Canon T1i Review

Another review of the new Canon T1i DSLR has been posted on the web, this time from Steve’s Digicams. An update to the popular XSi, this new model has almost the same image sensor as the 50D. Click the image for more views of this camera and a quote from Amazon.

“...we are very pleased with Canon's Latest Digital Rebel. The T1i offers some very powerful features that have been handed down from its big brothers, the Canon EOS 50D and EOS 5D Mark II. This camera possesses a high degree of appeal with loads of exposure options, and class leading ISO capabilities, performance, and image quality. With a sticker price of US $799.99 for the body only or US $899.99 with the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens, we feel the Canon Rebel T1i / EOS 500D offers a very competitive price for a camera that delivers so much.”

Read the full review here.

T1i Features:

• -New 15.1-megapixel CMOS sensor with DIGIC 4 Image Processor
• -Includes Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens
• -Full HD video capture at 1920 x 1080 resolution; HDMI output
• -3.0-inch Clear View LCD; Live View Function for stills (Quick, Live and Face Detection AF modes) and video
• -Capture images and video to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)

Accessories:

• Tiffen 58mm UV Protection Filter

• Transcend 8 GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card TS8GSDHC6

• Transcend 16 GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card with Card Reader TS16GSDHC6-S5W

• Transcend 16 GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card TS16GSDHC6

• Canon LP-E5 Battery Pack for Canon Digital Rebel XS & XSi Digital SLR Camera

Extreme Macro Technique

Here is a video tip from Jim Talkington wherein he explains how to achieve super macro shots with no special equipment. With this technique, the ratio of focal lengths of the main lens to the reverse lens is the magnification. Therefore with a 105mm lens and a 50mm reverse lens, the magnification is actually about 2:1. And since DSLRs have small sensors, it's actually more like 3:1, which should be obvious from the photo he provided. The screw looks huge!

1:1 is defined as such: imagine a film negative and you placed a screw on the negative and shined some light on it. The size of the silhouette of the screw on the negative will be it's actual size. This is called 1:1.

Generally, macro lenses are designed for full frame cameras. So they are 1:1 at the minimum focus distance for 35mm film. On a DSLR with a APS-C sized sensor a macro lens can produce an image that is 1.6:1, not 1:1.

If you use a longer lens as the main lens, you get more magnification. For instance a 300mm lens and a 50mm lens gives you 6:1! (Even more, really, because of the crop factor.)

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1

The Sony HX1 is very SLR-like in appearance with its deep handgrip, protruding lens barrel, popup flash, and nicely offset EVF eye piece. Cosmetically there are very few changes from the H50, and from a distance it is quite easy to mistake one for the other. The controls are logically laid out, with dedicated buttons for most of the shooting settings, and anybody who has used a super zoom, especially a Sony one, will be right at home on the HX1.

Digital Camera Resource Page have just completed their review of the HX1-

“If you want a super zoom camera with HD video recording and lots of bells and whistles (some of which are quite cool), then it's worth taking a look at the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1. If image quality is more important than a 10 fps burst mode and easy panorama shooting, then I'd take a look at the PowerShot SX1 instead. It costs $100 more and has its share of issues as well, but it's the better of the two cameras in most respects. If you don't need HD movie recording at all, then you can save a bundle by buying a "regular" super zoom camera.”

Sony HX1 Features

9.0-megapixel Super HAD CCD image sensor for photo-quality pictures up to 13 x 19 inches
20x optical zoom; 28mm wide-angle Sony G-Lens
Capture up to 10 frames per second; HD (1080p) movie capture
3.0-inch Clear Photo LCD tilt display; 90-degree tilt, horizontal and vertical
11 MB built-in memory; capture images to Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo media (not included)

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Suggested Accessories

  • Sony MSMT4G 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo (Mark2) Media

  • Sony NPFH50 H Series Actiforce Hybrid InfoLithium Battery for most Sony Camcorders and A230, A330 and A380 Alpha DSLR

  • Soft Carrying Case (Textile) for Cyber-shot except High-end F/R series (Include shoulder strap)

  • Sony LCS-HE Soft Carrying Case for DSC-HX1

  • Sony MSHX8G PRO-HG Duo HX 8 GB Memory Stick with Supplied USB Adaptor (Black)

Canon T1i

Here’s a review of the new Canon T1i digital camera. An update to the popular XSi, this new model has ‘almost’ the same image sensor as the 50D. Click the image for a quote from Amazon.

“We tested a final production Canon EOS 500D / Rebel T1i running firmware version 1.0.9. Following our convention of testing cameras using their factory default settings unless otherwise stated, the EOS 500D / T1i was set to Large Fine JPEG quality, Auto White Balance, Evaluative metering and the Standard Picture Style; High ISO Noise Reduction and the Auto Lighting Optimiser were set to their default Standard settings, except in our High ISO noise tests page where the latter was disabled as it can introduce noise. Highlight Tone Priority was disabled apart from during our specific tests of the feature. Image Stabilisation was enabled for all handheld shots and disabled for tripod-based tests.”

Read the full review here.

T1i Features:

• New 15.1-megapixel CMOS sensor with DIGIC 4 Image Processor
• Includes Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens
• Full HD video capture at 1920 x 1080 resolution; HDMI output
• 3.0-inch Clear View LCD; Live View Function for stills (Quick, Live and Face Detection AF modes) and video
• Capture images and video to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)

Accessories:

• Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
• Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
• Canon RC-5 Wireless Remote Controller
• Canon Angle Finder C for Canon EOS SLR Cameras
• Canon Wireless Remote Control RC1 for Digital Rebel

Pentax K-7 review

Here is the first preview published on the new Pentax K-7 digital SLR.

First impressions are that the K-7 has a promising looking interface and one that incorporates many of the lessons that Pentax clearly learned in the development of the K-m (on which we quite liked the interface).The K-7, Pentax's latest enthusiast/semi-pro level DSLR. And a handsome creature it is, too - gone is the K20D's slightly pudgy utilitarianism, to be replaced by a sleek, pared-down elegance. But it's not just on the outside that things have changed: although the megapixel count remains the same, just about everything that matters has been replaced, revised or spruced-up. Read the full preview here.

Its spec isn't quite what the rumors might have suggested, but it still manages to look an awful lot like the wish-list of most enthusiast photographers (though one based in reality, rather than the increasingly surreal suggestions being churned out by the rumor mill).

Pentax is a name that will evoke fond memories for many photographers whose first SLR experience would have been with a Spotmatic, KM, K1000 or ME Super. Although the company's market position isn't as well entrenched as it was during the halcyon days of 35mm film, it continues to attract a devoted following of enthusiasts. And that following isn't just based on nostalgia - Pentax is alone in having developed a comprehensive range of prime lenses for the APS-C format that dominates modern DSLR photography, while most of its competitors concentrate on offering a selection of zooms.

Pentax's cameras have also catered well for this market in the shape of the competitively-priced K20D, a very likeable, solid upgrade to the K10D. Both cameras offered robust semi-pro build quality and a fairly advanced degree of environmental sealing, combined with a good level of customizability and well worked-out handling. But it's now been over two-and-a-half years since the K10D appeared and, as it tends to, the market has moved on. The K20D's live view system was not exactly class leading, and the camera was starting to look a little long-in-the-tooth when compared to the video-shooting Canons and Nikons that have started to appear, with their VGA screens and polished interfaces.