DSLR Roundup

5. Canon Rebel T1i

We take a look at five entry-level Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) still cameras, from brands including Nikon, Canon, Olympus and Sony.

HD Video at 20 fps

One of the most highly-anticipated new features of the Canon Rebel T1i is the addition of Full HD 1080p video. Unfortunately though, the new video mode isn't quite as promising as it sounds. For starters, the camera's software doesn't allow for a frame rate of above 20 fps at this resolution, which begs the question why Canon didn't at least try and push it to 24 fps.

In our tests, most of our videos were jerky and pretty disappointing. We eventually fell back to a resolution of 1280 x 720 at 30 fps. Video produced at this setting is excellent from the start, although the H.264 compression enscapulated as a .MOV file isn't the easiest format to handle on a Windows PC.

When it comes to sound recording, the T1i begins to show its limitations as the built-in microphone only captures mono audio and there's nowhere to plug in an external microphone.

Finally, although you can use Autofocus while filming, it's very slow and produces a lot of background noise, so it's still better to focus manually before you press Record than waiting until the camera is already rolling.

The Rebel T1i from Canon is a great addition to its collection of mid-range digital SLRs.  The new camera is well-built, with a 15 Megapixel CMOS sensor, a large 3'-inch 920,000 pixel screen and Full HD video.

Handling

It's hard to avoid comparing the T1i with its predecessor, the Rebel XSi. The basic structure of the two cameras is identical, and they are almost exactly the same size.  What has changed, though, is Canon's choice of materials.  While the XSi sometimes felt a little lightweight, the T1i is a more serious proposition, and we liked the new, more comfortable grip, which makes handling the camera much easier.

In general, the interface is much the same, with only a few small changes in the camera's controls.  The white balance control, for instance, has moved to the four-way control joystick, leaving room for the record button.  At the same time, the click wheel at the top of the camera now gives direct access to video mode.  Both of these modifications make it easier to switch between taking still photos and recording video, one of the key new features of the T1i.

We would have welcomed some more significant changes, such as adding a second scroll wheel on the back of the camera.  The ISO control is at the front of the grip, meaning it can quickly adapt to ambient light conditions, even if reaching it isn't very easy.

Although the XSi also had a 3-inch screen, the T1i now has a VGA resolution of 640 x 480 pixels, which is much easier on the eye.  Using the menus is much easier, and photos appear sharper.  Two proximity sensors automatically turn the screen off when you bring the viewfinder up to your eye to save battery life and avoid distractions.

Focusing has changed little either with manual focusing still a treat.  The mirrors produce a nice bright image in the viewfinder that's a pleasant 0.87 x version of what's falling on the sensor.  

The same nine-point autofocus system struggled a little in some of tests, in particularly on still-life scenes.  We found that we had to take the same shot several times, sometimes abandoning contrast-detection autofocus and just focusing manually.  Hopefully the production version of the T1i will resolve some of these problems.  

In Live View mode, where the shot you're about to take is represented on the screen rather than in the viewfinder, autofocus is not much faster than on the XSi.  Despite the inclusion of face detection, the contrast detection that forms the basis of Canon's autofocus is too slow for everyday use and is best-suited to indoor environments. When the autofocus is based on phase detection, instead, the T1i performs much better, even in low light.  

Image Quality

The sensor on the T1i isn't quite the same as the one on the 50D, which was faster and with a powerful set of microlenses.  Nevertheless, the test shots we took with our prototype T1i were pretty impressive.  Electronic interference is well-handled right up to 1600 ISO, and you can certainly make use of photos taken at 3200 ISO.  Above that, at 6400 ISO and 12800 ISO should be used with more caution, with noticeable blurriness and several dead pixels.

Such high settings are a welcome addition, though, and are useful in low light and work well for black and white.

For the most part, having a 15 Megapixel sensor is more a marketing coup than a surefire sign of better quality photos.  Indeed, taking such high-resolution snaps can be counter-productive, as it can lead to JPEGs that are anywhere from 4 to 11 MB and RAW files of up to 30 MB.  Saved at a color depth of 14 bits, these huge RAW files should, in theory, produce excellent images, but it's hard to see a real improvement in most photos.

Some useful auto correction systems are available, which picks out more details in darker areas at the expense of a slight loss of overall contrast.

The lens that ships with the T1i (a 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS) is already available and well-known.  It's the same lens that comes with the XSi and gives great quality photos for the price.  Photos are nice and sharp and the optical stabilization is excellent.

New on the T1i is an automatic correction for vignettes caused by a large range of lenses, but Canon is yet to develop a system to account for the various chromatic distortions that various lenses are known to produce.

One final point to note is that the T1i comes with a very complete set of software which allows you handle RAW files, organize your photos and remotely control the camera itself.

Here's our verdict for the time being: this preview vesion of the 500D doesn't represent a revolution in the world of digital SLRs, but it's a great camera that's a pleasure to use. Although the 15 Megapixel sensor doesn't swing it, the ability to go all the way to 3200 ISO (and beyond) without adversely affecting the quality of the image, the 3'' VGA-quality screen and HD video are all certainly welcome additions.