The highest-res Rebels hit the lab. We post First Shots from the 24-megapixel Canon T6s and T6i

posted Wednesday, April 29, 2015 at 5:41 PM EDT

Canon's latest two Rebel cameras -- the Canon T6s and Canon T6i -- have made their way to our test lab. These new Rebel DSLRs, especially the higher-end T6s, start to blur the line between a decidedly consumer-focused camera and an enthusiast-level one. The Canon T6s, for example, features a top-deck LCD screen like the camera maker's enthusiast and professional DSLRs, while both new Rebels borrow the updated 19-pt AF system from the Canon 70D.

The big story today though, with the posting of our First Shots sets of lab sample images from both the T6s and T6i, is how the newly-designed 24.2-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor in these bad boys performs. The Canon-designed 24.2MP chip is the highest-resolution sensor offered to date in a Rebel-series camera, and it's paired with the newer, faster DIGIC 6 image processor. The increase in image resolution puts these new Canon Rebel cameras much more in-line with competing DSLRs such as the new Nikon D5500.

So, how does the new high-res sensor in the new T6s and T6i compare to its predecessor, and how does Canon's 24MP camera compare to Nikon's competing 24MP one? Check out our laboratory First Shots for the Canon T6s and Canon T6i to view sample images. For easy side-by-side comparisons, head over to our aptly-named Comparometer to see how it stacks up.

From the First Shots samples page -- Canon T6s and Canon T6i -- you can access straight-out-of-camera JPEG images with either noise reduction processing at default levels (filenames end in "NR2D") or with zero noise reduction (filenames end in "NR0"). Of course, you can also view any associated RAW files to download for your own conversion and analysis.

Here are a couple 1:1 side-by-side crops showing the sizable resolution increase you gain with the T6s (and T6i) against the T5i:

ISO 100: Canon T6s (left), Canon T5i (right)

ISO 1600: Canon T6s (left), Canon T5i (right)

And here are two 1:1 side-by-side crops showing the Canon T6s (and T6i) up against its biggest rival, the Nikon D5500, which lacks an optical low-pass filter unlike the Canons: