Canon EOS Rebel T1i

	Design & Layout
	Sample Photos	Page 5 of 9	Modes

Design & Appearance

No surprises to report here. It's a Canon Rebel SLR, and it looks like a Canon Rebel SLR, with the only noteworthy appearance tweak we noticed a change from a black to a silver mode dial. There is one bit of good news, though: the Rebel T1i will be sold in black only, without the ugly silver body option available for the XS and XSi.

Size & Handling

This is a very lightweight, compact SLR, measuring 5.1 x 3.8 x 2.4 inches (128.8mm x 97.5mm x 61.9mm), precisely the same as the Canon Rebel XSi, and weighing just over a pound (16.9 oz., or 480g) without lens. Your reviewer has large hands (no, that's not them in the photo below), which caused some concern when starting to shoot with the T1i. Fortunately, the grip is deep enough, and the distance between the grip and the lens wide enough, to allow a reasonably comfortable handhold, and the positioning of the shutter button on an angled platform up front worked perfectly. For those with smaller hands, the T1i should fit particularly well, and the light weight gives it a portability edge compared to most digital SLRs.

The size and weight proved particularly helpful when shooting video. The other video-enabled Canon, the 5D Mark II, is a far more ruggedly built machine than the T1i, but there's a price to be paid when trying to hold a 3-pound-plus (with lens) device steady for video capture, or to pan it smoothly. The featherweight T1i is highly maneuverable, light enough to hold away from your body easily when shooting using Live View, and easy to snap from horizontal to vertical and back again when shooting stills.

Small-handed shooters will find the T1i body fits like a glove.

Menu

There are two menu systems available here. The Quick Menu turns the full-screen LCD information display into a fast-access tool for changing the settings shown. Pressing the Set button toggles between the Quick Menu and the static information display. With ready access to ISO, white balance, exposure compensation, Picture Style, image size, drive mode, self-timer and metering mode, plus the dedicated function buttons located on the back of the camera, using the traditional multi-tabbed on-screen menu system was a rarity during shooting.

Most shooting functions can be changed directly via the LCD screen.

When you do press the MENU button, you're greeted with the traditional, highly functional Canon menu display. There are two tabs for recording settings, two for playback, three for system settings, and My Menu (the star icon) which lets you create your own customized menu page containing your most frequently used items.

The Canon menu structure is easy to read and navigate.

Ease of Use

The T1i offers a nice balance of flexibility for sophisticated shooters and point-and-shoot auto mode for compact camera converts. The full menu system can get complex as you wander off to the custom settings area, but it's perfectly feasible to ignore that rocky terrain and learn to adjust basic camera settings using the simpler record mode menus, or the full-screen LCD settings access. As for the control buttons, the layout is easy to master and labels are legible and well placed, with two exceptions (the focus lock and focus area labels sitting on top of the camera while the buttons are on the back below).

Sample Photos	Page 5 of 9		Modes
Canon EOS Rebel T1i First Impressions Digital Camera Review Navigation
Intro	Product Tour	Hardware	Sample Photos
Design & Layout	Modes	Controls	Conclusion
Specs & Ratings