Purchasing a canon t3...advice?

[cynicaster]

For most day-to-day uses the T3 is a great bang for your buck, and a great introduction to DSLR. It was my first DSLR and I used it for over a year before trading it up for a T3i.

It’s very important for me to stress that the reason I switched up had nothing whatsoever to do with image quality or megapixels; it was simply because there were a few features missing from the T3 that I really wanted. If those features weren’t important to me, I’d still be using the T3 today.

The main missing feature for me was wireless flash. The T3’s pop up flash will not wirelessly trigger other speedlights, and the T3i’s will, so now I no longer have to always have my 580EX-II on the camera as a wireless master. In that sense, in getting the T3i, I sort of feel like I got a new flash with it, because now I have two off-camera flashes to work with (the other is a 430EX).

Other omissions on the T3 include:

• No external microphone jack for video
• Video is 720p only
• No spot metering
• No articulating LCD
• The hard/smooth plastic shell with no “grip” material makes it feel a bit cheap

There are probably others, but these were the first that came to mind.

Personally, I couldn’t possibly care less about video-related features, but they’re important to some people.

PS—I know some people are probably thinking it’s silly to even bother moving from a T3 to a T3i, but I got such a good deal on the T3i that I only came out a few measly dollars behind after selling the T3. Totally worth the negligible investment for the incremental improvement I received.

So, since there's no spot metering, does that mean I cant do silhouettes?

The T3 still has “partial metering”, which is kinda sorta like spot metering, in that it sets exposure based on a group of the frame’s centermost pixels. I’ve been able to get some pretty nice silhouettes using partial metering on the T3. A curves adjustment to bump the contrast after the fact never hurts, of course.

 

[Danny_511]

For most day-to-day uses the T3 is a great bang for your buck, and a great introduction to DSLR. It was my first DSLR and I used it for over a year before trading it up for a T3i.

It’s very important for me to stress that the reason I switched up had nothing whatsoever to do with image quality or megapixels; it was simply because there were a few features missing from the T3 that I really wanted. If those features weren’t important to me, I’d still be using the T3 today.

The main missing feature for me was wireless flash. The T3’s pop up flash will not wirelessly trigger other speedlights, and the T3i’s will, so now I no longer have to always have my 580EX-II on the camera as a wireless master. In that sense, in getting the T3i, I sort of feel like I got a new flash with it, because now I have two off-camera flashes to work with (the other is a 430EX).

Other omissions on the T3 include:

• No external microphone jack for video
• Video is 720p only
• No spot metering
• No articulating LCD
• The hard/smooth plastic shell with no “grip” material makes it feel a bit cheap

There are probably others, but these were the first that came to mind.

Personally, I couldn’t possibly care less about video-related features, but they’re important to some people.

PS—I know some people are probably thinking it’s silly to even bother moving from a T3 to a T3i, but I got such a good deal on the T3i that I only came out a few measly dollars behind after selling the T3. Totally worth the negligible investment for the incremental improvement I received.

So, since there's no spot metering, does that mean I cant do silhouettes?

The T3 still has “partial metering”, which is kinda sorta like spot metering, in that it sets exposure based on a group of the frame’s centermost pixels. I’ve been able to get some pretty nice silhouettes using partial metering on the T3. A curves adjustment to bump the contrast after the fact never hurts, of course.

Thank you sir

 

[Justman1020]

You don't have any photos you have taken yourself that you have rights to that you could post....?

 

[Danny_511]

You don't have any photos you have taken yourself that you have rights to that you could post....?

Not since I got hired. Ive been too busy with work and school :/. The work I do have isnt from photoshoots and stuff. The first shot was back in january.I took it because it showed the L train (the most quintessential form of transportation in the city of Chicago) going through the heart of the city and passing columbia art college.

Im posting from my tablet and Im about to leave. Ill post more when I get home.

 

[bigal1000]

Wait till you can afford a good camera.

So...you're saying the t3 is a bad camera?

It's entry level thats what I;m saying get a T2i it's a better camera.

 

[bigal1000]

Wait till you can afford a good camera.

So...you're saying the t3 is a bad camera?

Ignore him.
No. The T3 is not a bad entry level dslr. It will teach you how everything works. Obviously it's an entry level came but still, not a bad camera.

Still. Scower the Internet and try to find a t2i.

Ignore you the T2i is a better strarting body better features,thats what I'm saying!

 

[Danny_511]

So...you're saying the t3 is a bad camera?

Ignore him.
No. The T3 is not a bad entry level dslr. It will teach you how everything works. Obviously it's an entry level came but still, not a bad camera.

Still. Scower the Internet and try to find a t2i.

Ignore you the T2i is a better strarting body better features,thats what I'm saying!

Couldnt find a t2i in my budget so I got a t1i with a really low shutter count