I heard this rumor a while back, but didnt think much about it seeing as how it would just be an update to the current Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi. But given Nikon’s aggressive updates and product lifecycles.. it seems as though Canon is rising to the challenge. Canon’s current line up is as packed as Nikon’s.. something I thought would be confusing for the first-time DSLR buyer.. but as my Strategy professor said.. “if you don’t cannnibalize your own business, someone else will do it for you”.. Canon’s current line up looks like this:

Canon EOS XS
Canon EOS XSi
Canon EOS T1i
Canon EOS 40D
Canon EOS 50D
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 1D Mark III
Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III

From the 50D and up.. the price differences are enough to justify each incremental model. But at the lower end of the product spectrum, you have a total of about $300 separating the Canon EOS XS from the Canon EOS 40D, not to mention the 2 model’s now sandwiched in between.

In any case, here’s the basic run down of the Canon EOS T1i:

15.1 megapixels
720p movie mode
Digic IV image processor
3.4 fps, 170 frame JPEG burst, or 9 RAW frames
3″ LCD 640×480 920k pixels
ISO 100-3200, with expansion to 6400 and 12,800
It uses SD/SDHC cards
Availability May 2009 @ ~$900 MSRP with kit lens

For a hands-on preview of the Canon EOS T1i, you can read about it at Imaging Resource.com or DP Review

Canon EOS 500D T1i

The Canon Speedlight 270EX will be a compact flash unit that’ll handle focal lengths from 28mm to 50mm automatically (head zoom) and will be powered by 2 AA batteries.. it should be pretty compact (and cheap).

To pre-order your Canon EOS T1i or Canon Speedlight 270EX, go to Amazon:

Canon EOS 500D T1i body only

Canon EOS 500D T1i with kit lens

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Just read this over at Crunchgear.com.. but someone had posted this image of a “Canon 1D Mark IIIN” showing up in their inventory system at work.. with PMA around the corner, I wouldn’t doubt it.. Canon needs to do something to the 1D quick to compete with Nikon’s latest offerings..

Commenters over at Crunchgear.com questioned the “4,240 Euro” price tag associated to the Canon 1D Mark IIIN in the pictured screen.. however, if I recall correctly, Canon doesnt seem to give Europeans the benefit of the Euro:USD exchange rate and quite often will suggest a selling price (MSRP) in Euros that is equal to the USD MSRP.. as evidenced here at DPReview.. the Canon 50D’s USD MSRP is $1,299 while the Euro MSRP is also 1,299.

So if we figure an approximate $4,299 USD MSRP for the Canon 1D Mark IIIN.. thats about right, considering the Canon 1D Mark III’s MSRP is/was $3,999 USD.

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I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a netbook.. my biggest issue, however, is that I dont really know what I’d do with it.. talking to other people who are using netbooks, they all claim that it works great for “everyday” tasks and some “light” photoshopping..

I currently have a beater laptop that I keep laying around for precisely these tasks.. I dont want to “pollute” my Lenovo T61 that I use for real work by firing up Photoshop CS4 when I need it.. so how would a netbook compare to this beater? The beater is a Toshiba Tecra M2 with Centrino 1.6GHz and 1GB of RAM and an nVidia FX5200 GPU.. not a speed demon, but it gets the basic stuff done.. the problem in comparing an Atom 1.6Ghz to a Centrino 1.6GHz is that most benchmarks for the Atom 1.6GHz are using different benchmarking tools than when the Centrino 1.6GHz was benchmarked some 4-5 years ago..

Anyhow, being that my Tecra M2 is a beater.. I put Windows 7 on it a few weeks ago.. here’s how it fared in the Windows Experience Index:

2.9 Processor

4.1 Memory

2.0 Graphics

2.4 Gaming graphics

2.0 Hard disk

So I was surprised to come across this post at jkOnTheRun detailing their experience on installing Windows 7 on an MSI Wind U100 (which is exactly the netbook I’d be interested in).. here’s their Windows Experience Index:

2.2 Processor

4.5 Memory

2.3 Graphics

3.0 Gaming graphics

4.9 Hard disk

So, it looks like a netbook MAY be able to replace my beater.. but it is a little slower (2.9 vs 2.2 on the Processor index).. although the MSI Winds come with a factory overclock of 25%.. which should put it up in the same leagues as my beater..

Speaking of MSI Winds.. here’s the new U120 model, listed at $380 @ Amazon.. this is the one I’d get.. in gray, if I were to get one.. which I will, as soon as I can figure out a reason to get one.. hahah

On second thought.. dont get a U120.. it comes with 1GB and its NOT expandable.. see more here.

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