lens as i had my other lenses already. I have the old 18-55mm without IS and used it a lot when i just got my XTi but as soon as i upgraded my lenses ive never used it again, lenses do make more difference than the camera. I liked the T3i over the XTI for the rotating screen (handy for some shots where you can easily reach the eye piece). I sometimes use it in live mode but usually use the eye piece. Its a bit slower in focusing when you use the screen, at least thats my feeling. Less fun is that it has different batteries and battery grip but their prices have come down.

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If youre hesitant about entering the DSLR field, start here. Ive had this camera for a few months (before I just had a point and shoot) and it has blown my expectations out of the water. The kit 18-55mm lens is a great starting point, as well. One thing I love about this camera is that just about anybody can use it. The menus can be a little confusing and hard to navigate at first, but anybody whos spent more than a few minutes with a Canon before will easily be able to pick it up and shoot right away. I almost always shoot in M, Av or Tv, but its easy to set the camera to auto and hand it to a not-so-tech-savvy friend and have them take some beautiful shots right away. Of course, I cant finish a review without hitting on the excellent movie mode on the T3i. You can expect beautiful, tact-sharp full HD video every time. A variable ND filter definitely helps in exceptionally bright environments, but even without, the movie mode is just gorgeous. (I should mention that the on-camera microphone is pretty good, but a cheap shotgun mic on top drastically increases the sound quality.) The screen is also great. If you spend a lot of time looking at your pictures in camera (i.e. not on a computer), the T4i or newest T5i might be better for you as they have touch-screen functions. That being said, the display on the T3i does complete justice to the beautiful pictures that youll take. Not to mention that the tilting and flippability (its a word, okay?) makes it extremely versatile. Something that I was concerned about when I first got this camera is the battery life. In short, it gets the job done. Youll easily get a few hundred shots out before recharging (which is pretty quick). Ive cut it close a few times, but never completely drained the single included battery. If you take lots of video, however, it can take a hard hit of battery life, so keep that in mind. All things considered, this is one of my favorite possessions. It comes everywhere with me, and never fails to capture every moment in stunning detail. Five stars.

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I really like this camera - mostly because its my first DSLR and I really like what it can do. I did take a basic photography course to teach me how to use it which was highly useful. If youve had a Canon before, the basic menu and layout are similar to your previous cameras. This is one of the reasons why I wanted to stick with Canon since I was already familiar with it. In general it works great and the pictures are good. Of course a camera is only as good as the photographer and since I am an amateur I cant really comment on all the details like Im sure others can. I knocked it down one star b/c Ive owned it less than a year and Ive had to send it back for a repair that I hope is covered by warranty. The flash isnt working at all in auto mode. It pops up and fire but the pictures all come out underexposed. If I manually lower the flash after it pops up, the pictures come out fine. Theres something wrong...just dont know what exactly so theyre looking into it for me. I will come back and update on their customer service once I find out what theyre able to do to fix it. ETA: Got my camera back from Canon in perfect working order. Since I was still within the one year warranty, I mailed it to them (on my dime but it was only around $12) to be repaired. The repair was covered under warranty and I now have my camera back! Yay! Im so excited.

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The headline really sells and tells anyone questioning whether they should buy this camera as their first entry level DSLR. Or even their second or third DSLR if they want fabulous photos and videos with the ease of a top of the line point and shoot camera. Yes, you can be creative and mess with settings once you know how to use them, but this camera will give you great pics everytime, indoor and outdoors, on automatic pilot. Since the majority of close to 1600 reviewers (at this writing) have already disected this model for you and sung its praises, let me tell you a few things the others may have missed and what may save you some time and money zeroing in on the best bang for your buck. Ive owned the now discontinued model before this, the Canon T3, for 3 years now and could not be more happy with it. I paid $399 for it at the time and today they sell for around $349 if you can find one new. Because I love cameras and 3 years can be a lifetime when it comes to electronics, I thought I would upgrade so I did a side by side comparison of the newer Canon T3i and the very highly rated Nikon D3300, now priced similar at around $550 on Amazon. The Nikon D3300 was a bit lighter and smaller, but I felt the build quality was significantly less than Canons. Also that new retractable Nikon zoom lens was a nuisance to me as you had to remember to extend it or leave it extended to be ready for the next shot. In the extended mode, the lens seemed too long or top heavy to me compared to the Canon T3i and the zoom was not as smooth as the Canons. I took numerous identical shots with both cameras as well as videos,and I personally liked the consistently brighter, color saturation of the Canon T3i over the Nikon D3300. Every Nikon shot was much darker using out of the box settings which is not my personal preference. Im sure this could easily be tweaked and adjusted by a pro or reading the manual, but the people buying this level camera are usually not interested in fine tuning a complicated piece of equipment such as this. When it came to videos, picture and sound quality were fairly equal for both cameras, but only the Canon T3i has an articulating screen for grabbing those up high and down low and weird position shots for pics and video, a nice feature to have for sure. Incidentally, the Canon is 18 mp and the Nikon 24 mp but this really doesnt mean much to auto snapshooters if youre only going to view and exchange pics mostly on the computer or never enlarge a pic bigger than 16" x 20". I have often enlarged my the pics from my Canon T3 without a problem, and its only 12 megapixels. So which camera did I choose to keep? Neither for now. If my Canon T3 was having problems, which it is not and never has, I would have definitely gone with the Canon T3i and enjoyed the articulating screen and a few more megapixels. However, its heavier and bulkier than my T3 and more importantly, since I shoot a lot of video clips of the grandkids, the sound pick-up and quality of the T3i was noticeably not as loud or clear as my current T3. Dont know if this was a flaw of the one I got, but I assumed they all pick-up like that. Thats the main reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. They need to fix that sound issue. So I could not justify putting out $550 for the upgrade when I like my still-going-strong T3 better. The new $500 Canon T5 is the new bottom of the consumer confusing Canon EOS Rebel line, but if you have your eyes set on that model, in my opinion, buy the T3i for $50 more and pick up the articulating screen for you videos. I really wanted to love that new Nikon D3300 which is the proclaimed entry level DSLR winner by many magazine reviews, but it just didnt impress me compared to the Canon.

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