I spent weeks looking through Amazon to find a replacement for my point & shoot camera that finally quit working. I looked specifically for a camera that was under $500 and had quality auto focus abilities, as I do not like to fiddle around with camera settings (because I usually screw them up), rapid fire picture taking so I don't have to wait while photographing the grandkids, superior picture quality, HD video setting, excellent battery life (a must), easy to upload to my computer and was overall reliable.I spent hours reading the comments about a number of cameras, (Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic) but kept coming back to this Canon EOS Rebel T3 because it met all of my above requirements whereas the other cameras for one reason or another (usually not good battery life or slow picture taking), did not. As a side note, one person who bought this Canon through an Amazon vendor, was not happy with the package condition upon arrival at his home, and he had to return the damaged goods. The day I decided to purchase this camera, it was actually $5 cheaper and on Prime through a vendor, however, I opted to pay the extra $5 and have it fulfilled and shipped by Amazon (whom I have never had a problem with packaging or customer service). Package arrived is excellent condition BTW.Anyway, I LOVE this camera!!!! For me, who is not a camera whiz, it does everything I want or need it to do. The button functions are easily found, the pictures are superior and the lens fits just about every need I have. However, I love this camera so much that I will probably spring for another zoom lens to experiment with more photography. I also purchased the Transcend 16 GB SDHC smart card from Amazon and that works just fine. I will have to purchase another camera case as the lens is a little too big to fit into my modestly sized old point & shoot camera case.I am very glad I purchased this Canon EOS Rebel T3!

If you're getting into photography this one of the must get list.This is a better bang for the buck than the f/1.4 version.

This lens is AMAZING! I went back and forth with a starter lens to buy that was not very expensive with my new Canon 6D EOS. All the other lenses were expensive, and I just needed something that I could take shots with and get great quality...nothing too fancy. This little guy is jam packed. I have used it for videography (mainly subject sitting still) and tons of shots closeup and far away. It has amazing quality on the manual setting or the automatic. I would recommend tho lens if you didn't want to spend a ton of money starting out.Pros: Small, Lightweight, great image quality, low price pointCons: Nothing I have experienced yet.

I wasn't expecting much when I got this cheap 50mm lens for my new Canon 80D. But after a week or two of use, I have been blown away by the image quality that this lens can produce.It's not the sharpest lens out there, but for this price you can't beat it!With the wide aperture F/ at 1.8, you have so much flexibility when it comes to low light photography and Bokeh.The lens is super small and light, very convenient.The auto focus is sort-of fast, but I feel it could be a bit faster. Its also not as quiet as people say it is (though it is quieter than most lower level lenses!)Overall this lens is a very good addition to my collection and I can see myself using it for a while!

This is my first fixed lens. I can't tell you how close I came to returning it. I just couldn't get along with it.However, reading about how much people love this lens, I figured whatever was wrong was probably my fault...and it was. I simply was not accustomed to the fixed length and the depth of field.The colors and clarity are great...once the photographer learns how to use it. While this will never be my go-to lens (I like wider views), it's nice to know I have this as a choice. I've attached a photo here, but I doubt the quality will show through here on Amazon reviews.

Haven't had the full chance to go get some really tough shots with it, but the bokeh is super creamy, it manages to add great depth and make your subject really stand out. The detail is unbelievable and the pictures all come out crisp and smooth. I do recommend opening up your aperture more for bigger subjects as the lens could blur out the edges. The stepping motor is very very loud though, but that doesn't really bother me. For the money, this lens is totally worth the investment from hobbyists to pros.

Love this ...I truly love it. I take pictures just for fun and this is a wonderful lens ... my 18-55 lens quit working so I thought I would try something new and I'm glad I did this is great..

I really love this lens. It gives you a lovely blurry background without the huge price tag. Only 4 stars because I use it mainly for video and it can be annoying when it goes in and out of focus. As far as photos go, it is 5 stars!