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 1334. 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 8 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2011.

Headline Specifications

Canon T3
Digital single lens reflex
Canon EF mount lenses
12.2 MP, APS-C Sensor
720/30p Video
ISO 100-6400
Optical viewfinder
2.7" LCD, 230k dots
Fixed screen (not touch-sensitive)
3 shutter flaps per second
700 shots per battery charge
130 x 100 x 78 mm, 495 g

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.

Camera Body Specifications

	Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life (CIPA)	Weather Sealing (yes/no)	Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Canon T3	130 mm	100 mm	78 mm	495 g	700	n	Feb 2011	449	-		Canon T3
	Canon T100« »	129 mm	102 mm	77 mm	436 g	500	n	Feb 2018	399			Canon T100
	Canon T5« »	130 mm	100 mm	78 mm	480 g	500	n	Feb 2014	449	-		Canon T5
	Canon G1 X« »	117 mm	81 mm	65 mm	534 g	250	n	Jan 2012	799	-		Canon G1 X
	Canon SX50« »	123 mm	87 mm	106 mm	595 g	315	n	Sep 2012	429	-		Canon SX50
	Canon T4i« »	133 mm	100 mm	79 mm	575 g	440	n	Jun 2012	849	-		Canon T4i
	Canon T3i« »	133 mm	100 mm	80 mm	570 g	440	n	Feb 2011	599	-		Canon T3i
	Canon T2i« »	129 mm	98 mm	62 mm	530 g	440	n	Feb 2010	699	-		Canon T2i
	Canon XS« »	126 mm	98 mm	65 mm	502 g	500	n	Jun 2008	449	-		Canon XS
	Canon XSi« »	129 mm	98 mm	62 mm	524 g	500	n	Jan 2008	799	-		Canon XSi
	Canon XTi« »	127 mm	84 mm	65 mm	556 g	370	n	Aug 2006	799	-		Canon XTi
Convert to Imperial
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.

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.

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.

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.

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 (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, photographyblog).

Review Scores

	Camera Model						Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Canon T3	80/100	69/100	4/5	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2011	449	-		Canon T3
	Canon T100« »	o	-	3.5/5	-	3.5/5	Feb 2018	399			Canon T100
	Canon T5« »	+	-	4/5	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2014	449	-		Canon T5
	Canon G1 X« »	+	76/100	4/5	4/5	4.5/5	Jan 2012	799	-		Canon G1 X
	Canon SX50« »	+ +	72/100	4.5/5	-	4.5/5	Sep 2012	429	-		Canon SX50
	Canon T4i« »	+ +	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2012	849	-		Canon T4i
	Canon T3i« »	o	77/100	4.5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2011	599	-		Canon T3i
	Canon T2i« »	+ +	77/100	4/5	5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2010	699	-		Canon T2i
	Canon XS« »	82/100	+ +	3.5/5	4/5	4.5/5	Jun 2008	449	-		Canon XS
	Canon XSi« »	+ +	+ +	4/5	5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2008	799	-		Canon XSi
	Canon XTi« »	+ +	+ +	o	4.5/5	4/5	Aug 2006	799	-		Canon XTi
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.

Did you notice an error on this page? If so, please get in touch, so that we can correct the information.

You are here:  Home  »  CAM-parator  »  Canon T3 Review