Canon EOS 500D / Rebel T1i

" The new EOS 500D features a 15.1 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor – ideal for large detailed prints or enormous cropping possibilities. For shooting in near-dark conditions, the EOS 500D offers a high ISO sensitivity up to 3200 which is expandable to 12800, giving photographers the power to shoot in the dimmest light conditions. Outstanding noise reduction is made possible by Canon's DIGIC 4 processor. "

- Canon -

Every detail revealed

Exacting image preview and review is provided by a 3.0” Clear View LCD screen.The same screen as used on the acclaimed 5D Mark II, it features a 920,000 dot count – for ultra-detailed image review, accurate focus checks, and clear access to the EOS menu system. As well as aiding shooting from awkward angles, Live View mode includes contrast based and Face Detection AF options. Ideal for newcomers to digital SLR photography, these allow compact-camera style auto focus, with a real-time image displayed on the LCD.

Fast processing, fast focusing

Canon's DIGIC 4 processor drives continuous shooting speeds of up to 3.4 fps in bursts of up to 170 JPEGs ** . Using Canon's wide area AF system – which features 9 individual sensors, including a central cross type point with a high precision sensor for f/2.8 or faster lenses– makes capturing split-second action sequences possible.

DIGIC 4 works in conjunction with the CMOS sensor to deliver exceptional noise reduction and 14-bit image processing for smooth gradation of tones and natural-looking colours. In addition, DIGIC 4 enables the ultra-fast start-up times and near-instant image review after shooting that photographers demand.

Distinctive EOS quality

Despite its compact, lightweight body, the EOS 500D includes all the hallmarks of the EOS system. Every detail of the EOS 500D – from the large, bright viewfinder to the famously intuitive EOS menu system – is designed to provide users with a world-class shooting experience.

Image quality is protected by the EOS Integrated Cleaning System, which reduces, repels and removes unwanted dust from the sensor. Stubborn particles can be easily removed in post-production by using Dust Delete Data – which can be added to the image in-camera – and Canon's included Digital Photo Professional software.

Digital Photo Professional software offers a comprehensive RAW editing package, with functions such as a quick check tool, a cropping tool, and a stamp tool – plus the ability to change brightness, White Balance and Picture Styles in RAW images. The software suite is included with EOS Utility and Picture Style editor for unrivalled versatility.

batteries – allows the creation of a shooting system as unique as the photographer using it.
“The EOS 500D pushes the boundaries of what photographers can demand from their cameras, combining exceptional images with full HD video,” said Rainer Fuehres, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging, Europe. “Photography enthusiasts can now capture their most significant moments in a manner that matches their creativity.”

Any Canon photographer can register for the CANON iMAGE GATEWAY service, which allows access to the latest EOS information, useful updates and exclusive EOS content – plus tools that allow users to create their own video podcasts and store images online.

Features at a glance:

• 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
• 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 TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II

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Technologies Explained (March 2009):

CMOS

Canon's CMOS technology is one of the company's key competitive advantages, with noise reduction circuitry at each pixel site delivering virtually noise-free images. In comparison with CCD technology, the lower power consumption characteristics of Canon's CMOS sensors also contribute to longer battery life.

Signal conversion in Canon's CMOS sensors is handled by individual amplifiers at each pixel site. Unnecessary charge transfer operations are avoided, vastly speeding up the process of getting signal to the image processor. Noise generation is reduced, power consumption is limited and faster frame rate potential is increased.

DIGIC

Image data captured by the CMOS sensor is processed by Canon's purpose-built DIGIC image processors before being written to the camera's memory card. DIGIC technology uses advanced image processing algorithms to ensure precise, natural colours, accurate white balance, and advanced noise reduction. Ultra-fast processing speeds result in highly responsive camera operation and near-instant start-up times.

DIGIC chips work with a high speed image buffer – reading, processing, compressing and writing image data fast enough to keep the buffer clear during long continuous shooting bursts. And because DIGIC integrates all key processing functions, power consumption is kept to a minimum.

EOS Integrated Cleaning System

The EOS Integrated Cleaning System combats sensor dust in three important ways: Reduce, Repel and Remove.

Canon has also developed an internal Dust Delete Data system, which can map the position of visible dust on the sensor. This can then be deleted automatically after the shoot with the latest Digital Photo Professional software.

Clear View LCD

Canon's Clear View LCD screens are 3.0” in diameter and feature a VGA (640x480) pixel resolution with 920,000 dots. This allows high-quality viewing of images and ultra-accurate focus checks in playback. Thanks to a wide 170º angle-of-view, a Clear View LCD can be viewed in a wide range of environments with ghosting and reflections being eliminated thanks to Canon's unique dual layer anti reflective coating. This combination of features enables photographers to enjoy shooting from awkward angles.

Full HD

Thanks to the combination of a Canon CMOS sensor and DIGIC 4 processing, Canon is able to offer Full HD resolution movie recording in a digital SLR camera. An HDMI connection provides the ability to play back movies directly on any HDTV in high quality HD resolution. Canon's Full HD products feature the same maximum resolution available for HDTV's (1920x1080 pixels), ensuring outstanding clarity. Full HD exceeds the quality found in HD ready (720) resolution devices.

Picture Style

Picture Style pre-sets simplify in-camera control over image qualities. Picture Style pre-sets can be likened to different film types – each one offering a different colour response. Within each selectable pre-set, photographers have control over sharpness, contrast, colour tone and saturation. The camera's factory default configuration is set to deliver immediately-usable JPEG images without need for additional menu settings. Picture Style presets applied to a RAW image can be revised with Canon's Digital Photo Professional software.

The six pre-sets are:

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Software

Digital Photo Professional Software

Digital Photo Professional software provides high speed, high quality processing of lossless RAW images. Processing with Digital Photo Professional allows real-time display and immediate application of image adjustments, giving control over RAW image variables such as white balance, dynamic range, exposure compensation, noise reduction and colour tone – plus the ability to view Auto Focus points on an image.

Recently added functions to Digital Photo Professional include a Peripheral Illumination Correction tool, which reduces the darkening that can occur in the corners of images shot with certain lenses. The Lens Aberration correction tool allows precise correction of different types of distortion caused by certain cameras. Users can also control the highlights and shadows within an image, reducing the problem of ‘clipped' areas where detail is lost.

Digital Photo Professional supports sRGB, Adobe RGB, ColorMatch RGB, Apple RGB and Wide Gamut RGB colour spaces. ICC (International Colour Consortium) profiles can be attached to TIFF or JPEG images when converted from RAW. This allows faithful reproduction of colours in software applications that support ICC profiles, such as Adobe Photoshop. For improved efficiency, a set of image adjustments can be saved as a recipe and applied.

EOS Utility

The latest version of EOS Utility provides essential support for Live View remote shooting, camera configuration and image transfers. Tightly integrated with Digital Photo Professional, EOS Utility can be configured to monitor ‘hot' folders, automatically renaming and moving incoming images to a structured file system. Users can also tag their images with EXIF data, including copyright information.

Picture Style Editor

Picture Style Editor allows users to create individual Picture Styles that fit with their personal requirements. Each Picture Style contains detailed information on how specific colours should be represented within an image. Once new Picture Styles have been created, they can be uploaded directly into the camera and applied to JPEG or RAW images. When working with RAW files in DPP, both personal Picture Styles and the 6 predetermined Picture Styles can all be adjusted.

ZoomBrowser/ImageBrowser

For extra-easy review, editing and management of JPEG files, two pieces of software are included: ZoomBrowser for PC, and ImageBrowser for Mac.

Both programs feature a MovieEdit function plug-in, which supports the .MOV clips recorded by the EOS 500D and EOS 5D Mark II. Users can use this to perform basic editing tasks, including creating and exporting clips which combine movie files and JPEGs.

* A built-in HDMI connection allows easy and instant review of images and movie clips on any compatible HDTV.
* * Figure may vary depending on capacity of SD card used

More external Canon EOS 500D reviews!

Type     22.3 x 14.9mm CMOS
Effective Pixels     Approx. 15.1M
Total Pixels     Approx. 15.5M
Aspect Ratio     3:2
Low-Pass Filter     Built-in/Fixed with Self Cleaning Sensor Unit
Sensor Cleaning     EOS integrated cleaning system
Colour Filter Type     Primary Colour
IMAGE PROCESSOR
Type     DIGIC 4
LENS
Lens Mount     EF/EF-S
Focal Length     Equivalent to 1.6x the focal length of the lens
FOCUSING
Type     TTL-CT-SIR with a CMOS sensor
AF System/ Points     9 AF points (f/5.6 cross type at centre, extra sensitivity at f/2.8)
AF Working Range     EV -0.5 -18 (at 23°C & ISO100)
AF Modes     AI Focus One Shot AI Servo
AF Point Selection     Automatic selection, Manual selection
Selected AF Point Display     Superimposed in viewfinder and indicated on LCD monitor
Predictive AF     Yes, up to 10m ¹
AF Lock     Locked when shutter button is pressed half way in One Shot AF mode.
AF Assist Beam     Intermittent firing of built-in flash or emitted by optional dedicated Speedlite
Manual Focus     Selected on lens, default in Live View Mode
EXPOSURE CONTROL
Metering Modes     TTL full aperture metering with 35-zone SPC (1) Evaluative metering (linked to all AF points) (2) Partial metering at center (approx. 9% of viewfinder) (3) Spot metering (approx. 4% of viewfinder at center) (4) Center weighted average metering
Metering Range     EV 1-20 (at 23°C with 50mm f/1.4 lens ISO100)
AE Lock     Auto: In 1-shot AF mode with evaluative metering exposure is locked when focus is achieved. Manual: By AE lock button in creative zone modes.
Exposure Compensation     +/-2 EV in 1/3 or 1/2 stop increments (can be combined with AEB).
AEB     +/- 2 EV, 1/2 or 1/3-stop increments
ISO Sensitivity*     AUTO(100-1600), 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 Expandable to 6400 + H (approx 12800) in 1-stop increments
SHUTTER
Type     Electronically-controlled focal-plane shutter
Speed     30-1/4000 sec (1/2 or 1/3 stop increments), Bulb (Total shutter speed range. Available range varies by shooting mode)
WHITE BALANCE
Type     Auto white balance with the imaging sensor
Settings     AWB, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, White Fluorescent light, Flash, Custom. White balance compensation: 1. Blue/Amber +/-9 2. Magenta/ Green +/-9.
Custom White Balance     Yes, 1 setting can be registered
WB Bracketing     +/-3 levels in single level increments 3 bracketed images per shutter release. Selectable Blue/Amber bias or Magenta/ Green bias.
VIEWFINDER
Type     Pentamirror
Coverage (Vertical/Horizontal)     Approx. 95%
Magnification     Approx. 0.87x ¹
Eyepoint     Approx. 19mm (from eyepiece lens centre)
Dioptre Correction     -3 to +1 (1/m) (dioptre)
Focusing Screen     Fixed
Mirror     Quick-return half mirror (Transmission: reflection ratio of 40:60, no mirror cut-off with EF600mm f/4 or shorter)
Viewfinder Information     AF information: AF points, focus confirmation light Exposure information: Shutter speed, aperture value, ISO speed (always displayed), AE lock, exposure level/compensation, spot metering circle, exposure warning, AEB Flash information: Flash ready, high-speed sync, FE lock, flash exposure compensation, red-eye reduction light Image information: White balance correction, SD card information, monochrome shooting, maximum burst (1 digit display), Highlight tone priority (D+)
Depth of Field Preview     Yes, with Depth of Field preview button.
Eyepiece Shutter     On strap
LCD MONITOR
Type     3.0" TFT, approx. 920K dots
Coverage     Approx. 100%
Viewing Angle (Horizontally/Vertically)     Approx 170°
Coating     Dual Anti-reflection, anti smudge
Brightness Adjustment     Adjustable to one of seven levels
Display Options     (1) Quick Control Screen (2) Camera settings
FLASH
Built-in Flash GN (ISO 100, meters)     13
Built-in Flash Coverage     up to 17mm focal length (35mm equivalent: 27mm)
Built-in Flash Recycle Time     Approx. 3 seconds
Modes     Auto, Manual Flash On/Off, Red-Eye Reduction
Red-Eye Reduction     Yes
X-Sync     1/200sec
Flash Exposure Compensation     +/- 2EV in 1/2 or 1/3 increments
Flash Exposure Bracketing     Yes, with compatible External Flash
Flash Exposure Lock     Yes
Second Curtain Synchronisation     Yes
HotShoe/ PC Terminal     Yes/-
External Flash Compatibility     E-TTL II with EX series Speedlites, wireless multi-flash support
External Flash Control     via camera menu screen
SHOOTING
Modes     Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, No Flash, Movie, Program AE , Shutter priority AE, Aperture priority AE, Manual, A-DEP
Picture Styles     Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, User Defined (x3)
Colour Space     sRGB and Adobe RGB
Image Processing     Highlight Tone Priority Auto Lighting Optimizer (Basic and Creative modes) Long exposure noise reduction High ISO speed noise reduction Peripheral illumination correction
Drive Modes     Single, Continuous, Self timer (2s, 10s+remote, 10s + continuous shots 2-10)
Continuous Shooting     Max. Approx. 3.4fps. (speed maintained for up to 170 images (JPEG)¹, 9 images (RAW)) ²
LIVE VIEW MODE
Type     Electronic viewfinder with image sensor
Coverage     Approx. 100% (horizontally and vertically)
Frame Rate     30 fps
Focusing     Manual Focus (Magnify the image 5x or 10x at any point on screen) Autofocus: Quick mode, Live mode
Metering     Real-time evaluative metering with image sensor Active metering time can be changed
Display Options     Grid overlay, Histogram
FILE TYPE
Still Image Type     JPEG: Fine, Normal (Exif 2.21 [Exif Print] compliant) / Design rule for Camera File system (2.0), RAW: RAW (14bit, Canon original RAW 2nd edition), Digital Print Order Format [DPOF] Version 1.1 compliant
RAW+JPEG Simultaneous Recording     Yes (RAW + Large JPEG only)
Image Size     JPEG: (L) 4752x3168, (M) 3088x2056, (S) 2256x1504 RAW: (RAW) 4752x3168
Movie Type     MOV (Video: H.264, Sound: Linear PCM)
Movie Size     HD (16:9)1920 x 1080P -20fps, 1280x720P -30fps, SD(4:3) 640 x 480 -30fps
Movie Length     Max duration 29m 59sec, Max file size 4GB
File Numbering     (1) Consecutive numbering (2) Auto reset (3) Manual reset
OTHER FEATURES
Custom Functions     13 Custom Functions with 39 settings
Metadata Tag     User copyright information
Intelligent Orientation Sensor     Yes
Playback Zoom     1.5x - 10x
Display Formats     (1) Single image with information (2 levels) (2) Single image (3) 4 image index (4) 9 image index (5) Jump Display
Slide Show     Autoplay: All images, repeat
Histogram     Brightness: Yes RGB: Yes
Highlight Alert     Yes (Shooting information display only)
Image Erase/Protection     Erase: Single image, Checkmarked images, Unprotected images Protection: Erase protection of one image at a time
Data Verification     Original image verification data can be appended to the image (OSK-E3 required for verification)
Menu Categories     (1) Shooting menu (x2) (2) Playback menu (3) Setup menu (x3) (4) My Menu
Menu Languages     25 Languages English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Portuguese, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Greek, Russian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Romanian, Ukrainian, Turkish, Arabic, Thai, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean and Japanese
Firmware Update     Update possible by the user.
INTERFACE
Computer     Hi-Speed USB
Other     Video output (PAL/ NTSC) (integrated with USB terminal), HDMI Type C
DIRECT PRINT
Canon Printers     Canon SELPHY Printers, Bubble Jet Printers with the direct print function and PIXMA Printers supporting PictBridge
PictBridge     Yes
STORAGE
Type     SD card, SDHC card
SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEM
PC & Macintosh     Windows / XP (SP2/SP3) / Vista (excl. Starter Edition) OS X v10.4-10.5
SOFTWARE
Browsing & Printing     ZoomBrowser EX / ImageBrowser
Image Processing     Digital Photo Professional
Other     PhotoStitch, EOS Utility (inc. Remote Capture, Original Data Security Tools*), Picture Style Editor * Requires optional accessory
POWER SOURCE
Batteries     1 x Rechargeable Li-ion Battery LP-E5
Battery Life     Approx. 400 (at 23°C, AE 50%, FE 50%) ¹ Approx. 380 (at 0°C, AE 50%, FE 50%)
Battery Indicator     4 levels
Power Saving     Power turns off after 30sec or 1, 2, 4, 8 or 15mins.
Power Supply & Battery Chargers     AC Adapter Kit ACK-E5, Battery charger LC-E5E, Car Battery charger CBC-E5
PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Body Materials     Stainless Steel/Plastic
Operating Environment     0 – 40 °C, 85% or less humidity
Dimensions (WxHxD)     128.8 x 97.5 x 61.9 mm
Weight (Body Only)     Approx. 480g
ACCESSORIES
Viewfinder     Eyecup Ef, E-series Dioptric Adjustment Lens with Rubber Frame Ef, Eyepiece Extender EP-EX15II, Angle Finder C
Case     Semi-Hard Case EH19-L
Lenses     All EF and EF-S lenses
Flash     Canon Speedlites (220EX, 270EX, 380EX, 420EX, 430EX, 430EX II, 550EX, 580EX, 580EX II, Macro-Ring-Lite MR-14EX, Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX, Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2)
Battery Grip     BG-E5
Remote Controller/ Switch     Remote Switch RS-60E3, Remote Controller RC-1/RC-5
Other     Original Data Security Kit OSK-E3
Predictive AF	¹ with EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM at 50kph
Magnification	¹ with 50mm lens at infinity, -1 (1/m) dpt
Continuous Shooting	¹ Large/Fine(Quality 8) resolution ² Based on Canon's testing conditions, JPEG, ISO 100, Standard Picture Style. Varies depending on the subject, memory card brand and capacity, image recording quality, ISO speed, drive mode, Picture Style, Custom functions etc.
Battery Life	¹ Based on the CIPA Standard and using the batteries and memory card format supplied with the camera, except where indicated
All data is based on Canon standard testing methods except where indicated.
Subject to change without notice.
*Recommended Exposure Index

* New or changed compared to the EOS 450D / Digital Rebel XSi

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