Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18MP Digital SLR

I've been a Canon customer since 1978, when I bought the 35mm Canon A-1, and I've had a Canon SLR ever since. Getting the new flagship model every three or four years was something I did for a long time, but when D-SLRs came along, I began downsizing after the EOS 1Ds I got in 2004. In 2007 I moved to EOS 40D and, although losing the full-size sensor was a sacrifice, it was a step in the right direction. With my recent purchase of the T3i, it's another move away from the professional models. Why would I do that? It's not so much the cost of new cameras that has shaped my decisions to downgrade; it's the size. While professional equipment is important to me, so are professional looking photos. And the truth is, after the newness wears off a D-SLR, I tend frequently to leave the big gun behind and rely on an advanced compact or ultrazoom for most of my shooting. As a result, I have more point-and-shoot pictures than I do pro quality ones. This tendency has ended with the purchase of the T3i. The camera is modestly sized, and I never leave home without it. With the 18-55mm kit lens (very nice little lens for its specs) or 24-105L, it's not any bigger than the Fuji Finepix HS10 I leaned on for most of my shooting this past year. And while the HS10 is hands down the best ultrazoom camera I ever used, the difference in image quality, performance and even video between it and the T3i is night and day. The T3i may not be blazing fast like my 1Ds or the 40D, but 90% of the shooting I do is not that kind of photography, anyway. What the T3i excels at is image quality. I have a whole raft of photos that, eked and tweaked to maximum effect in Photoshop, are only a little better than average because they were taken with a point-and-shoot camera. This camera's image quality, I'm happy to say, is superlative! So are the videos. Rebel T3i is almost too good to be true. An articulating LCD is something I've come to insist upon, and this one is by far the best I've ever used. I don't use Live View every time, but I've certainly been in that mode a lot more frequently with this model than with the 40D! In review mode, the refresh rate is a bit slow when zooming in to look at details, but it's not as slow as reviewing pictures on, say, Panasonic DMC-ZS7. (I did test Canon EOS 60D at Best Buy and noticed that the refresh rate is much faster on that model--perhaps because of the larger battery--but it's really not enough of an issue to deduct a star.) The resolution of the LCD is superb, and because it can be tilted and twisted to advantage, it can be viewed even in strong sunlight. Although the nine-point autofocus system is getting criticism for lagging behind Nikon, focus is swift and accurate. At 3.7 fps, burst mode is cut nearly in half from my 40D's 6.5 fps, but so far this has not hampered my ability to catch fast moving subjects. I appreciate the Lighting Optimizer function and use it a lot under the harsh lighting conditions in the desert where I live. It is of incalculable value. I have yet to haul out the owner's manual, thanks to the on-board guide. Of course it helps that I've owned Canon D-SLRs before, but adjusting settings on this camera is a lot different than on my previous ones. There have been some settings I would have normally needed to consult a manual for, but it hasn't been necessary because the answers are in-camera. (I never shoot in Auto, by the way. I'm a manual mode kinda gal.) Because images are very clean up to ISO 1600 and are usable even at ISO 6400, taking along the Speedlight flash so far has not been necessary. Yet another plus with this Canon iteration. There's something about blown highlights that really sets my teeth on edge, but that has not been a problem, thanks to the T3i's Highlight Tone Priority function. Dynamic range is very good to excellent, even a hair better than my 40D. Colors are more accurate, too. I prefer the contrast one stop under the camera's default setting, which is, admittedly, fairly punchy and will result in a blown highlight here and there. Reducing contrast just a tad fixes that. Eighteen megapixel resolution is outstanding. Sometimes I think about the EOS 60D's speedier performance, more advanced autofocus system and that wonderful electronic level and wonder if I made the right choice. But then I remember the heft and bulk of that camera and all the times I've left my SLR at home for those very reasons, and I know the T3i was the right decision. I really, really like this new camera--and I take it everywhere!