Canon T3 Design

Canon T3 Design

(Illustration courtesy Canon USA, with modifications © Imaging Resource)

Compared to the Rebel XS that it replaces, the Canon T3 has a new body design that features more gently rounded lines, especially towards the ends of the top deck. The beveled area surrounding the shutter button has been extended and angled slightly more, to provide improve finger comfort, and almost all buttons now have unique shapes that make them easier to identify by feel alone. The only remaining round controls are the shutter and set buttons.

Like that of the XS, the T3's body is constructed from polycarbonate panels over a stainless steel chassis, and isn't weather-sealed. Body-only weight is increased by 1.5 ounces (45 g) over the XS, and body size has increased in every dimension. Compared to its predecessor, the T3 has gained 0.1 inches (3.8 mm) in width, 0.1 inches (2.2 mm) in height, and a full half inch (16 mm) in depth.

Seen from the front, the most immediately obvious difference in layout between the T3 and XS is that the model number badge has moved near the top of the left-hand side (as seen from the rear). Directly above this is a new four-hole microphone port, hinting at the addition of movie capture in Canon's new entry-level SLR. While the rest of the front panel layout is unchanged, the small ridge beneath the autofocus assist / self-timer lamp is now shallower, and the ridge that lined the base of the front panel on the XS has been removed altogether in the Canon T3.

Moving to the top deck, the most significant change is the removal of the dedicated ISO button, which is now a secondary function of the up arrow button on the rear of the camera. The space freed up with this change is now occupied by a flash button that--being black on black--is barely noticeable just behind the main dial, if you're not looking closely. The power switch is now partially recessed into the camera body, and the mode dial now has two extra modes: Creative Auto, and Movie. (The Flash Off mode has also changed its position to become the second option in the Basic Zone group, rather than the last option as was previously the case.)

Looking at the left-hand side of the Canon T3, things are much simpler than in the XS. The flash button is gone, relocated to the top deck as mentioned previously. Also absent is the dedicated depth-of-field preview button, whose function can optionally be assigned to the set button located on the rear panel. There's still a small rubber compartment cover on the left-hand side of the camera, but the order of the connectors beneath has been changed. Top to bottom, these include a cabled remote release terminal, a USB 2.0 High-Speed data terminal, and a new Type-C mini HDMI output terminal compatible with the Consumer Electronics Control standard. The Canon T3 no longer provides for standard definition video output.

(Illustration courtesy Canon USA, with modifications © Imaging Resource)

Moving to the rear of the Canon T3, the changes are much more significant. As mentioned earlier, there is now only one round button on the T3's back face, where previously there were nine. This change makes it much easier to orient yourself without taking your eye off the viewfinder, and also provides room for the primary function of most controls to be screen-printed directly on the button itself, with only the secondary options indicated on the camera body adjacent to the button.

The Canon T3's 2.7-inch LCD display, while still smaller than average, now has just slightly greater area than the 2.5-inch panel on the XS. Since the total resolution is unchanged, the dot pitch is now slightly greater than in the earlier camera. Coverage has also slipped just slightly from a manufacturer-rated 100% for the XS, to 99% in the Canon T3.

Only a few controls on the T3's rear panel retain the same positions as in the T3. These include the AE/FE lock / index / reduce button, the AF point selection / magnify button, and the fout-way controller with its centrally located set button. The aperture / exposure compensation button also keeps to the same location, but now serves double-duty as a replacement for the earlier camera's dedicated delete button. The four-way controller's secondary functions for metering mode and picture style have been replaced with ISO sensitivity and white balance functions, respectively. The dedicated white balance button from the XS now serves instead as a quick control button, although it retains its secondary function as a direct print button. Finally, there's a new live view / movie record button located directly above the quick control button, and three other controls--the menu, display, and playback buttons--have all jumped to different locations to accommodate the new LCD display and other rear-panel changes.

The right-hand end of the Canon T3 body is now completely clean and smooth, with the memory card slot now relocated to share the same compartment as the battery, on the base of the handgrip. In other respects, the base of the Canon T3 is little changed from that of the Xs, although given that the T3 no longer accepts an external portrait / battery grip, the tiny alignment guide that helped fix it in place on the XS has been removed. Also note that the T3 now accepts an LP-E10 battery pack and ACK-E10 AC adapter kit, rather than the LP-E5 battery and ACK-E5 AC adapter kit of the earlier camera, so XS users planning to move up to the Canon T3 will want to budget to replace these items along with their camera body.