Canon Rebel T1i | EOS 500D
Posted by 
March 26, 2009 •
I’m I’m already looking forward to getting a D90 but maybe by the year’s end (or even next year depending on my finances). It’s a very welcome upgrade to my current dSLR, the age-old, hobbyist and newb friendly, D40. Thing is, Canon took my attention when they unveiled their latest entry-level dSLR model, the Canon Rebel T1i (or Canon Rebel 500D depending on where you live).
The Canon Rebel T1i enters the dSLR slugfest right below the 50D and in essence, the direct competitor to Nikon’s D90. Want to see if it’s worth it? Check out the specs
EOS Rebel 500D Specifications | EOS Rebel T1i Specifications
- 15.1 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor
- Full HD movie recording with HDMI connection for viewing and playback on an HDTV
- ISO 100-3200 (expandable to 12800)
- 3.4 frames per second continuous shooting
- Live Face Detect mode
- Max. 170 large JPEG images in a single burst
- 3.0” ClearView LCD with Live View mode
- 9-point wide area AF with cross type centre point
- High speed DIGIC 4 performance and superb image quality
- EOS Integrated Cleaning System
- Full compatibility with Canon EF and EF-S lenses and EX-series Speedlites, including new Speedlite 270EX, TS-E 17mm f/4L and the TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II.
Compare that to the D90 feature set.
(Note that the 500D/T1i specification is still not complete, I’ll update once dpreview has posted their review of the unit.)
The biggest draw for the Canon Rebel T1i is that it has the exact sensor for the 50D with the bonus of the ability to shoot full HD video. Canon’s sensor features impressive high-sensitivity numbers. And if you’re still the megapixel buff, the Canon T1i sports 15.1 MP over D90’s 12.1 MP. (But really, you shouldn’t rely on MegaPixel count for your camera)
Video can be shot in 3 modes:
- 16:9 720p HD at 30 fps
- 1080p Full HD at 20 fps,
- 4:3 standard TV quality (SD) at 640 x 480 pixels and 30 fps
And yes, like the D90, AF will work with the video mode.
Off the bat, the Canon Rebel T1i wins at it’s very attractive price point. The D90 body will go for about $999 and the kit with the new 18-105mm f3.5/5.6 VR zoom lens will go for $1299. The Rebel body will sell for $799 while the kit with with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens at $899.
How does it stack up against the D90? Well that’s for a future post.
The Canon Rebel T1i is bound for the Philippines this May 2009. The expected price point is in the vicinity of Php45,000.
{via DPReview and price via YugaTech}
A little update: I’m going back to Nikon. I’ll do an explainatory post a bit later.
Tags: 500D, Canon, EOS, Photography, Rebel, T1i
Not too shabby. Pero I’d wait for Nikon’s response though. 😀
Ron´s last entry was: Down with the Flu…
D85? XDD
I’m waiting for the D400 and D5000 to be unveiled.
Just when I thought 500D has finally done it.. Here comes D5000.. Canon and Nikon are really in a tough tough race… I wonder what Canon has to offer now.
Same here haha.. it’s really a tough decision to choose a brand of camera when you still haven’t invested in their respective lenses.
BTW, I thought April 14 was the date of Nikon’s press con, did the D5000 details get leaked early?
i like new canon rebel t1i
modify from canon rebel xsi
detail is good
Full HD movie recording nice for canon dslr
Yey! Stick to Nikon, XD
I’ve got my eyes on the D90 too, perhaps this June or July.
Looking forward to your post on why you went back to Nikon.
Thanks,, I’m still polishing the post which is why it’s taking so long but I’m pretty sure I’m gonna piss off a lot of canonites hailing the 500D as superior lol.
I have looked up to Canon for a long while. A number of months ago I feel that as a company it has gone off the boil. For a while the company’s particularly camcorder design wasn’t what it used to be and IME, the quality of Canon’s camcorder manufacture was going downhill. HAVING SAID THAT, today I feel they have become tops even though they are not the cheapest camcorders.