Canon EOS Rebel T1i DSLR Camera Review

If you're familiar with Canon DSLR cameras, especially those from the Rebel series, then you'll feel right at home with the Rebel T1i. At first glance, the Rebel T1i very closely resembles many of the other Rebel series digital cameras in terms of both layout and overall design. Upon further inspection, however, you'll notice a few small differences, one of which is the larger, 3-inch LCD on the back of the camera.


The Rebel T1i's body measures approximately 5.1 x 3.8 x 2.4 inches and weighs about 1.06 pounds. The build quality of the body feels solid.

On the front of the Rebel T1i, you'll find the remote control sensor and the red-eye reduction/self-timer lamp located near the grip of the camera. On the other side of the lens mount, you'll see the Depth-of-field preview button as well as the lens release button. A flash button and the camera's microphone are located in the upper-right portion of the front of the body.


Moving from front to back on the top near the grip, you'll find the shutter button, mail dial, ISO speed setting button, power switch, and mode dial. Although this may sound like a handful of buttons to place in a small area, the layout and arrangement are very usable in practice. The Rebel T1i's mode dial houses all of the popular shooting modes, including automatic and manual controls as well as the video shooting mode. The Rebel T1i's flash and hot shoe are located in a traditional position in the center of the top of the camera's body.


On the opposite side of the camera from the grip, you'll find a Terminal cover which opens to reveal a remote control terminal, audio/video out digital terminal, and the camera's HDMI mini Out terminal.


Because the Rebel T1i's 3-inch LCD takes up a large portion of the back of the camera, most of the controls are located to the right of the display, though you will find the Menu button and the shooting settings display button located above the LCD to the left of the optical viewfinder. Just below the optical viewfinder, there's a sensor that will turn the camera's display off when you hold the camera close to your eye.

The Rebel T1i uses Canon's traditional navigational cross keys to provide easy access to the camera's white balance, picture style, drive mode, and AF mode selection controls. A set button resides in the middle of these cross keys. Above the cross keys, you'll notice the Rebel T1i's Live View shooting button (which is also combined with the Print/Share button) and the Aperture/Exposure Compensation button. Below the cross keys, you'll find the playback button and the erase button.


On the back of the camera near the Mode dial, you'll find the Rebel T1i's AE lock/FE lock button and the AF point selection/Magnify button. A speaker resides just below these two buttons.

The Rebel T1i's card slot cover is located on the camera's grip.