Why I Want a Canon t4i

I've been using Canon dSLR cameras for a few years now, and I love my Canon t1i. I even loved the Canon t2i that I bought for use at work. They've served me well, and I don't really have any complaints.

Except for the fact that the Canon t4i is out, it's a sweet upgrade over both cameras... and I don't have the money to spend to get it. I was just reading this comparison of the Canon t3i and t4i, and I'm impressed. But oh well, I'll probably end up waiting until I can afford the real upgrade to the Canon 7D.

However, if I did have the money to get a Canon t4i right now, here are a few reasons why I would.

High ISO. This is the number one reason why I'd love this camera. The new DIGIC 5 image processor boosts the ISO capability of the Canon t4i to 12,800. This is an extra stop over and above the t3i/t2i, and it's two steps past the original Canon t1i.

That's a huge difference for low light photography. I get so frustrated working in high school gyms or at indoor track arenas, because there's so little light. Even with a fast lens that opens up to f/2.8, it can be tough to get a quick shutter and still have sufficient light. With my Canon t1i, especially, I end up boosting a lot of photos in post and that creates a little extra noise.

If I could shoot at a higher ISO, though, that wouldn't be a problem. The 6400 on my Canon t2i is usually good, and that extra little boost from the Canon t4i's 12,800 would be awesome.

Higher Framerate. This is something you don't notice until you need it. 3.7fps (i.e. the Canon t2i/t3i) seems good. But, if you're shooting some really rapid motion like a 55mm hurdle race, a high jump, or a slam dunk, it's easy to miss that critical moment. In continuous mode, you can click through a few frames and end up at all the wrong spots.

The new image sensor also ups the speed a bit in continuous mode, so the Canon t4i captures images at up to 5fps. That's about a 50% increase beyond the Canon t3i's capabilities. Yikes! That's pretty impressive for a minor upgrade, if you ask me. It's still not as awesome at the Canon 7d's motor, but I'll take 5fps over 3.7 fps anyday.

Anyhow, those two features right there have me excited at the moment. The video stuff doesn't really float my boat, but those are some awesome bonuses for doing action photography.