Finding quality equipment

I'm venturing into digital photography. Like I've mentioned in the past, I don't have the equipment and space to keep doing caffenol + black and white film photography, but I still want to take pictures. Digital will allow me to take pictures in color, learn a new medium, and it's more convenient. Because of my new interest, I have been researching like crazy what camera is best for me and what other equipment/tools I will need. I'm looking into purchasing a Canon T3i. Vlogger, Sarah Rae Vargas, uses a Canon T4i for her vlogs and I like the quality of her videos, but a college classmate of mine uses the T3i and I like the quality of her pictures. I feel that there wouldn't be much difference between the two. I'm starting off and limiting myself on how much I'll spend, so T3i may be my choice.
I've been looking for new and used cameras on Amazon, KEH, and B&H photo. I would look on eBay, because I got a really awesome macro lens for my Pentax K1000 on there, but I'm just really apprehensive about buying a camera or camera parts on eBay as of lately and for something I'm completely venturing into "blindly." I'm struggling on deciding whether to buy a camera body & lens together or trying to find the body for cheap on one site, then look for the lens on another. Again, I'm still learning and researching, so I don't know. What do you think? Comment below your suggestion(s)!
I asked my photo-friend about memory cards and batteries, she told me to get a battery that goes with my camera (Canon camera = Canon battery), so that's what I've been doing lately. I've added a few on my wishlist. I have to look for a reasonably priced battery charger and some memory cards, next. My photo-friend recommended SanDisk, which I have used in the past and usually lean towards. However, I found this awesome web page with memory card recommendations for the Canon T3i here [x]. Once I get the necessary basics, I'll look into a carrying case and a tripod. Maybe even decent photo editing software, Any recommendations on that? Anyway, I know I said I wanted to purchase some lenses for my iPhone 6, but after some research, I discovered that the kind that I want will not fit on my phone once my Otterbox Defender case gets here. I will have to take my case off to use the lenses and I don't have time for that. Taking my case off and on will stretch it out, plus the entire thought of doing that seems exhaustive/inconvenient. Maybe I will find lenses that can work around the case, maybe I change my mind and decide to go through the trouble of taking my case on and off. Who knows...

Center City Park, Greensboro, NC

On 18 April 2013, my photography class and I went to Downtown Greensboro for a workshop/field trip to explore the area and take pictures. My teacher told me about a park and the middle of downtown and I ended up falling in love. There were so many shapes, so much movement, people, and activities to take pictures of up. I think what particularly interested me was the curves, lines, and shapes of the three different fountains in Center City Park. In addition, I fell for the way the water in the fountain moved. I had so much to take pictures of and so much to look at. For once, I was excited to get out there and take pictures. It didn't to matter to me who all was in the park that may be watching me do what I do - I was "geeking out" and capturing the best essence of what interested me the most. The most eventful part of the trip was gaining photographic clientele. I got contact information from four different people while in the park, because they wanted me to send them the pictures that I had take of either them or their little ones that I used as in-the-moment models. I haven't had a chance to digitally upload the rest of my images, but below are what I was able to get to throughout this evening.

As stated in older posts [x] [x] [x], I take my black and while film negatives and scan them into an Epson scanner to create a digital photograph which can later be printed off into a digital print.

Copyright infringement applies to my photographs. Unauthorized use of my images on other websites is prohibited.

Gregarious Ali Spotlight - Hodgin Valley Farm

Copyright infringement applies to my photographs. Unauthorized use of my images on other websites is prohibited.

"More than Meets the Eye" - Hodgin Valley Farm in Pleasant Garden, NC. 

"Drop" - Hodgin Valley Farm in Pleasant Garden, NC. 

"Acrophobia"- Hodgin Valley Farm in Pleasant Garden, NC. 

"Camouflage" - Hodgin Valley Farm in Pleasant Garden, NC. 

"Stand Out" - Hodgin Valley Farm in Pleasant Garden, NC. 

Gregarious Ali Spotlight

Now that I've learned how to scan my negatives, I need to buy more film so I can take tons of new pictures. I'm falling in love with my photography and the Mims Digital Lab. Below are a few of my negatives that I scanned this evening and turned into digital images. Copyright infringement applies to my photographs. Unauthorized use of my images on other websites is prohibited.

"Halloween" - My apartment door Halloween '12.

"Fire Safety" - One of the first pictures I ever took. 

"Conceptual Contrast" - My nephew's face lathered in oil and my niece's face smothered in flour mixed with water. A contrast of slick/clean and gunky/messy. 

"Conceptual Contrast: Young and Old" - My dad and niece.

"Leap" - My niece taking a smaller jump from the same tree as her brother.

"Valiant" - My nephew leaping from a tree.

"Launch" - My niece jumping from the swing. 

More of my photography can be found here [x].

What is Caffenol?

"Caffenol is a photographic alternative process." [x] Caffenol is composed with Instant Coffee (Caffeine), Washing Soda, and Powdered Vitamin C. There are various recipes for different types of film and photo paper, but the key to successful development with Caffenol is finding a recipe which works best for you. I use Ilford HP5 Plus 400 Black and White 35mm film (36 exposures) as well as Ilford Multigrade IV RC Deluxe Glossy Paper for Black & White prints. When I develop film, at the suggestion of my professor, I have found it best to also add Potassium Bromide (kBr) as a restrainer in development - to prevent over development - and to reduce fog. I do not use kBr when developing prints, however. Listed below are the two Caffenol recipes I use for developing film and prints.

Caffenol Film Recipe*

• 54g/L Washing Soda
• 10g/L Powered Vitamin C
• 40g/L Instant Coffee
• 1g/L kBr

Ensure that you mix this recipe thoroughly and let it sit for 5 minutes or until your mix is at 68 degrees F before you begin development.

Caffenol Photo Recipe**

• 45g/L Washing Soda
• 16g/L Powered Vitamin C
• 18g/L Instant Coffee

Ensure that you mix this recipe thoroughly and let it sit for 5 minutes.

* = 1L is equivalent to 1000mL. 1L can be used to develop exactly 4 rolls of film at once. If developing only one reel, reduce this recipe by a fourth.

** = 1L is equivalent to 1000mL. For single use development of prints with a tray that you're not sharing with others, I suggest reducing this recipe by a fourth.