Help me decide!

[GA girl]

I have been comparing DSLR cameras all week. I have narrowed my choice to the Canon t3 and the Canon t2i. There is a $200 price difference with the t2i being higher. The t2i has 18mp and the t3 has 12. They both come with a kit lens.
BUT...hh Gregg has the t3 on sale for $549 with an extra 75-300 lens.
I know that the t2i is the better camera, but as a beginner would I use all of the extra features. Would it be worth the extra $$ to upgrade?
I'm going to look at them tomorrow, but would appreciate your opinions.

[Disney Hungarian]

12 megs is more than enough for an amatuer. The advice I always give is get the camera in your hands. Take it for a "test drive." go through the menus/options. The truth of the matter is that most cameras made today take professional quality photos. My phone has an 8 meg camera and with a little photoshop I can make it look pretty good.

Depending on the model of the 70-300mm lens; whether it has an image stabilization or not will determine the value of the extra lens. Is it a Cannon lens? If it is; then it is worth a couple of hundred new. I am a Nikon guy so I am not familliar with the camera you are asking about. I would suggest that you do your research on-line both for the camera bodies and the particular lenses. I would suggest Ken Rockwell reviews of the lenses. Google it.

With DSLR's being what they are today. I would say that the features in the camera body are the most important factor in your purchasing decision. The fact of the matter it is a personal decision. Much like buying a car. Look over the options available in your price range. Try to get the best bang for your buck. And if you decide to upgrade later, you can expect about 50% of your purchase price back on Ebay if it is well taken care of and only a few years old. That helps to offset the price of the next camera you buy.

Hope my ramblings helped.