Canon EOS 1100D review (Rebel T3 review)
Movie/Video Mode
Canon EOS 1100D Review (Rebel T3 Review) - Movie/Video Mode
Canon EOS 1100D review: Movie/Video Quality
The movie clips we shot came straight from the camera as MOV files, meaning there's no need to process files before they're useable on a computer. Quality is good, with a rate of around 28 Mbit/sec proving quite reasonable for the 1280x720 resolution. There's also the possibility to shoot at either 25 or 30fps for best compatibility with both PAL and NTSC (UK and USA) TVs, though no cinema-like 24fps mode available here. Although the 1100D can capture HD files, it's the lower-res 720p rather than 1080p.
Canon EOS 1100D review: Movie/Video Record Time
The most you'll get out of the 720p HD mode at 25fps is around the 17min mark - but that depends on what you're shooting (it varies based on what the compression will be throughout). The higher 30fps frame rate will use up a little more space and therefore result in shorter clips. Theoretically it's possible to shoot up to 29mins 59secs, but this won't be realised in practice due to a maximum 4GB filesize limit (based on FAT-32 formatting limits).
Canon EOS 1100D review: Movie/Video Focusing Modes
It's possible to activate single autofocus during recording, though we'd advise not doing so as the system is the same contrast-detection system as per live view mode. This means that over- and under-focusing are particular AF problems during recording unless, of course, you choose to opt for single fixed focus or it's even possible to manually focus with the lens itself (though it's tricky to hold the camera steady for the latter).
Canon EOS 1100D review sample image - click for full size gallery
In the Menu options there's also a Quick mode. To explain: this will quickly jump out of live view, attain focus, then jump back into live view and make recording all the quicker to jump into. When outside of live view the screen will black out, so it's a case of trusting the focus's acquisition. Of course this mode can only be used in advanced of capture, not during.
Canon EOS 1100D review: Movie/Video Manual Control
There's not the ability to pre-set aperture, shutter or ISO preferences before or during recording. However, it is possible to lock the exposure using the AE button which can be particularly useful. Saying that, using the autofocus will up the exposure in order to attain better contrast and this will undo fixing the exposure (and the brightness/exposure adjustment it'll show in real time in your final clips).
Canon EOS 1100D review: Movie/Video Sound
The linear PCM sound quality is certainly decent, though the kit lens is so close to the microphone that any autofocus sounds will be amplified to the point of them becoming the most dominating sounds. It's not possible to utilise other microphones as there is no mic input.
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Latest comments
October 21 19:34
Stefan
hello people i am thinking to buy my first DSLR and its going to be the canon 1100D i think.what do you suggest me for my first camera ? Can somebody tell me why some of the models they have written EOS 1100D on the side and the same model they have only EOS rebel t3! whats the difference between the same two models ?? thanks Stefan
October 30 07:44
Brett
stefan there is no difference between the models the rebel t3 is what its called in the U.S its called the 1100D in the uk.Same thing different names.
December 18 12:37
David McCarthy
Don't know whether to buy the black and the grey 1100D. Is the image stablisation worth the extra cost and are there are drawbacks to it?
December 20 20:14
thaddeus
Hi all, I'm planning to buy my first SLR. Confused whether to go in for Nikon d3100 or Canon 1100. I heard that Nikon doesn't have automatic focus in the lenses while canon has. Is the autofocus motor built into the Camera or the lens? The price difference between both is not much but nikon has not bundled the 75-300 mm lens with the camera while canon is bundling it & giving it as an offer. Someone please assist. Regards, tfernandes UAE