Excellent Step Up From Point-And-Shoot with Video Mode
Written: Jul 26 '09 (Updated Nov 03 '09)
Product Rating:
Ease of Use:
Durability:
Battery Life:
Photo Quality:
Shutter Lag
Pros: Huge jump in quality over compact point-and-shoot cameras for both photos and video
Cons: Expensive ~3 times a comparable compact camera, and more bulky. Can't take quality shots quickly.
The Bottom Line: Great choice if you love taking photos & videos and desire truly high quality. But you must be willing to carry more bulk and give up taking quality shots quickly.
t_o_n_y's Full Review: Canon EOS 500D / Digital Rebel T1i Digital Camera ...
*** Update November 2009 *** Though this is a great camera, I've lowered my rating to 4 stars because there is something experience has shown is missing compared to compact cameras we have owned: the ability to quickly take good photos or videos. This camera requires definite effort (i.e., time) in order to take decent photos or video. Because there is no dedicated video button, you must make sure you switch between photo or video modes (5 seconds lost). If taking a photo, looking through the large display at back is so slow in "Live View" mode that any quick shot requires looking through the much less convenient view finder (another 5 seconds lost). When taking videos looking through the display works better, but focusing seems to require extra effort (another 5 seconds lost). I had hoped that the number of out-of-focus shots would decrease over time, but I must admit that I still end up discarding over half of the shots I take -- especially if I was in a hurry to catch the latest cute thing our toddler was doing...assuming they kept doing it for the 15 seconds it took me to get the camera ready. ******** If you have been considering stepping up from a compact Point-and-Shoot type camera to a true digital SLR (dSLR) this may be the camera for you. Compact cameras are extremely popular because they provide so many features for a reasonable price, usually less than $350 (Canon PowerShot, Sony Cybershot, Fujifilm FinePix, Nikon Coolpix, etc...). By contrast, digital SLRs are more expensive, require interchangeable lenses to get anywhere near the same zoom of a compact, and are considerably more complex. But if you have the opportunity to compare the photos taken under the same conditions, you'll see why it's worth going to the next level.
We made this transition after much research and after owning two compact cameras (a Canon G2, and then a Canon PowerShot S3 IS). Although we were pleased with each of these (see my epinion reviews), when we saw the price and features of the Canon T1i we knew it was time to step up. Why You Would Pay 3 Times More While the Canon T1i is relatively inexpensive compared to similarly featured dSLRs, it is still about 3 times more expensive than a similar compact camera. I will explain below why stepping up from a compact camera made sense for us, but for a more general discussion you might take a look at the following website: http://digital-photography-school.com/
As described in my review of the Canon S3 IS, the main deciding factor in a camera for us is the quality of the video mode. Like many parents, we appreciate excellent photos, but we mainly take pictures/videos of our kids. Since we didn't want to be carrying around both a camera and a camcorder, we wanted to have both in one package. This ruled out a dSLR for us since up until recently, these advanced cameras did not even have video mode. (Apparently it was below them).
Game Changer The Canon T1i is a game changer in that regard. Even though there are at least two other dSLRs with video, the T1i is the first to have such a high quality video mode with a processor that can handle it at a reasonable price. We got ours for $810 from B&H Photo (although not required, a $400 rebate allowed us to get a $450 Pixma Pro9000 printer with the purchase). Clearly marketed at bringing folks like us into the dSLR market, the Canon T1i has generated a lot of buzz over the last few months. For example, it has consistently registered the most hits (by far) on the respected DPreview.com. The main feature distinguishing the T1i is the high quality video mode.
Why We Stepped Up But the real reason we stepped up was the incredible quality of photos, especially those taken in low light situations. We saw this clearly when we downloaded some photos from my wife's sister's dSLR (an Olympus 510) taken at the same time and under the same conditions as our Canon S3 IS. The quality difference was arresting, and like a person putting on new prescription glasses, we had no idea what we'd been missing. On the other hand, the Olympus 510 has no video mode...and this is what lead us to the Canon T1i.
The Reason: Lens and Detector Quality The reason dSLR cameras take such quality photos has to do with the lens quality and the size of the camera detector. The larger the lens and detector, the more light can get in and the result is crisper images, even in low light. Yes, the number of mega-pixels is important too, but that is often overplayed. All the pixels in the world won't help you if you're not gathering enough light and focusing it onto the right detector.
Compact Point-And-Shoot cameras and Camcorders have very small lenses and very small detectors. While this allows incredible zoom range to be packed into a very small space, there is a price you pay in quality. In bright light situations this will often not be apparent, so if you are just taking pictures in bright daylight you might save yourself the expense. But let's face it, many important events take place indoors or in low light situations. Unless you have a large lens/detector you will be forced to spam your subjects with a flash, which is fine if your real goal is to be noticed.
Convenient Camera Size Although the Canon T1i dSLR lens and detector are much larger than a compact camera, they are still smaller than a full-sized 35mm camera detector used by true professionals. Then again, the small-sized dSLRs, and in particular the Canon T1i, make it MUCH more convenient to carry around. Admittedly, compact cameras are even more conveniently sized. Depth of Field The large lens/detector combination of the Canon T1i also allows for a stunning effect not possible with compact cameras. With practice you can place just the subject in focus and blur everything in front and behind it. This narrow depth of field makes for very artistic photos, and if your kids are cute too, it's truly stunning. To help those like us get good at things like this, the Canon T1i has a "Creative Auto" mode. In this mode, 4 or 5 of the most important adjustments are presented on a slider bar so that you can experiment without having to read the whole manual.
I did read the whole manual, by the way, and there's nothing quite like simply holding the camera as you read it to quickly grasp the various features.
Using it as a Point-And-Shoot Anyway That being said, I would wager that most people buying this camera will end up using it just like they used their compact point-and-shoot anyway. It certainly has the modes with which to do this (Full Auto, or various presets such as Portrait, Landscape, Action shots, etc...), and it certainly does a good job at it. However, you should be warned that the best experience will not necessarily be had through the huge LCD viewer on the back. Yes, you can take pictures this way using what is called "Live Mode". But, unlike point-and-shoot cameras, it takes longer for dSLRs to flip their mirror up and down to allow for live LCD viewing. Therefore, auto-focusing is significantly slower, and this fact combined with the tendency for narrow depth-of-field shots means that you can take a lot of blurry pictures. Simple solution: go into rapid shoot mode and just keep holding that shutter down. With an ability to shoot 3.4 frames per second you're bound to get one clear shot.
But even if the LCD is less friendly, the viewfinder on the T1i is far nicer to use than the typical point-and-shoot. In the first place, it's bigger, and in addition it has all sorts of focus points that flash to let you know when you've achieved focus. Admittedly, these can be bewildering when your kids won't keep still. Again, just hold the shutter down, you can always delete the blurry ones.
Video Mode The video mode is the deal maker on this camera. From reading advertisements you might think this is due to the 1080p "HD video" setting -- but it is not. As noted in good reviews, this setting is only at 20 frames per second rather than 30. Because of this, the HD setting is only useful for cases in which neither you nor your subject is moving much, such as a scenery shot. But that's okay, because the 720p setting is plenty good enough. Indeed, it is double the 360p setting on the Canon S3 IS which was already wonderful. Videos taken on the 720p setting are crisp and handle motion fine.
One thing that is a little disappointing is the lack of a dedicated movie button as on the Canon S3 IS. In order to take movies, you must instead turn the mode dial all the way to one end.
Sound There have been complaints that the audio in movie mode is only mono and picks up noise if you're in auto-focus mode. Both are true, but to our ears the mono sounds fine, and you'll only hear the camera focusing if things are quiet (i.e., for those without kids). It's true that you must break down and use manual focusing in those situations.
Storage Be prepared for significant increases in the amount of storage space you will need both because of the higher number of mega-pixels in this camera (15) and the higher quality of the video. We purchased two 8GB SDHD cards. Although 16 and even 32GB cards are available, there is a significant price jump, and our experience is that 8GB is more than sufficient between connections to the computer. You need to get the more expensive Class 6 cards, however, since this camera's features would be limited by slower cards.
Another big storage issue is where to permanently store all those photos and videos? You either have to keep buying more and larger hard drives, or come up with a more creative solution. Our iPhoto Library, for example, is 240GB and growing. See my epinions review on the Mac Pro or Drobo for how we solved our storage problems for years to come.
Lenses As mentioned above, the small detector of compact point-and-shoots allows for incredible zooming without a huge lens. Not so with dSLRs. We wanted to maintain the "12X" zoom range we had with our Canon S3 IS, but when you come into the dSLR world they don't use "X" type measurements, so how do you compare? The answer is to convert everything to a common "35mm camera equivalent". The lens that typically comes with the T1i has a zoom range of 18-55mm (29-88mm, equivalent), and we extended that with a 55-250mm zoom (88-400mm, equivalent) for $255. This is roughly the same zoom range as the 12X (36-432mm, equivalent) of a Canon S3 IS. The downside here is that, 1) you must now switch between lenses to get that zoom range (not so bad once you get used to it), and 2) the lenses are nearly as large as the camera itself. We need to lug around a camera bag about twice the size of the one we used to have. But as far as we are concerned, you really do need to have both lenses.
Feature Rich One thing you read about over and over in the reviews is how feature-rich the Canon T1i is. There's no question this is true, and because of it, it's certainly a camera you can grow into. Although we've only begun to explore the many new features, we've especially appreciated:
-the Facial Recognition mode of focusing, which easily allows you to make sure the most important part of your picture is in focus
-the Live View mode, which simulates the point-and-shoot experience, albeit more slowly
-Continuous shooting mode, allowing you to hold down the shutter taking 10 pictures every 3 seconds
-Ability to easily define different focus regions, off the center
-Macro mode (for taking close-ups of flowers, etc...)
-Ability to press a zoom toggle to see if a particular object is focused
-Ability to zoom during video
-Image Stabilized lenses, allowing steady pictures in lower light situations
It has another feature which, after using several times, we've quit using: Ability to take full quality photos in the middle of a video. It disrupts the video too much, even worse than with the S3 IS.
Software Canon bundles some pretty impressive software with its cameras, but we've found that we don't use it. It is necessary if you want to take pictures in RAW mode, but we've found that the highest quality JPEG images are plenty for us. Besides, the iPhoto and iMovie software is much more powerful and fun to use (see detailed comments of these in my iLife '09 epinion review). We also compared printing on the Pixma Pro9000 printer with Canon's software vs. iPhoto and found little difference.
In summary, we have been in awe at the quality jump this step up has given us and would say that it is definitely been worth it. As with my other reviews, I will update this one as needed, especially if the camera gives us trouble.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 810 This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Solid Enough for a Professional
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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