The Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D entered life as an entry-level DSLR with basic features including an entry-level basic feature that everyone can love - a low price. That feature, low price, is indeed the primary reason to buy this DSLR over the rest of the Canon EOS DSLRs - including the announced at the same time and similar-sized (but far more feature-filled) Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D.

The Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D review suffered an early setback - I lost the battery charger. Never before have I lost a charger or power supply - for anything. And I have no idea where the charger went/is. After searching and thinking for a few days, I opted to replace it with a new one. Have you ever tried to replace a battery charger for a brand new camera battery model just after a disaster has occurred in Japan?

With a replacement LC-10 Battery Charger in hand, the Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D review once again moves forward.

I usually recommend reading the Canon press release at the beginning of Canon DSLR reviews as they usually do a nice job of summarizing the new or updated camera features. But, most of the Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D-specific information in the USA press release fits in only two paragraphs. So I'll include them here:

"Canon is happy to introduce a chic camera for beginners to ease into the exciting world of DSLR photography and videography; the new EOS Rebel T3 Digital SLR camera. The Rebel T3 is designed to be the camera that can be expertly handled by anyone and allows great-looking photos to be taken with ease and style. The Rebel T3 is excellent in low-light shooting situations and simple to handle and operate."

"Putting big imaging power in a small body, the new EOS Rebel T3 DSLR features a 12.2-megapixel Canon CMOS image sensor, a proprietary DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor, a 9-point Autofocus system and a 63-zone dual-layer metering system. With individual pixels measuring roughly 10x larger than a pixel from a point-and-shoot camera sensor, the Rebel T3 is able to absorb more light with less noise, making it ideal for capturing high-quality images in dimly lit situations. The increased efficiencies in gathering light also make the camera better suited to freeze fast-moving objects such as capturing images of children at play at speeds up to 3-frames per second. Compatible with SD, SDHC or new extended capacity SDXC memory cards, the Rebel T3 also shoots 1280x720 HD movies for amazing image quality for both stills and video. The Canon Rebel T3 features an ISO range from 100-6400 for capturing beautiful images in various light settings while also including a built-in pop-up flash. Designed for easy operation through the camera's mode dial, users can go from taking great still images to great video quickly and easily, with simple to understand icons and buttons."

I usually start DSLR reviews with a look at the sensor specifications, and a look at the image quality that sensor delivers - in part because I really want to know what the camera can deliver if everything else works properly. I will again follow that agenda in the Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D review. As I said in the Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D Review, fast phase-detection autofocus along with excellent image quality (especially in low light) are two of the big drivers for the popularity of Digital SLR cameras. The sensor, processor and processor algorithms form the basis of that image quality.

The Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D received a brand new sensor. I asked Canon why the similar resolution XSi/450D's sensor was not used, but that question remains unanswered. As can be seen in the comparison chart below, the T3 sensor is very slightly smaller and has very slightly less resolution than the Rebel XSi.

* DLA (Diffraction Limited Aperture) is the result of a mathematical formula that approximates the aperture where diffraction begins to visibly affect image sharpness at the pixel level. Diffraction at the DLA is only barely visible when viewed at full-size (100%, 1 pixel = 1 pixel) on a display or output to a very large print. As sensor pixel density increases, the narrowest aperture we can use to get perfectly pixel sharp images gets wider.

DLA does not mean that narrower apertures should not be used - it is simply the point where image sharpness begins to be compromised for increased DOF and longer exposures. And, higher resolution sensors generally continue to deliver more detail well beyond the DLA than lower resolution sensors - until the "Diffraction Cutoff Frequency" is reached (a much narrower aperture). The progression from sharp the soft is not an abrupt one - and the change from immediately prior models to new models is usually not dramatic.

Check out this specific diffraction comparison example using the ISO 12233 chart comparison tool. The mouseover feature will show you the degradation at f/11 compared to f/5.6.

Here is a Canon EOS Rebel T3 vs. EOS Rebel T3i resolution comparison (use the mouseover on that page to see the differences). Many other camera model results are available for comparison on that page as well.

While the T3 may have one of the lowest resolution sensors of the current Canon DSLRs, it delivers some of the cleanest high ISO image quality. Following are a pair of 100% crop Canon EOS DSLR image quality comparisons: identical exposure, identical targets, identical lighting, identical framing and identical processing. These manually-exposed samples were shot from a Foba Gamma Studio Camera Stand-mounted Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L IS USM Lens set to 100mm and f/6.3. RAW images were captured with auto white balance, no noise reduction and the "Standard" Picture Style. Sharpness was set to "1" (very low).

I currently use Canon's Digital Photo Pro (DPP) image processing software (free/included) for my Canon RAW file processing. DPP is easy to use and delivers image quality as high as or higher than anything else available (though more full-featured and easier/faster/nicer to use software is available - such as Adobe Lightroom). One significant DPP advantage for reviewing new cameras is that the latest Canon camera models are always supported. For the examples below, RAW images were converted to 16 bit TIFF files and Photoshop CS4 "Save for Web" was used to create the 70% quality JPG crops shown below.

Lighting is from a hot 4,000 watts of Photoflex Starlite tungsten lights in a pair of daylight-balanced Photoflex SilverDome softboxes.

With those details out of the way, let's review the comparison images. There are many MB of files required to be downloaded to make all of the mouseovers and mouseclicks on this page function properly - please be patient while they load.

The difference in high ISO noise between the T3 and the XSi is big - and may answer my question about why Canon did not use the XSi sensor in the T3. Choosing a new sensor looks like a good decision on Canon's part.

The T3 image quality, from a noise perspective, stands up very strongly to all of the other EOS DSLRs exampled here, including the most-recently-released T3i. The T3i and 60D have noticeable resolution advantages over the T3. I would definitely prefer the 5D Mark II's image quality, but the 5D II is in a different price league.

The T3 does not have ISO 12800 available as many of the higher grade models, but I rarely find myself using ISO 12800 anyway. I don't miss it in the T3.

Comparing the image quality between cameras without noise reduction enabled shows what the cameras are capable of without the help of software algorithms. Newer DSLRs have better in-camera noise reduction routines, but I continue to keep it turned off in my cameras. I sometimes enable noise reduction during post processing, but I tend to go light on the reduction settings - due to the loss of detail that accompanies it. The bottom example above demonstrates noise reduction with NR amounts ranging from 1,2 (Luminance,Chrominance) at ISO 100 up to 7,14 at ISO 6400.

Fine details better-hide high ISO noise - and highlight resolution differences. Following is another example that includes such fine details. Note that the T3 examples with noise reduction loose nearly all thread detail at ISO 3200.

The following table shows comparative RAW file sizes for a photo of a standard in-studio setup with a moderately high amount of detail taken with the referenced Canon EOS DSLR body.

Canon RAW file sizes increase with: 1. Resolution 2. Bit Depth (14-bit is better) 3. Detail (noise adds detail, so high ISO file sizes increase). Memory and disk are cheap - buy more. :)

The Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D uses SD/SDHC/SDXC cards for storage. Use the figures above to get a rough estimate of the size card you need. Of course, the JPG file format is significantly more storage-space-efficient and has various levels of image quality/compression that also adjust space requirements downward dramatically. My advice is to shoot RAW and buy lots of memory. Memory is cheap - buy enough to use for temporary archiving and backup.

Overall, the Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D's resolution is on the low side for what is available from Canon today, but its image quality is still impressive. The image quality relative to the price of the camera is quite strong.

Blatantly missing on the T3 is the self-cleaning sensor feature found on all other recently introduced models. I regard hate as a strong word, but I can honestly say that I hate sensor dust and appreciate all features available to eradicate it.

"The EOS Rebel T3 features Canon's newest Dual-layer sensor, with 63 zones. By measuring not only the amount of light, but also taking into account color and luminosity, this new system delivers a very high level of accuracy for better results every time." [Canon]

The T3's metering system has been working fine for me - especially fine for the price of the camera. Evaluative metering (linkable to all AF point), Partial metering (approx. 10% of viewfinder at center) and Center-weighted average metering are available with spot metering remaining absent.

As I've said before, I use AWB more and more frequently with Canon's EOS bodies. Unlike the older EOS cameras, the T3's AWB handles tungsten light color (strong reds) very well.

The Canon EOS Rebel Series DSLRs get Canon's entry-level AF systems (a sacrifice made to achieve the low price), but Canon entry-level phase detection AF is still very fast compared to contrast-detection AF found in point and shoot models. "The EOS Rebel T3 has a high-precision, 9-point AF system utilizing a high-precision, f/5.6 cross-type center point. The 9-point AF system uses both normal and high-precision focus depending on the aperture and available light." [Canon]

Lacking is the f/2.8 high precision center AF point feature found in the T3i. As usual for Canon's non-1-Series bodies, the T3 requires a lens with a maximum aperture of at least f/5.6 or wider (as reported by the lens) for AF to function.

In One Shot AF mode, the T3 is turning in the normal/good accuracy I've come to expect from an EOS Rebel camera. In AI Servo mode, all Canon DSLRs attempt to predictively focus the attached lens at the precise location the subject will be at the moment the shutter opens. This is the mode where I see camera capabilities differ most dramatically in - the T3 is not the camera I would select for capturing action rapidly approaching (or departing) at close distances.

While the T3 has contrast AF available in Live View mode, you will not get the fast DSLR phase detection AF speeds using it. So, if you are using AF, you are likely using the viewfinder. DSLR viewfinders are nice relative to point & shoot camera viewfinders (if they even have one), but the Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D viewfinder is very small - even noticeably smaller than the T3i viewfinder (which is also small).

I know, the T3 and T3i have identical .85x magnification and 95% field of view coverage specs. However, placing one camera to each eye at the same time shows that the T3i viewfinder is noticeably larger.

Viewfinder size is all about what you are used to, but the T3 has a small body size with a small pentamirror (not pentaprism) viewfinder to match it.

Mirrorless cameras have been getting a lot of press recently - for their small sans-viewfinder size. The T3 is obviously not a mirrorless DSLR, but the small viewfinder mounted on a small camera gives the Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D an overall still-small, very easy to take with you, size. And having a usable viewfinder is a huge asset.

As mentioned, the T3i viewfinder provides 95% coverage. You are going to have a little more subject in your image than you see in the viewfinder. I seldom hear people complaining about this - you quickly get used to it. But you might need to crop out something unintentionally present in your image during post processing if you are not careful.

The T3's LCD is one of the obvious corners cut to achieve the entry-level price point. The relatively small (2.7"), low resolution (230,000 dots) LCD is usable, but is very difficult to see in bright sunlight. The T3i's 3", 1.04 million dot, 3:2 ratio, vari-angle LCD is a strong feature advantage it holds.

Here is a visual comparison of the back of many Canon Digital SLR bodies.

To be honest, I'm growing weary of Canon's EOS bodies all having different button layouts. Because I use so many different models, I'm never sure about the function button locations on any of them (except my primary 1Ds III bodies). I don't have significant problems with the layout chosen for any of these cameras - they all seem logical. And if you are only shooting with one model, these differences are of little consequence to you.

Buttons provided are logically located and control the most-used functions. The dedicated Live View & Video Start/Stop button is convenient to have but not easy to find without looking - there is little "feel" difference between it and the "Q" button positioned immediately below it.

Press the "Q" and navigate an LCD full of settings using the Cross Keys. When the setting you want to change is selected, press Set and make the change desired. Cross Keys continue to be used to specify setting changes to be made or to make changes to a previously-specified setting. While not as fast to use as the Rear Control Dial found on the higher-end EOS models, the Cross Keys are logical and easy to use.

To make life easier for novices, Canon has included a new EOS Feature Guide with an enhanced Quick Settings Screen that now includes detailed descriptions of camera settings. For example, turning the mode button results in a description of that mode being temporarily displayed on the LCD. Users who know camera exposure basics will likely find the Feature Guide to be annoying. Fortunately, we can turn this feature off via a menu option.

Canon's menu system is very easy to use. The Rebel T3's main level menu options are nearly identical those of on the Rebel T3i menu (creative filters and resize options are missing - but I don't miss them). Submenu options do differ based on feature differences. I'm still having a hard time with the completely absent mirror lockup function (use Live View instead). ISO Expansion is also missing from the custom functions.

Like the rest of the recently-delivered EOS DSLRs, the Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D is a video DSLR. Turn the Mode Dial to Video Mode and press the Live View/Video button to start recording. However, the T3 incorporates a subset of the video features found on these recent DSLRs including the T3i.

The T3 records only at 1280x720 resolution (720p) and 30 (29.97) or 25fps. ISO, shutter speed and aperture are set automatically. The T3i includes the usual built-in, get-the-job-done monaural microphone (48kHz sampling frequency, 16-bit, auto levels, no wind filter). A 3.5mm jack for an external stereo microphone is not included. All compatible lenses can be used including Canon EF, EF-S, TS-E and MP-E lenses.

Video memory card requirements for video are Speed Class 6 or higher SDHC or SDXC. Recorded file size is limited to 4 GB per video clip and a single video cannot be longer than 29:59. Use Canon's included ZoomBrowser EX software to extract still photos from video files (at 1280x720 resolution of course).

DSLRs, with their huge-to-video-camera-standards sensors, deliver impressive video image quality - especially in low light - and more people/companies/businesses are using it every day. The large sensor combined with the huge range of lenses available gives even those on a tight budget the ability to create incredible video projects utilizing shallow DOF and low/available light.

DSLRs are not, however, a perfect-for-everyone video package. Recording a quality T3 video requires some forethought. First, AF during video is available but not recommended - even by Canon. The contrast detection AF (using the shutter release button) that is available in video mode is slow and can completely ruin a segment while it tries to find the right focus distance ("focus pulling" is what the pros do). All lens focusing and image stabilization sounds are audibly recorded by the internal mono mic as are the aperture changes made by the auto exposure feature (unless exposure is locked).

If zooming or panning in auto-exposure mode, changes in scene brightness will cause undesirable exposure changes in the recorded video. Rolling shutter can be obvious in fast-pans of vertical lines.

Put the camera on a tripod, manually focus the lens and life is much better. The quality from the built-in mic is not bad, but without an external mic port, an external recorder is needed for best results. And again, video quality is very high for the 720p resolution. HD video is a very nice and valuable feature added to an already inexpensive DSLR.

Getting back to the above camera back view image comparison ... The T3 is a small camera - not much larger than a Canon PowerShot G-Series camera. Small size is great for convenience and portability - and for small hands, but the larger bodies are easier to control - especially with a large lens mounted. I have medium-sized hands and, without a rubber grip surface (as the T3i has), the camera is somewhat hard to hang onto - especially if I am sweating at all. Omitting the rubber grip surface was a mistake - in my opinion. You could probably add you own - perhaps there is room for an accessory Rebel T3 skin.

The most obvious Rebel change on the top of the Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D is the removal of the ISO button - with the addition of a flash-up button in its place. Prefer the ISO button? A custom function setting allows the flash-up button to be reprogrammed to set ISO.

As usual, Canon goes far in trying to make this DSLR easy to use for a beginner, but keeps expert-level controls readily available. The Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D has a total of 14 modes available via the top dial. These modes encompass all needs from fully manual to fully automatic (green square mode) with many preset and creative modes in between.

The "CA" (Creative Auto) mode has become a standard inclusion. Creative Auto mode allows the photographer to adjust the shot settings using easily understood words instead of using f/*.* settings and 1/*** time value shutter speeds. These settings are displayed on the rear LCD while adjustments are being made.

Missing on the T3 is the T3i's upgraded full-auto mode ("A⁺") incorporating Canon's "Scene Intelligent Auto technology".

The Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D side view does not come with any big revelations. A rubber port cover hides a remote release port (not an N3 type), USB port and HDMI port.

Small size and light weight are primary characteristics of the entire EOS Rebel/***D series DSLRs. The Rebel series is not built as well as the **D series, but it still has a solid feel to it. The lack of rubber on the plastic grip surface definitely creates a cheaper feel to the grip.

Also lacking rubber is the new neck strap. The T3 strap has only about 6.5" of rubberized backing in center (instead of entire strap). Though I don't find the change to be of significance, the floppiness of the strap results in a lower quality feel.

Canon has not released a shutter durability rating for a Rebel DSLR since the T1i, so we are only left to guess what the current rating may be. I expect the number to be significantly high - perhaps 100,000?

The entry level line of EOS DSLRs trails the rest of the EOS line in regards to speed-related performance. Only the Rebel XS / 1000D has a slower frame rate - and the T3 also lags behind in the shutter lag competition.

A point and shoot user taking their first pictures with the Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D will think that it is fast, but those used to a 1-Series body will think the T3 feels painfully sluggish and that RAW buffer is inadequate. While this impression is based on user experience, the truth is that the Rebel cameras are not the ideal camera for capturing critical fast action due to the relative slowness of the shutter and the relatively slow frame rate.

To test burst rate, I shoot in M mode (wide open aperture, 1/4000 shutter speed - the T3's max), ISO 100, MF, IS off, lens cap on, and all noise reduction off. Testing this way delivers a 5 shot RAW burst in 2.34 seconds or 2.13 fps. Additional frames are captured each 1.35 seconds later. I can fill this buffer even in single shot mode.

The Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D has a quiet shutter sound to go with its discrete size. Here are the MP3 clips.

Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D Burst
Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D Single Shot

The Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D uses a new battery - the Canon LP-E10 Battery Pack. The LC-E10 charger shows a propensity to get lost - just sayin.

Canon rates the LP-E10 + T3 combination at a very respectable 800 shots (700 w/ flash). Like the T3i, the T3 tracks 4 levels of battery charge on the rear LCD. No Canon Battery Grip is available for the T3.

Unlike the T3i, the Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D is not compatible with the Canon wireless remotes. The wired Canon RS-60E3 Remote Switch is the Canon remote switch option.