This Post is Canon EOS Rebel T1i Review – Click below If you’re looking for:

My Overall Rating : ★★★★½

Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-Inch LCD and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens Review

Slipping neatly into the company’s dSLR product line between the XSi  and the 40D, the Canon EOS Rebel T1i (aka the 500D elsewhere in the world) pushes the XTi off the edge of the bed into discontinuity. Joined by models like the Nikon D5000 and the Olympus E-620 in that $800-to-$900-with-lens market segment, it’s not quite a budget model; more for the entry-level buyer who wants higher resolution and a better AF system, and perhaps video, than you can get for $700.

In addition to the kit with the veteran f3.5-5.6 18-55mm IS lens, Canon is shipping a body-only version for those of you who already have a lens or two lying around.

Since the body is almost identical to the XSi, including the 1.2-pound weight, the shooting experience is unsurprisingly similar. On that camera, I complained that the plastic body felt a bit cheap and I wasn’t crazy about the grip, but I suppose I’ve gotten used to it for this class of camera in the year since that review. Overall, it’s comfortable and feels solid enough. It keeps the same large, fixed 3-inch LCD; more models in this class are offering smaller but articulated LCDs, which is starting to make this seem like a competitive disadvantage. Almost all the buttons lie under your right hand, and each feels slightly different so that you can grope them without looking. None requires two-handed operation: when you push the button to change ISO, white balance, metering, and so on, the menu persists while you navigate the options.

While the modes on the dial remain mostly unchanged, there’s now a dedicated movie selection. Having it on the dial makes jumping between stills and movies more awkward than necessary; the dedicated Live View button doubles as a record stop/start when in movie mode. Canon also added the Creative Auto mode that debuted in its higher-end models, but which makes a lot more sense in this one. CA is a semimanual mode with capabilities you can view as an advanced Auto mode or dumbed-down Program mode, depending upon your viewpoint. All functions in CA are automated, with a few exceptions. Notably, it replaces shutter and aperture adjustment options with two sliding scales–Exposure (brighter/darker) and Background (blurred/sharp)–that implicitly adjust shutter speed and aperture. It’s an interesting approach for beginners who’d like to take some chances.

It also retains My Menu, which lets you build a go-to list of the most frequently accessed menu settings–in my case, for instance, format and metering settings. Canon has finally also adopted the capability to directly change most shooting settings via the information display on the LCD.

Let’s take a look at all of the Canon EOS Rebel T1i features/specification:

  • New 15.1-megapixel CMOS sensor with DIGIC 4 Image Processor
  • Includes Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens
  • Full HD video capture at 1920 x 1080 resolution; HDMI output
  • 3.0-inch Clear View LCD; Live View Function for stills (Quick, Live and Face Detection AF modes) and video
  • Capture images and video to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)

If you want to buy Canon EOS Rebel T1i, you can get it cheap online through Amazon.com here. They offer special discount price and reliable shipping service.

Let me show you what current owners have to say about it:

“…I consider myself to be more of a technophile then photographer. Every year I seem to pick up a new camera as the manufacturers add megapixels, more zoom, video, HD video, etc… to what I bought the year before at the same price point. I’ve picked up enough photography skills through out the years just playing with my new toys every year to have a moderate understanding of photography by now. Cameras are also utilized for part of my job where resoulution, zoom, and ability to get quickly on target is important. The advances in technology just in the last 3-4 years are amazing in what you can do with a small camera and the price you pay to do it.

That being said the T1i was my choice this year for my upgrade. (Last year was the Olympus E-510 which I got a great deal on as a year old model and the year before that a panasonic FZ18). Having the option to shoot both pics and video has been a big benefit for me at work and when shooting at home. The FZ18 is still my work staple although the now two years newer FZ35 is looking tempting. As far as what the panasonic bridge cameras can do in good outdoor lighting, it is very similar to what either of my DSLR’s can do, and I would say the same thing for zooming outdoors. If you are looking for a great walk around outdoor camera to take daylight pics and video with I would recommend the panasonic series handsdown and you will come out several hundreds of dollars ahead. The upper level superzoom bridge cameras now have many of the manual functions the DSLR’s do and do some nice burst shooting as well. Panasonic video is decent.

What a DSLR will give you is much better indoor, portrait, and lowlight shooting. It also allows you to better implement and use advanced skills. The trade off being the higher price of the body, larger size of the body/lens, high priced lens, flashes, etc…. No DSLR accessory is cheap. The DSLR will also require you to better understand photography and especially depth of field, shutter speeds, etc…

The T1i is a nice camera with a beautiful screen and easy to understand menu. The kit lens I would say is just OK. The build quality of the camera body (based on feel in the hand, heft, and visual inspection) seems better then the entry level Nikons and Canon XS, but my E-510 seems to be a more solidly built unit. Ditto for the kit lenses with neither brand of kit lens being all that great, but I think the Olympus lenses take better pictures. However more lens options exist for the Canon both from Canon and third party sources. As Amazon had a good package price at the time I purchased the T1i, I also picked up the 55-250mm IS lens, which I prefer over the kit offering. (I also have the basic 70-300mm Olympus lens which is similar in price to the Canon 55-250mm, and again appears to have a better build in the same price range.)

Indoors the Canon has a better ISO range then the E-510, but both take pictures that look very detailed and there is little if any noticeable difference betwen them quality wise in good indoor lighting or using the flash. Outdoors in low lighting the Canon beats the Oly. The Canon also has a better autofocus system and focuses better in low light. At zoom ranges I think the 5 megapixel difference is noticeable as the Canon with lens at 250mm resolves the same level of detail when fully zoomed as the Olympus does with the fully zoomed 300mm (basically a 400mm equivalent zoom vs. a 600mm, so I think that is impressive.) Both give you a better picture then the FZ18 when you hit the shot, but I think the auto mode for the bridge camera gives novice shooters more consistent results then the DSLR’s. Part of that may be when you get a good DSLR pic you really know it, and when you are just a little off it is easy to see it is missing that DSLR “pop”. Those up close or zoomed “potraits” is where even a very new photographer will realy notice the difference when stepping up to a DSLR. That and the lack of picture noise due to the larger sensor. (If this is a family camera purchase and you plan on rarely using a tripod, I would always recomending getting either image stabilized camera body such as the Olympus or make sure you are getting the Canon IS lenses and not the ones without. It really does make a big difference in what you can do with the camera as a novice or amateur photographer.)

As a still camera the T1i is an excellent choice especially if you are getting your first DSLR. If still pics alone are your primary concern though I would say you can get a less expensive DSLR such as the Xsi or E-620 and spend difference in price on better lenses. The T1i is the same price as I paid for my E-510, the two kits lenses it came with, and the 70-300mm zoom lens. I know that some of the differences I mentioned above are due in part to the 2 model year difference in cameras and that those differences would be lessened in the less expensive current model year cameras.

Video however was one of the biggest reasons I went with the T1i. There are just some moments that are nice to capture with video and audio rather then just still pics alone. That you can now have the ability to do that in a limited way, while getting DSLR quality stills is great. Carrying one camera is better then carrying two to do the same thing. I would rate the T1i’s video as OK for what it is. Indoors it does shoot with lower noise then a smaller sensored camera would, but the lack of lighting indoors still hurts it as it does all video cameras. I am not sure if a Canon camcorder hot shoe light would work on the T1i or not. If it did I would give Canon props. Outdoors in good light it does better. Where the DSLR gives you a lot of variety in how you shoot still pics it is limited in being able to do the same thing right now with video. A dedicated HD camcorder will still serve you better for taking shots of scenes in which the focus and range rapidly change and where you need to shoot long sessions at one time. The T1i is not designed to shoot video for extended periods due to the generation of heat which degrades image quality and per the manual will likely give you an overheating warning after about an hour or so of extended use and I think may shut the camera down. (I think the same thing would happen if you set up the camera in live view mode for that long as well). So setting it up on a tripod to record say your kids basketball game is not what it is capable of doing. If you are like me though and find that most video you shoot of everyday events is only a few minutes long at most, this will work. I have been using the 720p video most of the time as the 1080 doesn’t handle motion well. I also found that a class 6 card or better (again as the manual states) is a requirement for good 720p video. (a class 4 will work, but you will notice dropped frames and artifacts from its inabilty to keep up with the flow of data. The class 4 works for still shooting just fine although it may lessen some lengthy burst shooting).

I gave this camera 5 stars because you really do get a lot for what you pay. Yes it has limitations in the video mode but when you think about what you get for around $750 in this unit vs. what the same amount of money would have gotten you just 2-3 years ago I think it is a great camera. It takes excellent still pics, and OK HD video. If you have a DSLR that is 2-3 years old and are primarily interested in still pics, I won’t say I would upgrade. And like I said above, even if this is your first camera and don’t care about video there are less expensive choices for getting great still pics. If it is your first DSLR and you do want the option to do some videos (same with upgraders) there isn’t anything better out there right now and this is definetly the way to go. Torn between this and an HD camcorder that will take still pics I would say that the video the T1i shoots (with-in its limits) is a much better secondary option then the still photos a camcorder takes. I have taken a nice HD camcorder on a trip before and relied on its still pics and would have liked to have had what the T1i offers over that, even when considering the larger size of T1i.

Update: A month in and still getting a lot of use out of the camera. Other then xmas card pics, the E-510 has stayed on the shelf. Have used it to record 3 xmas programs and xmas day events. Video has been very good as have the stills. Switching from video to stills is easy and been a great thing to have at every event I have taken it to…”

If you want more info on this Canon EOS Rebel T1i, I suggest you take a look at the Canon EOS Rebel T1i reviews on Amazon here. A lot of consumer positive response to this Canon EOS Rebel T1i here.

Here is why Canon EOS Rebel T1i is worth buying:

Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP Digital SLR Camera : Pro

  • Excellent 15.1 megapixel sensor with impressively low noise and superb detail
  • Live View mode works very well
  • Live View mode offers a choice between phase-detect, contrast-detect modes, plus Face detect mode
  • Zoom in five or ten times with Live View
  • Image-stabilized kit lens is excellent optically
  • HD Movie mode allows capture of up to 29 minutes of video
  • HDMI output for direct playback on HDTVs
  • Small size is great for travel and all-day carry
  • Dust removal technology largely eliminates sensor cleaning chores
  • 3.0-inch, 920,000-dot LCD with a wide viewing angle for better image sharing and focus check
  • Expanded ISO offering raises options in low-light situations
  • Integrated status display conveys a lot of information
  • Fine steps in saturation adjustment control
  • Very high resolution
  • IR detection turns off LCD to reduce glare and battery drain
  • Print/Share button enables quick and easy printing and image transfer
  • Fast image transfer eliminates the need for a card reader
  • AF system works well in low light
  • Picture Styles makes choosing and customizing color modes fast and easy
  • Compatible with over 50 lenses and accessories
  • SD cards are inexpensive and easy to find
  • Peripheral Illumination correction feature fixes vignetting problems
  • Selectable auto-rotation feature rotates on the camera or only in the computer
  • Fast autofocus
  • Shutter button design allows followup shots without refocusing
  • Good macro performance
  • Auto white balance handles most situations very well
  • Print quality is excellent, making sharp 13×19-inch prints
  • Great shot-to-shot, shutter lag, and cycle time numbers
  • Enhanced AE Bracketing feature
  • Suitable for the inexperienced amateur, perfectly usable by the seasoned pro

Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP Digital SLR Camera : Con

  • AF-assist adjustment and Flash Exposure compensation are buried in the Flash Settings menu
  • Kit lens produces somewhat high barrel distortion at wide angle
  • Flash coverage is uneven, falling off in the corners
  • Battery capacity is reduced with significant use of Live View mode, the larger screen, and dust off system
  • Front lens barrel rotates on kit lens, making polarizer lens use difficult
  • Live View shutter lag is a little longer than with the optical viewfinder
  • No continuous autofocus in Movie mode
  • No manual control for exposure in Movie mode
  • Color is more saturated than XSi
  • Auto white balance leaves tungsten lighting too warm
  • High ISO noise suppression has trouble with low-contrast areas, especially in the red channel
  • Buffer seems to fill quickly when shooting in RAW mode
  • No AF Microadjustment feature
  • Shutter is noisy

Conclusion

A solid, slightly better-than-basic dSLR, the Canon EOS Rebel T1i delivers photo quality and performance that adequately compensates for most of its annoyances.

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