Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D Digital SLR Camera Review
The Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D delivers 18 megapixels of professional grade image quality in a compact, light weight, feature-filled, easy-to-use body that carries a very affordable price tag. These are the qualities have anchored the flagship Canon Rebel model in the top-selling DSLRs category for years - and I fully expect the Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D to maintain the Rebel's popularity.
The T3i is the 7th 3-character Canon Digital Rebel model and, including the low-end Canon EOS Rebel XS/1000D, the 8th Rebel model to become available. The 9th, the less-feature-filled Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D, has been announced but is not available as of Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D review time.
As always, the latest model offers advantages over the previous model. This is a very mature camera line, and the advances we find in the T3i are not going to cause buyer's remorse to many T2i owners. But, the combination of new and existing Rebel features are going to make the T3i the right choice for many new DSLR buyers or those looking to upgrade from an older DSLR model - or from a point and shoot model.
Prior to reading the rest of the Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D review, I recommend that you read the Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D Press Release. I'll open that URL in a new window for you - to retain your place here - just close that window when you finish. The press release highlights the new features and some of the T2i carry-over highlights - no sense in me re-writing the PR.
New features include: Feature Guide Instruction, Scene Intelligent Auto Mode, Creative Image Filters and my favorites, the Integrated Speedlite Transmitter and 3" Vari-Angle Clear View LCD as demo'd below.
The T3i is the 7th 3-character Canon Digital Rebel model and, including the low-end Canon EOS Rebel XS/1000D, the 8th Rebel model to become available. The 9th, the less-feature-filled Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D, has been announced but is not available as of Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D review time.
As always, the latest model offers advantages over the previous model. This is a very mature camera line, and the advances we find in the T3i are not going to cause buyer's remorse to many T2i owners. But, the combination of new and existing Rebel features are going to make the T3i the right choice for many new DSLR buyers or those looking to upgrade from an older DSLR model - or from a point and shoot model.
Prior to reading the rest of the Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D review, I recommend that you read the Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D Press Release. I'll open that URL in a new window for you - to retain your place here - just close that window when you finish. The press release highlights the new features and some of the T2i carry-over highlights - no sense in me re-writing the PR.
New features include: Feature Guide Instruction, Scene Intelligent Auto Mode, Creative Image Filters and my favorites, the Integrated Speedlite Transmitter and 3" Vari-Angle Clear View LCD as demo'd below.
I currently use Canon's Digital Photo Pro (DPP) image processing software (free/included) for my 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). And DPP always supports the latest Canon camera models. 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 Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D 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 that also adjust space requirements downward dramatically. My advice is to shoot RAW and buy lots of memory - it is cheap and the cards are useful for temporary archiving and backup use.
Overall, the Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D's image quality is impressive. I don't have any complaints - especially for the price of this camera. It was not many years ago that we could only dream about this image quality - and would expect to pay many times the T3i's price for lower image quality.
Proper exposure is important for a quality image and to this end, the Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D inherits the first-seen-on-the-EOS-7D 63-zone iFCL (Intelligent Focus, Color, Luminance) Metering System that takes focus, color and illumination into account when establishing the proper exposure. Spot metering is available along with the other usual modes - Evaluative, Partial and Center-weighted.
I shoot in auto white balance mode more today than I ever did before (though I may tweak this setting when post-processing my shots). Auto White Balance historically has had trouble balancing tungsten light properly, but even this lighting is correctly balanced by the T3i - as it was in the T2i.
Overall, the Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D's image quality is impressive. I don't have any complaints - especially for the price of this camera. It was not many years ago that we could only dream about this image quality - and would expect to pay many times the T3i's price for lower image quality.
Proper exposure is important for a quality image and to this end, the Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D inherits the first-seen-on-the-EOS-7D 63-zone iFCL (Intelligent Focus, Color, Luminance) Metering System that takes focus, color and illumination into account when establishing the proper exposure. Spot metering is available along with the other usual modes - Evaluative, Partial and Center-weighted.
I shoot in auto white balance mode more today than I ever did before (though I may tweak this setting when post-processing my shots). Auto White Balance historically has had trouble balancing tungsten light properly, but even this lighting is correctly balanced by the T3i - as it was in the T2i.
I keep saying it, but ... if the shot is OOF (Out of Focus), the best image quality in the world is not going to save it. AF performance matters (unless you are using manual focus of course). The Canon EOS Rebel Series DSLRs get Canon's entry-level AF systems (a sacrifice made to achieve the low price), but even entry-level Canon AF is still very good.
Like the T2i's AF system, the Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D's 9-point AF System is derived from the Canon EOS 30D's AF system. The center AF point is a cross-type center point sensor while the other 8 AF points are horizontal-line-only sensitive. With an f/2.8 or faster/wider aperture lens, the center point operates with greater precision.
While not exactly the newest AF System available, the T3i performs very well in Single Shot mode. Focusing is fast and accurate. Let me emphasize "fast" - a significant percentage of Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D owners will be stepping up from point and shoot models that left them frustrated because the moment they intended to capture would be passed before the camera could take the picture. DSLR phase detection AF is a major step up from point and shoot contrast-detection AF.
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. A camera's ability to focus-track a subject rapidly approaching the camera is a differentiator between camera models. Canon's 1-Series cameras have faster and far more sophisticated AF systems - if your income is depending on you getting the shot, these are the models you need to be using. A huge number of non-pros are using these models as well.
The Canon EOS 60D and Canon EOS 7D are also better cameras in this regard.
Considering its price, the T3i's AI Servo AF performs quite well. The faster a subject is approaching the camera and closer the distance is, the more taxing the situation is on AF and the more out of focus shots you should expect with the even best lenses. In the live action testing I did using the center focus point only, I was actually surprised at the percentage of in-focus shots delivered by the T3i. There are an infinite number of AF situations to throw at a camera, but subjects moving parallel to the sensor plane usually pose much less of challenge for a camera.
As usual for Canon's non-1-Series bodies, the T3i requires a lens with a maximum aperture of at least f/5.6 or wider (as reported by the lens) for AF to function.
If you are using AF, you are likely using the viewfinder. And the first thing point and shoot users will notice when peering into the T3i's viewfinder is that it is big. And the first thing that 60D (or similar body) users will notice is that the T3i's viewfinder is very small. It is all about what you are used to, but the T3i has a relatively small body size with a relatively small pentamirror viewfinder to match it.
While it is not a mirrorless camera, the small viewfinder mounted on a small camera makes the Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D very easy to take with you. And having viewfinder is a huge asset.
As noted in the first chart in this review, 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 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 T3i inherits the EOS 60D's excellent Vari-Angle 3" Clear View LCD screen with anti-reflective and smudge-resistant coatings. I wasn't too enthused when the 60D's Vari-Angle LCD was announced, but I quickly became so after using it. With the LCD screen angled to your convenience, it is now easy shoot from high, low and other angles/positions that are far from convenient to use the viewfinder or non-articulating LCD from. The bottom line is that you will likely capture more varied perspectives and have a better overall portfolio. Video is another feature that makes good use of the the articulating LCD
The closed-reversed LCD is well-protected from damage during transport, storage or even use (including protection from nose prints). So, I really like the new twist on the DSLR LCD.
The T3i inherits the T2i's wide 3:2 aspect ratio, 1.04 million dot LCD - matching the aspect ratio of the image sensor and better-matching the 16:9 HD Video aspect ratio. The LCD's image quality is great.
Like the T2i's AF system, the Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D's 9-point AF System is derived from the Canon EOS 30D's AF system. The center AF point is a cross-type center point sensor while the other 8 AF points are horizontal-line-only sensitive. With an f/2.8 or faster/wider aperture lens, the center point operates with greater precision.
While not exactly the newest AF System available, the T3i performs very well in Single Shot mode. Focusing is fast and accurate. Let me emphasize "fast" - a significant percentage of Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D owners will be stepping up from point and shoot models that left them frustrated because the moment they intended to capture would be passed before the camera could take the picture. DSLR phase detection AF is a major step up from point and shoot contrast-detection AF.
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. A camera's ability to focus-track a subject rapidly approaching the camera is a differentiator between camera models. Canon's 1-Series cameras have faster and far more sophisticated AF systems - if your income is depending on you getting the shot, these are the models you need to be using. A huge number of non-pros are using these models as well.
The Canon EOS 60D and Canon EOS 7D are also better cameras in this regard.
Considering its price, the T3i's AI Servo AF performs quite well. The faster a subject is approaching the camera and closer the distance is, the more taxing the situation is on AF and the more out of focus shots you should expect with the even best lenses. In the live action testing I did using the center focus point only, I was actually surprised at the percentage of in-focus shots delivered by the T3i. There are an infinite number of AF situations to throw at a camera, but subjects moving parallel to the sensor plane usually pose much less of challenge for a camera.
As usual for Canon's non-1-Series bodies, the T3i requires a lens with a maximum aperture of at least f/5.6 or wider (as reported by the lens) for AF to function.
If you are using AF, you are likely using the viewfinder. And the first thing point and shoot users will notice when peering into the T3i's viewfinder is that it is big. And the first thing that 60D (or similar body) users will notice is that the T3i's viewfinder is very small. It is all about what you are used to, but the T3i has a relatively small body size with a relatively small pentamirror viewfinder to match it.
While it is not a mirrorless camera, the small viewfinder mounted on a small camera makes the Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D very easy to take with you. And having viewfinder is a huge asset.
As noted in the first chart in this review, 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 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 T3i inherits the EOS 60D's excellent Vari-Angle 3" Clear View LCD screen with anti-reflective and smudge-resistant coatings. I wasn't too enthused when the 60D's Vari-Angle LCD was announced, but I quickly became so after using it. With the LCD screen angled to your convenience, it is now easy shoot from high, low and other angles/positions that are far from convenient to use the viewfinder or non-articulating LCD from. The bottom line is that you will likely capture more varied perspectives and have a better overall portfolio. Video is another feature that makes good use of the the articulating LCD
The closed-reversed LCD is well-protected from damage during transport, storage or even use (including protection from nose prints). So, I really like the new twist on the DSLR LCD.
The T3i inherits the T2i's wide 3:2 aspect ratio, 1.04 million dot LCD - matching the aspect ratio of the image sensor and better-matching the 16:9 HD Video aspect ratio. The LCD's image quality is great.
