Brand New Canon EOS Rebel T1i Digital Camera

Canon’s consumer SLR line has a new flagship: the 15.1-megapixel Canon EOS Rebel T1i. Once again, we see a new SLR from Canon in less than 18 months from the last in a given line. It’s actually only eight months since the XS was announced, and about 14 since the XSi; either way you look at it, competition has shortened product cycles in the digital SLR space.

Other features come to the Canon T1i from the 50D, including the Peripheral Illumination Correction and multiple noise reduction settings. Auto Lighting Optimizer and Highlight Tone Priority were already brought over with the XSi, but Creative Auto is now included, a unique mode that endeavors to bring creative control to the amateur shooter.

While the new HD movie mode is going to be the gee-whiz feature on the Canon Rebel T1i, the important feature for most photographers is the still image quality at 15.1 megapixels. According to our tests on a beta (prototype) Rebel T1i, its only rival even near this price point is the Canon EOS 50D.

With the combination of its 15.1-megapixel APS-C size CMOS image sensor and the powerful new DIGIC 4 image processor, the Canon EOS Rebel T1i camera provides ISO speeds from ISO 100 up to ISO 3200 in whole stop increments, along with two additional high-speed ISO settings – H1: 6400 and H2: 12800. The Canon EOS T1i Digital SLR utilizes a precise nine-point Autofocus (AF) system and AF sensor for enhanced subject detection. The new Canon EOS Rebel T1i DSLR provides a cross-type AF measurement at the center that is effective with all EF and EF-S lenses, while providing enhanced precision with lenses having maximum apertures of f/2.8 or faster. The cross-type AF measurement reads a wider variety of subject matter than conventional single-axis AF sensors and thus increases the new camera’s ability to autofocus quickly and accurately when shooting still images.

Also introduced at the same time is the very small Speedlite 270EX, a new flash that is easy to pocket and gives cameras like the Rebel T1i and the PowerShot G10 an accessory flash that won’t threaten to flip these lightweight cameras over. The flash head zooms manually from 28mm to 50mm coverage, and flips up to 90 degrees. Like other EX Speedlites, the 270EX transmits color temperature information to the camera. Power comes from two AA batteries.