Canon T3 Comparison Review

The Canon EOS Rebel T3 (called Canon 1100D in some regions) is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was revealed to the public in February 2011 and is equipped with an APS-C sensor. It offers a resolution of 12.2 megapixel.

Is the Canon T3 a good camera? The T3 has a Camera Elo of 1335. This rating puts the T3 below average of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the T3 also ranks below average. – Well, the Canon T3 is more than 10 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2011.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

An illustration of the physical dimensions of the Canon T3 vis-à-vis a credit card is provided in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Canon T3 alongside a set of comparators. If you want to review a camera pair side-by-side, just select a right-side comparator from among the camera models in the table. Alternatively, you can also move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)		Street Price
1.		Canon T3	130 mm	100 mm	78 mm	495 g	700	n	Feb 2011	449
2.		Canon T100	129 mm	102 mm	77 mm	436 g	500	n	Feb 2018	399
3.		Canon T5	130 mm	100 mm	78 mm	480 g	500	n	Feb 2014	449
4.		Canon G1 X	117 mm	81 mm	65 mm	534 g	250	n	Jan 2012	799
5.		Canon SX50	123 mm	87 mm	106 mm	595 g	315	n	Sep 2012	429
6.		Canon T4i	133 mm	100 mm	79 mm	575 g	440	n	Jun 2012	849
7.		Canon T3i	133 mm	100 mm	80 mm	570 g	440	n	Feb 2011	599
8.		Canon T2i	129 mm	98 mm	62 mm	530 g	440	n	Feb 2010	699
9.		Canon XS	126 mm	98 mm	65 mm	502 g	500	n	Jun 2008	449
10.		Canon XSi	129 mm	98 mm	62 mm	524 g	500	n	Jan 2008	799
11.		Canon XTi	127 mm	84 mm	65 mm	556 g	370	n	Aug 2006	799
Notes: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Canon T3 was launched in the US market at a price of $449. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

The Canon T3 features an APS-C sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.6. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Canon T3 among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

For most cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of comparators.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports		DXO Overall
1.		Canon T3	APS-C	12.2	4272	2848	720/30p	21.9	11.0	755		62
2.		Canon T100	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	21.9	11.4	695		63
3.		Canon T5	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	21.9	11.3	724		63
4.		Canon G1 X	1.5-inch	14.2	4352	3264	1080/24p	21.7	10.8	644		60
5.		Canon SX50	1/2.3	12.0	4000	3000	1080/24p	20.3	11.2	179		47
6.		Canon T4i	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	21.7	11.2	722		62
7.		Canon T3i	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.1	11.5	793		65
8.		Canon T2i	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.1	11.5	784		66
9.		Canon XS	APS-C	10.1	3888	2592	none	..	..	..		..
10.		Canon XSi	APS-C	12.2	4272	2848	none	21.9	10.8	692		61
11.		Canon XTi	APS-C	10.1	3888	2592	none	22.1	11.0	664		62

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but also of capturing video footage. The T3 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the T3 can use is 720/30p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the T3 has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 95% and a magnification of 0.50x. The tables below summarize some of the other core capabilities of the Canon T3 in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Size (inch)	LCD Resolution (000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Mech Shutter Speed	Shutter Flaps (1/sec)	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Canon T3	optical	n	2.7	230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0	Y	n
2.		Canon T100	optical	n	2.7	230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0	Y	n
3.		Canon T5	optical	n	3.0	460	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0	Y	n
4.		Canon G1 X	optical	n	3.0	922	Swivel	n	1/4000s	1.9	Y	Y
5.		Canon SX50	202	n	3.0	461	swivel	n	1/2000s	2.2	Y	Y
6.		Canon T4i	optical	n	3.0	1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	5.0	Y	n
7.		Canon T3i	optical	n	3.0	1040	swivel	n	1/4000s	3.7	Y	n
8.		Canon T2i	optical	n	3.0	1040	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.7	Y	n
9.		Canon XS	optical	n	2.5	230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0	Y	n
10.		Canon XSi	optical	n	3.0	230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.5	Y	n
11.		Canon XTi	optical	n	2.5	230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0	Y	n

One convenient feature of the T3 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Canon EOS Rebel T3 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Microphone	Internal Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Canon T3	Y	stereo	mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Canon T100	Y	mono	mono	-	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
3.		Canon T5	Y	mono	mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
4.		Canon G1 X	Y	stereo	mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
5.		Canon SX50	Y	stereo	mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
6.		Canon T4i	Y	stereo	mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
7.		Canon T3i	Y	mono	mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
8.		Canon T2i	Y	stereo	-	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
9.		Canon XS	Y	-	-	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
10.		Canon XSi	Y	-	-	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Canon XTi	Y	-	-	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the T3. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)			Street Price
1.		Canon T3	..	80/100	69/100	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2011	449
2.		Canon T100	..	o	..	3.5/5	3.5/5	Feb 2018	399
3.		Canon T5	3/5	+	..	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2014	449
4.		Canon G1 X	5/5	+	76/100	4/5	4.5/5	Jan 2012	799
5.		Canon SX50	3/5	+ +	72/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	429
6.		Canon T4i	4/5	+ +	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2012	849
7.		Canon T3i	3/5	o	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2011	599
8.		Canon T2i	..	+ +	77/100	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2010	699
9.		Canon XS	..	82/100	+ +	3.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2008	449
10.		Canon XSi	..	+ +	+ +	4/5	4.5/5	Jan 2008	799
11.		Canon XTi	..	+ +	+ +	o	4/5	Aug 2006	799
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares to another one, just make your choice using the following search menu. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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