General

compared to recent entry-level DSLRs
"For anybody buying their first DSLR the 500D is an easy recommendation but you might want to have a look at the Nikon D5000 as well."
dpreview.com | talking about the camera's overall-performance
Brand
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Canon
Lowest price
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$475.00
above average above average
Announced
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March, 2009
below average below average

Sensor

"Decent (but not 'best in class') high ISO JPEG performance"
dpreview.com | talking about the camera's image-quality
Type
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CMOS
Size
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APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
below average below average
Crop factor
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1.6x
Megapixels
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15.1 MP
Light sensitivity
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3,200 ISO
below average below average
Light sensitivity (boost)
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12,800 ISO
Sensor cleaning
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Yes

Sensor (Advanced)

True resolution
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15.1 MP
Native resolution
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4752 x 3168
Pixel size
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22.1 µm²

Screen

Type
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LCD
Size
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3.0"
Resolution
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920k dots
above average above average
Touch screen
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No
Flips out
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No
below average below average
Live view
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Yes

Lenses

Lens availability
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162 lenses
above average above average
Lens focus motor
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Yes
Lens mount
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Canon EF

Form factor

"Construction is good with no creaks or rattles."
dpreview.com | talking about the camera's build-quality
"The menu design is very intuitive and for everybody stepping up from a digital compact camera the Quick Control Screen will be a welcome alternative to changing settings via the hard buttons."
dpreview.com | talking about the camera's button-layout
Size
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129x98x62 mm
unique unique
Depth
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2.4"
unique unique
Weight
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520 g
above average above average
Interchangeable lenses
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Yes
Waterproof
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No
Weather sealed
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No
below average below average

Viewfinder

Type
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Pentamirror
Viewfinder size
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0.54x
Coverage
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95%
below average below average

Movies

"Good quality HD video"
dpreview.com | talking about the camera's video-quality
Format
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1080p @ 20fps
above average above average
Supports 24p
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No
below average below average
High-speed framerate
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None
External mic jack
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No
below average below average
Autofocus
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None
below average below average
All formats
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720p @ 30fps
480p @ 30fps
1080p @ 20fps

Features

Panorama
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No
below average below average
HDR
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No
below average below average
3D
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No
below average below average
Image stabilization
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None
below average below average
Supports RAW
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Yes
GPS
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No

Performance

Startup delay
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300 ms
above average above average
Shutter lag
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159 ms
above average above average
Battery life
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400 shots
below average below average
Continuous shooting
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3.4 fps
below average below average

Focus system

Autofocus
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Phase detection
Focus points
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9
below average below average
Cross type focus points
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1
below average below average

Shutter

Max
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1/4000s
below average below average
Min
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30s

Flash

Built-in flash
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Yes
Popup
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Yes
External connection
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Yes

Storage

Storage slots
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1
below average below average
Supported formats
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SDHC
SD

DXO Mark Scores

"Visibly more noise in RAW files than some of the competition"
dpreview.com | talking about the camera's iso-noise
Image quality
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63.0
below average below average
Color depth
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21.7 bits
below average below average
Dynamic range
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11.5 EV
below average below average
Low light performance
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663 ISO
below average below average