Canon Rebel T3 EOS 1100D Review


 
 

Canon Rebel T3 / EOS 1100D Review


 
Review based on a production Canon EOS 1100D with
Firmware V1.0.4
The bottom-end of the
interchangeable lens camera has become fiercely
competitive with manufacturers culling features and
cutting-corners to offer a tempting upgrade path
from compact cameras, at the most attractive price.
As a result we've seen control dials, orientation
sensors and even focus motors disappear to reduce
the manufacturing costs of these entry-level,
gateway cameras. From the consumer's perspective, of
course, we've also seen technologies once only in
the reach of the professionals filter down to almost
compact camera prices.
For several years, Canon and then
Nikon were able to carve up the sub-$1000 DSLR
market between themselves, without any particular
concern about other players in the market. But this
hegemony was never likely to last, especially once
the electronics giants such as Panasonic, Sony and
Samsung had time to prepare their own competitors.
Eventually even Canon had to respond to the arrival
of these companies' increasingly impressive low-end
offerings, most notably with the splitting of its
Rebel series into a multiple model range.
In June 2008, rather than just
letting the outgoing model's price drop when the
next camera was introduced, Canon launched a
completely new model that sat below its then very
recent Rebel XSi/450D. The Rebel XS (EOS 1000D in
Europe) was unashamedly a cut-down version of the
XSi but its mixture of a well trusted sensor and
compelling price tag have seen it continue to sell
strongly, particularly at the price-conscious end of
the market.
Two-and-a-half years is nearly
two lifetimes in contemporary camera terms, so it
was beginning to look like the XS might turn out to
be a one-off, until the launch of its replacement in
February 2011. The Rebel T3 (EOS 1100D) builds on a
successful formula and takes it further, offering a
strong (if not exactly cutting-edge) set of features
in a body that suggests it should be very capable of
competing on price.
The 1100D takes a series of
familiar-sounding components and folds them together
in a distinctly conventional but still
capable-sounding package. So there's a 12MP CMOS
chip that is likely to date back to the 450D/XSi,
coupled with Canon's now-standard 9-point AF system
and the 63-area iFCL (Focus, color and luminance
sensitive) metering system first seen in the EOS 7D.
These combine with the equally well-known Digic 4
processor to offer a camera that's unlikely to offer
much in the way of surprises (which should also mean
the avoidance of any nasty ones).

 
 
Sitting alongside the Rebel XS (1000D), it's clear that T3 (1100D) is very slightly
larger but only by a fraction. The new model
eschews the 1000D's textured plastic,
instead being constructed of smooth, rather
low-density materials.

 
 
The rear view shows the 1100D has been updated in line with more recent Canon DSLRs,
gaining direct access to live view/movie
shooting and a Q button for the interactive
'Quick Control' displays.

Canon EOS 1100D specification
highlights:

  • 12MP CMOS sensor
  • 9-point AF system (up from 7 on the 1000D)
  • 63-area iFCL color-sensitive metering (from
    EOS 7D)
  • 720p movie recording at 30 or 25fps (H.264
    compression)
  • 2.7" LCD, 230,000 dots
  • ISO 100-6400 (no expansion)
  • Basic+ creative point-and-shoot mode
  • Eye-Fi wireless SD card compatible menu
    options

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