Canon EOS Rebel T3 12.2 MP CMOS Digital SLR with 18-55mm IS II Lens + Canon EF-S 55-250mm f 4.0-5.6 IS Telephoto Zoom... by Canon

Canon EOS Rebel T3 Digital SLR Camera Kit and EF 55-250mm Telephoto Lens Bundle

Bundle an essential Telephoto Zoom Lens to as a great beginning of an ethusiastic photographer's EOS Rebel DSLR System.

Canon EOS Rebel T3 12.2 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 2.7-Inch LCD and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens
The new flagship of the EOS Rebel line, Canon EOS Rebel T2i brings professional EOS features into an easy to use, lightweight digital SLR that's a joy to use. Featuring a class-leading 18.0-megapixel CMOS image sensor and increased light sensitivity for low light photography, the EOS Rebel T2i also has an advanced HD Movie mode for gorgeous Full HD movies. Able to capture up to 3.7 frames per second, it's ready to go the minute it's picked up. Advanced Live View, a new wide-area screen, plus features like Canon's brilliant Auto Lighting Optimizer and Highlight Tone features ensure brilliant photos and movies, easily. With some of the most advanced features of any digital SLR, it's simply the best Rebel Canon has ever created.
Canon EOS Rebel T3 DLSR at Amazon.com

Key Features of the Canon EOS Rebel T3 Digital SLR Camera

Canon T3 DSLR Kit includes the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens
12.2 MP CMOS sensor and DIGIC 4 Image Processor for high image quality and speed
ISO 100 - 6400 for shooting from bright to dim light
Improved EOS HD Movie mode with expanded recording and with in-camera video editing options
High speed, reliable 9-point AF system utilizing a high precision, f/5.6 cross-type center point
Enhanced metering with a 63-zone, Dual-layer metering system for accurate metering between exposures
Includes EOS Rebel T3 digital SLR camera and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Type II Lens; 12 megapixel CMOS sensor; Eye-level SLR viewfinder
2.7-inch TFT color LCD; Built-in flash; HD movie mode at 1280 x 720 resolution
Auto Focus; Dual-layer metering sensor with 73 zones; Basic+ function; Creative Auto mode; In-camera Feature Guide
Compatible with full line of Canon EF and EF-S lenses
USB 2.0 terminal; HDMI mini out terminal: NTSC/PAL selectable; SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card slot (card not included)

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
Incorporating Canon's Optical Image Stabilizer technology, this Canon 55-250mm telephoto zoom lens captures long distance, low-light shots far better than many comparable lenses, helping you photograph the far-off action of athletes or zoom in for an intimate portrait with a blurred background. The high-zoom-ratio lens is equivalent to a focal length of 88-400mm in the 35mm format (when used on Canon EOS cameras compatible with EF-S lenses). More significantly, the image stabilizer effect creates an equivalent shutter speed of roughly four stops faster than the same size lens without an image stabilizer. In other words, if the slowest shutter speed you can hold a 250mm lens steadily is normally 1/250th of a second, this Canon lens will let you hand-hold shutter speeds as slow as 1/15th of a second. The lens also boasts a UD-glass lens element to correct chromatic aberration to create excellent image quality throughout the zoom range. Delivering an excellent performance at an affordable price for all photographers, the 55-250mm lens carries a one-year warranty.

Key Features of the Lens

Focal length: 55-250mm
Maximum aperture: f/4 to f/5.6
Lens construction: 12 elements in 10 groups, including one UD-glass element
Diagonal angle of view: 27 degrees (at 50 feet) to 6 degrees (at 15 feet), with APS-C image sensors
Focus adjustment: DC motor, gear-driven (front focusing design)
Closest focusing distance: 3.6 feet (0.31x maximum close-up magnification)
Filter size: 58mm
Dimensions: 2.8 inches in diameter and 4.3 inches long
Weight: 13.8 ounces
Warranty: 1 year

Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism
**UPDATE 12/4/11** Changed the rating from 4 stars to 5 stars given its price drop and the picture quality relative to its price.My only real gripe with the T3 is its lack of a rubberized handgrip. I don't expect posh materials at this price point but some surface providing a better grip would have been nice. One important point though is that because of the materials used, it makes the camera extremely light-weight (although you will find with heavier lenses it will feel out of balance somewhat). However, despite the lack of a rubberized handgrip, you will find it hard to dislike this camera. And it I think it provides an overall better and more straight-forward shooting experience than thte Nikon D3100.The controls are pretty straight-forward on this camera. And I always like Canon's menu system, very intuitive. It has plenty of auto controls for newbie photographers but of course has a full manual suite of controls so it's perfect for students or folks in general who want to learn photography and want a camera they can grow with. In terms of the performance, this DSLR impressed me. Overall operation is very quick, shot-to-shot times are decent, and the autofocus is very fast. It comes with a nice chunky battery which will give which goes a long time before needing to be charged again.The viewfinder is 95% coverage and isn't the greatest but I found it to be satisfactory. And despite the relatively low screen resolution of 230k, I found the screen somewhat viewable in direct sunlight and better than the one on the D3100. Again, it's not wonderful, but not as bad as some I've seen (the worst was the Pentax K-x). They've also upgraded the AF system from 7 points on the Rebel XS to 9 points.One move that was very smart on Canon's part was to keep the megapixel count at a modest 12 megapixels. This is the ideal camera to use if you plan on using kit lenses exclusively and not using more expensive lenses. This is because Canon's other pro-sumer DSLRs all use the same 18 megapixel sensor. Which is a great thing to have IF you attach some higher-end Canon lenses to it. But when those cameras are used with a kit lens, the image quality is not as impressive as one would think because of the kit lens have a harder time resolving detail on the 18 megapixel sensors. With the T3, however, I think you can get cleaner images with the kit lens than you can with the 60d, T2i, T3i, etc. Overall image quality is excellent. Exposure is almost always on the money, metering is excellent, ISO performance is excellent up to 1600, and colors are accurate and punchy without looking cartoonish and oversaturated. The jpegs come out of the camera just a tad soft. But they respond very well to some in-camera sharpening and of course if you shoot in RAW you can adjust the sharpness to your liking. But overall the T3 can be counted on to deliver great-looking images in almost any shooting environment. And that is worth the 5-star rating alone.As far as the movie mode goes, it's only 1280x720 HD but actually the video quality is excellent. However, the manual controls are very limited. If you're equal parts into photos and movies, I would consider the Rebel T3i or 60d over this one though, as those have far more extensive manual controls for video shooting.So overall, if you're able to overlook the rather cheap plastic construction, this is a very formidable entry-level DSLR that is suitable for both newbie photographers, and even pros looking for a light-weight companion to their regular gear.