Canon Rebel T3

51

Reasons to buy the Canon Rebel T3

Badge
Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Battery life
Great battery life
800 shots
Badge
Phase detection autofocus
fast and accurate
Live view
Has live view
Preview your photos
Olympus PEN E-P1

35

Runner-up

Olympus PEN E-P1

Reasons to buy the Olympus PEN E-P1

Size
Really small
Mid size 121x70x36 mm
Image stabilization
Image stabilization
Sensor shift
Badge
Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Thickness
Thin
1.4"
Weight
Light-weight
355 g
Live view
Has live view
Preview your photos

differences

Advantages of the Canon T3

Autofocus Faster autofocus Phase detection vs Contrast detection
Help
Catch candid moments easily
Lens availability Much more lenses available 162 lenses vs 26 lenses
Help
More than 6x more lenses available
Overall image quality Better image quality 62.0 vs 55.0
Help
More than 10% better image quality
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Color depth Better color depth 21.9 bits vs 21.4 bits
Help
Distinguishes 0.5 more bits of color
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
The T3's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Pentamirror vs None
Help
A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
Sensor size Larger sensor APS-C 22.2x14.7mm vs Four thirds 18.0x13.5mm
Help
More than 30% larger sensor
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11 EV vs 10.4 EV
Help
0.6 f-stops more dynamic range
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 755 ISO vs 536 ISO
Help
The T3 has a slight edge (0.5 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Canon Rebel T3 Learn more about
the Canon T3

Advantages of the Olympus PEN E-P1

Size Significantly smaller 121x70x36 mm vs 130x100x78 mm
Help
3.3x smaller
Screen size Significantly larger screen 3.0" vs 2.7"
Help
More than 10% larger screen
Image stabilization Image stabilization Sensor shift vs None
Help
Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
Thickness Significantly thinner 1.4" vs 3.1"
Help
2.2x thinner
Weight Lighter 355 g vs 459 g
Help
More than 20% lighter
Longest exposure Significantly longer exposures 60s vs 30s
Help
2x longer exposures
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $185.00 vs $329.96
Help
The best price we've seen is $145 cheaper (more than 40% less)
Olympus PEN E-P1 Learn more about
the Olympus PEN E-P1
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Canon Rebel T3 Canon Rebel T3
51 vs 35
Explain scores
Olympus PEN E-P1 Olympus PEN E-P1
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon Rebel T3. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a entry-level DSLR with a mirrorless interchangeable-lens.

advice

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by Hannah-Brett last week
Canon T3 vs Canon Rebel XSi

Im a beginner photography who Is looking to upgrade from a high-end point and shoot. I defiantly...

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by Olivia-Robinson this month
Canon T3 vs Canon Rebel XSi

-I am a beginner. -I like to take all kinds, I am in a class right now and we practice all th...

1
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by Marisa-S-Bisping last month
Canon T3 vs Canon T3i

beginner...getting into light painting, so want a shutter that can stay open longer, plus lots o...

One person recommends the Canon T3:

" These cameras are very similar in quality. The T3i is a slightly better camera in many regards,..."

0
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by Mary-Reynolds 4 hours ago
Canon T3 vs Canon T3i

This will be my 1st DSLR camera purchase. I love photography and I am a fast learner. I can affo...

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by scubatweet last week
Canon T3 vs Canon T3i

I'm a beginning photographer and never plan to be a pro, but I would like to preserve our motorc...

similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Interchangeable lenses Both support interchangeable lenses, which is uncommon in cameras similar to these Help
Many lenses to choose from
Sensor size Large sensors Help
T3:APS-C 22.2x14.7mm
PEN E-P1:Four thirds 18.0x13.5mm
Supports RAW RAW support Help
Better editing
External flash Support external flash Help
Better lighting
Sensor type Better sensor types Help
T3:CMOS
PEN E-P1:NMOS
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/4000 of a second
Longest exposure Long exposures Help
T3:30s
PEN E-P1:60s
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Dynamic range Poor dynamic range Help
T3:11 EV
PEN E-P1:10.4 EV
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Screen resolution Low resolution screens Help
230k dots
Movie format Both shoot high resolution HD movies Help
720p @ 30fps

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$619 - $700 body only

$745 - $1,000 with 18-55mm lens

Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen resolution Has a much higher resolution screen
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$830 - $897 body only

$1,199 - $1,200 with 18-105mm lens

Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Screen resolution Has a much higher resolution screen
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Canon EOS 40D

Canon EOS 40D

Pro DSLR

$650 body only

Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Fastest shutter speed Has a faster max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Nikon 1 J1

Nikon 1 J1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$547 with 10-30mm lens

Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
External flash Doesn't support an external flash
Sensor size Has a marginally smaller sensor
Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR

Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Super zoom

$299

Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier

Canon Rebel T3 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens

Movie format Higher resolution movies
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Battery life Shorter battery life
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $867 with 18-55mm lens

Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Battery life Significantly shorter battery life
Weight Heavier
Canon EOS Rebel T1i

Canon Rebel T1i

Entry-level DSLR

$471 - $629 body only

$549 - $575 with 18-55mm lens

Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Battery life Significantly shorter battery life
Light sensitivity Worse maximum light sensitivity
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens

Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Battery life Shorter battery life
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS

Entry-level DSLR

$348 - $595 body only

$439 with 18-55mm lens

Size Smaller
Thickness Thinner
Autofocus Slower autofocus
Movie format Does not take movies

Olympus PEN E-P1 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Olympus PEN E-PL1

Olympus PEN E-PL1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$260 - $279 with 14-42mm lens

External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Built-in flash Built-in flash
Screen size Significantly smaller screen
Size Slightly larger
Olympus PEN E-P2

Olympus PEN E-P2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$480 with 17mm lens

Color depth Better color depth
Lowest price Slightly more expensive
Olympus PEN E-P3

Olympus PEN E-P3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$849 - $900 with 17mm lens

Screen type Has an OLED screen
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Overall image quality Slightly worse image quality
Color depth Worse color depth
Olympus PEN E-PM1

Olympus PEN E-PM1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$500 with 14-42mm lens

Movie format Higher resolution movies
3D Takes 3D photos
Overall image quality Slightly worse image quality
Color depth Worse color depth
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$376 with 14-42mm lens

Movie format Higher resolution movies
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Color depth Worse color depth

appearance

Canon Rebel T3 Olympus PEN E-P1
Canon Rebel T3 Olympus PEN E-P1
Canon Rebel T3 Olympus PEN E-P1

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