Three Reasons To Buy A Canon Rebel 1100D

Are you at the decision point in your quest for the best beginner's digital SLR - ready to execute a winning dive straight into the Digital Slr pool along with many other photography enthusiasts? This is a critical time of decision, possibly the most crucial choice of your own photography life.

So now, the question becomes,"Exactly which camera is the best beginner's DSLR?"

Beginning photographers come in all age groups, but one thing is fairly common about them. They tend to focus on the two major suppliers in the digital camera market, Canon and Nikon.

Does that mean that Sony, Panasonic, Olympus, and the others don't provide value and excellence in their entry-level digital SLRs? That would be absurd. They all have some excellent products. However, it is just a fact of the photography world that Canon and Nikon dominate when it comes to someone who is looking for the best beginner's DSLR. There is a kind of trust that is natural when someone is not familiar with the market. Go with the products that everyone else seems to be buying.

OK, so Nikon and Canon are considered safe bets when buying a new digital camera. However, let's get perhaps even more focused and narrow the playing field to just one, the newest Canon model, the Canon Rebel 1100D (also known as the Canon Rebel T3, but this name is mostly in the US).

Right now, as this article is being written, you can get one of these DSLR cameras for just over $500. To put that into perspective, the original Rebel was right at $1000. So we are looking at a camera that has actually reduced in price by about 50% over the past 8 years. Compare that to the cost of just about anything else you can think of (hint: gasoline or the price of a postage stamp).

Hopefully we have established that a beginner's digital SLR is a real value. But other than price, just what is it that renders the Canon Rebel 1100D irresistible to completely new DSLR buyers?

Several things seem to surface in this discussion, especially when compared to the majority of of the compact, or point and shoot, cameras you'll be replacing.

Three Deciding Factors In Favor Of A Canon Rebel 1100D

First - Image Quality. Entry-level DSLRs have a different image sensor than compact cameras. The APS-C image sensor inside such cameras is definitely huge when compared to the image sensor that is in point and shoot cameras.

What we are NOT talking about here is "pixel count." The number of megapixels could be exactly the same. Case in point: the Rebel T3 (1100D) contains a 12.2-megapixel sensor, and the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS, a well liked point and shoot digital camera, has a 12.1-megapixel sensor. These number are nearly identical. But the difference comes when you measure the physical size of the sensor itself. The image sensor inside the Canon Rebel 1100D measures slightly more than 300 mm², while the Canon PowerShot SX20 is merely 30 mm² (these numbers have been rounded off for simplicity). With some simple math, you can easily see that the larger sensor (APS-C) in the Canon Rebel 1100D is actually 10 times as big.

You can imagine how much better the light capturing technology can be with that much more space. The pixels (which are actually light sensors) can be larger and of higher quality.The result is a better quality photograph with the larger sensor.

Your second advantage is Ease of Use. Digital camera makers are including similar modes and settings in DSLRs as in their point and shoot models. The difference again is the quality of those settings. But familiar settings makes it easy for a beginner to transition from a point and shoot model to a digital SLR model. The Canon Rebel T3 is quite user-friendly for brand new consumers. However, arguably best attribute could be the Rebel's new "Feature Guide." Each time you adjust a setting or select a new menu function, the Feature Guide displays a description of what that setting or feature will do right in the LCD panel. That way, you don't have to guess or, worse, consult the users' manual. This is quite ideal for completely new DSLR photographers along with users that don't care to memorize camera's entire range of settings.

The third benefit is Speed. When you pick use a digital SLR for the first time after being familiar with a point and shoot camera, you will be ecstatic over the speed of you new toy. Instant response when you press the shutter button. Quick focus. For many it's kind of like an out-of-body experience. You wonder if what you are experiencing is actually happening. People get giddy with pleasure at their initial experience. And that feeling of fulfillment lasts. Every single time you press the shutter button, the digital camera acts with speed and accuracy; instant focus and super fast shutter speed.

These are three things that make the Canon Rebel D1100 (T3) an amazing choice for first time entry-level DSLR buyers. Is it the best beginner's DSLR you can get? Only one person can answer that question.