I've narrowed it down to 3 models in my price range

1) t3i-good price and should do what I want fairly well
2) t4i-more expensive but newer with a couple minor improvements
3) eos m-the main thing I like is the smaller body and seems perfect for car mounting and tight spaces. Would prob cost me the most up front with the adapter and no view finder or movable lcd.

Is the m worth it for the size or does it sound like more of a pain. I think I'll like the small form factor but I haven't used it. I have used the t3i and liked it.

t3i - tamron 17-50 VC II, my first setup and was really impressed.

I second that, get the T3i :) It is lightweight, has a swivel screen, can run Magic Lantern, and has one great feature that no other Canon DSLR has: the 3x crop mode. This feature will turn your Tamron 17-50 into a 17-150 f2.8 zoom lens!

As a second lens I can really recommend the nifty fifty 50mm f1.8 for great shallow depth of field and low light performance. With these two lenses you'll be able to cover most of your video needs.

Are you still looking? I have a T3i for sale. :)

Here is what a T3i shooting in faithful looks like. If price is an issue, go grab the Canon 50mm f/1.8 for $108 as your first prime lens for shooting in low light.

Bre and Jason's Wedding Film on Vimeo

Here's mine t3i + Canon 17-55mm F2.8. Steadycam and elder shoots were with Tokina 11-16mm F2.8

Meizi & Justice - Cinematic Highlights on Vimeo

Taky, that was really well shot. The vignette was a little distracting, though. did you add that in post, or is it from the lens or lens/variable nd combo? i am annoyed with my 24-105/ 77mm singh ray VND combo at the wide end. vignette is only eliminated at about 35mm... a lot of $ to pay for a filter that reduces your lens usability!

Hi Mike - I'm a former T2i owner, and I've shot with the T4i. Of the three cameras you've listed, I would get the T4i for its autofocus and longer uninterrupted video recording length (30 minutes for the T4i vs. 12 minutes for the T3i).

Unless you absolutely need the smaller size, I would stay away from the EOS-M (see The Camera Store review here:

Canon EOS M Hands-On Field Test - YouTube

DSLRs with viewfinders that blank out for video are bad enough, but it's difficult to justify a mirrorless camera at this price with no viewfinder at all.

And yes, the crop mode on the T3i is great (I have it on my Panasonic GH2 and GH3), but for me, a video camera with a 12 minute continuous video recording length limit and no video autofocus is not a video camera, it is a video clip camera.

If the T4i had been available when I was starting out, I might still be a Canon guy.

You can get a new T4i body with warranty from a 99.5% feedback USA seller on eBay for $564 (3 left at this price) (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=2&pub=5575034783).

Hope this is helpful,

Bill
Hybrid Camera Revolution (http://hybridcamerarevolution.blogspot.com)

Taky, that was really well shot. The vignette was a little distracting, though. did you add that in post, or is it from the lens or lens/variable nd combo? i am annoyed with my 24-105/ 77mm singh ray VND combo at the wide end. vignette is only eliminated at about 35mm... a lot of $ to pay for a filter that reduces your lens usability!

Thanks Brian, the vignette is a layer I added in lot. Its very noticeable when viewing in a small playback window. But when it goes fullscreen or watch on TV, its not that noticeable. But I will take your advise to decrease the tranparency.

Bill, its funny because I'm the opposite. Back in 2010 when I want to jump into DSLR, I bought GH1. However, that's the time Panasonic released a new firmware with the same version but not hacakbe (GH13). Thus, instead of buying 3 GH1and panny lenses, I bought 3 t2i and now all Canon glasses. To me its Panasonic short vision (blocking GH13) force me to a canon customer.

Now now matter how good GH3 is, its difficult to go Lanny and have to buy all new lenses.