Best value (1100D/550D/600D)

Is the 1100D the best value of the three? The 550D is 250 euro more expensive than the 1100D and the 600D is 100 euro more expensive than the 550D. Is the increase in price justified? What sort of improvement in picture quality will I see if I choose the 600D over the 550D and the 550D over the 1100D?

Others with much more experience will soon chime in.

I was in the same dilemma except I considered my budget limited to the 1100D and the Nikon D3100. After considerable research I decided to expand my budget and I purchased the 550D.

My reasons:

.1080p video at 30 fps and 720p video at 60 fps! I wanted this for both video and still photography and a lot of my video will be of action and sports. Capturing in 60 fps and then slowing it down afterwards is awesome.

.The screen on the back is larger and much higher resolution. This is my first DSLR, and while I spend all my time photographing through the viewfinder, reviewing images on the back screen is still a priority for me. Helps with the video as well.

.Higher IQ (albeit, not a huge difference)

.Self-cleaning sensor. Again, no expert, but this sounds like a huge plus for durability and longevity.

.Higher megapixels (while this is debatable, it looks nice on a spec sheet)

.Less noise at high ISO

.Finally, just felt better in my hand. Build quality felt better, materials felt better, form factor felt better.

I didn't see the point in spending more for the T3i in my situation. However, the jump from the 1100D to the 550D seemed important and, after a week of shooting with this camera, I am still very confident in my decision.

Good luck and let us know what you go with!

The 550D and 600D share the same sensor, so it should be no difference in the image quality. The 1100D is a step down, since the sensor is less advanced, and thus have lower high ISO capabilities.

The 1100D is to the 1000D what the 600D is to the 550D. 1000/1100D is the lower line of Rebels, or entry level, 500/550 and 600D is the higher series of budget cameras, just a notch below 40/50/60D.

Between the 550D and 600D there are minimal differences, but I consider wireless flash and hinged screen a plus worthy the price difference.

kyrcy said:

Is the 1100D the best value of the three? The 550D is 250 euro more expensive than the 1100D and the 600D is 100 euro more expensive than the 550D. Is the increase in price justified? What sort of improvement in picture quality will I see if I choose the 600D over the 550D and the 550D over the 1100D?

Click to expand...

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Martin Ocando
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I was in a similar position to you recently, and originally opted for the 1100D purely because it seemed great value for money.

But I soon found it's limitations. I found myself cropping a lot of photo's and the sharpness just wasn't there.

Within 6 weeks I upgraded to the 600D and I'm so glad I did.
To me, maybe because of my inexperience, but there is definitely a jump in IQ.
The swivel screen is great when on the move.

Video mode is vastly improved with a massive 10x digital zoom without effecting focus.

I also got fed up of having the take the camera off the tripod to remove the SD card, the 600D has the card slot on the side.

... which is the T3i, right? -- is the twisty bck screen, and the biggest advantage of the twisty screen is when shooting movies because you don'thold the camera out in front of you.

BAK

Al also great when shooting stills on a tripod. You don't need to bring the camera to eye level, just flip the LCD until you see the image in LiveView.

BAK said:

... which is the T3i, right? -- is the twisty bck screen, and the biggest advantage of the twisty screen is when shooting movies because you don'thold the camera out in front of you.

BAK

Click to expand...

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Martin Ocando
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