Last Updated on April 20, 2020

Entry-level DSLR cameras are awesome. They brought professional photography closer to the average person like you and I. How cool is it to enjoy all those professional goodies for a price that falls under $1000? I imagine it is. I don’t own a DSLR yet, although I’ve been wanting one for quite a while. I’m happy about that, because I now found a camera that looks too good to be true: the Canon EOS Rebel T3i. Do you know what I do when I find something I want to buy? Right, I’m looking for it on Amazon to check out reviews from real users and amazing discounts that pop up from time to time. The Canon T3i with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens is now $820 on Amazon. This is $79 off the retail price of $899.

My “before purchase” review of Canon EOS Rebel T3i

First of all, I was almost sure I was going to buy the T2i model. For some reasons, I never got it despite the fact that I liked it very much. You know how they say: “good things come to those who wait”. I was probably waiting for the next model.

The T3i has all features of T2i plus a few more that make it better. I’ll start with those that attracted me, no matter if they are new for this Canon model or not:

The 3.0 inch Vari-angle Clear View LCD monitor flips out and rotates. This is perfect for shooting at a low angle, as in taking pictures of grass leaves and small flowers. It is also ideal for holding the camera above your head when taking above-the-crowd shots in crowded streets or at concerts. I wish I had it when I visited Istanbul, in Turkey. There were some amazing crowds on a narrow street and it was hard to obtain a nice composition with my old point-and-shoot camera. The LCD monitor is an improvement over the T2i model which has a fixed one. The LCD monitor has water-repellant and anti-reflective coatings which help providing a clear and bright view in almost all weather conditions.

The full HD movie mode with manual exposure control is great for shooting high-quality videos. The new T3i features expanded recording: 1920 x 1080 Full HD video at frame rates of 30 (29.97), 24 (23.976) and 25.0 frames per second. In this setting, you can use the Movie Digital Zoom which magnifies the center of the image by 3-10x without losing anything of the awesome full HD image quality.

The Video Snaphot feature of Canon EOS Rebel T3i is new compared to the T2i model. It allows the camera to capture very short video clips, then combine them into one video file. This is awesome for making video “photo-albums” very quickly, without needing to edit anything after shooting. The video album can be shared online or viewed on a full HD TV just immediately after shooting. Another nice feature is the manual control of exposure and focus. It allows you to adjust the movie to emphasize exactly what you want. You can also edit the movie in camera, so you don’t need video editing software anymore. It saves you time and money. Videos are saved in .mov format and they can be viewed on a HDTV directly from the camera, by using the HDMI output.

The 63-zone dual-layer sensor of T3i provides enhanced metering. This helps a lot in difficult lighting situations. For instance, if you ever tried to take pics in a concert hall, you know how hard it is to get great results, because the light changes. The Canon EOS Rebel T3i provides stable exposure from shot to shot, thanks to this metering system.

The EOS Rebel T3i can continuously shoot up to 3.7 frames per second (fps) for up to approximately 6 consecutive RAW files or approximately 34 full-resolution JPEGs. The shooting occurs at speeds of up to 1/4000 seconds, allowing even rapidly-unfolding scenes to be captured with ease. If I buy this camera, I promise to show you amazing pics of The Cat in action!

The ISO 100 – 6400, expandable to 12800 enables taking great photos in all lighting conditions, from bright to dim light. What I like about this camera is that the DIGIC 4 Image Processor features improved noise reduction technology. This is one of my biggest peeves about cheap point-and-shoot cameras like mine: they only take great photos in good light, which means outdoors. Try to take pics from an indoor party and you’ll see what I mean. Big ISO settings usually come together with a lot of noise. Canon’s professional image processor maximizes the light-gathering efficiency of each and every pixel (I’m not sure I can explain you this in more detail, but I sounds so good that I had to almost copy-paste it from the Amazon product description).

I find it very convenient that the Canon Rebel T3i comes with an in-camera Feature Guide. My brain will surely thank me for sparing it from remembering so many functions. The Feature Guide appears on the LCD monitor automatically during Mode Dial operations and each time a function is selected on the Quick Control screen.

Here’s another thing I found cool, although I won’t be able to use it, as I’m outside the US and Canada. I quote from the manufacturer’s description:

Additionally, the EOS Rebel T3i is compatible with Eye-Fi* SD cards, which are outfitted with a Wi-Fi transmitter (IEEE 802.11b/g) and an internal antenna for wireless, high-speed transfer of images. With an Eye-Fi card installed, the EOS Rebel EOS Rebel T3i can display the Eye-Fi’s connection status and error notes with ease, for fully functional wireless uploading of images directly from the camera.
*Canon cameras are not guaranteed to support Eye-Fi card functions, including wireless transfer. In case of an issue with the Eye-Fi card, please consult with the card manufacturer. The use of Eye-Fi cards may not be available outside the United States and Canada; please contact the card manufacturer for territory availability.
The EOS Rebel T3i is compatible with the full range of Canon EF and EF-S lenses. I would have expected that anyway. The kit lens is a pretty good one, but it’s nice to know that once I have the money and the desire, I can get specialized lenses for different types of photography.

What people say about the Canon EOS Rebel T3i digital SLR camera

I love reading reviews, because they give me an image of whether or not my expectations will be fulfilled by a product. When reading something like…

the T3i gives me all I want, clear and hassle free pictures, ready to upload/print

…it’s easy for me to identify with that person. That’s exactly what I want from a camera: take awesome pics and share them easily.

I have had the opportunity to use this camera in low light, bright light and action. It outperforms any other camera I have ever owned and I have a professional Canon D10 that will sit on the shelf from now on.

I took the camera out to the beach and tested it and was amazed by the Canon T3i quality. I literally took a picture of a surfer 75 Yards away with the kit lens, and was able to zoom in, in Photoshop and crop an up close beautiful detailed picture of the surfer. The quality is amazing I am upgrading from a Canon XSI and love it.

I’m a new DLSR user. I had my P&S for nearly 10 years (Canon of course), and I finally decided to take that leap into the big boy cameras. And I have to say, the T3i was truly the best pick for a beginner DLSR-er. My other option was the 5D Mark II, but it would have been too hi-tech for me (plus it does not come with a built-in flash), and not to mention $1200.00 more expensive.

As you can see, both users of DSLR cameras and of point-and-shoot ones were happy with their choice of buying the T3i.

The T3i is WONDERFUL!! This camera is so easy to use. It takes great pictures on the auto settings and even better ones when you get creative and use the manual settings.

I’m almost 100% into buying the Canon EOS Rebel T3i digital SLR camera. If you are too, or you just want to read more, head on to Amazon and check it out.