Question

I'm getting my aunt's hand me down camera (haha only in a family of creative people) I was just wondering if anyone had any experience or if they know anything about the performance with the canon rebel eos t3i ?

Answer 1

The Good The Canon EOS Rebel T3i delivers excellent video capabilities and image and video quality.
The Bad If you shoot both still and video, the T3i's controls can be frustrating to operate, and it's not terribly fast for burst shooting sports, kids, or pets.
The Bottom Line For the money, the Canon EOS Rebel T3i is a great choice for dSLR videographers--though the cheaper T2i can still suffice if you don't need the articulated LCD--and it's a solid choice for creative still shooters. But though the image quality and general shooting performance are top-notch, if you're upgrading to capture sports, kids, or pets, the T3i may not be able to keep up.

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By Lori Grunin

Also, some other comments;
1) You'll want to get a memory card rated at a 10 for speed, and make sure it's a good-quality brand. If you scrimp on the card you'll forever be hitting yourself when the video recording repeatedly stops for no apparent reason. I have been through three cards that don't cut it (three different brands). Make sure you shell out the money for a quality card or you won't be able to record the data fast enough for 1080p (particularly in bright lighting or when you have a light source in the background--like a TV or lamp).

2) The camera does not auto-focus while recording video which can be really annoying. If you do any panning or zooming you will find yourself constantly toggling the manual focus on your lenses. Most DSLRs are the same, but I made an unwise assumption that this one would be different since they seemed to solve many of the conventional video problems DSLRs have.

3) If you use an external video monitor while shooting video, plan on 480i resolution. The second you push the record button on the camera, the 1080p output signal changes to 480i (DVD quality video) instead of 1080p (High Def). This is not a problem at all if you don't use an external monitor, but is really annoying if you do.

4) Sound quality from the built-in mic is not good. I use external mics, so this is not an issue for me, but if you depend on the built-in mic for your audio you might find yourself sorely disappointed. Still, it does okay for home video in a pinch, but for professional-quality video you'll want to purchase an external mic.

All-in-all, this is a fantastic camera for still photos and a great camera for video quality/clarity. It is a little weak on the video recording features, but...what can we expect from a DSLR, right?
I would definitely recommend this camera for anyone in the market for a camera in this price range. If I had a little extra to spend for a DSLR I would recommend a Canon 7D. If I were to purchase solely for video I would recommend a Canon HF G10. Yeah, I'm a Canon fan. Canon makes good quality optics without too many proprietary accessories (like Sony).

Will definitely take some practice to know what you're working with.

I've had the T3i for almost a year now and am very pleased to a point. Low light focusing is almost non-existent and becomes problematic as I8~135 kit lens carry the camera at all times. Being on a low income I started with the 18~135 kit lens and find the lens is adequate for the majority of my uses albeit a slow lens by my old standards of Nikon 35mm shooting and miss the ease of f-stop and shutter speed manipulation of the 35mm.Had some clever company devised a digital back for my old Nikon, which would have been the preferable route. I will learn, adjust, and probably stick with my current lens as it provides wide angle and a fair telephoto because unfortunately Canon lenses are priced far out of my disability check league unless I choose not to eat or have shelter.

Answer 2

Just in case you are still wondering, medal if you can.