The Rebel T1i is a 15 megapixel camera with a high-sensitivity, high-resolution, large single-plate CMOS sensor. The sensor is an APS-C size of 22.3mm x 14.9mm. In our testing pictures were sharp, well exposed, and had good color reproduction. They showed only minimal artifacting along high-contrast edges.

A wide range of ISO settings is available on the Rebel from 100 to 3200 with expansion to 6400 and 12800. Although there was some noise in high ISO settings, we were happy with the wide range of ISO settings.

We loved the fact that the camera was able to take either JPEGs, RAW, or do a simultaneous recording of both. With the simultaneous recording we could connect the camera to a PictBridge enabled printer or insert the memory card into a printer to print a quick JPEG while still maintaining the RAW image for future manipulation with the included Canon software.

We found the Rebel’s picture settings effective. For example, Portrait brightened the face and Landscape greened up the foliage.

The camera can handle up to 3.5 frames per second in burst mode. While this is a bit slower than some other digital cameras of this type, it is only minimally slower and most amateur and semi-professional photographers will have no gripe with this.

A built-in dust removal system shakes the dust off the sensor. This is done by default every time you turn the camera off, but it can also be performed at the user’s discretion.

The left side of the camera has a door that opens to reveal a USB port and the SD memory card slot, as shown in Figure 11. This is one of the first Rebel cameras that uses an SD card rather than the older compact flash card. In our tests, the camera performed well with all SD cards, even mini-SD cards used with an SD adapter. However, we recommend using high-performance SD cards, especially for taking movies.

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Figure 11: The left side of the camera.