Considering returning my Canon T3...

[Danmunro_nz]

I'd say keep it and learn how to use it properly. I own an EOS 1000D, or Rebel XS. It come with the 18-55 and 75-300 lenses. I also brought a 50mm 1.8. It may only be 10.1 megapixel but after shooting with for 2 years now I am getting some great images from it. I do not think having a higher spec camera makes much difference. It's not all about megapixels. It's more about learning to get the best out of what you have got.

Others may disagree, but that's my opinion.

 

[Justman1020]

I have a little different of an opinion.

The t3 in my mind is a dated camera. It's missing a lot, it's a 12 mp camera to where the t3i and t4i are 18.
It doesn't have a swivel screen.
The 75-300 is considered a bad lens by many.

My opinion? Return it. Get Atleast a t3i and a 55-250 with is. Best buy has that package for 750$. You won't have a bag, or a memory card at that price, but you can get a class 10 8 gig card for 10$ at best buy.
Look for the lowepro traveller 150 backpack b&h has it for 40$ it's a great backpack bag that will hold plenty of gear. This puts you at about 800$. Yes it's 100$ more then you wanted to spend, but you will be able to do a lot more with a t3i. This is just my opinion on your situation. I agree a lot of your errors can be corrected with knowledge but at the same time you would be better off having a better camera in the end. Why cheap yourself now, just to spend more later?

A lot of people are going to say oh well they are just gonna buy a even better camera down the road...so why do it now?
because the features of the t3i will help you do a lot more.

Just my two cents.

if he is going to upgrade... then why not a 5D MkIII or a 1DX? Oh... because of budget! He can learn just as well on a T3 as anything else.... So I disagree with you!

The OP said they could spend around 700$ though, so with that in mind, why not take those few steps forward?

 

[cgipson1]

I have a little different of an opinion.

The t3 in my mind is a dated camera. It's missing a lot, it's a 12 mp camera to where the t3i and t4i are 18.
It doesn't have a swivel screen.
The 75-300 is considered a bad lens by many.

My opinion? Return it. Get Atleast a t3i and a 55-250 with is. Best buy has that package for 750$. You won't have a bag, or a memory card at that price, but you can get a class 10 8 gig card for 10$ at best buy.
Look for the lowepro traveller 150 backpack b&h has it for 40$ it's a great backpack bag that will hold plenty of gear. This puts you at about 800$. Yes it's 100$ more then you wanted to spend, but you will be able to do a lot more with a t3i. This is just my opinion on your situation. I agree a lot of your errors can be corrected with knowledge but at the same time you would be better off having a better camera in the end. Why cheap yourself now, just to spend more later?

A lot of people are going to say oh well they are just gonna buy a even better camera down the road...so why do it now?
because the features of the t3i will help you do a lot more.

Just my two cents.

if he is going to upgrade... then why not a 5D MkIII or a 1DX? Oh... because of budget! He can learn just as well on a T3 as anything else.... So I disagree with you!

The OP said they could spend around 700$ though, so with that in mind, why not take those few steps forward?

Because he would be better off spending it on better glass.. or a flash... than a fancier body!

 

[Overread19 7]

I agree with cgipson1 - early on the lens and lighting that you use is nearly always going to give you far far more for your money than a new camera body (of the same sensor/film size) will. Yes new bodies have improvements, but honestly when you're starting out those advantages are quite minor and, for most people, won't give you much gain (and some won't give much at all if not also paired with good lenses and lighting to take advantage of those improved features*)

The only time I advocate a user changing the camera body early is when they want to change the format they are working with. Using a larger or smaller sensor/film size changes quite a bit and as a result its best to make this change as soon as feasibly possible. Otherwise glass and lighting will net the beginner far better gains.

Heck myself I spent out several £1000 before I upgraded my camera from a 400D rebel series body and I don't regret that one bit, those lenses and flash units I bought worked (and still work) fantastically on that camera and delivered great results - the new body lets me do a bit more, but I unlocked far more potential from the rebel with those support items.

* a good example is AF speed. A higher end camera might be able to control AF faster, but unless you've got a lens fitted with an AF motor that can match it you won't get improvement past what the lens can do.

 

[SamiJoSchwirtz]

T4i If you want to stick with rebel

 

[crotonmark]

T4i If you want to stick with rebel

I am also a total newbie who has a T4i with the 50mm1.8 lens. I used that lens yesterday for family shots and finally didn't get in my own way. Stick with it and you will improve. I can see improvements myself after many months of banging my head against the wall!!

Mark

 

[JohnWDavisJr]

Hey everyone, first post on the forum. I saw another post recently about the Canon T3 and thought I would make my own thread so as not to hijack his.

I recently got a T3 for Christmas as a bundle with a camera bag, 8gb card, 18-55mm IS lens, and 75-300mm lens all for around ~$540, tax included. I'm a beginner DSLR user, and for shelling out this type of money I want to make sure that I'm buying the best product for the money.

Now I got the bundle for a great price, but what concerns me is that image quality of the T3 itself might be subpar to similar products. I've taken some pictures that have turned out great, but others (especially at night, where it doesn't seem to do so well) haven't turned out that well and seem to produce alot of noise. In addition, I've been told that the 75-300mm lens isn't that great because you need IS to get a good shot at that distance, so that's not the greatest selling factor on the bundle.

I go back to college on Sunday across the country and I'd like to make a decision before then on whether or not to return this. I'd like to spend less than $700 (less if possible, money is precious in college), including tax/shipping/decent camera bag/8gb SD card, and I've been considering a few options, including the T3i, T2i (why is this more expensive than the T3i?), Nikon D3200, and the Nikon D5100. I've looked at all the various reviews but they seem to meld together after awhile, so if anyone could provide some feedback as to whether or not I should keep/return the bundle I'd love to hear it, thanks.

I have a t2i for sale in the marketplace.

JD

 

[o hey tyler]

I have a little different of an opinion.

The t3 in my mind is a dated camera. It's missing a lot, it's a 12 mp camera to where the t3i and t4i are 18.
It doesn't have a swivel screen.
The 75-300 is considered a bad lens by many.

My opinion? Return it. Get Atleast a t3i and a 55-250 with is. Best buy has that package for 750$. You won't have a bag, or a memory card at that price, but you can get a class 10 8 gig card for 10$ at best buy.
Look for the lowepro traveller 150 backpack b&h has it for 40$ it's a great backpack bag that will hold plenty of gear. This puts you at about 800$. Yes it's 100$ more then you wanted to spend, but you will be able to do a lot more with a t3i. This is just my opinion on your situation. I agree a lot of your errors can be corrected with knowledge but at the same time you would be better off having a better camera in the end. Why cheap yourself now, just to spend more later?

A lot of people are going to say oh well they are just gonna buy a even better camera down the road...so why do it now?
because the features of the t3i will help you do a lot more.

Just my two cents.

Megapixels mean next to nothing. So that first part is mostly irrelevant. Being quite familiar with the canon line, I can tell you that the T3 is NOT outdated. However it was designed specifically to appeal to the budget photographer. It's one of their newer bodies, it's just sparse with the features (including a rubber grip which is a big deal to me).

My question to you is, why spend more now? When the OPs T3 is a perfectly viable learning platform and they can upgrade once they actually see and analyze its shortcomings?

 

[TCampbell]

Hey everyone, first post on the forum. I saw another post recently about the Canon T3 and thought I would make my own thread so as not to hijack his.

I recently got a T3 for Christmas as a bundle with a camera bag, 8gb card, 18-55mm IS lens, and 75-300mm lens all for around ~$540, tax included. I'm a beginner DSLR user, and for shelling out this type of money I want to make sure that I'm buying the best product for the money.

The T3 is probably the most affordable DSLR on the market. Every other DSLR body will only get more expensive (unless you buy a used or refurbished body.) The T3 is deliberately designed to keep the entry level price affordable comparable to other offerings.

Now I got the bundle for a great price, but what concerns me is that image quality of the T3 itself might be subpar to similar products. I've taken some pictures that have turned out great, but others (especially at night, where it doesn't seem to do so well) haven't turned out that well and seem to produce alot of noise. In addition, I've been told that the 75-300mm lens isn't that great because you need IS to get a good shot at that distance, so that's not the greatest selling factor on the bundle.

The T3 itself is just a sensor. It can neither make images tack sharp nor soft & blurry. It's the LENS that dictates how crisp the image appears to be.

The problem with the 75-300mm isn't the IS or lack thereof... the problem with the 75-300mm is that it's probably the most mediocre quality lens Canon currently has in it's lineup. The lens is designed to be very affordable. Just about any other lens you can buy would be an upgrade. Nevermind the IS... if you lock the camera & lens on a tripod so that it wont move (so you don't need image stabilization) it would still produce mediocre image quality.

The kit 18-55mm IS lens is actually fairly decent. I've seen some amazingly sharp images from that lens. Although it is a kit lens, isn't expensive, doesn't have internal focusing (so the end of the lens rotates as you focus -- making it more difficult to use circular polarizers with that lens) and doesn't have the fast USM focusing motor, when it does focus, it tends to be pretty good image quality (especially considering the price.)

The better zoom would be the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM. That's still a consumer-grade zoom, but it's a MUCH better lens than the 75-300.

I go back to college on Sunday across the country and I'd like to make a decision before then on whether or not to return this. I'd like to spend less than $700 (less if possible, money is precious in college), including tax/shipping/decent camera bag/8gb SD card, and I've been considering a few options, including the T3i, T2i (why is this more expensive than the T3i?), Nikon D3200, and the Nikon D5100. I've looked at all the various reviews but they seem to meld together after awhile, so if anyone could provide some feedback as to whether or not I should keep/return the bundle I'd love to hear it, thanks.

The T2i and T3i are, of course, better bodies than the T3. The T3i is a newer body than the T2i (about once per year, Canon introduces a new "Rebel" body. This last year it was the T4i, the year before it was the T3i, and the T2i and T1i before that.) The T3 (without the "i") was introduced about 2 years ago but that body is intended to be the MOST affordable DSLR body from Canon (and I think it's also probably the most affordable DSLR body on the market.) The T3i and T2i are nearly identical (same sensor, processor, etc.) but the T3i has an articulated LCD screen that swings out (like a video camera).

But keep in mind that if you were to trade in your camera for a different body you'd still need better lenses if you expect noticeable improvement in image quality.

ALSO... no ding on you, but YOUR SKILL is probably more important than anything else. Very often when someone thinks they're getting poor results with their gear, it's because they haven't developed their skills to the point where they can get the results they want.

 

[bigal1000]

Let me start by saying it is my intension to help you not make you feal bad,but dump those cheesy cheap lenses,thay will do nothing but hold you back.Go to lensrentals.com and rent yourself a Canon 70-200f4 L or Canon 80-200 f2.8L lens,use them on your T3,if aren't amazed by the IQ I can't and no one else will be able to help you.Then come back here and post you results.

 

[subscuck]

No one else has mentioned it, so I will. Buy a book. Your op says it all; first time DSLR owner. You don't need a better body or lenses right now. You need knowledge. A better, better being subjective, body will not give you better pictures right now. Knowledge of cameras and the mechanics of photography will. Lots of great pics on line taken with Rebels and kit lens by people who know how to get the most from their gear. That's where you want to be. Buy a copy of "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. You are the person this book is geared towards. It's not the camera at fault for your issues, it's your lack of knowledge.

 

[jrizal]

While some argue to keep the body and learn and buy better glass. The prices of other models are also dropping. The Nikon D3100 with the kit lens and 55-200mm VR plus other freebies can be bought for $649 and the T3i bundled with a 55-250mm IS and freebies can be bought for as low as $729. Definitely both are better bodies bundled with better glass. The question is did the OP already exchange/return his T3 since the post was made last month.

 

[jrizal]

No one else has mentioned it, so I will. Buy a book. Your op says it all; first time DSLR owner. You don't need a better body or lenses right now. You need knowledge. A better, better being subjective, body will not give you better pictures right now. Knowledge of cameras and the mechanics of photography will. Lots of great pics on line taken with Rebels and kit lens by people who know how to get the most from their gear. That's where you want to be. Buy a copy of "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. You are the person this book is geared towards. It's not the camera at fault for your issues, it's your lack of knowledge.

A lot of these entry level bundled packages include a video turorial and book regarding the basics which can get any newbie going. Just saying.

And if none, it is still indeed good advice to buy a book or research the net to learn more like what subsuck said and definitely practice, practice, practice, and practice!

 

[PagesPhotography]

I would either keep the t3, or if the I should have bought bug has you, get the t3i...

but overall, probably keep what you've got, and learn from that.

however, if you do decide to go for a different camera, and you need a bag, pm me, I've got a tamrac expedition 3 avavailable good luck!

 

[gsgary]

Keep the camera and learn how to use it. All the problems you bring up can be handled by learning to use the camera.

Noise can be reduced by not using too high of an ISO and getting the exposure correct, you might have to use a tripod to stabilize the camera for longer exposures.

IS is not is not needed to get good shots at distance, it only helps eliminate small camera movements. Shutter speed, exposure, and good holding skills will get you good distance shots. Again, if you cannot hand hold it still enough or get the shutter speeds fast enough a tripod is a life saver.

Ditto