Is the EOS rebel t3i good camera?

[Garciajr17]

hello, I need help deciding if the camera i wan to purchase is worth buying. Im new to the camera world so some help would be greatly appreciated!

[RobertTheFat]

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@Waddizzle wrote:

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@TTMartin wrote:

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@Garciajr17 wrote:

im goign to take another look at it its at a pawn shop and looks to be freat shape..the also have a 70d i belive it is but i liked the style of the t3i better. Ive been checking on the canon refurb section so for the mena time ill keep doing that. how do i find out if anything is faulty?

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$385 for a pawn shop T3i sounds way over priced. If the T3i is overpriced the 70D probably is too. I would skip the pawn shop and buy a refurbished camera direct from Canon.

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That guy's wise.  Listen to him,  Don't let your money burn a hole in your pocket at the local pawn shop.  Exercise some patience.  Heed some good advice.  And, you will be rewarded beyond expectations.  I think the 7D could make a good entry level camera, too.  The only problem I foresee with it might be what Operating System you want to use with it.

I have made several purchases through the Canon Refurb store.  I wait for what i want to come "in stock", and I buy it.  I laugh at Canon every time for "giving away" stuff at such deep discounts.  Thanks again, Canon.

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I strongly agree with Tom and Waddizzle. If you really know what you're doing, you may be able to get a good deal at a place like a pawn shop. If you don't (and maybe even if you do), you can get badly stung. Let me put it this way: I've been using digital cameras for thirteen years, and I wouldn't try it.

[ebiggs1]

Ccomic relief at its best 

[BurnUnit]

I think the biggest concern with buying a camera out of pawn is that the previous owner might have bought it on a whim with no real previous photography experience. He may have gotten frustrated after a time and not treated the camera particularly well. It may not have been stored properly or left laying in a closed car on hot summer days. It may have been exposed to more moisture than it should have been. Of course all this could be true of any used camera.

If you're really stuck on this camera, at the very least you should probably make them an offer of maybe $325 and see what they say. And be sure to ask them what their warranty and return policies are. If they don't have one, walk away. I recently bought an Elph 160 at a pawn shop that offered, I think, 7 or 10 days to return the camera for a full refund and 30 days for full credit toward another purchase. This camera didn't have a mark or scuff on it anywhere and it only took me a couple days to figure out that everything worked as it should.

[Waddizzle]

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@Garciajr17 wrote:

Im getting the camera used ofcourse with an extra lense, im  paying 385 witch i feel like a good deal because ive seen some lenses go for just that. And another reason is its my first camera and don't want to spend crazy money until i fully learn how to use this one. thonk the price is good? 

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As I noted above, buying used is ALWAYS chancy, most especially when you are unfamiliar with the gear.  If you are buying used, I recommend that you purchase from a reputable dealer, or purchase it under conditions where you can inspect and test the gear ahead of time. 

Stay away form eBay and Amazon, too.  There are countless posts in these forums from people who purchased used from questionable sources, and now they are stuck with something that doesn't work ... after paying hundreds of dollars.  How well regarded are the lenses that are coming with the used camera?  A deal that is too good to be true, usually isn't true.  Buyer beware.

I strongly suggest that you follow the above advice, and LINK, to the Canon Refurbished Store.  IMHO, it is the best source for discounted Canon gear.  Every DSLR and EOS lens that I have looked at there comes with a one year warranty.  Your used gear will come with a 15-30 day guarantee, at best if you buy used gear from a major retailer.

[BurnUnit]

If I remember correctly, I think it was a T3i that I was comparing to the 60D when I went camera shopping a few years ago. By going to a local camera store I was able to handle both cameras and ask questions face to face. The T3i and 60D are functionally nearly clones with more similarities than differences. The T3i was slightly smaller and lighter. The 60D had slightly faster continuous shooting and a built in wireless flash trigger. The differences were really minor for my needs and wants.

In the end I paid a bit more for the 60D because it felt better in my hands and the controls seemed a bit less cramped. And I bought it from the store where I had made my comparison. But the T3i still seemed like a more than capable camera for the money. And either way you still get the tilt-swivel LCD panel.

Don't get in too big of a rush to buy and keep checking the Canon Refurb Store.

[Garciajr17]

how good is the 70d they also have one of those.

[TTMartin]

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@Garciajr17 wrote:

how good is the 70d they also have one of those.

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The 70D is a great camera. 

Good AF system (better than the T3i)

Fairly high Frames Per Second (FPS) to capture the right moment.

Tilt-swivel LCD screen for unusual angle photos.

Dual-pixel AF for superior focus in video or liveview modes.

Good ISO range and due to the dual pixel sensor, when there is noise it is very fine (like film grain) and easy to manage.

Again before you buy check refurbished prices. And if you're getting used lenses make sure they are the STM version and not swapped out for cheaper non-STM lenses.