Canon EOS Rebel T1i

	Noise Summary
• Noise on the high side when not using Noise Reduction • Green and yellow noise lower than other types • Extended ISO range of 100 to 12800, an impressive spread
	Color	Page 4 of 21	Resolution

Noise (6.54)

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The noise levels on the Rebel T1i were a little higher than most cameras. It wasn't very bad, but obviously squeezing 15-megapixels into the sensor have raised the noise levels a bit, putting it a touch worse than the Rebel XS and Nikon D90, but slightly better than the Pentax K2000. Turning on noise reduction mitigated this problem a little, but at the cost of losing a bit of image sharpness.

The noise test involves shooting the X-Rite ColorChecker chart at every available ISO that isn't part of the "extended range". From these images we calculate the amount of noise at each level of noise reduction using Imatest software. Click here for more on how we test noise.

 

Noise Reduction Level Comparison

With noise reduction turned off, the noise levels were a bit on the high side, hitting just over 2% at ISO 3200, though this is brought down to 1% if you crank the noise reduction all the way up. If any level of noise reduction is used, the noise is kept below 1% up to ISO 800, which is respectable.

Color & Luma Noise

The graph above shows the different levels of noise between red, green, blue and luma (gray). Usually, these are very tightly grouped together; the T1i is unusual in having lower yellow and green noise levels than other types.

Noise Reduction Off Comparison

The noise levels on the T1i ran a little higher than most others with the noise reduction turned off, especially above ISO 1600, where it ran above all the comparison cameras. Below 1600, that honor went to the Pentax K2000's, with the T1i in second.

Noise Reduction Maximum Comparison

Once the noise reduction filter was set to its highest level, the T1i effectively reduced its noise levels to the point where it was lower than most other cameras. However, our scoring is based on overall performance, resulting in a ranking slightly below the competition.

Noise Score Comparison

NOTE: We updated our testing and scoring procedures in January 2009. For comparison purposes, we re-tested several cameras we'd reviewed in 2008, producing the scores shown in the chart above for the Canon Rebel XS and Nikon D90. However, the scores in the original reviews for these re-tested cameras remain unchanged, for consistency's sake.

ISO (6.00)

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The official ISO range on the Rebel T1i runs from 100 to 3200, but has an extended range that reaches up to ISO 12,800.

In the table below are same-size crops taken from still life photos shot with each of the comparison cameras at all standard ISO settings.

 

	ISO Examples
	Canon Rebel T1i	Canon Rebel XS	Nikon D5000	Nikon D90	Pentax K2000
ISO 100
	Canon Rebel T1i	Canon Rebel XS	Nikon D5000	Nikon D90	Pentax K2000
ISO 200
	Canon Rebel T1i	Canon Rebel XS	Nikon D5000	Nikon D90	Pentax K2000
ISO 400
	Canon Rebel T1i	Canon Rebel XS	Nikon D5000	Nikon D90	Pentax K2000
ISO 800
	Canon Rebel T1i	Canon Rebel XS	Nikon D5000	Nikon D90	Pentax K2000
ISO 1600
	Canon Rebel T1i	Canon Rebel XS	Nikon D5000	Nikon D90	Pentax K2000
ISO 3200
	Canon Rebel T1i	Canon Rebel XS	Nikon D5000	Nikon D90	Pentax K2000
ISO 6400
	Canon Rebel T1i	Canon Rebel XS	Nikon D5000	Nikon D90	Pentax K2000
ISO 12800

NOTE: The images above are not used in our testing or scoring, but are included here to show real-world examples of the differences between cameras at the various ISO settings.


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