Camera Gear Reviews

Canon EOS Rebel T1i DSLR Camera

Chris — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 00:43:22 +0000

The Canon EOS Rebel T1i DSLR Camera is the base level DSLR from Canon. This camera has lots of great options, and possibly some better features than its closely related sibling the Rebel T2i. Here are the basic features.

- 15.1Mp CMOS Sensor
- HD 1080p, 720p, and VGA Video Capture
- 3″ Clear View LCD with Live View
- DIGIC 4 Image Processor
- ISO Expandable to 12,800
- Compatible w/ 60-plus EF & EF-S Optics

So this camera offers you all the features of an SLR, especially fast shooting, and interchangeable lenses. It also doesn’t have a lot of features that more expensive cameras do, but honestly many of those are just fluff to make people that buy them feel better about their more costly purchase. Few people will be able to actually use the more advanced features that they pay for in those more expensive cameras.

This camera gets my vote over the Canon Revel T2i mainly over pixel density. My biggest beef with camera makes is that they regularly update what sounds cool rather than what actually would be useful. For example, more megapixels instead of more fps or better focusing. The problem with just throwing in more megapixels all the time is that they get smaller and smaller and the smaller they get the harder time they have still being high quality.

With that being said, the T2i and the T1i are pretty close overall, and I would opt for paying less for fewer megapixels and maybe get pictures that come out a bit nicer in the end. I will be testing these two cameras against each other though, hopefully soon, so I will give you a further report then!

For now I will just say that you may get a better deal overall in the cheaper canon Rebel T2i.

Check out all the other current Canon Cameras on my Canon Camera Review page.

Canon EOS Rebel T2i DSLR Camera

Chris — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 00:28:46 +0000

The Canon EOS Rebel T2i DSLR Camera is Canon’s newer consumer DSLR camera. It is aimed at people that want to have professional features, and the ability to do about anything the pros can but still be affordable at the cost of a few things they probably would never need or care about. This camera will probably be the next one that I get the chance to test out, and I am kind of excited because I have been overly focused on cameras like this or this for so long that I make things to complicated in my photography.

18.0 MP CMOS (APS-C) Sensor
Full HD 1080p Video
Advanced Live View
3.0″ 1.04 Million Dot Clear View LCD
Up to 3.7 fps RAW, JPEG, or RAW+JPEG
ISO 100-6400, Expandable to 12800
63-Zone Metering / 9-Point AF System
Compatible with SD, SDHC, and SDXC
Eye-Fi Menu Status Indicator Support

This camera has a lot of great features. Video, 18 MP, great ISO range, almost 4 fps shooting speed, small and lightweight size, and the SD card slot. Overall this camera is a great deal, especially if you don’t really need weather protection (who lets their camera sit in the rain anyway?), ultra fast shooting (yes 3.7 fps is fast, I mean like 8 or 10 fps), and a super fast focusing system (one that only very expereinced shooters would be able to even make use of, the focusing system in this baby is very good compared to almost any camera out there).

There are very few negatives to this camera. The people that find problems with this camera are likely just in need of a more advanced camera features and a much lighter wallet. You can do incredible things with this camera. The few things I listed above are likely the only real negatives about this camera and I honestly believe that very few photographers will ever be able to make use of those more advanced features in a more expensive camera. The only real difference for people going for the more expensive cameras will likely be not in the resulting pictures, but in their wallet!

So this camera gets my recommendation because it gives you more than enough features to keep many professional happy for a long time, at a price that probably won’t break anyone’s wallet who is trying to take photography a bit more seriously.

Check out our Canon Camera Review to see all current Canon digital cameras.

Canon EOS Rebel XS DSLR Camera

Chris — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 23:57:43 +0000

The Canon EOS Rebel XS DSLR Camera is Canon’s cheapest digital SLR camera that they current offer. At the time of this writing it is probably soon to be not longer available. There are three cameras at a similar price and with similar features that have been released since it was released. So if this is your price range don’t buy this camera new, instead look at any of the other Rebel Cameras that Canon offers (see a list here). At least one of them will be very close in price and offer you much, much more. That is what we are about here, getting the best deal for our wants and needs.

So here are its features…

10 Megapixel
2.5″ LCD Monitor
Live View Function
3.0 fps Continuous Shooting
High Sensitivity (ISO 1600)
Picture Style Settings
Uses Canon EF & EF-S Lenses
Integrated Cleaning System

Now don’t get me wrong, this is a good little camera. If you can get it used from a trusted seller then I may go for it if it cost less than $400 at least. Why? It doesn’t shoot video mainly. This is just a still picture camera, while almost every other camera in our Canon Camera Review has the ability to shoot video as well as make still images. So most new DSLR’s today are both still and video cameras, and this one isn’t.

If the lack of video isn’t a big deal for you then I would go ahead and maybe get it, because it does have quite enough megapixels for great pictures and it can make great pictures. I have a friend that makes great bird pictures with this camera and does so regularly (not just a one time piece of luck, but actually used regularly with success) he just doesn’t care about video.

So this is a good camera overall but Canon is still offering it for sale because they have lots in stock, and when they sell out they probably won’t be making any more. For me when I realize this is happening I feel like they should just stop selling it because after you buy it they are going to hit you hard with the bigger, better, and newer camera right after you buy it which doesn’t feel right to me. Oh well.

So the Canon EOS Rebel XS DSLR Camera does get me recommendation if you just want a DSLR that will allow interchangeable lenses, and can take good pictures in most situations. If you want video or the latest greatest definitely look at the newer upgraded models that you will likely be able to get for a little bit more.

I do recommend that if you want this camera, then try getting it used somewhere for about half the new price you would see in stores, it isn’t a good deal to buy it new!

See all current Canon Cameras in our Canon Camera Review.

10 Megapixel
- 2.5″ LCD Monitor
- Live View Function
- 3.0 fps Continuous Shooting
- High Sensitivity (ISO 1600)
- Picture Style Settings
- Uses Canon EF & EF-S Lenses
- Integrated Cleaning System

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III DSLR Camera

Chris — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 23:22:47 +0000

The Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III SLR Digital Camera is Canons Top of the Line Camera. It is their professional level camera, and it does have a few nice features!

21.1 Megapixel
Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
3.0″ LCD with Live View
5 fps Burst
Dual DIGIC III Image Processor
Self-Cleaning Sensor
Fast AF system
Picture Style Settings
Weather Resistant Body
Accepts UDMA CF Cards

I have had a few chances to use this camera but not to seriously. Here is my take on it…

The good thing about this camera is that it has a good sensor at 21.1 MP and can give great image quality. It also has a very good focusing system, one that out shines the 5d Mark II (which is very easy to do…). It also has a good sized body that has nice weather resistance that could probably survive a toddlers slobber, and maybe even some hurricanes. It also has a vertical grip and shutter button built in, that is mighty convenient.

One feature that may not make much sense to people is that it is UDMA compact flash card compatible. This means that if you buy a super high speed memory card this camera can actually keep up with it and make a difference for you, where as some cheaper cameras wouldn’t be able to make any difference in shooting speed with a faster card. It also has what is supposed to be a great battery that can do a lot of shooting.

Here is the down side…

The body is huge and heavy. When I first picked this body up my gut instinct said I needed two hands to just be able to hold it compared to other cameras that you may use two hands to just be careful. It really isn’t sooo heavy but it is much heavier and larger than all other bodies except for the Canon ID Mark IV body.

Another negative is that you can now have the same or maybe even a bit better image quality in the Canon 5d Mark II for almost 1/3 the price of this camera. Ouch. Oh and the 5d also can shoot amazing video (it has been used to shoot episodes of TV shows like House).

At this point the camera is getting a bit out dated compared to other more recently released cameras from this and other brands. I suspect that in 2011 this camera will be updated. I suspect it will have a sensor in the range of 29 MP, and perhaps even a bit faster shooting (though I am probably just dreaming about that), and other types of goodies like the ability to shoot HD video, maybe even with autofocus, which would be really cool.

So my recommendation on this is to carefully consider if you need the weather resistance, the vertical grip, and faster auto focus and shooting. If you do then see if you can just wait a few months and you may have a new version that is worth the almost 5 figure price tag it is sure to be.

Otherwise I guess just pic it up and start shooting!

Check out all the other current Canon Cameras on my Canon Camera Review page.

Canon EOS 7D SLR Thoughts

Chris — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 18:19:36 +0000

The Canon EOS 7D is a great camera, and does a lot for the person who doesn’t want to fork out big money for cameras like the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV. I have had a chance to use this camera quite a bit and like it and hate it for a few different reasons…

Here are the basic product specks…

18.0 Megapixels
3.0″ LCD
HD Video Recording
Selectable Video Exposure + Frame Rates
Dust & Weather Resistant
100% Viewfinder
Self Cleaning Sensor
High Sensitivity (ISO 12800)
8fps Burst Mode

The camera boasts 18.0 megapixels which are very nice. You get a lot of detail in the frames, but you also get quite a bit of noise and stuff that gives a lower image quality than say a full frame camera like the Canon 5D Mark II which has a full frame sensor, or the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV which has only a 1.3 cropped sensor. This is my only beef and is delving into things I don’t like to do, pixel peeping. For the money and the features you get really nice images. The difference between the images produced by the Canon EOS 7D and the previous cameras mentioned is small. Most people would never be able to tell a difference and I may be over exaggerating it a bit to.

This camera can focus fast. Really fast, especially compared to the 5D Mark II. Not quite as fast as the 1D Mark IV but that camera is REALLY FAST and EXPENSIVE so your getting a deal in this category with this camera!

The camera also can shoot fast as well at 8 fps. In fact very few cameras from any brand can shoot this fast. It does it without special battery boosters, and tricks. It can just shoot that fast all the time if you want.

Having used this camera quite a bit I recommend it completely! It is really a great camera. Like I mentioned before, the only problem you may have is if your super worried about image quality. Other than that it totally rocks!

Check out all the other current Canon Cameras on my Canon Camera Review page.

Canon EOS 60D DSLR

Chris — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 18:01:44 +0000

The Canon 60D DSLR is a new canon camera that is providing great value for users without some of the needless fluff that makes cameras more expensive.

Here is a look at it’s features…

18MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
1920 x 1080 HD Video Capture
SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card Slot
Vari-Angle Clear View 3.0″ Flip-Out LCD
DIGIC 4 Image Processor
5.3 fps Continuous Shooting
Works with all Canon EF and EF-S Lenses
ISO 6400 – Expandable to 12800
HDMI Output to HDTV
In-Camera Editing Options

This camera is a step in a different direction I think for the traditional DSLR. This camera is bringing things like the flip out LCD. That may be a very cool feature, I can’t wait to try it it. I am also very interested to try out the in camera editing options. Sometimes you just want to make a few quick changes and be done, being able to do this in camera would be really cool!

It is also a camera that I believe is taking out lots of little useless things like super fast shooting and other stuff people won’t really miss.

This camera provides value with a fast shooting rate of 5.3 fps, HD video capture, 18mp APS-C CMOS Sensor, a fast processor, and what may be becoming the new standard SD memory card slots.

I hope to check this camera out as soon as I can!

Check out all the other current Canon Cameras on my Canon Camera Review page.

Canon EOS 50D

Chris — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 17:39:58 +0000

The Canon EOS 50D is an exciting little camera designed to be a much more affordable deal than the Canon EOS 7D, and Canon EOS 1D Mark IV while still providing many of the same features.

15.1 Megapixel
6.3 fps Continuous Shooting
Uses Canon EF & EF-S Lenses
3.0″ Clear View VGA LCD
Live View Mode
Integrated Cleaning System
ISO 3200 – Expandable to 12800
9-point Wide-area AF
Face Detection Live AF
HDMI Output

I believe that this little camera will be a great addition to anyone’s camera bag because it gives great options at a great price.

Good things that it features include a nice number of megapixels at 15.1. This is about all I would personally want to go with on a 15.1 aps-c sized sensor. It has a great shooting rate. This is as fast as almost anyone will ever need. It makes point an shoot cameras just seem like a joke when you can shoot that fast. The 3.0″ VGA LCD will be very nice. I can’t believe I used the tiny LCD on my old Canon 20D for so long!

The negatives are mainly that it doesn’t include a video recording option. I really like making videos so this is kind of a bum deal for me. However if you just don’t care for the video options on SLRs then this is good for you!

I hope to check this one out as soon as I can…

Check out all the other current Canon Cameras on my Canon Camera Review page.

Canon EOS 1D Mark IV First Thoughts

Chris — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 17:21:42 +0000

The Canon ESO 1D Mark IV is Canon’s flagship sport and wildlife camera.

It definitely has some very amazing features. Check them out below…

Product Highlights

16.1 Megapixels
3.0″ LCD
High Sensitivity (ISO 102,400)
10fps Burst Mode
45 Point AF System
HD Video Recording
Selectable Video Exposure + Frame Rates
Dust & Weather Resistant
100% Viewfinder
Self Cleaning Sensor

Here are my quick thoughts. There are several features on every camera that are added and advertised because they just sound amazing but sadly more most people they aren’t that useful. On this camera I feel like the self cleaning sensor is something that may be nice but overall I have tried several cameras that had this feature and it did little good.

The other one that I am not real excited about is the super high ISO. Yes it could literally take a picture in the dark with almost no light. This is cool, but not really practical. I personally sometimes like to make prints or show pictures to people and so I hope for a certain amount of quality. If this new higher ISO gets me pictures that are really good at 6400 ISO then I am very excited. If I still can get great shots past 2500 or so then honestly what good is it?

So there you go, that is the main stuff I am not excited about…

I am excited about the 16.1 megapixel sensor, 1.3 Sensor Crop, 10fps burst mode, 45 point AF system, HD Video Recording, and 100% Viewfinder.

A sensor that comes in at only 16.1 mp is something that I like. We could always squeeze more and more megapixels into a sensor. I want quality and am not to focused on excessive quantity. This sensor at 16.1 mp and a 1.3 crop is a good spot to be in my opinion. Looks like you will have enough good quality pixels but not to crowded. I am personally not to interested in densities of pixels higher than this. Much like the Canon 5d Mark II, about the right concentration for the returned quality.

The 10 fps shooting mode is something that I am very excited about. Currently I shoot a lot of bird photography at 3.1 fps with the 5d Mark II and I frankly miss shots because I am not perfect, but also because the camera shoots slowly and misses action that goes on between the frames you get with only 3.1 fps. At 10 fps I feel like I will miss a lot less of the action. I may even adjust it down to 7 or 8 fps in some situations.

I am even more excited about the new and improved 45 point AF system. This will give the 10 fps shooting rate real value. Like most of the frames shot in one second may be in focus. That is awesome! I am positive that it will be an improvement over my 5d Mark II who’s focusing system is in my opinion perhaps its major downfall.

The HD Video Recording is something I am interested to try out, especially in comparison to the 5d Mark II’s own Recording. Maybe the quality really will be a lot better.

Lastly having a 100% view in the view finder will be welcome. It is amazing how much you don’t see around the edges when you don’t have a 100% view. So I am excited to find how much of a difference this camera will make.

I hope to be able to seriously try this camera out next spring when I head to Texas, Florida, and Georgia for Bird Photography. Having 3 weeks of solid time with it and a Canon 7d will be a great time to have a good personal look at it!

Check out all the other current Canon Cameras on my Canon Camera Review page.

Canon 5d Mark II Thoughts

Chris — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 23:07:55 +0000

The Canon 5d Mark II is one of the best cameras that has ever been produced. Perhaps one of the best things about it is that it is so much like shooting film! For me I love the wide angle being wide, and the quality being amazing. Even better is that this camera in my experience has far surpassed the quality of either 35mm or medium format film.

Here is a brief list of features…

21.1 Megapixel Full-Frame Sensor
3.0″ High Resolution LCD Display
Live View Mode
1080p Movie Mode
Dust & Weather-Resistant
Self Cleaning Sensor
Broad ISO Range (50-25600)
3.9 fps Burst Mode

I personally love the full-frame sensor. I also think that 21.1 megapixels is about the right number. I think I wouldn’t ever be interested in a DSLR camera that has more than 30 megapixels. With this camera I find most of the time that the quality of the lenses available is the limiting factor, especially in the non L-series lenses.

The dust and weather resistance has been nice as well. I have been in some slight sketchy conditions that include, rain, snow, dust/sand wind storms, and extremely hot and cold temperatures all with not issues at all. So it does its job well. I honestly haven’t been in truly extremely life threatening conditions and tested the camera yet, but have used it far beyond most peoples and photographers comfort levels.

The ISO range is very nice. I get amazing pictures from 50-2500. Usually try and stay at 50-1600 when possible…

This is a great camera. When an upgrade comes I will only upgrade if they significantly improve the shooting speed and focusing. Otherwise I love this camera! Hopefully this camera is the first step in the digital camera world that takes us back to focusing on lenses and other stuff besides the latest greatest camera…

Check out all the other current Canon Cameras on my Canon Camera Review page.