Is the 600D (T3i) good enough in 2020?

Lepewhi wrote:

I think that it dépends on the price. Of course newer cameras have newer technology. Do you really need it? That, I don't know. But, I think the lenses are more important. So, if you put money into an older camera, put money into good glass. After you get what you want,then you can update the body, if you find it wanting.

Thanks. I can get a brand new Nikon D3500 with warranty for about 80 USD extra. Do you think that's a better buy?

Lepewhi wrote:

Well, the Nikon is clearly a newer camera. But, it doesn't have an articulating screen, that would be a deal breaker for me. What I would suggest is to go to the Canon Refurb store online. They have refurb cameras and lenses for a good price. You might, for instance, look at a Canon SL2. It is small and light or a refurb T5i/T6i. Check it out.

Thanks, but I don't live in the US or Europe, so Canon refurb store isn't accessible to me.

Lepewhi wrote:

I just checked. I saw a Canon T6i with lens for about $413. That seems to be a good deal and comes with a warranty. It's a much newer camera than the T3i and has an articulating screen. You might also look into a Canon mirrorless body. You can do some research on YouTube. Good luck.

Thanks for the suggestion. I used to have an EOS M10 but got fed up with unreliable autofocus and sold it. Newer M series bodies with DPAF are too expensive for my budget, unfortunately.

DJSanjay wrote:

I can get a decent example from ebay in used but good condition, but is the image quality going to be disappointing? I'm concerned because the sensor might be "too old". I also read somewhere that the autofocus system in newer cameras is better but just how bad is it in the 600D?

Thank you.

I upgraded from t3i to a 77D last year and the T3i is still "good enough" to take good pictures.

Most of what you would get would be by getting a newer generation camera is more features.

The sensors on newer cameras are of course incrementally better not really dramatically better especially when you are not in a low light situation.

The autofocus is more complex but I normally use spot focusing so the number of focusing points dosn't matter much to me. A lot of the auto focusing is also related to the lens you are using and a newer generation lens like an STM lens.

The big question isn't if the t3i is "good enough", it is if the cost of a newer version of it is worth the extra cost to you.

I like what Watty dp wrote. I have three Canon T2i/T3i (550D/600D) cameras and a Canon T7i (800D) camera. With that experience of using the older Canon T3i (600D) camera and the newer 24mp Rebel, I have the same sentiments.

I often take pictures with my Canon T2i (550D), Canon T3i (600D) and Canon T7i (800D) cameras. You can find resized samples of them on the weekly Show Your Snaps thread like what you see here:

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/63130147

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/63153945

These are only some recent ones. I have years of experiences with them; check them out on additional threads if you want to see lots more.

Thanks guys, but I went ahead and bought a new Nikon D3500. First impressions are pretty good.

Congratulations...enjoy your new camera.

DJSanjay wrote:

I can get a decent example from ebay in used but good condition, but is the image quality going to be disappointing? I'm concerned because the sensor might be "too old". I also read somewhere that the autofocus system in newer cameras is better but just how bad is it in the 600D?

Thank you.

Since you asked this question, I can infer that you are new to photography. And if that's correct, then don't worry about sensor quality. All DSLR's produce amazing image quality, speaking of which get those old cameras for the purpose of learning, not for long term investment. If video is not important, get the 50D instead, much better than 600D in terms of flexibility and usability (you can add video via Magic lantern hack, but that's another battle). if you go for the 50D, get the SD->CF adapter.

My first DSLR is 600D and I love it. But I outgrew it early because I need fps, tracking accuracy and AF consistency, because of which I got a used 50D and later a used 7D. 
The problem with autofocus is also true to some extend, when with my 600D, I got the 50mm f1.8 II and 85mm f1.8. Wide open, there is an inconsistency in nailing AF and after getting Sigma 17-50 f2.8, the front focus issue is becoming a real problem, which are corrected later in 50D and 7D with AF Microadjust feature which the 600D doesn't have.

Because those camera do not have the modern DPAF, the live view AF is almost non-useable in real work.

Now for walk-around, I use the SL3 (250D) which have a higher resolution OVF AF module because of which the AF accuracy, precision and lowlight sensitivity is far greater than all the old cameras, except in tracking.

DJSanjay wrote:

Thanks guys, but I went ahead and bought a new Nikon D3500. First impressions are pretty good.

i just saw this....congratulations, it's a great camera with wonderful image quality! Enjoy.

Note: It's nowhere close to canon's DPAF though (SL2), so in live view and video, AF will still be same like your M10. The OVF accuracy with wide open lens is better than 600D and on par with SL2/SL3.

Jack Jian wrote:

DJSanjay wrote:

Thanks guys, but I went ahead and bought a new Nikon D3500. First impressions are pretty good.

i just saw this....congratulations, it's a great camera with wonderful image quality! Enjoy.

Note: It's nowhere close to canon's DPAF though (SL2), so in live view and video, AF will still be same like your M10. The OVF accuracy with wide open lens is better than 600D and on par with SL2/SL3.

Thanks. I've been doing photography as a hobby for a while, but with mirrorless cameras. This is my first DSLR. So far I'm quite happy with the performance and IQ is indeed good, and the sensor is giving quite good flexibility in post-processing. Those 24MP raw files are gigantic, though.