In a bind, and in need of some opinions. :3

Hey guys. It's been almost a year since I decided to intensify my efforts to visit Japan this year (goal set to no later than May). It's been an awesome roller coaster ride so far, and for the past four months, I've been making incredible progress towards this trip. :O

Recently, my parents have fallen on hard times, financially speaking. I gave them both enough money to get by (they're divorced) the two ish months it took them to get back on their feet. They said they were gonna pay me the money back, but I just can't have that. lol Figured raising me was a pain in the ass, so why not give a little back to them, eh? Haha.

So that set me back about 2,000 USD I was gonna use to buy the Canon T3i 18MP DSLR, and my round trip ticket bound for Tokyo from Ontario, CA for 12 days. Finding out I wasn't going to get anything back on my tax return this year (curtesy of Jackson Hewitt butchering my return last year, and not telling me -.-) sort of placed this giant boulder in front of me, and now, I have to think economically n' make sacrifices. Choices needed to do what I want to do, as school comes right after May.

Overtime isn't something I can just ask for at work. It only comes my way when someone from the next shift calls out, which hardly happens. lol So it's not like I can do that to make up the money I've used up. I've gone through the list of stuff I can cut off or look for an alternative to help me with the shift in budget for this trip, and still meet the deadline on things I've set for myself.

The two major things that it came down to were the camera I am/was (depends on whether or not I decide to sell off gpu/psu/ram lol) going to buy, and shortening my duration for the trip. Less time I spend there, while it would suck, the less money I'd spend on food/hotel/train fares. My Powershot is showing some serious signs of death. ; ; I've been wanting to replace it for many moons now, and after looking around. I narrowed it down to the Canon T3i and became set on it. I didn't completely hold my breath for exact date for Japan or that DSLR since my family isn't exactly the wealthiest, and was prepared to look for alternatives/sacrifices if either parents ran into a rut.

The camera I bookmarked as a "just incase" choice was the 12MP T3. I've used cameras since I was 15.. so for about 11 years now. lol Only owned two before. First one was some inexpensive Powershot I bought out of impulse on a Black Friday. I ended up dropping it one too many times and replaced it with an 8MP Canon I've used since then. Since all I've used is Canon, it's why I stuck to the brand for the upgrade to DSLR. This upgrade isn't just for my upcoming trip to the land of the rising sun, but for the hobbies I started up again. I want to use a camera that can pick up detail, and have some bokeh to it. With the point and shoots (Kodak and Fuji mostly) I've been playing around with feel like I'm playing with my dying Canon. lol Sooooo. I need a DSLR. :o I'm going to use it to shoot the Nendos/Figmas I'm gonna obtain in the future. As well as shooting Saber Alter in story-esque posts I'm also beginning to write (and I don't even have her yet LOL I'm a loser, I know <.<).

Anyway. With that in mind, I also want to upgrade before I go to visit the land of anime. I looked around to compare both cameras. Imaging Resource looks like they have the most detailed information on both of the cameras, and even provide sample pictures. I guess what I want to ask, is which camera do you guys really think is best for what I'm wanting to do? I know, if I'm supposedly on a budget, why the hell am I still considering the T3i? Because. I like to still have it as an option. You never know. The 5 360's, ATI 5870, 700w PSU, Gaming tower I forgot the name to, two 22" monitors, could sell if I ever actually get around to advertising them. ~.~;

Right now, I would like to think I'm a man on a mission, but, as it stands.. The reality is in order to make the trip. I to make a serious choice between those two cameras. Yeah, it's like a 300-400 dollar difference, but that can mean the difference between another day or two stay in Tokyo n' some food, and cutting my trip shorter then originally planned. I asked in another forum I thought was full of serious photographers, and all I'm getting so far is "Quit being cheap and buy the T3i." or "The regular T3 doesn't have bokeh, and dolls are creepy and stupid." or the "T3 DOES have bokeh. It's the T3i that doesn't. Anime sucks a fat dick btw" responses. e.x; I asked pretty specific questions, and was expecting a knowledgeable (does that word even exist? lol) response or two. Instead I got what I'm used to. ~.~;

So, I realized I should have asked here too. All I basically want in a DSLR is a decent bokeh, and the sensor (CMOS was most common I saw) to pick up detail.. that means I can't settle for a point and shoot. D: Only thing keeping me from not purchasing the T3 12MP is the lack of information I know about it. Link I provided does have the specs, but I don't know how good of a job it does for a bokeh happy figure/dollfie shoots.

I am open to other brands. I just talk about Canons 'cuz it's all I know. lol I'll be making another post like this, but about Japan, and how much I'm looking at spending.. buuuuuut, that's not for another month or two away from now.

Also, if you have any personal experiences with any of these cameras, how did - or do the ones you use for your hobbies fair? :o