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Canon EOS Rebel T3

Labels: DSLRs, Buyers Guide

1. Live View button puts the camera in Live View mode; when the mode dial is set to Movie, pressing the Live View button starts recording. 2. The built-in microphone records mono sound; unlike the T3i, the T3 won't accept an external stereo mic. 3. The microphone for movies is on the front of the camera; the similar-appearing speaker is on the back.

Canon EOS Rebel T3

ESTIMATED STREET PRICE: $599 (with 18-55mm IS II zoom)

INTRODUCED
3/2011

Canon's lowest-priced, new-generation DSLR, the T3 is ideal for those who want to move up from a compact point-and-shoot digital camera. It combines simple operation with good image quality and performance, and provides full manual control of features, as well. A new 12.2-megapixel Canon CMOS sensor combines with DIGIC 4 14-bit signal processing to deliver images measuring 4272x2848 pixels, in JPEG or RAW, at ISOs from 100 to 6400.

The eye-level pentamirror viewfinder shows 95% of the actual image area, with a magnification of 0.8x (with a 50mm lens). The 2.8-inch, 230,000-dot Live View LCD monitor shows 99% of the actual image area. In Live View, you can choose contrast-based AF or phase-detection AF, or focus manually on an enlarged portion of the image of your choosing. The 63-zone, dual-layer metering system introduced in the EOS 7D provides good exposures in a wide range of situations, and the nine-point AF system features a central cross-type point sensitive toƒ/5.6.

The T3 can shoot still-image bursts of up to 830 JPEGs at 3 fps or up to five RAW images at 2 fps. In movie mode, the T3 shoots 1280x720p HD video at 30 or 25 fps, in MOV format, with mono sound via a built-in microphone; there's no jack for an external mic.

Images are saved on SD, SDHC or the new SDXC cards. Like all current APS-C-format EOS DSLRs, the T3 can use all EOS lenses, both EF and EF-S. Estimated Street Price: $599 (with 18-55mm IS II zoom).

STANDOUT FEATURE: In Basic+ mode, "pro" adjustments are made automatically.