Canon EOS Rebel T3i Verdict and Video Review

The new Canon EOS Rebel T3i is not a wolf in sheep's clothing waiting to pounce on unsuspecting consumers in the competitive entry level DSLR market. Like fine wine and its predecessor, the Canon EOS Rebel T2i, gets better with time. The time of exactly one year to the day of delivery of the Canon EOS Rebel T3i/600D to ChadSorianoPhotoBlog.



The 18 megapixel crop CMOS sensored Canon Rebel T3i is not just a Canon Rebel T2i with an articulating screen. It has big features in a small package. The most obvious one is the vari-angle high resolution LCD just like the Canon EOS 60D. The T3i has built in wireless flash control for Canon Speedlites just like the Canon EOS 60D. The T3i has manual audio control for video capture like the Canon EOS 60D. See a familiar pattern? Consider the T3i as a baby 60D. Wait a minute, the T3i replaces the T2i in the Rebel series. Let us finally move on to the T2i now.



My ChadSorianoPhotoBlog is not a Canon wikipedia, so I will only go over the major differences between the T3i and the T2i. The first thing you will notice is the slight change in ergonomics. The T3i has a slightly bigger grip with more non slip rubber areas on the surface of the body along with a taller stance and a bit more depth. All these minute changes were to accommodate the swivel screen. The button layout are well placed like the T2i despite the smaller 4 way controller. It just plain works.



The T3i is marketed to entry level DSLR consumers as well as more advanced prosumers. In other words, there is a lot of built in beginner oriented camera functions that make first time photographers at ease with making good pictures. Like the picture above, the new Creative Filters to the T3i give in camera manipulation of JPEG files effects. I found the "Toy Camera" effect as well as the "Miniature" effect quite convincing. There are plenty of "Scene Intelligent Auto" features otherwise known as fully automatic mode to fill pages of my PhotoBlog. I will now move on to the nitty gritty.



It is all in the details. Skin details. I mean where skin looks like skin and not some mushy digital reproduction of skin. Canon excels in this category. As seen in my Canon Rebel T2i Verdict and the Canon 60D Verdict, the tried and tested 18 megapixel CMOS sensor with DIGIC IV processor wins the skin detail and dynamic range contest hands down. Canon also carried over the same winning sensor as well as the reliable 9 point focusing system. It plain works,again.



The DIGIC IV processor enables the T3i a native ISO range of 100-6400 plus a digital expansion of 12,800. I can confidently say you can shoot at ISO 1600 all day with no problem. Very clean images. ISO 3200 is good but easily cleaned up in RAW processing. ISO 6400 is for freezing action in dark interiors like cathedrals and church halls, so expect gritty but useful images. ISO 12,800 is for pitch black emergencies. Let the snowfall begin! The picture above is shot at ISO 3200 with ambient light from the restaurant and was processed from RAW with Digital Photo Professional. That is the free software that comes with every Canon DSLR.



Now for the glorious HD video capabilities of the T3i. Just like the T2i, the T3i has 1080p, 720p and 480p video resolutions at various frame rates in both NTSC and PAL. All exposure controls for video and audio are fully manual. You can plug in a stereo microphone in the minijack for external audio capture as well. Full control like this are only found in the more expensive full frame HD DSLR like the Canon 5D Mark II. A particular video feature of interest that cannot be found in the T2i and the 60D is 3x to 10x digital zoom during 1080p video recording. The video above demonstrates the amazing resolution at 3x to 10x. Imagine a 400mm lens with a 1.6x crop factor at 10x digital zoom. That is a 6400mm equivalent focal length. You can video tape a NASA Space Shuttle launch 12 miles away or shoot a lunar eclipse with no problem.



The above T3i Video Test is shot at 1080p at 29.97fps. Edited with iMovie'09 and used Quicktime at best quality to compress the h264 video file. I also used an IGUS Drylin Camera Slider on Benro 3580 legs give the camera some lateral movement during the shots. If you are wary of non linear video editing, the T3i has a new "Video Snapshot Mode". You can shoot 2,4, or 8 second video clips and the camera will do "in camera video editing". The finished sequence is saved to camera's SDHC memory card as a single movie file.



The Verdict? There is nothing entry level about the Rebel T3i except its price. $899 for the kit and $799 for body only. It is so chock full of pro-oriented features that the Rebel T2i will be only a faded Canon memory. The line between novice and advanced photographic tools is grossly blurred. Say good bye to my Rebel T2i and say hello to my new digital friend, the Canon EOS Rebel T3i/600D.

You can view more pictures, videos and ISO comparisons in my Canon EOS Rebel T3i Gallery.

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***MAJOR UPDATE***

My initial Canon EOS Rebel T4i/650D Video Test is posted here. My Canon EOS Rebel T4i Verdict and Video Review will be coming soon. Make sure you check out all the new features of the new Canon Rebel T4i/650D, it has all sorts of new goodies!


***Major Update***

I just posted my Canon EOS Rebel T4i/650D Verdict and Video Test here.

Kodak Playsport Zx3 Video Test

My mini-clone son prompted me with a question during my daughter's 8th birthday party the other weekend. "Can you take a picture of me swimming?", he said with a smile. With that in mind, I went on a quest to find a practical underwater camera. Practical means inexpensive and good image quality in my opinion. A quick "Google Search" came up with a pricey Flip Mino HD, Go Pro Hero HD, Sanyo Xacti HD and other proprietary underwater housings for brand specific cameras. One camera that stood out of the "pocket camera" search was the Kodak Playsport Zx3 priced around $129 dollars.



The features of the Kodak Playsport Zx3 fit my Canon HD workflow very well. 1080p full HD video at 30 fps with a H264 video codec. The resolution matches my Canon HD DSLR format and the H264 codec matches my Final Cut Pro and iMovie'09 editing workflow. In addition, the Kodak features a 5 megapixel camera, a SDHC memory card slot with a capacity to 32gb, a removable lithium ion battery and a mini HDMI port to plug in the supplied HDMI cable for full HD resolution playback. All this for $129 dollars !!!



Now for the practical field test of the touted features of the Kodak Playsport Zx3 with my son at the swimming pool. The 10 feet depth limit of the Kodak restricts any deep sea diving but for all realistic purposes such as snorkeling and pool activities, the 10 foot depth is sufficient. I will look for video and image quality as well as ease of use underwater during this Kodak Playsport Zx3 video test and review.



The underwater resolution for such a small camera is remarkable. I did not expect Canon "L" glass resolution underwater but the color and sharpness held up well for a little camera. I edited the H264 footage with iMovie'09 with no problem. The footage played smoothly and exported the sequence with Quicktime. The camera's automatic exposure and shutter kept the video image stable and not "hunting" for proper exposure levels.



The 5 megapixel still camera function is convenient but not spectacular. Underwater images are prone to camera and subject blur followed by horrible dynamic range. Lack of shadow detail and extreme contrast made it difficult to get a decent still image. You have to take in consideration underwater conditions are not ideal for outstanding portraits. So, I took the camera above the surface for the land dweller video and image test.



All I have to say is keep the camera underwater after seeing this picture. My son handled the Kodak very well with simple push button ergonomics. Just like underwater still image quality, the above surface quality suffered the same demise. Horrible lack of detail and extreme contrast plagued outdoor image quality. My iPhone 4 takes better pictures in comparison. In my opinion, keep the camera in video mode and save yourself some grief.



Now for the drawbacks. The LCD view screen is unwatchable in direct sunlight above and below the water without using your hand as a makeshift viewfinder shade. I had to point in the general direction of my son swimming on occasion because the LCD screen was overwhelmed by glare. The lens has a fixed focusing distance of at least 3.5 feet. Keeping your distance is critical for sharp pictures and video. The battery life during my video and picture test lasted only 40 minutes before my battery level indicated red. My 16gb SDHC card at full 1080p resolution had over 3 hours of record time and over 999 still image capacity. So your battery will be exhausted before your card fills up. Light sensitivity of the Kodak requires an extreme amount of light for a decent picture. Mid day sun is ideal for proper exposure but not for flattering portraits.



Despite the drawbacks, the Kodak Playsport is the best bang for the buck for 1080p underwater video that uses H264 compression. In addition, you get a multitude of accessories included like a mini-HDMI cable, a USB charger and a AV composite cable to export to analog devices. This Kodak Playsport Zx3 will definitely be in my camera bag for my underwater outings.

You can view more in my Kodak Playsport Zx3 Video and Image Gallery.