The Canon Rebel T3i is Your Gateway To a New World of Photography!

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I’m back with a review of the Canon Rebel T3i DSLR camera that QVC let me borrow for a couple of weeks. In my blog I rate cameras based on ease of use without reading the manual. I have affectionately named my rating scale, the Mommy Rating in honor of my mom who never takes the time to read the manual for any of her electronics. The Mommy scale runs from 1 to 5, the higher the Mommy Rating the easier the equipment is to use without reading the manual.

For the purposes of this blog I did not read the manual, but I have to admit I was at an advantage since, outside of my job at QVC, I am a freelance photographer. When I grabbed the Canon Rebel to take my first few pictures, I inherently knew how to playback the images I had just taken. I know for many new DSLR camera owners this would have been an immediate show stopper, and the manual would have been needed. For this reason, the Canon Rebel T3i received my Mommy Rating score of 2. You can’t become the owner of a DSLR camera and not read the manual. Well, you could, but I don’t suggest it if you want to get the most out of the great features that the camera has to offer.

So the bad news is you must read the manual. Maybe not all of it, but you must review the manual to get a basic understanding of what all these buttons mean on the back of your camera. I have been taking pictures for over 20 years and there are features in my Nikon cameras that I will probably never use, but I still reviewed the manual to understand all of the capabilities.

I have some good news too! Canon is an outstanding camera brand who clearly recognizes the need to make it as easy as possible to learn about your new camera. In the box with the Rebel T3i comes three easy to read guides with sample pictures and tips. In addition to these three helpful guides there is a DVD that walks you through all of the important basics of your new Canon Rebel T3i camera. To complete your training, the formal instruction manual is sized perfectly to fit neatly in your awesome new camera bag! I always carry my instruction manual for my camera in my camera bag in the event I need to quickly check how to take a photo in a unique shooting situation (i.e. night time photos without a flash).

Despite my low Mommy Rating for the Canon Rebel T3i camera, I still found this camera to be refreshingly easy to use. The important features you need to use are not hidden inside of complicated menus; you can access a lot of the basic features directly from the back or top of the camera. I found everything to be logically and efficiently placed.

Once you learn what the basic buttons do, you could put the camera on auto everything and then start shooting (the green A on the dial). I put this concept to a test by asking my mom to take a picture of me with my youngest son (my mom was visiting us from Mississippi). Then I handed the camera to my youngest son and asked him to take a picture of me with my mom. They both did a great job (my son’s composition was a bit better than my mother’s, but we won’t tell her…J ). It was the ease of using the camera that allowed them both to take nice pictures with no previous experience or instruction other than “look through the viewfinder and press this button to take the picture.”

Photo taken by my Mommy!

Q-shot

Photo taken by my 10year old son!

The next test I always like to do with a new camera is to shoot in low light situations. I am not a fan of flash photography, so whenever I can take a picture with available light, that is my first choice. I took some pictures of my oldest son in his room playing on his iPod. The only light in the photo came from the light outside his window and the light from his iPod. Using my knowledge of photography, I changed the ISO setting to a large number to allow for me to capture the picture. The ISO button is conveniently located right next to the shutter release button. Genius button placement. The available light from my son’s iPod created a dramatic image that would never have looked the same had I added the flash to the scene. The Canon Rebel definitely passed my low light test.

ipod light

I took a similar shot with my youngest son with the light from his laptop screen being the only available light for the photo. The Canon Rebel definitely passed my low light test.

eyes-082913

The camera I tested came with a Canon EFS 18-55mm and a Canon EFS 55-250mm, both macro lenses and equipped with image stabilization. Macro is great for the super close shots of a flower for example. The image stabilizer feature insures your photos are never blurry from your own hand shaking or slow shutter speeds. I think very soon image stabilizers are going to become the standard for all cameras, like automatic door locks and windows for cars. I tested the cameras ability to capture action by shooting some pictures of my son’s soccer game. Another test passed by the Canon Rebel.

Here are some more pictures I took with the Canon Rebel T3i, I hope you enjoy them!

QVC Intern Mike!

QVC Intern Taylor!

QVC Intern Kara!

The Interns!

Kara could be a model!

These boys are silly like their dad!

My mom lives for her grandsons!

The Canon Rebel T3i is your gateway to a new world of photography! I have been recommending the Canon Rebel to friends for a few years but this was the 1^st time I got to experience its capabilities for myself. Some of my friends who now own the Rebel are still using the camera in the full auto mode, and could probably benefit from reading my blog post on what to do after you buy a new DSLR camera. But then there is my good friend Priscilla who was given the Rebel this past Christmas and in 6 short months has gone from knowing nothing about photography to teaching me a few things! Check out these A-M-A-Z-I-N-G photos Priscilla captured with her Rebel T3i this past summer, she has officially caught the photo bug and I am so excited to see where she goes next with her photography. Priscilla took the time to read her manuals and take lots of pictures to arrive to the place she is today.

Photo by Priscilla Millard

Wow, Priscilla Millard...these are amazing pictures!!!

Thanks for reading my blog post about the Canon Rebel T3i, I really enjoyed the camera the entire time I had it, and will continue to recommend the Canon Rebel series to anyone looking to purchase their 1^st DSLR camera.

Be sure to post comments with questions you may have about this camera or ask me any photography questions and I will do my best to answer.

-CG