Canon 500D Comparison Review

The Canon EOS 500D (called Canon T1i in some regions) is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was officially introduced in March 2009 and is equipped with an APS-C sensor. It offers a resolution of 15.1 megapixel.

Is the Canon 500D a good camera? The 500D has a Camera Elo of 1436. This rating puts the 500D below average of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the 500D also ranks below average. – Well, the Canon 500D is more than 10 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2009.

Headline Specifications

Canon 500D
Digital single lens reflex
Canon EF mount lenses
15.1 MP, APS-C Sensor
1080/20p Video
ISO 100-6400 (100-12800)
Optical viewfinder
3.0" LCD, 920k dots
Fixed screen (not touch-sensitive)
3.4 shutter flaps per second
400 shots per battery charge
129 x 98 x 62 mm, 520 g

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Canon 500D vis-à-vis a credit card. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Canon 500D alongside a set of comparators. If you want to review a camera pair side-by-side, just select a right-side comparator from among the camera models in the table. Alternatively, you can also move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Camera Body Specifications

	Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life (CIPA)	Weather Sealing (yes/no)	Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Canon 500D	129 mm	98 mm	62 mm	520 g	400	n	Mar 2009	799	-		Canon 500D
	Canon 750D« »	132 mm	101 mm	78 mm	555 g	440	n	Feb 2015	749	-		Canon 750D
	Canon 760D« »	132 mm	101 mm	78 mm	565 g	440	n	Feb 2015	649	-		Canon 760D
	Canon 1200D« »	130 mm	100 mm	78 mm	480 g	500	n	Feb 2014	449	-		Canon 1200D
	Canon G1 X Mark II« »	116 mm	74 mm	66 mm	553 g	240	n	Feb 2014	799			Canon G1 X Mark II
	Canon 700D« »	133 mm	100 mm	79 mm	580 g	440	n	Mar 2013	649	-		Canon 700D
	Canon 650D« »	133 mm	100 mm	79 mm	575 g	440	n	Jun 2012	849	-		Canon 650D
	Canon G1 X« »	117 mm	81 mm	65 mm	534 g	250	n	Jan 2012	799	-		Canon G1 X
	Canon 600D« »	133 mm	100 mm	80 mm	570 g	440	n	Feb 2011	599	-		Canon 600D
	Canon 550D« »	129 mm	98 mm	62 mm	530 g	440	n	Feb 2010	699	-		Canon 550D
	Canon 450D« »	129 mm	98 mm	62 mm	524 g	500	n	Jan 2008	799	-		Canon 450D
Convert to Imperial
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Canon 500D was launched in the US market at a price of $799. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Canon 500D features an APS-C sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.6. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Canon 500D among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

For most cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of comparators.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The 500D indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the 500D can use is 1080/20p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. For example, the 500D has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 95% and a magnification of 0.54x. The adjacent tables list some of the other core features of the Canon 500D along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

One convenient feature of the 500D is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Canon EOS 500D and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the 500D in practical situations. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The table below summarizes the assessments of some of the best known camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, photographyblog).

Review Scores

	Camera Model						Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Canon 500D	+ +	74/100	4.5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Mar 2009	799	-		Canon 500D
	Canon 750D« »	-	75/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	749	-		Canon 750D
	Canon 760D« »	+	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	649	-		Canon 760D
	Canon 1200D« »	+	-	4/5	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2014	449	-		Canon 1200D
	Canon G1 X Mark II« »	+	77/100	4/5	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2014	799			Canon G1 X Mark II
	Canon 700D« »	-	76/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Mar 2013	649	-		Canon 700D
	Canon 650D« »	+ +	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2012	849	-		Canon 650D
	Canon G1 X« »	+	76/100	4/5	4/5	4.5/5	Jan 2012	799	-		Canon G1 X
	Canon 600D« »	o	77/100	4.5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2011	599	-		Canon 600D
	Canon 550D« »	+ +	77/100	4/5	5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2010	699	-		Canon 550D
	Canon 450D« »	+ +	+ +	4/5	5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2008	799	-		Canon 450D
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (-) not available.

The above review scores should be interpreted with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

Camera to camera comparisons

If you would like to see a side-by-side review of this and another camera, just make your choice using the following search menu. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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