Canon 500D (Rebel T1i, Kiss X3)

[hughtopia]

I consistently get over 350 pictures per charge on my t1i. If I'm not using the flash much I've even gotten over 400. You should be fine if you just charge it over night or grab a second battery if you a "belt and suspenders" type of person.

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

OK-I just took the plunge and upgraded my XT-for those of you that have the t1i how is the battery life per charge?? We leave for WDW in 11 days and want to know what I am working with. TIA

we have a XT and have a Xsi and with the current bettery i have taken "around the house" some 500 pics and still showing a "full" battery. we recharged are XT battery every other day. try this one. charge your battery and put it in the camera and start taking pics. do this it your battery is dead. you should get 500-700 or more without flash. but this should help everyone on their camera batteries.

 

[SrisonS]

I believe I can get about 500 RAW pics with my T1i. I have an off-brand back-up battery too; and that lasts the same amount as the Canon one. The back-up only costs me about $8...so grab 2 if you're really worried. I also have a habit of leaving my camera "ON" a lot.... sometimes overnight. The batteries still last a long time.

 

[ColleenG]

Where have you guys found the off brand batteries for $5 and $8? I have the T1i also. We are going to the World in December and I really want to bring a back up battery. Can you charge it with the Canon charger or do you need a separate charger?

 

[bob100]

Where have you guys found the off brand batteries for $5 and $8? I have the T1i also. We are going to the World in December and I really want to bring a back up battery. Can you charge it with the Canon charger or do you need a separate charger?

I don't know about the T1i battery but the older XSi (450D) off brand batteries are sold very cheap at reputable sites like
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.20710

I don't see one at dealextreme for the T1i (500D) but www.bestbatt.com has them for $13
(www.bestbatt.com is good)

you will need the Canon charger

 

[boBQuincy]

I don't use the off-brand batteries. While I don't doubt that Canon is making a nice profit from their batteries when someone sells a $50 battery for less than $10 *something* has to give. That something is usually quality control and testing.

Others have had good luck with their off-brand batteries and this is a debate that will never end, YMMV and so on...

 

[bob100]

I don't use the off-brand batteries. While I don't doubt that Canon is making a nice profit from their batteries when someone sells a $50 battery for less than $10 *something* has to give. That something is usually quality control and testing.

could be.... but it could also mean that someone is selling a $10 battery for $50 !

 

[boBQuincy]

could be.... but it could also mean that someone is selling a $10 battery for $50 !

And that is possible. I work for a company that marks up parts 3-4 times, not uncommon in the automotive industry and many others. If this is the case then we need to ask ourselves what Canon (Nikon, etc.) provides for the extra $$$ and is it worth anything to us.
I have seen enough poor quality off-brand replacement parts that I rarely buy them anymore. One thing I *know* is that they do not meet all of the OEM specifications. The aftermarket does not have access to those specifications, they must reverse engineer the parts so there is no possible way they can meet the OEM specifications.

This does not mean all off-brand parts are poor quality parts, some are quite good, some are afwul. But we do not have any means to determine which are which. Counterfeit circuit breakers, ball bearings, and more are found regularly, check the reports with your search engine. Some of these parts are just a nuisance, others are dangerous. Most of them are sold at a bargain.

 

[ColleenG]

I don't know about the T1i battery but the older XSi (450D) off brand batteries are sold very cheap at reputable sites like
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.20710

I don't see one at dealextreme for the T1i (500D) but www.bestbatt.com has them for $13
(www.bestbatt.com is good)

you will need the Canon charger

I ordered one for my T1i to have as a back up for our trip in December. I'll let you know how it works out. Thanks for the link.

 

[SrisonS]

I bought my back-up from Amazon. And it works with the Canon charger. And as far as giving up some type of quality/testing is concerned. I'll take my chances when it comes to saving almost $70 (the Canon battery is around $74).

 

[manning]

My wife has a sonty t1. the off brand batteries don't hold a charge

I have a panasonic tz1 and the off brand battery doesn't hold a charge.

 

[jpeka65844]

I have the T1i as well and I can get two days of shooting out of it. I do shoot in RAW so I think that's somewhere between 500-600 shots.

I hardly ever do that, though. If I'm shooting on vacation, I usually charge it every night, just in case. I never bring back-up batteries, but I DO always bring extra memory cards.

 

[rcraw45425]

I just ordered this camera today along with an ef 75-300 lens. I decided against the lens that came with it (18-55) since I alrady have an old Rebel XS SLR with an ef 35-80 lens. This camera will be used primarily for shooting football games (daughter in marching band), no real low light. I know I'll need a different lens for that. I'm thinking about taking it with me when we go to Disney in November, not for shooting the parks, but I'm hoping to get some good shots of the family while at Wilderness Lodge. I appreciate any feedback.

 

[VVFF]

I just ordered this camera today along with an ef 75-300 lens. I decided against the lens that came with it (18-55) since I alrady have an old Rebel XS SLR with an ef 35-80 lens. This camera will be used primarily for shooting football games (daughter in marching band), no real low light. I know I'll need a different lens for that. I'm thinking about taking it with me when we go to Disney in November, not for shooting the parks, but I'm hoping to get some good shots of the family while at Wilderness Lodge. I appreciate any feedback.

I would have kept the 18-55mm. The 35-80mm lens is equivalent to 56-128mm which really doesn't get you much wide angle at all. It will make shots in closed areas difficult. Also the 18-55mm has IS making static shots easier to grab.

If you have the option I would also get the 70-300mm lens rather than the 75-300, it's a much better performer and has IS. Not sure if you have the opportunity to still do this.

Not a whole lot of feedback we can give you after you have already bought an item...

 

[rcraw45425]

I would have kept the 18-55mm. The 35-80mm lens is equivalent to 56-128mm which really doesn't get you much wide angle at all. It will make shots in closed areas difficult. Also the 18-55mm has IS making static shots easier to grab.

If you have the option I would also get the 70-300mm lens rather than the 75-300, it's a much better performer and has IS. Not sure if you have the opportunity to still do this.

Not a whole lot of feedback we can give you after you have already bought an item...

Actually, I purchased these after talking to the tech. support guy at Canon. He told me that the 18-55 was "Crap", and my other lens would offer more versatility. I know I had no issues whatsover using it with the old "film" camera, I don't have a need for wide angle, and didn't feel that the quality of the lens warranted the $100+ it was adding to the price of the body alone.

 

[VVFF]

Actually, I purchased these after talking to the tech. support guy at Canon. He told me that the 18-55 was "Crap", and my other lens would offer more versatility. I know I had no issues whatsover using it with the old "film" camera, I don't have a need for wide angle, and didn't feel that the quality of the lens warranted the $100+ it was adding to the price of the body alone.

Provided we're talking about the 18-55mm "IS" which is the only one that should come with the T1i it certainly isn't crap. It isn't a great build quality of a lens...no. But its optics are actually quite good and it has IS which is great to have as well.

If you have no need for it then its good to pass up on I agree. But its definitely worth $100 IMO if you have no wide angle coverage lenses.

 

[C&B Young]

If the 70-300 IS zoom is out of your price range (as it was with us), the 55-250 IS zoom is a great lens, a very good bang for your buck. And if you combine it with the 18-55 you've got a large focal range covered between the 2 lenses. Granted they're not L glass, but they yield excellent results for the price.

 

[boBQuincy]

The 2nd generation 18-55 (with IS) should be the only one packaged with *Canon's* T1i combo. Although it is cheap and even has the feel of cheapness (something that money just can't buy) it is optically quite good! For the usual less than $100 price (with the package) it is a bargain.

This photo is from a Rebel Xsi with the 18-55:

Btw, this lens is a EF-S and will not fit any Canon film cameras.

 

[rcraw45425]

If the 70-300 IS zoom is out of your price range (as it was with us), the 55-250 IS zoom is a great lens, a very good bang for your buck. And if you combine it with the 18-55 you've got a large focal range covered between the 2 lenses. Granted they're not L glass, but they wield excellent results for the price.

I have never used IS, (old school). Does it make that much of a difference? This is the one I ordered:
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-75-300m...?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1254181891&sr=8-10

We have a good sturdy tripod (use it with the HD camcorder, we really see a need for IS there). Since I ordered Amazon, they already have it ready to ship, it'll be here tomorrow. The IS one is around $70 more, as you mentioned the 70-300 IS is way pricey.

 

[boBQuincy]

The 2nd generation 18-55 (with IS) should be the only one packaged with *Canon's* T1i combo. Although it is cheap and even has the feel of cheapness (something that money just can't buy) it is optically quite good! For the usual less than $100 price (with the package) it is a bargain.

These photos are from a Rebel Xsi with the 18-55:

Btw, the 18-55 lens is a EF-S and will not fit any Canon film cameras.