[Macworld]

Post your comments for Review: Canon EOS Rebel T3i DLSR camera here

[n4hhe]

Several months ago (just received my $400 rebate this week) I bought a Canon EOS 60D having decided the T2i's lack of the vari-LCD thing was serious enough to warrant the extra expense. Came with the EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens mentioned in this article. For indoor low light shooting with the built-in flash I found autofocus was significantly slower and less accurate than I was used to with my old Digital Rebel XT with EF-S17-85mm F/4-5.6 IS USM lens ($400 to $500). Swapped lenses and restored quick and accurate low light focusing.

If I had it all to do over again I might have purchased a bare body. However, the 18-135 might be handy in brighter light.

[BillOlson]

So it's the lens and not the body of the T3i that is slow?

What would be a better lens to buy? Would a Canon lens be better or something else? Price would matter.

I've currently got a T1i with 18-55/55-250 EF-S IS lenses. My wife said her mom needs a new camera and I could give this one to her mom and buy a new one for around $1,000.

At the same time, I'd really like to get a longer zoom lens for outside shots including her nephew's soccer games and am think about getting the Sigma 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG OS Lens. That may or may not determine if I buy a new camera or not.

Question: Why would you buy a T3i over a 60D and vis versa? How about a comparison between the two?

[BillOlson]

Correction. I'm looking at the Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM Lens

[KAGoldberg]

A 'slow lens' just means that the minimum f/number is high. An f/3.5 lens can't capture as much light as an f/1.4 lens (for example) so the exposure times must be longer and the lens is called 'slow.'

This post has been edited by KAGoldberg: 30 July 2011 - 08:31 AM

[fithian]

I have a T2i which is the previous model and have found the performance with the Canon EF-S Zoom lens - 15 mm - 85 mm - F/3.5-5.6 to be fantastic. The problem is that this lens is about as expensive as the camera!

[PixelHermit]

It is notable that this model is only called "EOS Rebel T3i" in the United States and Canada. In Europe it is named "EOS 600D" and in Japan it is called "EOS Kiss X5".

[gottago5]

If audio is important to your video, don't bother with the external mic input. There is a loud hiss no matter what manual setting you use when you plug in an external audio cable (even if there is no mic attached). The HD image is great for the price of the camera, but invest in a separate audio recorder if you want good sound.

[chrisjm007]

gottago5, on 24 November 2011 - 06:59 PM, said:

If audio is important to your video, don't bother with the external mic input. There is a loud hiss no matter what manual setting you use when you plug in an external audio cable (even if there is no mic attached). The HD image is great for the price of the camera, but invest in a separate audio recorder if you want good sound.

What is the best way to record audio with a Cannon T3i? We have a TV show and the audio is our weakest area right now, unless we use our Sony Z-1. But we now want to use these T3i cameras and have our reporters go out and shoot stuff themselves.

We need to either use...

1) An external mic. But it needs phantom powering though. Right? or

2) A separate audio recording device, which we'd prefer not to do.

please help!!! We've had lots of people suggest things and we are still no clearer on what to do.