Canon Rebel T1i

Canon set the bar low – price-wise – this morning for digital SLRs that can shoot both photos and HD video with its new budget-friendly 15.1-megapixel Canon Rebel T1i digital SLR. Along with shooting high-resolution still images, the Canon EOS Rebel T1i DSLR can capture full HD (1080p) at 20 frames per second; or 720p HD at 30 frames per second. It can also capture standard definition video at 30fps.

Selling for $899 as a kit (which includes an 18-55mm IS lens); or $799, body only, the Rebel T1i is now the lowest priced DSLR/HD video combo cam on the market. Its closest rival is the Nikon D90 which sells for approximately $999, body only. Meanwhile, the Canon 5D Mark II – which can also shoot HD video but is aimed at professional photographers – retails for $2,699.

DemystifyingDigital.com recently got some exclusive hands-on time with a pre-production "beta" version of the Rebel T1i during an hour-long stroll through midtown Manhattan with the camera. Canon representatives were nice enough to let this new flagship Rebel off the leash – something they rarely, if ever, have done with new products in the past – so I could shoot and share still photos and HD video captured with the T1i with DemystifyingDigital.com readers.

But first a disclaimer about the sample images you see on this page and the video you can see by clicking here. Since they were shot with a pre-production Rebel T1i, they are only meant to give readers an idea of what this camera is capable of, not as a final representation of its image quality. They have been reduced in size to make them more web-friendly but no photo manipulation, other than some cropping, has been performed on them.

Though I was told by a Canon rep that the Rebel T1i beta unit I shot with last week was "pretty close" to being a final version of the camera, it still should be considered a pre-production unit.

Aside from the black tape that Canon placed over the badging of the T1i I was shooting with to hide its identity, it looked much like the 12.1MP Rebel XSi. Incidentally, the Rebel XSi and the Rebel XS will remain in the line-up while the Rebel XTi has been discontinued.

Rebel, Rebel
Though it doesn't have a flip-out screen as some blogs erroneously predicted in recent weeks, the Rebel T1i does have a nice 3-inch LCD display with 920,000 dots of resolution. The 15.1MP CMOS sensor in the Rebel T1i is almost exactly the same as the sensor in the prosumer-level 50D, though it has a two-channel readout compared to the four-channel readout in the pricier model.

"It's a way to separate the products between the consumer-level Rebel T1i and the higher-end 50D," explained Lisette Ranga, a marketing specialist at Canon who joined me on my brief field trip with the Rebel T1i. (You didn't think they'd let me out alone with a pre-production Canon Rebel, did you?)

Along with being a notch slower than the 50D for shooting still photos, the Rebel T1i's two-channel readout sensor only allows it to capture 1080p high-def video at 20fps.

While this may be fine for shooting slow-moving or static subjects in 1080p, anything faster will look herky-jerky and jittery in playback. I'm not sure why anyone would want to shoot a static subject with full high-def video and I'd hazard a guess that this will be one those "what was Canon thinking?" type features.

Ranga suggested the 1080p, 20fps mode could be used for shooting interviews which makes sense unless you're interviewing someone who can't sit still. (Yes, I know a few interview subjects who are like that.) Also, since there's no external mic jack on the Rebel T1i, you'll have to rely on the built-in monaural microphone which has decent though not spectacular range and so-so sound.

Shooting HD
Having said that, I did find 720p HD on the T1i to be perfectly adequate for consumers who may only want to play back their short movies on their computer monitor or a high-definition TV set. The T1i has an HDMI port so you can connect it directly to an HDTV.

Professionals will, obviously, gravitate to the more expensive 5D Mark II which shoots 1080p at 30fps. (And no, there's no 24p simulated film mode in the new Rebel T1i as some video buffs have been asking for.)

It's a bit easier to get into the video mode on the Rebel T1i than on the 5D Mark II. Just turn the model dial on top to the movie camera icon and press the LiveView button on back – symbolized by a red dot – and you're firing away in HD. (The camera defaults to 720p HD.) The Rebel T1i can record video of up to 4GB per clip; or approximately 12 minutes of full HD video, 18 minutes of 720p video, or 24 minutes of SD video.

I brought the Rebel T1i into Grand Central Terminal and shot stills and video with the camera of frantic commuters scurrying to their trains. The pre-production camera fared well shooting in low light at ISO of up to 3200, though at ISO 6400, images shot with this beta unit were fairly noisy. (Emphasis on "beta" unit, please.) There's also an H2 ISO 12800 setting but I'd stay away from that except in extreme shooting conditions – i.e. pitch black – when there's no other way to get the shot.

Another odd choice with the Rebel T1i's HD mode is that the ISO is not manually configurable. It defaults to an auto ISO setting which I quickly learned you can "trick" by metering exposure off a dark area in your movie before you start recording. In the case of the short movie you see on this page, I was able to get the ISO to go to 800 which lightened the dark commuter terminal considerably.

Shooting Photos
Though I can't pass judgement on its image quality since this was just a beta unit, the Rebel T1i performed much like fellow cameras in the Digital Rebel line-up when taking photos – brisk and snappy.

The T1i is powered by the Canon DIGIC 4 image processor with 14-bit analog-to-digital conversion. If it's like other Canon cameras with this same system, tonal gradations should be smooth and color should be bright and punchy but not oversaturated. Although I was shooting with a pre-production model, images I captured on a slightly grey afternoon with the T1i seemed consistent with other Canon cameras I've shot with of equal caliber which is a good sign.

Shooting speed on the Rebel T1i is a quick 3.4 fps for up to 170 large/fine JPEG images or up to nine RAW images in a single burst when using a class 6 or higher SD card. The camera uses the same 9-point autofocus system as many consumer/prosumer models in Canon's DSLR lineup.

One new addition to the menu interface on the camera is a Quick Screen feature which lets you view movie and photo settings on the LCD and quickly change them by turning the command dial. Not revolutionary, but helpful.

Overall though, since I can only comment superficially on the images and video and since this model doesn't differ drastically from other recent Rebel cameras – aside from the bump in resolution and the HD feature – there's not a lot more I can say about the Rebel T1i at this point.

On face value though, this new entry-level hybrid DSLR from Canon looks to be a pretty good bargain. I'm looking forward to putting the Rebel T1i through its full paces when it comes out in early May.