What camera is like the canon eos t3i?

I have been looking at many types of cameras from the nikon d3100 to the canon rebel t3i etc. But i have realized that they might be too advanced for my liking as i will have my parents and others use it with me for pictures and so forth. What i'm looking for in a camera is that it will have a little more compact body than the t3i but very similar, also a lower price($500 max.) would be very helpful as i'm new to the more advanced cameras and don't want to spend too much as a beginner but i would love to still have 18 megapixels or higher. Any opinions and recommendations would be a great help.

Have you looked at the other competitors, the Pentax K-500 and the Sony A-58?

A DSLR is a DSLR, they all work the same way, but if you can only see Canon and Nikon, and still swallow the megapixel myth, maybe you aren't ready.

Canon's SL1 may be the smallest DSLR around.
http://www.amazon.com/...00BW6LY2Y/

As for price, the least expensive DSLR's are the Sony Alpha SLT-A58 - $450, Canon T3 - $460, Nikon D3100 - $480, and Pentax K-500 - $400.

As for operation, each of these cameras has an Automatic mode that allows you or your parents to just point and shoot.

As for megapixels, anything more than 6 is wasted on most of us. While more MP gives more resolution, what you see on your screen is less than 2 MP and you can print up to 8x10 with 6 MP. My DSLR has 12 MP and I have never needed any more.