The Canon EOS Rebel T4i ($849 list, body only) SEE IT is the successor to the Rebel T3i, a camera that suffered from very slow autofocus in Live View mode. The T4i does a much better job, especially when used with Canon's latest STM lenses. It's not without its flaws, the most glaring of which is the small pentamirror optical viewfinder. The 18-megapixel shooter doesn't manage to oust the Nikon D5100SEE IT as our Editors' Choice for digital SLRs under $1,000, but it may be better camera if you're more focused on video performance.

Design and Features
About standard when compared to other D-SLRs in its class, the T4i measures 3.9 by 5.2 by 3.1 inches and weighs 1.1 pounds without a lens. Even though the competing Pentax K-30 See it at Amazon UK is a smidge smaller at 3.8 by 5.1 by 2.8 inches, it's heavier at 1.4 pounds. This is due in part to its solid glass pentaprism viewfinder, which is larger and brighter than the pentamirror found in the T4i. If you're used to using the rear LCD of a point-and-shoot to frame the size of the viewfinder it may not bother you, but users who are accustomed to the large finders in older 35mm SLRs will likely find it lacking.

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Experienced shooters demand a camera that provides easy access to shooting settings. The camera's Mode Dial, which sits next to its power switch, gives you access to a number of scene modes, which configure the camera to shoot sports, landscapes, and macro images, among others. The dial also lets you use Automatic, Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual shooting modes. The T4i's control layout works, although it does feature only one control dial. You'll need to move up to the EOS 60D to get dual dials; the Pentax K-30 is one of the few mid-range SLRs with two control dials. There are control buttons to adjust ISO, White Balance, the Drive mode, Exposure Compensation, Autofocus mode, Exposure Lock, and Autofocus Point.

There's also a Q button, which allows you to adjust many of the same settings, along with the Metering mode, from the rear LCD. You can use the physical controls to navigate, or touch the screen to change settings. The display itself is extremely sharp and bright, thanks to a 1,040k-dot resolution. It's housed on an articulating arm, so you can view it from above, behind, or face it forward for self portraits.