Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX100V Review

The current Cyber-shot point-and-shoot flagship, the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-TX100V packs just about every feature Sony has to offer into one slim, slick, and quite attractive exterior. The TX100V offers Sony’s latest 16.2MP “Exmor R” CMOS sensor, a Carl Zeiss 4x zoom lens, a whopping 3.5 inch touchscreen LCD with 1,229K dots of resolution, 3D still and panorama options, full 1080/60p video, 10fps continuous shooting, and all the great Sony shooting modes we’ve become accustomed to over the past few years like iSweep panorama, backlight correction (HDR), and anti-motion blur mode. Still not satisfied? Oh, well how about built-in GPS, for geotagging your photos, because the TX100V does that too.

What it doesn’t do is make any attempt to appeal to enthusiasts, there’s no RAW and no physical controls, instead this camera is unashamedly a consumer oriented camera, designed to appeal to point-and-shooters who want every feature imaginable, but that takes pictures in the easiest way possible. At a current price of $379, the TX100V is hardly value oriented, but as a premier point-and-shoot, and for a camera this feature packed, the agile and competent TX100V largely lives up to its price tag.

Specifications
Camera	Sony
Street Price	$379.95
Sensor	16.2MP 1/2.3″ (7.77mm) “Exmor R” CMOS sensor
AF Options	9 points AF (Under Face Undetected) / Center Weighted AF / Spot AF/ Flexible Spot AF (touch)
ISO Range	125-3200
Continuous Shooting	10fps for 10 frames
LCD	3.5 inch OLED with 1,229K dots of resolution
Lens	27-108mm (35mm equiv) | 4.x optical zoom | F3.5-6.3 | Macro: .39″ (1cm)
Shooting Modes	Intelligent Auto, Superior Auto, iSweep Panorama, Movie Mode, Program Auto, Background Defocus, Scene Selection, 3D Shooting
Scene Modes	Soft Skin, Soft Snap, Anti Motion Blur, Landscape, Backlight Correction HDR, Twilight Portrait, Twilight, Hand-held Twilight, High Sensitivity, Gourmet, Pet, Beach, Snow, Fireworks, Hi-Speed Shutter
Video	1,920 x 1,080 (PS) Approx 28Mbps @ 60fps progressive, 1,920 x 1,080 (FX) Approx 24Mbps @ 60fps interlace. 1,920 x 1,080 (FH) Approx 17Mbps @ 60fps interlace, 1,440 x 1,080 (HQ) Approx 9Mbps @ 60fps interlace, 1,440 x 1,080 Approx 12Mbps @ 30fps Progressive,  1,280 x 720 Approx 6Mbps @ 30fps Progressive,  640 x 480 (VGA) Approx 3Mbps @ 30fps Progressive | AVCHD 60i / 60p / MP4
Output	AV Output | USB 2.0 | HDMI
Storage	SD/SDHC/SDXC/ MS Duo
Dimensions	Dimensions (Approx.) : W x H x D: 3 7/8″ x 2 3/8″ x 23/32″ (97.0mm x 58.5mm x 17.8mm)
Weight	Weight (Approx.) : 5.2 oz (147g)

Look & Feel

The TX100V comes in three color options including silver, red, and the color of our review unit, black, and it is unmistakably attractive in a tech-y, consumer-oriented type of way. The design is simple, a satin monochrome finish for the front that includes a slide down lens cover, an enormous 3.5″ touchscreen that covers the rear, and colored chrome bezel holding everything together. The exterior approach of course is far more oriented to visual appearance, than hands-on practicality, in other words you’ll want to make sure to use the attached wrist strap, because there is only two slick surfaces to hold on to, and the touchscreen interface means you’ll frequently be one-handing the TX100.

Control

Outside of a playback button, shutter release, and zoom lever, the TX100V is entirely operated by a touchscreen interface. First things first, the TX100V’s display is simply incredible, offering ample contrast, real estate, and tons of resolution. Put simply, everything looks great on it. As to the interface, Sony has done a great job of making the TX100V both very simple to use and responsive to the touch. One large “button” allows you to change your shooting mode or scene mode, and another large “menu button” allows you to make changes to your camera settings.  The options are kept pretty limited, but if you’re confused, a “?” button is usually handy for a quick explanation of what a particular setting does.

In playback mode, things are equally easy to navigate. The TX100V supports finger swipes to navigate through your captures, and a tap enables the ability to zoom into your image for a more detailed look. Some very light image editing options are available, and there’s the option to “paint” on your captures, but outside some cropping, we find it unlikely that these choices will be frequently used.

You won’t find live histograms to help with proper exposure, and as we said before, the TX100 offers no manual controls, but you can tinker with ISO, exposure compensation, and WB where needed. Still the point of the TX100 is “easy to use” and it more than achieves that goal, while being the best touchscreen point and shoot we’ve encountered yet.

Auto Focus

I can’t think of recent Sony camera that didn’t focus quickly and reliably, and the same holds true for the TX100V. Focus times are very fast, the only hiccup coming in very poor light, but even there the Sony at its slowest can focus faster than many other cameras do at their quickest…impressive stuff. The TX100V provides several options in the focusing department with a center AF, multi-point AF, and what good would a touchscreen be if you couldn’t touch focus…which the TX100 deftly does. Of course the fun stuff is there too, face detect, smile shutter, and a macro option that gets you as close as 1cm to your subject.

Performance

On the performance front the TX100V’s main claim to fame is its 10fps burst rate. What’s really interesting here is that the TX100V is able to clear its buffer in about 10 seconds, preparing you for another burst. That’s pretty good for a point and shoot. Start up times are quick, but the cumbersome sliding lens protector could delay you from getting a shot, so remember to leave it down if you think you’ll need a quick shot. Shot to shot times are very good, and in general, most camera operations are performed quite quickly. There’s one small exception, the jump from the shooting display to viewing your captures in playback can take a moment, but otherwise this is a snappy camera to use.

The Fun Stuff and Using TX100V

Left to its own devices, the TX100V is entirely capable of taking great photos with minimal user interference. You have a choice of two auto modes, an Intelligent Auto, and a Superior Auto mode, the latter which seems more adept at tackling lower light situations. With both modes we found ourselves happy with our results, and we suspect most users would agree. If you want a more hands on approach, a Program Auto gives you control over WB, metering, and ISO, for those rare circumstances the camera isn’t capturing the scene the way you’d hoped.

For tougher scenarios, the TX100V provides several useful scene modes. First up, Backlight Correction HDR combines several shots into one image with superior dynamic range, great for strongly backlit subjects. Next up is Hand-held Twilight. This mode takes advantage of the TX100V’s fast burst rate to fire a number of shots and combine them into one lower noise shot, making it a nice solution for shots that would normally be prone to lots of image noise from using a high ISO setting. Both options work great at achieving their respective goals. Like any good Cyber-shot these days, the TX100V also includes iSweep panorama that works exactly as advertised…sweep the camera left to right and the camera stitches everything together into one nice pano. The TX100V also includes 3D still and 3D Sweep Panorama, but keep in mind these require the use of a 3D compliant monitor for proper playback, which at this time is beyond our testing ability.

Finally the TX100V has GPS built right in, so geotagging your photos is as easy as turning your camera on. In our review time the TX100V did a great job at accurately recording our shot locations, perhaps for some, to an unnerving degree. We brought our captures into iPhoto and took advantage of its “Places” feature which allows you to sort photos by location, and the accuracy was just spot-on. Remember, if you plan on sharing your images online, and you don’t want viewers to be able to discern your location (personal photos at home for instance), make sure to turn off the GPS feature.

The only difficult thing about using the TX100V is sliding the lens cover down. It takes a surprising amount of effort to get it to slide down, so be sure to really grip the camera when doing so. Outside that, we had very few complaints using the TX100V.

Image Quality

The 16.2MP “Exmor R” CMOS sensor used in the TX100V sounds impressive, but the apparent increase in resolution is limited by the  1/2.3″ sensor size. More pixels in this case theoretically means more noise, but Sony isn’t going to let you see that noise because it aggressively smears out all the noise even starting at the TX100V’s base ISO of 125. You can’t control noise reduction (NR) with the TX100V, so you’ll have to live with it, and that means viewed at 100%, captures from the TX100V lack a lot of fine detail. Hair, skin detail, foilage, etc., all get mottled up, victims of the camera’s NR. As the ISO goes up, the NR gets worse, so by ISO 800 text becomes difficult to decipher, and it’s all but gone by ISO 3200.

Viewed at smaller sizes, or in small to medium prints, the TX100V’s output looks very good with nice color, and pleasantly sharp. As we mentioned above, the TX100V is quite competent in its auto modes, so captures tend be quite accurate and appealing, and thanks to modes like Backlight Correction HDR and Hand-held Twilight, even high contrast or low-light shots come out looking much better than expected.

So yes, for most purposes, the TX100V’s output should be plenty good enough to please the point-and-shoot photographer, but the best way to view the TX100V’s images has to be the camera’s own LCD. We can’t say enough about this display, captures (and video) simply look amazing, it’s too bad that some of that is lost once you’ve transferred the images over to your PC.

 from http://www.cameragearguide.com/

Canon EOS 1100D Review

User-friendly DSLR suitable for novices, with a few build and feature compromises
The EOS 1100D follows on from the 1000D as Canon’s budget digital SLR aimed, like the Nikon D3100, at those trading up from a compact camera for the first time.

The Canon has a distinctly plastic-y grey outer shell, chunky dimensions and large and obvious buttons, a combination that makes it look and feel slightly toy-like when you first pick it up to attach the provided kit lens. This is an upgraded 18-55mm ‘IS’ II zoom with built in image stabilisation (28.8 to 88mm equivalent in 35mm terms). While the plastic-y feeling doesn’t totally go away, with lens attached the 1100D feels much more solid and proper, weighing 495g without.

Canon, like Nikon, doesn’t feature sensor shift stabilisation built into the body (unlike Pentax, Sony et al), so a lens with anti shake to prevent blur when shooting handheld, in lower light, or towards the telephoto end of the zoom, is a distinct advantage, here providing the equivalent to 4 stops extra.

Whilst the Canon’s handful-like 129.9×99.7×77.9mm dimensions will be an aid to those with larger paws who hate small fiddly controls, with space for almost four fingers to curl comfortably around its grip. If you want shoot-from-the-hip portability a compact system camera like Panasonic’s G3 could also be worth considering.

Still, this one also has price in its favour. Recommended body only cost for the EOS 1100D is an affordable £419, whilst the combo that adds our test lens retails for £499, making for the best value all round.

Canon EOS 1100D Controls

Controls here are big and obvious, though the chocolate Rolo-sized shooting mode dial seems a little busy for a starter model. It has a dizzying 14 options crammed around its circumference. Here we get the creative control offered by program, aperture priority, shutter priority and manual modes, plus a handful of subject optimised shooting functions and the helping hand of full auto and ‘creative’ auto.

With a press of the button marked ‘Q’ on the backplate, in creative mode users can switch from the standard default setting to vivid, soft, intense, warm, cool, brighter, darker or monochrome settings.

Overall the 1100D may be big and bold, with a thin rubber coating aid grip at front and back, but it’s remarkably unthreatening once you’ve spent five minutes poking and prodding away.

Canon EOS 1100D Screen

At 2.7-inches in size the fixed rear plate LCD on the EOS 1100D is large enough to enable it to be adequately used with live view. Resolution is a so-so 230k dots however, and the screen’s not large enough to totally distract from the optical viewfinder sitting above however, which provides an alternative traditional means of composing shots on an SLR.

Alternatively the EOS 600D thats sit just above the 1100D in the range, adds a vari-angle LCD.

Offering 95% frame coverage, the viewfinder here is large and clear, AF point/s illuminated (with nine for the camera to choose from dotted around the central area of the frame) when the shutter release button is squeezed halfway. Incidentally, although it’s the beginner model, the EOS 1100D purportedly uses the same 63-zone metering system as Canon’s semi pro and rather magnificent EOS 7D, so we’re expecting even results.

Canon EOS 1100D Speed

The EOS 1100D powers up from cold in just over a second, a second later and you can be taking your first shot. A full resolution JPEG is committed to memory in approximately two seconds, an alternative uncompressed Raw file a second longer. Although this is an entry model, we didn’t feel we were kept waiting.

The 12.2 megapixel APS-C sized sensor at the heart of the EOS 1100D may not sound over burdened with pixels compared to the 16MP and 18MP models further up the range, but as less pixels can equal less noise – and 12 million pixels is plenty for most of us – this isn’t always a bad thing.

High speed burst shooting at up to three frames per second is further offered (standard spec for a beginner model) whilst light sensitivity starts out at ISO 100 and tops out at a reasonable ISO6400, what we’d expect at the entry level.

Canon EOS 1100D Battery

The EOS 1100D features a chunky rechargeable lithium ion LP-E10 battery that slots into the base of the handgrip, adjacent to which is a vacant port for SD media card. Fine though that is, we’d have preferred a media slot at one side, as we had to remove the camera from a tripod to get at the card.

The battery life meanwhile is good for 700 pictures from a full charge, which is very good indeed, being three times the duration of some alternatives (such as Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-G3). So there’s the opportunity here to leave that charger at home for the short break holiday.

Canon EOS 1100D Pictures and video

Being an entry-level model the 1100D’s video capability unsurprisingly and forgivingly falls short of the Full HD, at the lesser 720p.

The camera doesn’t offer full time auto focus in this mode, so if you do zoom in or out whilst filming, manual focusing is required to help out. Maximum clip duration is a short of class leading 17 minutes; again not class leading but enough for most of us. HDMI output is provided under a side flap for hooking up the camera to a flat panel TV.

In terms of still images, the 1100D will please anyone looking to up their game. Though we find the Canon’s default colour setting a little subdued, choosing the likes of vivid mode adds some needed contrast and saturation. Shame then that this setting has to be reset if the camera is subsequently turned off, although that doesn’t appear to be the case when selecting the likes of ISO in Program mode, which is retained.

Though detail is softer and noise/grain visible in shadow areas at maximum ISO 6400 setting we were still able to achieve usable results, but stick to ISO 1600 or below to be on the safe side. And while the kit lens could perhaps be sharper this is true of almost any kit lens. We were able to get some lovely close ups with nicely defocused backgrounds nonetheless.

Canon EOS 1100D Verdict

If you really are something of a novice, then a less chunky compact system camera with interchangeable lens might be a better way to go initially. However if you’re looking further ahead and considering the 1100D as a possible first step in the adoption of the larger and more expansive Canon system, with a view to trading upwards in a couple of years, then this EOS begins to resemble a sound and sensible purchase option. OK, so the headline spec may not be up there with the best of the best, but the value added price reflects that and will enable you to be up and shooting more professional looking pictures quicker than you might think.

Canon EOS 1100D price: £360-£410 body only; £420-£460 kit
Canon EOS 1100D launch date: Out now, link Canon

Canon EOS 1100D Specs:

Sensor: 12.6 megapixel 22.2×14.7mm APS-C CMOS sensor
Lens: 18-55mm IS II zoom on test
Screen: 2.7-inches, 230,000 resolution
Viewfinder: Pentamirror 95%
Stabilisation: Mega OIS
Video: 1280×720 pixels at 29.97 fps
Storage: SD, SDHC or SDXC media card
Battery: 700 shots per charge
Connections: USB 2.0, AV out, mini HDMI port
Dimensions/Weight:129.9×99.7×77.9mm, 495g (with battery and card)

 from http://burjo1000.com/

Canon EOS Rebel T3i (600D) DSLR camera review



Announced on January 7, 2011, a year and a day after the release of the EOS Rebel T2i (550D), the Canon EOS Rebel T3i (more frequently known as the 600D) is Canon’s latest attempt at offering entry-level photographers a fully featured, but affordable camera that comes closer than ever to stepping on its pricier stablemates’ toes. One couldn’t help but to notice on announcement day though, that the new flagship Rebel both sounded and looked a lot like the previous flagship, so that in nearly every key regard, the T3i is essentially unchanged from the T2i. The 18MP sensor is likely quite similar to that found in the T2i, the 7D, and 60D (there are indications that the gapless microlenses are now gapless-ier?), the AF system is the same 9 point system on the T2i, the same 63-zone metering system remains, and the ISO range (100-12,800) and continuous shooting rate (3.7 fps) also remain exactly the same. So what are we dealing with here? A rebadged T2i? Well, no…not quite. Externally the biggest difference is the T3i’s excellent vari-angle display, similar in design to that found on the EOS 60D, including the 3″ 1,040,000 dot LCD. The outside has also been mildly resculpted, and more grip material has been added on the camera’s non-grip side, the net result being that the T3i looks, feels, and grips better than ever.

The other changes are a mix of trickling down the 60D’s creative filters, and the addition of beginner friendly features like the new EOS Feature Guide which offers explanations of various camera settings, and a new Basic + function which allows the unexperienced to make camera changes via easy to understand setting options. To summarize, here’s the key differences separating the T3i from the T2i:

Vari-angle display

Feature Guide

Basic + function

new “Scene intelligent” Auto Mode, which is rebranded “A+” on the shooting mode dial (replaces “Green Zone”)

‘Creative Filters’ (applicable only in playback)

Multi-aspect ratio shooting (3:2, 4:3, 16:9, 1:1)

‘Video Snapshot’ mode combines smaller video clips into one larger clip

Auto Lighting Optimizer adjustable in 4 levels

3x and 10x magnification with Movie Digital Zoom feature (crops from the sensor with no loss in quality)

Image rating (1-5 stars)

Manual audio level control

Eye sensor LCD now replaced with ‘DISP’ button

Integrated Wireless flash controller with multi-flash support

If you’re thinking a T2i with a firmware update, you’re probably more than half right. The T3i is part of a clear recent trend, where new cameras feature fewer and fewer significant upgrades, in part because even entry-level cameras are so good now. There’s frankly very little wiggle room between entry-level cameras and more advanced amateur models, forcing camera makers to make arbitrary feature lists designed to appeal to various sub-$1000 price points. Still, the T3i is a better camera than the T2i, and that’s just based on the improved feel and grip of the T3i and the versatile articulating LCD. Additionally the T3i should be even easier to use for less skilled photographers, and for videographers, the T3i really becomes a no-brainer choice for anybody wanting to take great video on a limited budget. It’s not a huge upgrade, but the T3i has enough going for it to remain a compelling entry-level option for the next year long product cycle.

Specifications
Camera	Canon EOS Rebel T3i (600D)
Street Price	$899 with 18-55mm lens | $799 body only
Sensor	18MP 22.3 x 14.9 mm CMOS sensor
AF System	9-point CMOS sensor | F5.6 cross-type at center, extra sensitivity at F2.8
ISO Range	100-12800
Continuous Shooting	3.7 fps for 34 Large/Fine JPEG / 6 RAW frames
LCD	Vari-angle 3.0″ LCD , 1,040,000 dots
Viewfinder	Pentamirror, 95% frame coverage, Magnification: 0.85x
Shooting Modes	Program AE (Shiftable), Shutter-priority AE, Aperture-priority AE, Manual exposure, Automatic depth-of-field, Scene Intelligent Auto, Flash Off, Creative Auto, Programmed Image Control modes, E-TTL II autoflash program AE
Scene Modes	n/a
Video	1920 x 1080 (1080p, 16:9) @ 30/25/24 fps, 1280 x 720 (720p, 16:9) @ 60/50 fps, 640 x 480 (4:3) @ 60/50 fps, MOV format using H.264 compression, linear PCM audio
Output	USB 2.0, Video out (PAL / NTSC) (integrated with USB terminal), HDMI mini output, E3 type wired remote control, Remote Controller RC-6, External microphone
Storage	SD / SDHC /SDXC cards
Dimensions	5.2 x 3.9 x 3.1″ / 133.1 x 99.5 x 79.7mm
Weight	18.2 oz / 515g Body only

Technical Analysis

The Canon EOS Rebel T3i features an 18MP 22.3 x 14.9 mm CMOS sensor, which likely is quite similar to those found in the both the EOS 60D and the Rebel T2i. Various sources have indicated that this new sensor may have been improved with even smaller gaps between what were previously described as gapless micro lenses. Regardless, one wouldn’t expect large differences in image quality between the T3i, the T2i, and the 60D, and that’s largely in line with what we’ve found. We have looked back at several of our ISO test shots taken with the T2i and 60D, and have noticed a very slight improvement in the T3i, but it’s so small that it’s unlikely to make a difference in printed results.

At lower sensitivity settings, image quality is very good, excellent in fact. The photo quality is highly appealing with a nice punchy look, and thanks to 18MP of resolution, frequently packing a high degree of detail. We’ve been impressed with the T3i’s metering (63-zone iFCL sensor), as it’s done a real good job at handling high contrast situations. Likely due to Highlight Tone priority, the T3i has done a great job of avoiding blown highlights, which has been good for us considering this year’s snowfall.

ISO performance is also pretty impressive, especially considering that conventional wisdom suggests that 18MP should lead to a substantial amount of noise at higher sensitivities. At its top (extended) range of ISO 12,800, the T3i is punished with a substantial amount of chroma noise, but pull it down a stop or two, and things get quite usable. If you need to work at ISO 1600, the T3i can handle it, maintaining detail and only showing a very fine and minimal amount of noise. Bump the ISO to 3200 or 6400 and that noise pattern gets bigger, but even here things are surprisingly useful. To be fair ISO 12,800 may even have some uses in the right setting, which isn’t too bad considering the T3i’s entry level status.

Thus far all of this has been assuming the camera is set to RAW, but JPEG output is nearly as good. Again the output is very punchy, but not overly so, and the files remain nicely detailed until reaching into the higher ISO ranges, where noise reduction takes a toll on image detail. We found much more detail in the RAW files though, so to really take advantage of the T3i’s resolution, you’ll want to work in RAW and manage image sharpness and noise reduction yourself. Of course via Canon’s “picture styles” you can improve your in-camera results, so at least in JPEG, you might consider bumping the sharpness a notch or two.

The T3i now also features Creative Filters as seen on the EOS 60D. We’re all for creative filters, but the T3i only allows them to be applied post-capture. It would be infinitely more useful to see the effects live, and would likely lead to them being used more. The options include Grainy B/W, Soft Focus, Fish-eye effect, Toy camera effect, and Miniature effect, and in their favor, the filters are pretty cool visually, and even customizable to some degree. As you’d expect, the filtered images are saved as a new file, so don’t worry…you can keep your original.

All in all it’s difficult to find fault in the output of the T3i. As with the 7D, the 60D, and the T2i, our only concern for photographers making the T3i their first DSLR, is that the likely included kit lens probably won’t flatter the T3i’s image sensor as much as nicer glass would. Let’s put it this way, if you get the T3i, you’ll want to buy better glass, and fast. Still it’s hard to fault a camera for providing too much detail, which in addition to very pretty pictures, the T3i is skilled at producing.

Focusing duties are handled by a 9 point AF system with a centered  cross-type f/2.8 focus point and 8 single axis points. Thanks to a well located button, focal points are easily changed either in the viewfinder or on the LCD using the command dial or the multi-selector. Focusing performance is fast and reliable in just about every scenario we tested it in, and more so than many entry level cameras, the T3i can even handle light action shots, though you’ll be hampered by the 3.7 fps shooting rate. The fast and reliable AF is in stark contrast to the T3i’s live view AF which is just as slow as the T2i. Given the wonderful LCD, and our experience with other recent DSLR live view AF systems, we’d hope for some improvement, but to no avail. Live view focusing speeds are nicely improved by opting for the T3i’s AF Quick mode which uses phase detection to focus, but at the expense of accuracy and LCD blackout. Still, you’ll want to opt for it in general shooting scenarios, because the contrast detect option is just too darn slow. On the plus side, being able to use 10x magnification on an LCD like this is a real plus, so if you’re a tripod based Live View shooter (macro, landscape) you are definitely going to want to try live view and manual focus.

Outside of the average 3.7 fps continuous shooting speed and 6 RAW frame burst depth, general camera operation is nicely responsive, with the T3i smoothly moving through its various options, settings, and menus, and even making the jump to playback with near no delay. Startup times are near instant, just turn it on, and it’s ready to go.

Ok, so not much has changed in the image quality and performance departments, but as we’ve indicated in our intro, most of the T3i’s changes come in the form of exterior modifications, the new LCD, and new camera functions. Combined, the T3i is easily the best feeling, best looking, and most enjoyable Rebel to use yet.

On the outside, the T3i benefits from subtle resculpting. We’ve never been fans of the thin shallow grip that’s afflicted previous models (though we hear a preference for it by many female photographers), but thankfully the T3i now offers a camera grip that is actually quite comfortable, almost surprisingly so given the subtlety of the changes. Combined with the grooved channel for the thumb on the rear, the T3i is a much better camera in the hand than the T2i, and the addition of more grip material on the camera’s non-grip side make it feel better, while looking more professional. Build quality is very good, certainly no different than that of the T2i, and the only real distinct danger point, the hinge of the articulating LCD, is beefy enough to withstand frequent use and some degree of rough handling. Our only trouble spot is with the T3i’s USB and HDMI connection cover. Placed right at the edge of the vari-angle LCD’s hinge, it has an easy to catch edge that is tricky to fully close, leaving it vulnerable to dust or moisture.

from http://www.cameragearguide.com/