And, if the loss of the letter 'X' from the US name seems a bit disconcerting, you can comfort yourself with the knowledge that the Japanese market will still know it by the odd-to-European-ears 'Kiss X3 Digital.' For simplicity's sake, we'll refer to the 500D/T1i/Kiss X3 by the name 500D throughout the rest of the review. A brief history; Canon entry level digital SLR series Single shooting, continuous shooting, self-timer with 10-sec. or 2-sec. delay and 10-sec. delay with continuous shooting

Those internal changes are numerous and extensive. The headline feature is the new sensor, the same powerful high-speed 15.1MP CMOS unit as used in the next model up the range, the semi-pro EOS 50D. The 50D was praised for its excellent image quality especially in low light, so this certainly bodes well for the 500D’s performance. Also borrowed from the 50D is the superb three-inch 920,000 dot monitor and the powerful pop up flash with an ISO 100 guide number of 13. This custom setting promises to improve the highlight detail of the image by expanding the dynamic range from 18% grey to bright highlights. Turning it On didn't make a great deal of difference in our test shot, as shown below. English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Portuguese, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Greek, Russian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Romanian, Ukrainian, Turkish, Arabic, Thai, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean and Japanese Just 14 months after the launch of the EOS Rebel XSi (450D), Canon has unveiled its latest model, the Rebel T1i (500D). It's the fifth generation of Rebel and enters the market at a difficult time - in the midst of a global economic downturn and against the fiercest competition we've ever seen in the entry-level DSLR sector. So what has Canon done to make this latest model in the longest-established family in the sector live up to the edgy and exciting image implied by its US naming? Lenses – Should have no marks on the elements andoptically clear. There may be light dust present that will not effect theimagery.The Canon EOS 500D is the company’s latest addition to the DSLR lineup and has positioned the three-digit EOS range – originally introduced as a budget, entry-level option – as an advanced series, bringing some seriously impressive features with it.The Canon 500D spawns from the design of the previous 450D and, though currently will sell along side it, offers a definite upgrade on this model. The What Digital Camera Canon 500D review investigates…

Program AE (Full Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, Flash Off, Creative Auto, Program), shutter-priority AE, aperture-priority AE, depth-of-field AE, manual exposure The one trump card that the 500D does hold is its HD Movie Mode. The only other Canon DSLR to offer HD video is the pro-level 5D MKII. Both capture HD (720p) videos at 30fps, but while the 5D manages Full HD (1080p) at 30fps, the 500D drops to 20fps. You can also delete an image, rotate an image, view a slideshow, protect images so that they cannot be deleted, and set various printing options. Unlike some competitors, there are no digital styles or effects that can be applied to an image after it has been taken - the more subtle Picture Styles are the only way of tweaking your JPEGs in-camera. The camera shows you a preview of what the effect will look like when applied, and the effect is applied to a copy of your image, thus preserving the original intact. Lenses – The lens has dust inside that may affect images. The rubber zoom/focus ring is coming away from the barrel of the lens.The Canon 500D handles focusing by a 9-point TTL system, set out in a diamond formation around the centre-point and gives decent coverage of the viewfinder for all but the most extreme uses. The Canon 500D’s metering is equally well equipped, offering the TTL 35-zone system, with choice of spot, partial, evaluative, and centre-weighted options. Exposure compensation is available in third or half-stop measures up to a maximum of +/-2EV. We tested the EOS 500D with the EFS 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS kit lens, which was first introduced alongside the 450D. As the name suggests, this lens has image stabilisation, an important factor given that competitors like Sony, Olympus and Pentax all offer image stabilisation in their DSLRs. The difference between Canon (and Nikon) and the others is that Sony, Olympus and Pentax have opted for stabilisation via the camera body, rather than the lens, which therefore works with their entire range of lenses. Canon's system is obviously limited by which lenses you choose, but it does offer the slight advantage of showing the stabilising effect through the viewfinder. Canon and Nikon also claim that a lens-based anti-shake system is inherently better too, but the jury's still out on that one. The Canon EOS 500D also has that all important 1080p Full HD Movie mode, accessed by selecting from the shooting menu on the top dial (it works in much the same way as the LiveView mode). The image is displayed on the rear screen and focusing can be achieved manually or by the three AF modes featured in LiveView. Recording is started and stopped via the LiveView button on the rear, while pressing the shutter the camera will still take a still image, even while recording video. Even considering its surfeit of cutting-edge enhancements and flagship status, the additional inclusion of a high-definition movie mode appears to have inflated the price of the 500D somewhat beyond entry-level expectations.

This custom setting promises to automatically correct the brightness and contrast of an image, with four levels of varying intensity available. There was a slight difference between the weakest and strongest settings, as shown below. Note that the user guide warns that this setting might cause noise to increase. On top of the regular creative shooting modes of Manual, Aperture priority (Av), Shutter priority (Tv), and Program (P), the Canon EOS 500D offers an aperture dependant mode (A-dep), which will highlight the area in focus using the AF points, and creative auto (CA). Creative auto provides the same control as the regular creative modes but in a simplified form to allow new users to experiment with ease.

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As with previous EOS models, the Canon 500D automatically cleans the sensor in-camera by vibrating the sensor to shake dust off. This happens every time the 500D is turned on and off, and takes just a few seconds, though can be bypassed on start-up by half-pressing the shutter button, or disabled via the menu system. Canon has also sought to eliminate dust by reducing the amount generated inside the EOS 500D and, for stubborn particles, a dust-mapping mode used in conjunction with the Digital Photo Pro (DPP) editing software. Live View is also used for the feature that will arguably generate the most interest in the Canon EOS 500D: its movie mode. This is the second Canon DSLR camera to shoot full 1080p HD quality video, following on from the pro-level Canon EOS 5D Mark II. The 500D works almost in exactly the same way, recording high-definition, wide-screen video in 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution in MOV format using the H.264 codec. Strangely, though, it only does so at a frame rate of 20fps, rather than the 30fps offered by the 5D Mark II. Drop down to the 500D's 720p video mode, and the frame rate is 30fps. Video can also be recorded in 640x480 VGA quality at 30fps. Material – If you want a sturdy and durable camera, you can choose one that is made of magnesium alloy. When you consider a camera with a rugged design or material, make sure it feels comfortable in the hand. In Canon DSLR cameras, there are automatic modes as well as a manual mode. If you want to snap images without putting time on changing controls, then use automatic mode. Otherwise, use manual mode if you know how to tweak the controls to come up with decent images. As seen in automatic mode, the camera provides fixed values for the aperture, ISO, and shutter speed. While in manual mode, you take control of the three features yourself, giving you the freedom to adjust the exposure of the image. High ISO Setting

That's fine for static and slow-moving scenes, but with fast-moving subjects motion can appear jerky. Clips are saved in the H.264 .MOV format, rather than Motion JPEG, which is used by the Nikon D90 and D5000. So in summary, the new Canon EOS 500D / Digital Rebel T1i is a much-improved DSLR camera that's easily worthy of our Highly Recommended award. It doesn't quite merit our full 5-star rating due to the combination of its high recommended retail price and quirky video mode, but the 500D is still one of the best mid-range DSLRs around.As with previous models, the Canon EOS 500D accepts Canon’s entire range of EF and EF-S lenses, giving you a huge range of creative possibilities. As well as the body only version, kits are also available with either an 18-55mm or 18-200mm lens in the box.