Canon EOS 1100D review (Rebel T3 review)

The Canon EOS 1100D, or Canon Rebel T3 as it's known Stateside, is the latest entry-level DSLR to come from Canon's stable since the Canon EOS 1000D (Rebel XS). It's been almost three years since then, so has Canon crammed enough new features into it's latest? The What Digital Camera Canon EOS 1100D (Rebel T3) review takes a look...

Canon EOS 1100D Review (Rebel T3 Review) - Features

Entry-level or budget DSLR cameras haven't been a particular area of focus for a number of years. The emergence of the 1100D (Rebel T3) comes some two and a half years after the 1000D (Rebel XS) and looks to up the ante against the likes of the Nikon D3100 and Sony's increasingly-prominent range of Alpha DSLRs.

Under the 1100D's hood there's an updated 12.2MP CMOS sensor, raising the resolution slightly over the previous 1000D's 10.1MP capacity. A shrewd move, we feel, given that so many other manufacturers are cramming megapixels onto sensors at the cost of image quality. Coupled with the latest DIGIC 4 processor and sensitivity from ISO 100-6400 this should mean the 1100D (T3) is one fairly mean beast not to be messed with.

Elsewhere the 1100D (T3) ups the ante in the autofocus (AF) department by offering a 9-point system that adds an extra two points at the (horizontally) wider ends of the array compared to the previous 1000D's 7-point system. A single f/5.6 sensitivity cross-type sensor features in the centre for enhanced sensitivity when shooting in both portrait and landscape orientation.

On the rear of the 1100D (Rebel T3) is a 2.7in, 230k-dot LCD screen - perhaps a bit of a shame that it's not larger and more resolute, as this really is the current minimum you'd expect on a DSLR. A button on the rear pops the camera into live view for a real-time screen preview and, with the camera set to Movie mode, it's now possible to capture 720p HD video.

Above the 1100D's screen is an optical viewfinder that offers 95% field of view and a 0.8x magnification for a reasonable physical size. The field of view represents the percentage of the final image that you can frame up in the viewfinder, i.e. there's 5% missing that will appear in the final captured image (very common for budget DSLRs).

The 1100D (T3) also has some slightly more advanced features such as A-DEP that looks at the subject to obtain a foreground through to background focus by auto-setting aperture and ISO, or the CA mode that helps to simplify background blur control using a five-level slider. There's also a cable release option for those looking to make long exposures without touching the camera. Even the white balance mode has the ability to adjust for magenta/green and blue/amber casts and has an auto-bracketing option not seen in other entry-level models.