So I’ve had my new camera, the Canon T3i that has yet to be named, for a few weeks now, and I’m loving having it. I’ve been bringing it on some short photo walks, and to family events, and continue to learn new things about what my fiancee has purchased for me.

One of the things she asked me about when we were looking at the camera, and reminded me of again recently was the differences between what I have now, and my dead Canon T2i that I used to take over 50,000 photos with during my three years of ownership. I wanted to take some time to covert the differences, and discuss why I’m so happy with the Canon T3i.

What’s the Same between the T2i and T3i?
They both include:

• an 18MP APS-C Sensor
• a 3″ LCD Display
• 9 Auto Focus Points
• 3.7 FPS Image Capture Rate
• Video Shooting Modes

The cameras are more similar than they are different, but the Canon T3i does have some changes, two of which are super useful to me.

Canon T3i New Features

• Remote Fire Flashes
• Articulating Screen
• Creative Filters

As you can see, the Canon T3i has the ability to remotely fire flashes, a feature that I had when I owned the Canon 7D for a short time, and found super useful. Taking the Canon 430EX II off of the camera, and positioning it can increase the quality of the shots I take, and reduce the potential of it looking like horrible shadow filled flash photography.

The articulating screen has meant two things, composition options and self-training. I have been able to hide the screen so that I can’t instantly review my photos after taking them. This causes me to consider each of my shots because I can’t as easily review and adjust. It is something that I think will improve my photography over time. As for composition, I can still see what will be in my shot from odd angles, allowing me to get lower or higher than I have before.

The creative filters aren’t something I’ll use or need, but they are a nice novelty to have. I always prefer being creative on the RAW files once they hit my computer, and not on the camera itself.

All of this isn’t to say that my old Canon T2i wasn’t without its advantages over its newer, younger brother.

Canon T2i Advantages

• Smaller 129x98x62mm vs 133x99x79mm
• Lighter 530g vs 570g
• Faster Startup 400ms vs 1500ms
• Slightly Less Shutter Lag 252ms vs 283ms

Numbers from Snapsort

Out of these, the faster startup is really what I miss the most. The Canon T3i isn’t super slow, and I’d hazard a guess that the numbers I found are a little off as I don’t think it takes three times longer from being off to taking a picture as Snapsort has listed. I would say that it takes a bit longer, and it is noticeable sometimes, especially since I still find myself turning on and off my camera all of the time to “save” battery life.

I am super happy with the body that I currently have. It should meet my needs for years to come. Hopefully, the T3i will last me a solid 50,000 shutter actuations as well over the next three to five years before I have to consider its replacement.

The advantage over the long term is always in the lenses though, and I hope to slowly invest in some new glass as need and money allows.

Want to help name my new camera? My Canon 7D was named George and I love naming things. Leave a comment on this post with your thoughts on what my T3i should be called.