Yep, Canon just went live with that
Rebel T1i DSLR that leaked a bit earlier, and it's looking like a hell of a response to the Nikon D90: an XSi body jacked with a sensor matching the 50Ds 15.1 megapixels, 1080p HD video recording, and a $900 price tag. Yeah, it's gonna be a hit. Other notable specs include a 3.0-inch Live View screen, a Digic IV processor, ISO 12.8k sensitivity, and the same 18-55 IS EF-S kit lens as the XSi -- in other words, all those rumors were true. Hit up the read links for more info!
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in.]
Read - Official press release
Read - Amazon listing
posted March 25th 2009 12:48AM
Want.
Now.
This looks great. 720p 30FPS with DoF artistry should be good for YouTube HD - and the files are easy-to-edit .MOV (not AVCHD)...
Everything looks great except the 3.4 fps is pretty slow. Very impressive for the price though! I was going to get a Nikon D90 but bought a D60 and figured I'd upgrade to the D90's successor. The D90 has some good competition here so it will interesting to see what Nikon comes up with next.
Damn.
This thing is underpriced!
Yeah, it's incredibly tempting. The only two caveats I can find is that 1080p is limited to 20fps and it has no external mic input. If you're happy 720p and the built-in mic or an external audio recorder, then I imagine you could record some pretty awesome looking movies with this sup $1k camera body.
i know! how often does THAT happen?!
i'm seriously considering this over a high-end point and shoot! will i finally be an SLR convert?
@ a ham sandwich and others
Many of you seem to be exited about the video capabilities. while this is very justified, please be aware of the lack of auto focus and the poor depth of field while shooting video. As a user of the 5d mark ii, the video can be very frustrating because of the lack of auto focus coupled with the depth of field issues while shooting video. While you can shoot stationary objects such as a bird on a bird feeder with great results, it can be a mess if the bird moves toward you about 3 feet... for example. Canon has a patent in the USPO for including auto focus into DSLR's. I would be surprised if the redesign of the 40D doesn't incorporate this.
@FNG, Canon makes it sound like this one will actually have AF during video. I could be wrong about that, though. Can anyone confirm this?
5D MKII kind of has auto focus. Just hold down the AF-On button while shooting and it'll focus. It's not very smooth though.
Besides the XSI body, nice!
I actually prefer the smaller bodies of the Rebel line to the xxD. Before I bought my XSi I was considering the 40D and I just didn't like how large it was (and I have fairly large hands). When the 50D came out I found myself wanting some of the newer features but again, I didn't want the larger body. Now, I don't have to compromise. Once this is in the wild my lightly-used XSi will be for sale on POTN.
Awesome! I can't wait to try it out.
I still have my sights set on the 5D Mark II though...
Wow... thanks for screwing us 50D owners over, Canon.
Doesn't the 50D have a better body with a stronger shutter? More akin to a semi-pro body vs. entry level body?
The body is preferable on the 50D, yes. The shutter I am unsure of (as I do not know what internal changes will be made on the new Rebel) but this new camera is equipped with the same sensor, what appears to be the same screen, and video capabilities. Essentially this is a 50D, with a couple stripped-down 5DMKII in a Rebel body...
The 50D also has a much faster continuous shooting rate.
That's just the nature of camera's it's just like the computer business. Installed obsolescence in about a year and good thing parts are interchangeable almost like the pc...
@Simon: Yeah, didn't notice that part. 3.4 vs 6.3.
@xconan: Yeah, except the 50D is only a few months old!
Always happens. The Rebel line has always been just a half step behind the x0D line, so every new rebel lately has been better than the x0D that was on the market at the time. I hope a 60D comes out or the 50D gets a video recording upgrade, I can't stand those small bodies of the Rebel line but I want video! I can actually do it with my 40D with a PC, but it's weird...
-Taylor
Well I intend on getting the 5DMKII later in the year anyways, but it still bothers me that they would pull this crap.
Don't forget the 50D being a weather sealed body as well, throw in a weather sealed lens and you can shoot all day in the rain.
@BR
You need to make a more indepth comparison.
I have the 400D and the 40D, which are supposed to use the same sensor. The cameras are very very different beasts though.
For instance, the 40D has its fastest shutter speed much faster then the 400D at 1/8000 I believe.
With the 40D you can change the ISO in increments such as 100, 125, 160, 200 etc.. With the 400D you have 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600.
With my 40D I'll shoot at 1000ISO, for ma nice compromise between noise and sensitivity, can't do it with the 400D.
The ergonomics on the 40D are MUCH better. I can change the ISO without moving my hands from the shooting position.
With the 400D, you need to move the camera away, and do it with the LCD screen. Doesn't seem like a lot of time? Try shooting a sporting event.
Autofocus with the 40D (same lenses as the 400D) is faster.
The 400D does NOT do spot metering.
The 40D has the little LCD screen on top of the camera which always shows the settings. Must use the main LCD on the 400D.
Images with the 40D (same lens) have better contrast.
Same sensor but the internals behind the sensors aren't the same. 40D is better with noise at higher ISO, even when both cameras use RAW. (Images converted after with Adobe Camera RAW)
Average RAW file with the 400D is about 10mb with the 40D it's 12mb (that's what I've noticed personally).
While the above is specific to the 40D/400D some of the general differences will always apply to the x0D and xx0D line of cameras.
The moral of the story is, a camera is about more than just the sensor. ( and of course, megapixel count)
If none of the above makes sense to you, then neither the x0D nor the xD line is for you.
I have a 40D, my brother in law has a XSI... we travelled as a family together and his battery was always dying on him, i never ran out of battery and i used my camera more than he did... i can almost take double the pictures because i have the lcd screen on the top rather than using the huge lcd on the back
There are a lot of great features on this camera that would make it appealing to the average consumer.
The problem for me is that it doesnt have a second control wheel. That huge for anyone that needs a camera to respond as well as it can take photos.
But like a said before, nice feature set.
That's why I'd rather keep my 20D than even go for something like this. For current dSLR users out there, don't fall into the hype...spend the money on glass!
This is pretty much on par with D90 specs--same quality screen, about the same AF system, ISO performance.
HOWEVER...Canon GREATLY sacrificed the burst performance (on par with a D60) for more pixels. If they cut the pixels down to 12, this body should be able to hit 4.5fps, the same as the D90...BUT because the buffer holds 9 in 15MP RAWs, this body would actually be the D90 with an extra 25-30% more images in the buffer (due to reduced size of images), so 4.5fps, 11 pictures (probably even 14 with a high-speed Sandisk Extreme III--I can get 11 in at 1/200th on the D90, followed by a tiny lag for the 12th shot).
I got my D90 for only $780, new, in December so the pricing is pretty much the same.
Yawn. Only good if you've invested in Canon lenses and will be shooting slower things like portraits or weddings. I need that extra 30% faster burst speed when I shoot sports--when I switch from my D300 to shoot wide with the D90, I want those extra shots, as I'm sacrificing lots of close shots due to the camera switch, so every bit matters.
Now if this can do 4.5fps, I'd be quite impressed--a 30% faster processor, essentially.
Actually, this camera would be pretty terrible for sports shooting--the single dial is wayyy too prohibitive for quick changes to shooting scenarios. That, and your thumb is pretty much reduced to uselessness--at least on the D60, you can use your thumb while you can shoot with your index--on this body everything is all in the index finger.
Also, the thumb could be of some use if it was near an AF/AE lock button, but I can't seem to find one. If it wasn't for the spacebar on keyboards, I think that most users of this camera would experience thumb atrophy.
What I read was.
"I'm a total Nikon fanboy. And Nikons are much better than Canons. Also, 5 > 4. However 1.3 is a 30% higher than 1. Therefore 1.3 > 1. Although it's obvious that 4.3 > 3.5, but still 548 < 984"
Did I miss something?
"Did I miss something?"
Well you certainly didn't get the point of the comparison--from a mathematical point of view, the Canon SHOULD be better for burst shooting IF they lowered the MPs (larger buffer, same processing speed).
Obviously you can't understand this logical path of the math:
15.1/12.3 = 1.227, or approx. 25% more pixels.
4.5/3.5 = 1.285, or approx 30% faster shooting (which requires processing of the pixels through reading and interpolation, followed by NR)
So, the Canon has approx. 25% more pixels, but is about 30% slower than the D90. Thus, their performance is pretty much on par. It's like comparing the Nikon running a 60M dash with the Canon running 100M--the Canon is slower (absolute time-wise) solely because it has more pixels to calculate. Given that the prices are also pretty much the same: $780 vs. $800 for the body only, the Canon is pretty much equivalent.
In addition, you'll be trading the ability to shoot 20fps 1080p for dual jog wheels, which is quite prohibitive. The major trade-off though is speed vs. pixels. This camera is just too slow to compete with the D90 to be in the class for advanced amateurs, but because the pixel count is pretty high, it's quite good for slower shooting because you have more leeway when cropping.
I was not being a fanboy at all, instead I was making a completely unbiased, mathematical comparison of the two cameras. The D90 is pretty much in the same pricing category. I actually was wowed when I read 15.1MP, 1080p, approx same ISO performance, etc. I was imagining that "Wow, that's a decent amount more pixels with pretty much the same noise, I should have thought about going Canon". However, that quickly ended when I found that 1080 = 20fps and burst = 3.5fps.
All and all, this is still a Rebel, and although it seems like quite better than the D90, it's a bit too unbalanced in terms of speed vs. pixel count. I mean, it's like releasing a camera that takes 50MP, but shoots only at 1fps (extreme exaggeration), so it only fits a tiny market; similarly, one could release a 1MP camera that shoots at 50fps, but it really wouldn't be that useful (I'd just be impressed by the shutter in this case, heh). Because Canon decided to label this as Rebel, and not a XXD series goes to show that this is supposed to be seen as the next big step up from Nikon's best in the class, the D60. Likewise, the 50D/40D are the direct competitors to the D90--especially because they whoop Nikon's ass in burst shooting.
BTW, I shoot with the D300 only because that's the one my school's newspaper gives me--it's quite a good camera, but it still lacks in burst performance (unless you get the grip), and is much more expensive than the 50D. I'm no fanboy, just saying that the camera really isn't intended to compete with the D90--Canon already has other cameras in that class (which, like this Rebel, are more expensive than Nikons but offer more features). My D90 decision was because I was riding on a few lenses, which I couldn't find Canon replacements for as cheap as I obtained my lenses for. If I was starting clean, I would have probably went with the 40D.
I'm not sure if this applies to RAW, but at least in JPG mode Canon cameras can go faster than the rated burst if you lower the resolution since the buffer doesn't fill as quickly. So you could always just force a smaller image size if higher burst speeds are key.
But it probably doesn't apply to RAW unfortunately.
Why doesn't canon drop the name REBEL.. it's so annoying sounding!
JUST CALL IT THE CANON T1i FFS!
It’s only Rebel in North America, 500D in the rest of the World.
Yeah but then instead of just saying Rebel we'd say "tee-one-eye"
Saying it really fast.... teewannai! Much easier to go into Best Buy and say "I'd like to buy a Canon Tijuana please!"
Just call it 500D.
You know, like they do in the rest of the world.
They only use the Rebel branding in North America.
@michael not really, it's called the Kiss in Japan.
yea.. 500D or T1i. Either one alone is better than having the name Rebel come before it.
I own an XTi and blacked out the dumb looking Rebel badge because It makes the camera look too amateur with the stupid red font..
I know it's just a tactic by Canon to try to get people to buy the more expensive ones with a normal name but i'm one of those smart consumers that knows what the inexpensive models are capable of.
It's all Andre Agassi's fault.
It would be great if someone had a D90 comparison sheet. I'm just about to buy a cam :)
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_eos500d%2Cnikon_d90&show=all
Gah why do they have to put all these incredible specs inside that busted fisher price xsi body?.... Canon seriously doesn't know how to make their budget cameras feel like their worth $600-900. HOW CAN THE LARGEST FKING CAMERA PRODUCER IN THE WORLD KEEP GETTING THIS WRONG?!!?
$900 and I can't get a jog wheel? FFS...../palmface
Relax, it feels the way it does because of compromises made to keep the size and weight down. Some people keep them around as secondary camera bodies specifically for that reason.
They sure are doing very, very well for a company that keeps on getting it wrong.
Umm... you do realize this is very comparable to a 50D right? And very similarly priced at that... You obviously don't know the value of such equipment.
The "Rebel" series (and the xxxD series, same thing) is by far the most prolific DSLR out there. Everybody and his second cousin's dog has one. It's the one you see the most for non-pro work. It's cheap, it's got enough functions to satisfy most, and it's small. You want a bigger body, get a 5DmkII, or wait for a 60D. Canon produces different tiers for different people, so you're not really forced to buy the cheapest. If you want really cheap with everything, then design your own, make your own, since no one is going to do it for you.
$900 and you get 1080p/720p, 15mp. That's actually quite a good deal. Already has a function wheel, adding a jog wheel would just blur the line between the Rebel and the semi-pro 50D. Might as well just make a 60D (which they will). Yes, 20fps, but this is a DSLR first and foremost, and it's there to take pics. You can't really compare it to the SX1 either, the IQ isn't in the same league, for both videos and stills.
Don't like the price/feature set/design? Don't buy it, simple. Wait for something better (something better always comes along) or buy something else.
You really don't seem to understand the point in the different levels of cameras Canon produces, do you?
How is the XSi Body "Fisher Price". It works perfectly fine for me. I don't drop my cameras.
Just bought a 50D a few days ago... oh well.
just bought a 40D here.
going to cry if they release a new version.
Damn, I want this thing too... Don't they know it recession now? And I just bought a Macbook :(