Canon EOS Rebel T1i

The Canon Rebel T1i is the company’s first sub-$1000 video-enabled SLR. It has a 15-megapixel sensor, a DIGIC 4 processor, can capture video at up to 1920×1080 (at 20 frames per second), and costs $899 with an 18-55mm lens. Video SLRs are a hot item right now; both Nikon and Canon have just put out sub-$1000 models, and Pentax has a video-enabled model in the works. The T1i shares a look and feel with the other Canon Rebel models, so it is light, and doesn’t have the breadth of controls found on more expensive Canon SLRs.

In our lab testing, we hit some significant problems with the T1i. It performed very well in terms of color accuracy, but in many other areas it disappointed, especially sharpness. We were also unimpressed by the lack of manual controls in video mode, one of the major draws of shooting video with an SLR.

Overall, while a reasonably competent camera, its many drawbacks make it hard to recommend over the video-equipped Nikon D90 or D5000, or even the much less expensive Canon Rebel XS or Pentax K2000 if you don’t need video recording in your SLR.

Performance

In our extensive lab testing, the T1i only stood out in two sections: still image color accuracy and video quality. Canon cameras have a legacy of excellent color accuracy, and the T1i lives up to this. It also had decent video performance in terms of sharpness, color accuracy, and motion. However, it fared average to poorly in all the other lab tests, including low light sensitivity in movie mode. It was more or less on par with our comparison cameras in terms of image noise and long exposure, but did poorly in white balance and dynamic range. The worst problem area was image sharpness, where it performed very poorly, producing photos much softer than we expected.

Hardware

The T1i hardware seems reasonable for the price. The LCD measures three inches diagonally, and has a high 920,000-dot resolution that makes reviewing images in playback a pleasure. Just beneath the viewfinder is a small sensor that turns the LCD off when you look through the viewfinder, which saves batteries and your eyes from the bright screen.

Controls

The T1i’s controls are on the simple side, but are generally very easy to use. The camera is very friendly to new users, with six scene modes, a fully automatic mode, and Creative Auto mode, which explains some of the settings in plain English, making them easier to understand. It also has an impressive ISO spread, from 100-12,800 (including extended-range settings). However, it only has an exposure compensation of ±2 EV, is lacking in flash control, the manual white balance system is overly complicated, and lacks many controls while in video mode, most noticeably the ability to control aperture.

Sample Photos

In the following sample images, clicking on the larger image will download the full resolution original. Each photo is accompanied by four actual-size crops.

Landscape Example
				Focal length: 28mm Aperture: f/9 Shutter: 1/125 ISO: 400 Evaluative metering, landscape Picture Style, taken on an overcast day.
				The falls at Niagara show the T1i's capabilities for landscapes, and the detail shown in the image. The details on this shot look quite soft, which is a consistent problem with the T1i.

Macro Example
				Focal length: 21mm Aperture: f/4 Shutter: 1/200 ISO: 400 Spot metering, aperture priority mode, using landscape Picture Style to emphasize the colors.
				We were very impressed with the color and gradation shown in the macro photographs of these flowers.

High Contrast Example
				Focal length: 27mm Aperture: f/4 Shutter: 1/1600 ISO: 400 We metered off the sky in order to deliberately under-expose the tree, and make it stand as stark contrast to the sky and mist. Shot using partial metering, though spot metering would have been more appropriate.
				The dynamic range of the camera is good enough to capture some detail of the leaves in this shot, but not a huge amount. A small amount of noise is also visible.

Low Light Sample
				Focal length: 42mm Aperture: f/5 Shutter: 1/50 ISO: 12800 Shot in aperture priority mode, at the widest available aperture and maximum ISO to maintain an adequate shutter speed for a handheld shot. Shot without noise reduction, which would have helped with image noise, but reduced sharpness.
				By ratcheting the ISO up to 12800, we were able to get a relatively sharp hand-held shot, but with a significant amount of noise

Wildlife Example
				Focal length: 55mm Aperture: f/5.6 Shutter: 1/500 ISO: 100 Shot at the maximum aperture for the fully zoomed kit lens. Even though this was shot Landscape Picture Style, which sharpens the image, the resulting photo is still quite soft.
				The wide aperture meant that we lost detail on the birds, but it was required to keep the shutter speed high.

Signage Example
				Focal length: 28mm Aperture: f/7.1 Shutter: 1/100 ISO: 100 Auto white balance dealt with the natural daylight quite well, but partial metering off the dark sign meant that the brick wall is slightly over-exposed.
				Under bright illumination, the copper coloration comes out very well, though details are a little on the fuzzy side.

Canon EOS Rebel T1i Specs
Type	Compact SLR / System
Focal Length Minimum	18.0 mm
Focal Length Maximum	55.0 mm
Still Pixel Count (gross)	15.5 megapixels
Still Pixel Count (effective)	15.1 megapixels
Sensor Size	Canon APS-C
Sensor Type - New	CMOS
Aspect Ratios	3:2
Frame Rate(s)	20p, 30p
Original Price	799.99 $
Height	98.0 mm
Width	129.0 mm
Depth	62.0 mm
Weight	480.0 g
Model Colors	Black
Display Type	LCD
Display Size	3.0 in.
Display Resolution	920,000 pixels
Viewfinder Type	optical
Viewfinder Magnification	0.87 x
Viewfinder Coverage	95.0 % coverage
Diopter Adjustment - New	-3.0 to +1.0m^-1
Media New	SD/SDHC card
Connectivity Options	USB, A/V, miniHDMI, wired remote, hot accessory shoe
Battery Type	removable lithium-ion
Battery Model Number	LP-E5
Mirror Technology (Interchangeable Lens)	DSLR
Waterproof	No
Manual Controls	manual focus, aperture priority mode, shutter priority mode, full manual exposure, custom white balance, ISO control
ISO Options	100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, Extended ISO
Minimum ISO	100
Maximum ISO	3200

Canon EOS Rebel T1i Scores
Rating	Score	Weighting
Color Score	15.56	9.0
Color Modes Score	4.0	1.0
Long Exposure Score	10.42	4.0
Noise Score	6.54	9.0
ISO Options Score	6.0	1.5
Sharpness Score	5.02	6.0
Chromatic Aberration Score	7.7	3.0
Picture Options Score	8.75	0.5
Dynamic Range Score	5.65	6.0
Stabilization Score	6.62	5.0
Auto White Balance Score	10.12	4.0
Custom White Balance Score	7.16	2.0
White Balance Features Score	7.25	0.5
Playback Mode Score	10.5	1.5
In-Camera Editing Score	1.0	0.5
Software Score	8.0	0.5
Direct Print Features Score	7.0	0.5
Sensor Score	3.0	1.0
Viewfinder Score	9.0	1.5
LCD Score	6.1	2.5
Flash Score	8.25	1.0
Lens Mount Score	10.0	1.5
Battery Score	6.0	1.0
Memory Score	3.0	1.0
Connectivity Score	4.5	1.0
Other Hardware Score	0.0	0.5
Shooting Modes Scores	14.0	1.0
Live View Score	3.5	2.0
Scene Modes Score	4.0	0.5
Picture Effects Score	5.0	0.5
Focus Score	16.0	1.5
Exposure Score	4.5	1.0
DOF Preview Score	2.0	0.5
Metering Score	8.5	1.0
Shutter Speed Score	11.0	1.0
Self-Timer Score	7.0	1.0
Other Controls Score	0.0	0.5
Handling Score	7.0	2.5
Controls Score	9.25	2.5
Menu Score	10.0	2.0
Manual Score	8.0	1.0
Shot to Shot Score	3.45	3.0
Drive and Burst Modes Score	6.5	1.0
Video Color Score	8.52	1.25
Video Sharpness Score	11.15	1.25
Video Motion Score	7.95	0.63
Video Noise Score	12.24	0.63
Video Controls Score	2.4	1.2
Video Low Light Sensitivity Score	0.55	0.95
Video Low Light Color Score	9.57	0.78
Video Low Light Noise Score	10.16	0.78
Video Compression Score	7.0	0.95
Video Audio Score	0.25	0.3
Video Handling Score	4.0	0.73
Color Other Features Rating	0.0	0.5
Noise Other Features Rating	0.0	0.5
Playback Other Features Rating	0.0	0.5
Resolution Other Features Rating	0.0	0.5
Design & Handling Other Rating	0.0	0.5
Total:	762