Time for an upgrade: T3 to ???

[SimplyEuphoric]

Hi all, I have owned a Rebel T3 for about a year and a half or two years.  I origianally bought the camera to be able to take a little nicer of photographs than my point and shoot.  Now, photography has become a hobby of mine now and I'm looking to upgrade my camera to something a little nicer and more professional.  

I have a few questions:

1. I have a budget of under $800, (and honestly would like to spend as little as possible for a decent upgrade camera, broke college student)  I would buy a body only, and have no problem purchasing from the refurbushed store.  What are the best options for me?  (I'm specifically looking for something that will do a bit better in low light.)

2. I often shoot outdoors and enjoy the idea of weatherproofing option in some of the cameras, have any of you had any problems with that feature?

3. I would sell my Canon T3: Think I'd be able to sell it without the kit lens?  I know its not the best peice of glass, but I'd like to keep it around, sometimes I do still use it.  What would you pay for a used T3 in almost perfect condition.

Thanks all for the help!

My Gear:

Canon Rebel T3

75-300mm EF f/4-5.6 III

18-55 EF-S f/3.5-5.6 IS II

28-80mm EF f/3.5-5.6II

50mm EF f/1.8 II

[TCampbell]

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@SimplyEuphoric wrote:

Thanks for all the help!

I did see that the 60D is super discounted via refurbished price! Would I be better off spending the $575 on a refurb 60D then spending the extra funds getting a used lens?  Or should I wait it out and save up more for a newer model and skip on the lens? 

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How big of a deal is low light performance?   

I do notice the 70D does seem to do a little better in noise tests  and gains about a stop worth of ISO performance over the previous 18 MP sensor.  

A full-frame body would add several stops of performance -- but there's a big price jump to get into full-frame bodies.  

I would probably go with the 60D and then save funds to acquire better glass (or even other gear such as off-camera flash, etc.) 

[SimplyEuphoric]

A big thanks to everyone who has helped! 

I did compare ISO noise on this site: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos60d/11 to other canon models.  I ended up purchasing the 60D.  It will be a great step up from the T3, and will be a great camera to again learn on for a few years while I save for something even nicer! I figured for $575 in the refurb store, why not?  The 70D was out of my immdediate price range, and the T5i seemed nice, but seemed to have a higher noise than the 60D.  The 60D also had a larger battery life, big plus for me! Since I shoot mainly outdoors (horses, people, landscapes, etc) I don't have access to a plug for a recharge.  I hope I made the right choice and if not, hopefully I realize it before its too late to return!!! 

[TCampbell]

If you shoot on manual (or want to learn to shoot on manual) you'll find that the 60D's extra wheel is a very welcome feature.  With forefinger on the front wheel and thumb on the back wheel you can adjust both shutter and aperture at the same time without needing to press any other buttons.  

Also, in either Program, Tv, or Av the rear wheel controls exposure compensation (you can tell the camera to expose a bit above or below the exposure that the camera would otherwise have used.)

The top LCD has a row of buttons in front which creates instant access to many features without even taking your eye away from the viewfinder.  For example... the only button with a dimple on it (so it's easy to find with your index finger) is the ISO button.  You can easily change ISO, shutter speed, and aperture all without taking your eye away from the viewfinder -- there are some nice conveniences to having a body with those controls.