Journal 7

I have decided to evaluate the Cannon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera. The reason I am evaluating this product is because I am considering purchasing a SLR Camera and want to make sure that I am making the right choice. As a college student, a camera that sells for over $500 is a major purchase that takes a large part of my income. Furthermore, there are a lot of quality cameras out there that sell for relatively cheap and a lot of junk on the market that is severely overpriced. To make sure that I am not being ripped off, I have been researching SLR cameras. So far, this Cannon seems to be the best option.

In the realm of cameras, I would categorize the Cannon EOS Rebel as a professional grade camera for the aspiring photographer. According to Amazon and several photographer’s blogs, the camera is designed with an easy layout for beginners and a light body for those not used to the clunky feel of an SLR camera. Still, the Cannon EOS Rebel delivers a high quality image with many settings and options for the more experienced photographer.

The five characteristics that I have evaluated this camera on are: price, megapixels, picture quality, weight, and settings and features. The Cannon EOS Rebel ranges in price from $600 used on Amazon to as much as $800 new at other retailers. This is very reasonable considering that according to Amazon, it is the number two top rated SLR camera of 2010-2011. This is especially The number one SLR camera sells for about $2,000. Secondly, I looked at the megapixels. Megapixels are the small box like blobs of color that a picture is captured in. Thousands of these blocks make up the picture. The more megapixels, the better the picture resolution if you plan to enlarge your prints. More megapixels will help to keep your picture from becoming fuzzy. The Cannon Rebel has 15.1 megapixels which is plenty to ensure that the picture will stay sharp if it is blown up to larger than the average 4x6 print. The third and fourth categories I am evaluating has to do with overall picture quality. This is determined mostly by the quality of the lens and camera sensor. The camera sensor refers to the ISO speed and exposure. ISO refers to the degree of sensitivity to light. In other words, the higher the ISO , the better images taken in low light will be. Similarly, an increased ISO increases shutter speed which can reduce blurred images. This is important with this specific camera because it has a very unique setting: “Creative Auto.” Creative Auto or CA allows you to manually choose some settings, but not have to worry about shutter speed if you do not entirely understand the concept. The Cannon Rebel ensures that even an armature photographer can get an awesome shot on this setting by providing an ISO 640 (which is a very generous ISO.) Likewise, most retailers sell the Cannon as a package deal with an upgraded lens for excellent picture quality. Or, if you choose to upgrade further, Cannon offers over 600 lenses that are compatible with this camera. Finally, the weight and feel of the camera is the fifth area of evaluation. After reading several blogs I am convinced that this camera is a tad bulkier than most SLR cameras. This does not bother me however it may be uncomfortable for some so it is something to be aware of. I do not mind this because it provides it with a little more of a professional feel. More important to me is how the camera feels in my hand. Is it awkward? Do my hands fit? Are the buttons inconveniently placed? From what I’ve read from bloggers and customer ratings, the camera is a comfortable fit in your hand. There is ample room to grip the camera and the buttons are not placed so that one could accidently hit them while taking a picture.