I’m Buying A Canon T3i- Any Objections? Any Advice?

For months I’ve been planning to buy a Digital SLR camera, and I’ve shared a few of my experiences here (I put a list of those posts at the bottom of this one). Finally, at the beginning of the summer I decided on the Canon T3i. Read my logic for what I’m buying and let me know if you have any objections or corrections. I’m not a photography expert, and I’d love your advice. Why did I wait until now to pull the trigger and buy it? They released the T4i at that moment. Since then, the price of the T3i has dropped by $300. $300 for waiting a few months.

As a major nerd, I normally don’t buy old technology and I normally don’t buy refurbished, but in this case I’m doing both. This camera may be a generation old, but it is still extremely high tech for a camera. It has a high resolution moveable display, takes 18mp uncompressed photos and 1080P video, and can shoot 3.7 frames per second. It also offers the EOS utility which allows for live capture from the camera of images onto a computer. This is great for stop-motion animation- a hobby of mine. Apparently it also connects to iStopmotion 3 (review here) as well.

Canon’s refurbished models are even cheaper, saving an additional $200 over the new model. All told, I’m saving more than I’m spending which leaves room for some accessories. I’m planning on buying a nice case to protect it, though I don’t know which (let me know if you have suggestions), a fast 8-16 GB SDXC memory card, and an extra battery. I’m also considering buying the 75-300mm Lens for some extra range, although I’ll decide on that after I buy the camera. Any Suggestions?

So that’s my decision, but as I said, I’m no photo expert and I’d love to hear your opinion before I buy. If you have any experienced photo friends, send them here as well. I’d love some advice.