Canon EOS Rebel T1i

Color (15.56)

The Canon Rebel T1i was very accurate, especially with greens, oranges and flesh tones. Canon cameras in general tend to have excellent color reproduction, and the T1i is no exception, scoring above every camera in our comparison group except the Rebel XS.

To test color accuracy, we first determine which is the most accurate of the camera’s color modes (in this case, Faithful), and then photograph the X-Rite ColorChecker chart under fixed 3000 lux illumination. We then run analyses on these pictures using Imatest software, which measures the recorded photo’s variance from the known colors of the chart. Keep in mind that this test isn’t looking at the most dynamic or exciting color, but rather which is the closest to the actual values. More on how we test color.

Camera Color Comparisons					Expand
	Ideal	Canon EOS Rebel T1i	Canon EOS Rebel XS	Nikon D5000	Nikon D90	Pentax K2000
Dark Skin
Light Skin
Blue Sky
Foliage
Blue Flower
Bluish Green
	Ideal	Canon EOS Rebel T1i	Canon EOS Rebel XS	Nikon D5000	Nikon D90	Pentax K2000
Orange
Purplish Blue
Moderate Red
Purple
Yellow Green
Orange Yellow
	Ideal	Canon EOS Rebel T1i	Canon EOS Rebel XS	Nikon D5000	Nikon D90	Pentax K2000
Blue
Green
Red
Yellow
Magenta
Cyan

NOTE: Because of the way computer monitors reproduce colors, the images above do not exactly match the originals found on the chart or in the captured images. The chart should be used to judge the relative color shift, not the absolute captured colors.

The T1i outperformed all the other camera in the group bar the Rebel XS (though only barely pipping the Nikons). In Faithful shooting mode, you can expect images that have color very close to what you saw through the viewfinder, with realistic hue and saturation.

Color Modes (4.00)

The T1i has five ‘Picture Styles’ (Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral and Faithful) as well as monochrome, and three user definable settings. The customized entries are controlled by taking a supplied Picture Style and altering its settings for sharpness, contrast, saturation and color tone (this last one will make skin tones more red or yellow along an axis). If the custom setting is based off monochrome, the saturation and color tone can’t be altered, but instead filter effect and toning effects can be added. The filter effects mimic adding a colored filter film (yellow, orange, red or green) to black and white and toning effects add a color wash to the image (sepia, blue, purple or green)./o:p>

Of the color modes, Standard was slightly oversaturated, and was quite inaccurate in reproducing pinks and red, though blues and greens came out well. Portrait was significantly oversaturated, and was far from the known values for dark greens and reds. Landscape mode exaggerated blues and reds massively, and produced noticeable changes in oranges and greens in an effort to to make exciting skies and foliage. Neutral and Faithful were both very close to the ideal color values, though neutral was slightly less accurate on pinks and reds.

Color Mode Comparisons						Expand
	Ideal	Standard	Portrait	Landscape	Neutral	Faithful
Dark Skin
Light Skin
Blue Sky
Foliage
Blue Flower
Bluish Green
	Ideal	Standard	Portrait	Landscape	Neutral	Faithful
Orange
Purplish Blue
Moderate Red
Purple
Yellow Green
Orange Yellow
	Ideal	Standard	Portrait	Landscape	Neutral	Faithful
Blue
Green
Red
Yellow
Magenta
Cyan

NOTE: Because of the way computer monitors reproduce colors, the images above do not exactly match the originals found on the chart or in the captured images. The chart should be used to judge the relative color shift, not the absolute captured colors.

White Balance (8.64)

In white balance accuracy, the T1i performed below expectations, both in automatic and custom modes. The camera’s automatic WB performance was hindered by significant trouble handling incandescent illumination, and with custom white balance, it didn’t measure up to our high expectations for this feature.

We test white balance using the X-Rite Judge II, a device that produces light of the same color temperature as sunlight, compact white fluorescent bulbs and incandescent/tungsten bulbs. We photograph the X-Rite ColorChecker chart under these light sources using both automatic and custom white balance settings, and measure the deviance from pure white/gray. More on how we test color.

Automatic White Balance (10.12)

All cameras struggle with incandescent light sources, but the Rebel T1i seems to do have more trouble than most. It accurately adjusted for compact white fluorescent and dealt with daylight well enough, but the poor handling of incandescent illumination dragged down its score in this section.

Custom White Balance (7.16)

Taking a reading off a gray card allows for much greater white balance accuracy, so we score much more aggressively in this section, demanding a high degree of color accuracy.

Compared to other tested cameras, the T1i was cooler than most with daylight illumination, leaving a slight blue shift in the image.

Even though all white balance systems struggle with incandescent light sources, the T1i was especially bad, with a color error of over 2800K.

Dealing with a compact white fluorescent bulb, the Rebel T1i handled marginally better, but cooler than most.

The T1i was surprisingly inaccurate in its custom white balance performance. While only a demanding photographer is likely to notice the difference, other tested cameras, even those sold at lower prices, deliver significantly more accurate results. Overall, the T1i scored poorly in this test, as trouble with incandescent dragged down the automatic white balance results, and custom white balance was not as accurate as competing models.

White Balance Options (7.25)

Canon uses a cumbersome custom white balance system that requires you to take a reading from a stored image, instead of directly from a white or gray card.

The white balance presets can be adjusted along both amber/blue and green/magenta axes, in ±9 steps in each direction. Each step is the equivalent of five mireds (a unit that measures shift in color temperature).

The camera can bracket white balance along either amber/blue or green/magenta axes, with ±1, ±2 or ±3 steps over three shots.

Long Exposure (10.42)

The long exposure test looks at both color accuracy and image noise at reduced light levels. The T1i performed slightly below average in this category, only beating the Pentax K2000, which had really struggled on this test.

This test looks at color accuracy and image noise at light levels of 20 lux or below, at exposures ranging from one to 30 seconds. We also compare how these factors are influenced by long exposure noise reduction. This feature takes a second exposure after the first, but with the lens shut, then takes the noise data from the second and subtracts it from the first. In our experience, it does almost nothing. More on how we test long exposure.

The T1i struggles a little with color error in long exposure, especially towards the 10 and 15 second margin. The noise reduction doesn’t have much of an effect.

The noise levels stay a hair below one percent in this test, once again a little poorer than most other cameras in our test group, but not horrible. The noise reduction system actually boosted measured image noise at most shutter speeds, and doubles the amount of time it takes to shoot a photo. The chart below shows that the T1i scored lower than most other cameras, but by a relatively small margin.