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05/16/2009 01:48:12 PM · #1 |
I've had a 300D since 2003 or so, and after trying to print some 16x24s for a library exhibit (and not being thrilled with the quality.. it was okay, but not great) I've decided that it's about time I start thinking about upgrading to one of the newer Canons. I was wondering if anyone had much insight the practical advantages of the T1i (500D) over the XSi (450D). Is the quality difference at larger print sizes going to be very noticeable.. or will the few extra megapixels (15 vs. 12) allow me to print much larger at all? I've seen print charts, but it's all just numbers and colors to me.. I was hoping for some first-hand comments/experience from some of you.
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05/16/2009 01:54:02 PM · #2 |
I cant give you a hands on experience with either camera, but looking at this chart there isnt really much to differentiate them except for mp count and price. However looking at the pixel density on the T1i it would worry me slightly that they have that many pixels squeezed onto the a sensor only 0.1mm bigger in each dimension.
Edit - just noticed the T1i has a movie mode as well - not a seller for me though.
Side by side comparison
Message edited by author 2009-05-16 13:56:55. |
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05/16/2009 02:10:20 PM · #3 |
Hey Brian,
Like you the 300D was my entryway into the DSLR world. I had shot before that with relatively better film SLR's. When I upgraded, I went up a level and picked up a very low mile 30D. The xxD is really a better series of camera for more serious shooters. If you watch ebay, fredmiranda, craigslist and POTN, you will be able to find a clean 40D for $500ish and a 50D for $700ish. These are way better cameras than what you are considering. In most cases they are being sold by people who have to have the absolute latest and greatest - going 40 to 50 and 50 to 5DII, and in the process letting go a body that has only gone thru a fraction of its useful life at a big discount.
I would also say that in general, its the glass more than the body that limits quality. |
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05/16/2009 03:12:22 PM · #4 |
I was just at my local camera shop, and the salesperson was telling me that his experience and feedback has been that the T1i and 50D have lesser low light image quality than they should. He felt the changes needed for the movie mode are what did it.
My own next upgrade will probably be to one of those 40D's being sold by someone else upgrading. The XSi looks nice and has a lot of great features, but I am not sure it's low light performance will be a huge step over my XT. Much depends on what I find, and at what price, when I am ready to upgrade, however. |
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05/17/2009 12:07:11 PM · #5 |
Hmm- so what issues does that raise with more pixels being squeezed onto an approximately same sized sensor? Lower quality? In what ways?
As far as the consumer vs. semi-pro models (ie: 50D) go, what do you guys find is the biggest benefit? Pentaprism vs Pentamirror seems nice, but definitely not enough to justify the price difference for me. I'm not sure how handy the weather resistance would be. The only other thing that seems worthwhile is the higher buffer/fps capacity for firing continuous RAWs, but even then I'm not sure how often I would use that. I think I'd almost rather save the extra money rather than going with a semi-pro model and use it for better lenses
Message edited by author 2009-05-17 12:09:06.
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05/17/2009 01:09:44 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by brianlh:
Hmm- so what issues does that raise with more pixels being squeezed onto an approximately same sized sensor? Lower quality? In what ways?
As far as the consumer vs. semi-pro models (ie: 50D) go, what do you guys find is the biggest benefit? Pentaprism vs Pentamirror seems nice, but definitely not enough to justify the price difference for me. I'm not sure how handy the weather resistance would be. The only other thing that seems worthwhile is the higher buffer/fps capacity for firing continuous RAWs, but even then I'm not sure how often I would use that. I think I'd almost rather save the extra money rather than going with a semi-pro model and use it for better lenses |
The issues are this: by cramming more pixels in the same area, noise levels go up. Each pixel has to become smaller so that the larger number can fit - this reduces the performance of each individual pixel somewhat. It also makes the sensor more prone to heating up, which also increases the noise level.
As far as consumer vs. semi-pro models, there is a real difference. I have both a 50D and a 400D, both of which I've used on paid shoots, and both of which I'm quite fond of. However, the 50D feels entirely different; it's bigger, bulkier (in a good way), and just feels more solid/sturdy. The controls are also much easier to access than the Rebel series.
The biggest thing is the control wheel on the back of the xxD series - it makes aperture & settings selection much, much easier. The multicontroller is also a big deal, as it directly controls focus points. On the xxxD series, any of these operations involves holding down a second button and scrolling with the wheel up near the shutter button. It's not a deal breaker, but I find it more time-consuming and less easy.
But here's my bottom line - if you are a hobbyist photographer, you don't need a xxD, just like you probably don't need L-series lenses. The xxxD/Rebel series is more than enough camera for you. On the other hand, if you're going to be doing paid gigs, or you know you're going to be in environments where your camera is going to be subjected to bouncing/bumping around, a xxD will perform better. (My 50D is my primary camera; the 400D is my backup/go-play-around-with camera.)
Between the XSi and the T1i, I'd personally be more interested in the XSi - the new features in the T1i don't interest me, and I'm very wary of the whole video thing.
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05/17/2009 03:05:10 PM · #7 |
I agree with Brent about the thumb wheel, it makes life much easier. The pentaprism is worth more day to day than it would seem on paper. The xxD's are way better built than the xxxD's. They also balance better with bigger/better glass too.
If you're not a pro it might be hard to justify the higher price, but if you get a clean lo click used xxD for the same money as a new xxxD, I would go for the better one. |
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05/17/2009 04:33:14 PM · #8 |
I can chime in on this one...since I've owned an XSi for over a year, and a friend recently bought the T1i, which I've handled briefly.
I decided against upgrading from the 450 to the 500. The difference in image quality (probably due to a combination of items already touched upon) is actually noticeable to my untrained and admittedly unprofessional eye. I would love to have the movie mode that the 500D offers, but since the 1080p is limited to 20 fps, that makes it essentially useless. The extra mp was not enough of a deal for me, in fact it appears those extra pixels are a detriment, since the sensor has not been enlarged. I would like the extra resolution on the LCD (a x3 jump, which is big), but in the end I think I'll wait for the next release in the Rebel series...should be along in about a month. ;-)
Plus, you should be able to find a nice deal on the XSi these days.
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05/17/2009 07:06:36 PM · #9 |
Well, I went down to a Best Buy today to hold both in my hands.. I have to admit that the 50D felt 5x better in my hands than the 450D, but other than that and the buffer (which I only occasionally had issues with on the 300D) I'm not sure there's much else that really seems that valuable to me right now (especially since I have barely used my camera lately- I just expect to use it some over summer for fun). That being said, and remembering that the main reason I'm upgrading the 300D is for megapixels (for larger prints) rather than features, I think I'll probably end up going with a 450D in the end. The extra few megapixels of the T1i would be nice, but not if it's going to come at the price of losing picture quality due to higher noise.
Maybe I'll just wait a little bit longer in hopes of the XSi dropping a bit more once the T1i is out everywhere (Best Buy didn't have them in yet, for example- and B&H doesn't have a Body Only for sale yet).
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06/09/2009 02:47:24 PM · #10 |
| So here's the deal. I bought an XSI about 3 months ago, just before the T1i came out. Now, im thinki9ng I really want an T1i instead, and the guy I bought it from said I could exchange it and pay the $200 difference. The video thing seems like a seller to me because I dont even have a point-and-shoot to make any video at all. But besides the video is it worth it? If not, i would just buy a point-and-shoot, since most of my videos wouls need to be in HD, and would just be stupid stuff going on youtube or something. |
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06/09/2009 05:42:47 PM · #11 |
re: the video. If you only have the standard kit lens, be aware that the focusing is really loud on the video clip. That would be mitigated somewhat if your lenses have USM.
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06/18/2009 05:26:20 PM · #12 |
| I started with the original 300D and just had a great time using that camera. I bought the XTI 2 years ago....I think(thereabouts). I still ove my xti and it still has a great deal of life left in it. But, I was quite impressed with overall quality of te T1i and photo quality and the additional 5mp wil come in handy on enlargements. I was mildy interested in the video mode but, definitely was not a sell point for me. My original intention was to get the T1i and sell the xti to subsidize the new camera, but as of this time I think I will keep both. I like the idea of not having to constantly swap lenses. |
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06/19/2009 10:14:36 AM · #13 |
As an XSi owner, I would say that my greatest complaint about the camera (probably the only complaint actually) is that the max iso is 1600. It is not the greatest camera for low light situations. Even with a lens with f/2.8 aperture it's still not great in the dark. I don't shoot a whole lot in the dark, so it's not a major issue, but there are those times where I wished I could shoot at higher than 1600 iso.
In my opinion, the most appealing thing about the T1i is the larger iso range. Video might be useful, but 3200 iso would be much more useful in my experience. |
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