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Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

I worked as a journalist for many years and did my own photos (I've also done weddings) so I'm very experienced, but it's mostly with film photography. I have a basic digital camera that I went to replace for a trip to Europe this year.

I'm looking at the Canon T3i which, coincidentally, is the same camera my niece got for Christmas and she has been asking me some questions. I have these questions. First, for my niece: She has small kids and wants to photograph dance recitals from the audience. I'm not sure the flash that comes with it will be enough to properly light the children (it's the basic flash). Will it be enough to light from row 12?

No; if that's the case, the stock flash may be inadequate for her needs.

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

My questions for now:
-Does the T3i have 1080 movie capcability? What does this mean and does it produce really good quality?

As far as cameras (not camcorders) are concerned, yes. I expect you'll be quite satisfied, if not blown away.

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

-I'm concerned about weight as I haven't really handled this gear yet. If I'm carrying a body, three lenses, a flash, accessories and a bag, will that weight be too much for lots of walking?

Depends on the person. It isn't light.

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

-I see an ad for a "kit." What does kit mean? Is that the flash, maybe some filters and a bag, or what is in the kit?

Likely just a bag, a lens and a filter. Depends on the kit, however.

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

-The camera is 18 megapixels. Is that suitable for enlarging to, say, 16x20 (minimal cropping) or is that too much?

Yes; in most cases 18 MP will be amply large. It equates to 5196 x 3464 resolution. Here's a decent discussion on it: http://preview.tinyurl.com/c9v4kj9.

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

Thanks. I'll probably have other technical questions later.

Oh, for my niece: She's a total noob. I think this is too much camera for her???

Almost certainly, yes. Although it's a wonderful camera, the T3i is much closer to a professional model than a beginner's model. She may be better off starting out with the S95, G12, XSi, or similar Canon (or other brand) model with some advanced features but a much more gradual learning curve.

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

She wants to take a course but I think she'll need to be very familiar with the gear first otherwise she'll be totally overwhelmed in the course as they likely won't teach her about that model, but more about photography skills. Is this so?

Yeah, that is usually the case.