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Canon Rebel T1i shoots HD video, packs the megapixels like the big boys
Canon just smacked its competitor Nikon with the newest addition to its Rebel line of low-end digital SLRs, the Canon Rebel T1i, packing a huge imaging sensor that can also shoot HDTV video. The big news here is the remarkable bang for the buck you get with this new camera. For instance, in the past, if you wanted a huge 15.1-megapixel CMOS sensor like the one inside this $899 Rebel T1i, you'd have to spend almost twice that much for a higher-end (and heavier) Canon 5D Mark II. That's progress.
Then there's its video capture at 1080p, but it's not quite up to its big brother's 1080p 30 frame-per-second capture — the T1i's processor isn't quite powerful enough to crank out those frames that fast, laying down just 20fps. But in the real world, those huge 1080p video files are too unwieldy to edit anyway, and this T1i shoots the next-best 720p at 30fps just fine. Well, except for its inability to autofocus while shooting video. Dang.
Even so, this is exciting stuff, to see this much camera available for just under $900. We're liking its 3-inch 920,000-dot Live View LCD with face detection, its clean shooting in near-darkness at ISO 3200 native, and it even comes with an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens (or you can get it body-only for $100 less). Nikon's going to have to do something spectacular to beat this T1i when it ships in early May — Nikon's nearest competitor, the D90, costs hundreds more and does less.
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By DJ at 5:49 PM ON 03/25/09
The real competition is really the Panasonic GH1 - 10:1 lens, HD, stereo mic, small form factor.
By Stan Winstone at 11:34 PM ON 03/25/09
"But in the real world, those huge 1080p video files are too unwieldy to edit anyway, " huh- what are you talking about? I'm editing 4K on a laptop brother and 1080p is a piece of cake. This camera is a total joke, 20 frames per second is utterly useless. Nikon and Panasonic will bury Canon in this market if this is what they want to continue foisting on customers who want to actually shoot usable video.
By CJW at 1:41 PM ON 03/26/09
Stan Winstone: Only a small percentage of people own 1080p capable computer monitors or TVs at this point. What do you do with 1080p or 4k video when you're done with it anyway? You can't host it online anywhere, and authoring BluRay is still out of reach for most folks. 20fps isn't 'useless' but I agree that it is sub-optimal. It's like Canon threw 1080p in there because they could, with the intent being for people to probably shoot 720p. They kinda stabbed the Nikon D90 in the heart by doing this, because now salesmen can say "well, this one does 1080p and that one doesn't." I hope you're right though, I hope Nikon does take the challenge and brings out something awesome that does video. I'm not too keen on Micro 4/3 because the sensor size limits what can be done with DoF. That's always going to be a consumer format, IMHO.
By dady b at 3:00 PM ON 03/26/09
!5 Mega Pixels!!!!
By jjjj at 12:16 AM ON 03/27/09
you guys are all weirdos! i'm buying one.
By Abraxsis at 8:04 AM ON 03/31/09
This is useless, you would be better off getting the Nikon D90. Its only 720p video, but seriously, these cams aren't made for serious video, its for clips only. No biggie.
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Abraxsis:
This is useless, you would be better off getting the Nikon D90. Its only 720p video, but seriously, these cams aren...More »