Canon EOS 100D/Rebel SL1 Hands-on Preview

March 2013 | By Amadou Diallo

Preview based on a pre-production Canon EOS 100D / Rebel SL1

Last year Canon made its long-anticipated entry into the mirrorless camera market with the EOS M, taking aim at compact-camera upgraders who desire better image quality but don't want the bulk or intimidating controls of a DSLR. Yet the company has long hinted that another path to competing with mirrorless entries from Nikon, Sony, Olympus and Panasonic lay in the miniaturization of its familiar SLR design. With the announcement of the EOS 100D / Rebel SL1, Canon has laid its cards on the table. Billed as 'the world's smallest, lightest APS-C DSLR', the EOS 100D unabashedly merges the Rebel-series' DSLR operational hallmarks with an impressively small body.

Thanks to a downsizing of internal components that has resulted in a smaller shutter mechanism, thinner sensor module and smaller-footprint circuit board, the EOS 100D is significantly smaller and lighter than the co-announced EOS 700D, while offering the same 18MP pixel count, DIGIC 5 processor and, presumably image quality. The EOS 100D is, in fact, comfortably the smallest DSLR we've yet seen, and not so far off 'SLR-style' mirrorless models such as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5.

As attention-grabbing as the EOS 100D's small footprint undoubtedly is, what's equally impressive is that Canon has been able to retain most of the controls and features typically found on a Rebel-series camera. A front dial and dedicated ISO, exposure compensation and AF/AE lock buttons are among the controls that will be familiar to any Canon DSLR user. Its touchscreen is identical in resolution to that on the EOS 650D and 700D, but is fixed, rather than articulated.

The EOS 100D introduces version two of Canon's Hybrid CMOS AF system, originally seen in the EOS 650D. While Canon is making no claims about focus speed improvements of its hybrid phase/contrast detect system, the new version covers a significantly greater portion of the live view area (80% of the area). This should make it a significantly more useful option than the version found on the EOS M and 650D.

Canon EOS 100D / Rebel SL1 key specifications

Small form factor DSLR weighing 400g/14oz.
18MP APS-C sensor with 14-bit DIGIC 5 processor
'Hybrid CMOS AF II' system with 80% frame coverage
Continuous autofocus in movie mode with subject tracking
ISO 100-12800 (expandable to ISO 25600)
4 fps continuous shooting
1080p30 video recording, monaural microphone (stereo input jack)
3-inch fixed capacitive touch-screen (same as EOS M)
9 point AF (central sensor is cross-type)
'Creative Filters' image-processing controls, previewed live on-screen

Compared to the Canon EOS Rebel 700D / T5i

This front view shows that the EOS 100D / Rebel SL1 is substantially smaller than the co-announced EOS 700D / Rebel T5i - itself not exactly a giant.


However, the 100D retains the majority of the external controls found on the larger camera. Although both cameras feature the same rear touchscreen, the 100D's screen is fixed, not articulated.

The top-plate controls are essentially the same too, but the 100D only has space for a mono microphone on the top left shoulder. The offset shutter button may look odd, but works well.

The EOS 100D achieves its notable size reduction without sacrificing much in the way of external control compared to the EOS 650D. On the 100D the button at the center of the 4-way controller does double-duty as both the Q menu and Set button, and the surrounding buttons have lost their dedicated functions. The 100D has a lower capacity flash, with a guide number of 9m (versus 13mm on the 650D) and houses a mono versus stereo microphone, though it does retain a stereo mic input. And while the handgrip is not as deep as the one on its larger sibling, the 100D still provides a distinctly DSLR handling experience.

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens

Introduced alongside the EOS 100D is the EF-S 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 IS STM lens. This is the standard kit zoom for the 100D and brings the total number of EF-S STM lenses to three, with a 40mm pancake and 18-135mm (both shown below) also on offer. Canon's STM lenses are designed to take full advantage of the Hybrid AF system found in the EOS 650D, 700D and 100D. They offer quiet autofocus, helpful when shooting video, and full time manual focus. The 18-55mm lens has a close focusing distance of 0.25m and a circular seven-bladed aperture. An internal focusing motor means the lens does not extend while turning the focus ring.

The EOS 100D's Hybrid AF II system is designed to work optimally with Canon's three-lens STM lineup which consists of an 18-55mm, 18-135mm and fixed 40mm pancake lens.


Compared to the previous EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II lens, the STM version is slightly longer to accommodate the internal focus system, and has a 'proper' manual focus ring at the front of the barrel that drive the focus group electronically. As with the older design it's physically shortest in the middle of its zoom range, and extends on zooming either to 18mm or 55mm (click here for a comparison at 55mm).

The STM focus motor is extremely quiet and, when using the optical viewfinder, impressively fast, offering a noticeable improvement over its predecessor. But switch the camera to live view and, just like the 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, it slows down significantly. This is a unfortunate - Canon's live view AF system still distinctly lags behind the competition.

The filter thread on the STM lens remains 58mm. The inner-focus design means it doesn't rotate on autofocus, and allows the use of an optional petal-type lens hood rather (than the relatively ineffective bowl-type hood of its predecessor).	As we'd expect at this level, the lens mount is plastic. This is an EF-S, lens so only fits on Canon's APS-C cameras.

Hands-on preview video

If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).

Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions.

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DPReview calibrate their monitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly well accepted) PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally A,B and C.

Comments

Total comments: 325

Just to add on... if you don't eat your own lunch... others will eat it for you...

Canon better be prepare to cannibalize their own business and kill off the noncompetitive lines or very soon, there's not much of a lunch for them to eat.

The whole thing about Canon 6D shows that they lack the business gumption to suck it in and take it like a man. And now they come up with something like a 100D!?!

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

Meh...I still have my money on Canon, rather than self-delusional armchair CEO's on photo forums who act like they know more about how to run a camera company better than a long-successful, time-tested, still-market-dominating company like Canon.

0 upvotes

Argh... Canon missed the point of a mirrorless camera... What is needed is a camera that can be packed into a jacket pocket with a pancake lens while still retaining all the possibilities of a full range of more capable lens.

The 100D sits either here nor there. And the hearsay I have on the pricing makes it totally noncompetitive.

3 upvotes

It will appeal to soccer moms, who already carry big purses, but would appreciate weight and size reduction.

1 upvote

It's you who is missing the point. This ain't a mirrorless camera! It's an ultra compact DSLR. Last time I checked, the DSLR market is still significantly larger than the mirrorless market. Meanwhile, Canon continues to develop future mirrorless cameras on the side.

If you look on Amazon's "Best Sellers in Digital SLR Cameras" list (Amazon puts mirrorless ILC cameras on this list along with mirrored ILC cameras), the first mirrorless camera to appear on the list is the Panny GH3 at number 39! Yep, there are 38 DSLR cameras or DSLR camera kits or combos that outsell the best-selling mirrorless camera at Amazon. Unfortunately, mirrorless camera users still primarily exist in an echo chamber, thinking that mirrorless is a lot more popular than it really is. But the reality is that DSLRs still outsell mirrorless cameras in most parts of the world.

0 upvotes

LP-E10 for EOS 1100D,
LP-E8 for EOS 650D

and now, LP-E12 for tiny EOS 100D

too many battery type on market !!!

4 upvotes

I would like to have seen side by side size comparisons to say an Olympus OMD, Panasonic GH3, Gx cameras, and even against the smallest Canon, Nikon and Sony DSLR cameras.

Otherwise saying it's the world's smallest DSLR really does not give any real feel of how small it is (or not).

0 upvotes

Take a look at http://camerasize.com

0 upvotes

http://camerasize.com/compare/#448,289

Wider, but almost same size. Pretty big step forward.

0 upvotes

Canon Rebel SL1 is 7% (8.2 mm) narrower and 6% (5.3 mm) shorter than Nikon D3200.
Canon Rebel SL1 is 9% (7.1 mm) thinner than Nikon D3200.
Canon Rebel SL1 [407 g] weights 19% (98 grams) less than Nikon D3200 [505 g] (*inc. batteries and memory card).

Canon Rebel SL1 is 3% (4.2 mm) narrower and 1% (1.1 mm) taller than Olympus OM-D E-M5.
Canon Rebel SL1 is 66% (27.5 mm) thicker than Olympus OM-D E-M5.
Canon Rebel SL1 [407 g] weights 2% (7 grams) more than Olympus OM-D E-M5 [400 g] (*inc. batteries and memory card).

Canon Rebel SL1 is 12% (16.1 mm) narrower and 3% (2.7 mm) shorter than Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3.
Canon Rebel SL1 is 15% (12.6 mm) thinner than Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3.
Canon Rebel SL1 [407 g] weights 26% (143 grams) less than Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 [550 g] (*inc. batteries and memory card).
camerasize.com

0 upvotes

As others have pointed out, the 100D has already been preceded by several other DSLRs which are about the same size/marginally bigger. This is just a preview, but I find it interesting that DPR has uncritically repeated the Canon PR on size as the headline "feature." I think we could say that as the 800lb gorilla, Canon can pretty much dictate a certain amount of its own market, and part of what it does is to sell crippled models and segment that market with an excess of somewhat underwhelming entry level cameras. The preview concludes with a bit of breathlessness about how many features were packed into a smaller model compared to the bigger models. It seems like DPR is only looking at the 100D inside the Canon bubble. It could be looked at from point of view that Canon made a smaller and even more crippled DSLR. Perhaps I'm a bit too critical of this preview. I guess this camera IS mostly meant to appeal to existing Canon users who want a smaller, lighter unit.

2 upvotes

Are they going to bring out more STM lenses to match this? The size difference doesn't really interest me, my old Nikon D60 is only a few mm bigger all around. But if they're following with more pancake lenses and smaller zooms, it could prove tempting.

2 upvotes

I just want to say this is a much better effort against EVIL/mirrorless/CSC encroachment than Pentax K-01.

2 upvotes

Err, why exactly? Keeping the same lenses was the problem with the K-01...

1 upvote

@sgoldswo - no that wasn't the problem with the K-01. LOL! The K-01's problem was that A) it had no viewfinder, and B) it had a weird, boxy, non-ergonomic design! The lack of a viewfinder was a big turn off for many people, and the avant garde Marc Newson design was a turn off for everyone else. Two fatal strikes against the K-01! It was the body that killed the K-01, not the lenses.

0 upvotes

I was with Canon for 40 years and left them because they don't "grandfather" their lenses and I'm left with thousands of $$$ in expensive glass.
I still have a Canon now but it's an S5 IS, which I mostly use when I want stereo movies (and it's absolutely great for a $300+ camera).

So, I moved to Nikon and I run a D90, which I find extremely well adapted to my small hands. In good parlance, it isn't clunky.

I mostly use my Nikon in manual mode, as a volunteer photographer in a museum, documenting their artifacts either on a copy stand or hand held with a SB-700 flash. Great combination but, as with all photography, it's a matter of technique, not of camera.

In my lifetime, I've operated everything from a Minox to a 5x7 Burke & James monorail, with extensive use of Speed Graphic and Hassleblad, as a military photographer. I owned 3 Rolleis.

Granted that this was not yet the digital age but anyone who has operated a standard camera with f stops etc, fully understands digitals.

Comment edited 8 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

uh,, your point?

2 upvotes

Nikon can now make same good or even better lenses as 10-20 yo Canon ones. my advice is do not buy any Canon before 1990 or Nikon before 2007 unless you are really sure what you are buying.

however the gap between Nikon and Canon is much less than 17 years because Nikon makes new lenses at very fast paces like mad (very good I mean).

Comment edited 4 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

In the end, I most likely will buy it, as I am heavily invested in Canon glass, and I want a small backup body.

However, what I love about Sony, is they say "let's see how much I can shove into a camera", and Canon says "let's hold back so we don't compete with ourselves."

There is no reason why this camera can not have faster shooting speed, or 9 cross type focusing points. It was not a technical limitation. It's a marketing one, and I can't stand that.

1 upvote

bleh....Nikon D3100 came out what 3 years ago and it just a few millimeter bigger....

1 upvote

Actually the "flexizone-multi" af area (in live view) on the eos 100d has exactly the same coverage as on the eos m - it's not bigger as stated in the 100d preview...bw

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

While I am glad about the move (Canon's Rebel T series had become bigger and bigger) the statement "comfortably the smallest DSLR" is clearly wrong. The Pentax k-x was in the same league - and that has been a few years ago with a bigger viewfinder and in body shake-reduction! While a bit wider and a hint higher, it was a tiny bit slimmer, probably resulting in pretty much the same volume.

2 upvotes

It is one of ixus compacts placed inside dummy body outer shell. Wait for somebody take it apart.

2 upvotes

I thought this new mini-Canon was going to proudly have a Sony sensor...

0 upvotes

Smaller body, even bigger kit lens. Way to go!

Compare that 18-55 to 116g Sony E 16-50 pancake POWERzoom. Or 95g Panasonic 14-42 pancake powerzoom. And this 18-55 does not go that wide and not even power, for jerky zoom in video!

2 upvotes

Don't blame on Canon. Just buy a Nikon system and you will be pleased with DXO scores.

But ok. I agree with the majority of the comments.

2 upvotes

Nikon D5000 - 12mp - DXO Mark sensor score: 72
Nikon D5100 - 16mp - DXO Mark sensor score: 80
Nikon D3200 - 24mp - DXO Mark sensor score: 82
Nikon D5200 - 24mp - DXO Mark sensor score: 84

Canon 550d - 18mp - DXO Mark sensor score: 66
Canon 600d - 18mp - DXO Mark sensor score: 65
Canon 650d - 18mp - DXO Mark sensor score: 62
Canon 100d/700d - 18mp - DXO Mark sensor score: 6?

Nikon sensors over time have continously been improving in dynamic range, color depth and high ISO even as the megapixels have been increasing. Canon on the other hand have been relatively stagnant in its sensor innovation and in its inexcsuable that in four iterations at such a competitive segment of the market that it cannot come up with anything better. I'm a Canon man if owning a G1X and a SX260HS counts. However if I'm going to upgrade to an entry or mid tier DSLR based on curent offerings I really cannot see why I would choose Canon over Nikon other than maybe lens selection and shooting video.

7 upvotes

The problem is Nikon shops around for the best sensor they can get for the price they want to pay and Canon insists on making their own with their outdated fab lines.

1 upvote

I would not expect them to introduce a new sensor in a bottom-level camera. But when (if) 7D2 comes, a new sensor should be in there.
But then again, why would they need 7d2 when nobody even tries to compete with 7d? If Nikon D7100 had at least 2 extra fps (or better 3), it would be a different situation. Why had Nikon saved an extra core for their Expeed while going all out on other parameters?

1 upvote

AFAIK some of the sensors on Nikon cameras are actually Sony!

0 upvotes

Nikon designs, Sony FABs. At least most of their sensors. There may be one or two that are straight Sony.

1 upvote

Nikon does not design the sensors, at least in the sense of what the word means. They send Sony a set of specs and Sony's fabrication foundry builds something to that spec for test and evaluation. The 800 sensor was just an expansion of curret APS-C pixel density enlarged to FF size, with appropriate support parts. All of their APS-C sensors are straight Sony with minor changes in the electronics.
Same as Nikon has not built their pro 300mm to 800mm lens in house for at least a decade or two, but instead they are built to spec in a plant owned by Tokina. Its a reason Tokina does not make any lenses of that size under their own brand, as their agreement prohibits competition. As opposed to the agreement they had during the time before, during, and after owning Pentax. Their design teams collaborated and produced the 12-24 and 50-135/2.8 and Tokina was allowed to sell those lenses in mounts other than Pentax.

1 upvote

Hello Zigadiboom,
I am an Eos user and I am looking forward to upgrade from my 500d. To be honest, I am not quite happy with Canons latest product police and following the discussions and testes ou there, there questions occurs to me too, if Canon is marking time (or even worse is taking a step back).

What is irritating for me though is that some tests seem to lack comparability. E.g. The sonser of the Eos 550d and the one of the 600d have a different scoring, but I thought that both cameras share the exact same sensor or this not true? Maybe I am wrong. Please correct me.

0 upvotes

@EosUser1209

The sensor is not independent of the other electronics and software inside the camera. There is also probably some degree of sample variation at play as well. If you look at the actual data instead of the ridiculous scores you see they are close enough to be will within sample variation and/or caused by slightly different processing or electronics.

0 upvotes

Canon should fire Yuichi Ishizuka for come up another boring camera.

Are you excited that "SL1 is approximately 25 percent smaller and 28 percent lighter than the EOS Rebel T4i digital camera." ?

Did Canon engineer, designer brain got fried by Fukushima nuclear dust ?
Did GM/Ford engineers from 1990's went to work for Canon ?

Hire some talented guys from Samsung and Apple.

3 upvotes

I like it. Now I would like a line of pancakes to go with it please.

Like a 24 or 28 equiv, couple that with the 40 and maybe a longer pancake. Then I would be happy since it can also take my existing canon zooms and primes.

That does make a lot of sense to existing canon eos owners, maybe more so than investing in another system like mu4/3.

2 upvotes

Pancake 24mm equiv (15mm on the Canon) with a 44mm flange distance and a mirror flapping in there? Yeah, right. I doubt you can even make f/16 like that. ;)

0 upvotes

long pancake for APS-C?

the longest one I know (which is still small) is Pentax's DA70 Limited (and the FA77 Limited). It's tiny even compared to the 85 f1.8's of Canon..

0 upvotes

Yet another boring unnecessary black box from Canon. Canon desperately need a decent mirrorless camera to retain any credibility and keep up with competitors , Sony and Fuji are very clearly showing them the way , with the Fuji X Pro 1 and almost certainly a full frame NEX within the year. The EOS M is dead in the water, it's not selling in Europe anyway and it's no wonder as to why. The design is without any imagination, compared with the offerings from the aforementioned . Surely Canons research and development dept can come up with something that we actually want, with some flair and imagination that will be a genuine mirrorless, capable, camera. Let's have a well made ,intuitive retro styled high specification camera, that will accept existing lenses and not another drab, plastic product that has been thrown together without a hint of emotion or imagination. This cannot possibly be the best that Canon can produce, as if this it, Canon are in big trouble

3 upvotes

I've always heard the user's of this site were, well, not the best. I could see why now. "Canon are big trouble" HAHA good one dude. That almost sounded convincing. FUD is what your comment is.

2 upvotes

Have to agree, I thought this was a joke when I saw the rumours and I realise it is now its been announced. When a company starts producing kit that is simply defensive and not innovative, the writing is on the wall.

0 upvotes

Why is this a mirrorless competitor? The price point is the same as the D3200 and it trades resolution and a lower specced focus system for an inconsequentially smaller body.

4 upvotes

You are right, it isn't competition. OMD from a year ago with less pixels and much smaller sensor still has much better image quality, faster AF speed using rear ARTICULATED screen, IS for ALL lenses, more than double the frame rate, and is environmentally sealed amoung other things. And it doesn't look butt ugly.

0 upvotes

Well, also the price thing ;)

0 upvotes

...So this means Canon has just killed the EOS M?

1 upvote

Maybe yes, maybe no. It can co-exist together. Thats if they will be able to create fully functional EOS M MK2.

3 upvotes

I think it just means that this is their new entry level Rebel. If it killed anything, it might have been the 1200D, although this is essentially what the 1200D would have looked like, minus some grip.

2 upvotes

Quite right, not that it needed much to kill it !! It was half hearted at launch

1 upvote

This might be the future of APS? Small to compete against m4/3, but with the advantage of a "bigger" sensor. The EOS M can stick around and eventually have faster autofocus. And a future generation of the Digital Rebel might all of a sudden get a full frame sensor.

0 upvotes

It can never be small enough to compete with m4/3 when you slap stuff like the 70-200 f2.8 L on it.

0 upvotes

I don't get the fervor over this. It only saves about 10mm in every dimension vs the T3/1100D but people are acting like this is going to fit in their pants pocket now.

2 upvotes

Should have gave it the 9-point cross AF system, stereo mic, GPS, Wi-Fi and call it 700D.

This dual announcement will be much better received if Canon accounced one well developed product.

3 upvotes

I think you've summed it up very well. They should stop pushing out half hearted mediocrity and wait until they have a top quality mirrorless camera. I.E. Fuji X Pro 1, Sony NEX / RX1 , that will take existing lenses . The EOS M should never have been released in its current state, hence the suggestion of an "update" already. It needs a viewfinder like the Fuji ,,not an add on . People have voted with their wallets. It's not selling

1 upvote

Just to compare with the Olympus E-420 (mentioned often here) one might check this out:

http://camerasize.com/compare/#448,206

...and Olympus OM-D E-M5:

http://camerasize.com/compare/#448,289

0 upvotes

And also add that those two Oly cameras are (m)43 "only", not APS-C.

0 upvotes

Now add a kit lens and see the difference:

http://camerasize.com/compact/#448.23,289.92,ha,t

0 upvotes

As it was predicted DSLRs won't surrender to mirrorless without putting up a good fight. This is the first such blow -- a camera almost as light and small as mirrorless, but with the full DSLR advantages with hundreds of DSLR lenses fully compatible.
Competition is good, keep them coming!

P.S. It actually beats Olympus OM-D in all respects including weight! See comparison: http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/side-by-side?products=canon_eos100d&products=oly_em5

Comment edited 9 minutes after posting

2 upvotes

If it uses the same sensor as in previous models, it won't beat OM-D in terms of image quality.
It hasn't got a swivel screen and talking of size:
you should not forget the size of the lenses. This kit lens for example seems to be about twice as large as Olympus'.

Comment edited 42 seconds after posting

2 upvotes

Mirrorless also has the advantage of much smaller lenses in addition to smaller bodies. You're still going to have to stick a huge DSLR sized lens on that body.

0 upvotes

Mirrorless has only the advantage in lenses in the wide-angle range because of the shorter flange distance, so you don't need retrofocus designs in the 20-40mm range. For long focal lenses there does not have to be any advantage at all, if the pixel density is the same (e.g. a 24MP Canon crop, versus 16MP m4/3). Then you just crop the Canon a bit and you have the same resolution as the Olympus. Canon doesn't have a 24mp sensor yet, but Nikon/Sony already have. Well, one can argue that m4/3 can make more MPs on their sensor, but the problem is, you can't shrink pixel size unlimited due to diffraction. Even now 4/3 lenses are already loosing resolution from f5.6 on with a 16mp sensor.

2 upvotes

Actually, it only beats the OM-D in width and weight. When you factor in lenses, an OM-D kit should still be smaller/lighter.

2 upvotes

I wish Olympus would come up with that type of body, or Pana G5 like, for their M4/3 line. The OM-D is a catastrophy ergonomically wise, the Pen series not much better. Good handling is very important. And this one has an optical viewfinder !

0 upvotes

It beats the OMD in height and width, but NOT in depth. It is almost 3 cm deeper than the OMD... without lens. Add a big kit zoom and any size advantage is lost, at least to those who value small size over all else.

0 upvotes

What would the target buyer be for a camera like this? It isn't really good at anything compared to cameras of equal or lesser cost, it definetly is NOT good looking, and it isn't even small compared to much better performing and cheaper compact system cameras. So I wonder what the reason might be that would make anyone want to buy a camera like this.

5 upvotes

I don't think this camera can attract Nikon/Sony/M43 buyers into Canon. It would take away D70 or T5i buyers.

1 upvote

you have to qualify your claim for "much better performing CSCs." Last I checked, the NEX lens selection is still a bad joke and their continuous autofocus is lousy unless you use the adapter for the A lenses. Consider me uninterested in 10 out of focus shots per second.

The target audience are people who want EF lens choices, or who want phase detection performance in as light/small a body as possible. Not everyone likes the size of the 7d, or even the Rebel.

1 upvote

I think the main intent here is to prevent defections from the Canon camp to NEX or micro43.

0 upvotes

I might be interested in this camera simply to give me a more "modern" camera to use my Canon & Canon adapted lenses.

My newest Canon is a Rebel XT, and I haven't used it at all for several years.

If the image quality is "good" on the 100, I just might buy it to have something modern to fit my Canon type lenses.

0 upvotes

This would be a good cam for my wife - and backup cam for me ;-) - buy at EUR 350 or next year on my trip to usa, where the prices are lower...

1 upvote

The way these have been going, I'll buy it in 18 months when it hits $350 body only.

1 upvote

I think it will appeal to some people looking for a DSLR. But I already had full frame Canon cameras and wanted a small additional camera. I chose a Nex 6 with 16-50 zoom. I had previously considered the Nex 7 but the Sony 18-55 zoom made the package too large. So I jumped on the Nex 6 because of the pancake zoom. If this Canon had been available at the time, I would not have chosen it because the 18-55 lens still makes the package too large for what I wanted.

Comment edited 26 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

Can't you use the pancake on the NEX 7?

0 upvotes

You can use it, yes. But the new 16-50mm E mount lens was not readily available except as an NEX-6 package when first released.

0 upvotes

DPReview says the SL1 has 9 autofocus points with only the center as cross-type. B&H and Canonrumors say all 9 points are cross-type.

1 upvote

I have several good C/Y lenses that I used to shoot with (with adapters) on the 350D (last Canon camera I bought), and several Canon Lenses that weren't bad at all.

I might be tempted to add this camera to give me something more up-to-date to use those lenses on.

It wouldn't replace my m43 cameras or my 4/3 cameras, but it would get used when I feel the need to shoot with those lenses.

0 upvotes

I was thinking the same thing.

0 upvotes

I love my C/Y lenses (on 60D).

0 upvotes

What I'm wondering is, what effect all this reduction in weight/size will have on things like the shutter and mirror.
Reading the Hands On its clear that they modified the mirror, mirror box, etc. to make it smaller and lighter. I wonder what the maximum number of shutter actuation's will be for this cam. I'm betting its going to be lower than any other camera Canon sells and that is not exactly a good thing.

2 upvotes

Obviously this camera is designed for light duty.

0 upvotes

if it went down to 50k, it still wouldn't hurt anyone likely to consider the model. Few people approach 10k/year and most of them would tend towards the x0 or x lines from Canon. You also have the ability to get a new shutter installed. That said, smaller/lighter doesn't have to equate to less reliable - less mass to move is easier.

0 upvotes

Does it do Bulb exposure? Just curious.

0 upvotes

Yes, of course it does.

0 upvotes

I am sure some people will like this, but Cannon missed the point: with digital sensor technology, the extra reflection optics will be obsolete like the film. How small can you make those mirrors? Certainly not smaller than the sensor. Mirrorless is definitely the way to go. Look at Kodak and Fujifilm, be careful Cannon (and Nikon).

2 upvotes

mirrorless is definitely the way to go, but currently Fujifilm do not have any good lens for their XF mount yet, while Canon have loads for their EF mount.

2 upvotes

You must have missed the mention of the Canon EOS-M.

0 upvotes

to yabokkie. Fuji has no good XF mount lenses? I think you'll find that you're way off beam. Some of the X series lenses are as good as any in the APSC business. And the admittedly small (but expanding) range is still vastly better than the two lenses offered by Canon with the EOS M.

0 upvotes

You must misunderstand me. I mean their film business, not their camera. I mean SLR will be the next "film".

0 upvotes

> I mean their film business,

sorry about that. though I agree SLR's days are numbered, we may still have thousands of numbers left.

@BulboDave

all the XF lenses are horrible, so bad that I think they might have outsourced the lens design to North Korea.

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

To yabokkie: You don't have a clue what you are talking about. Fuji make excellent optics. Always have. So good, in fact, that Sony put Fuji optics on their top of the line prosumer HD camcorders, the EX1 and EX3.

2 upvotes

yabokkie, you must be smoking something good. All the XF lenses Fujifilm makes are high quality optically (much better than almost all APS DSLR lenses) and metal bodied.

0 upvotes

"I am sure some people will like this, but Cannon missed the point: with digital sensor technology, the extra reflection optics will be obsolete like the film. "

Some time in the future, yes. As soon as sensor-based AF becomes as reliable and fast as phase AF. (Sony's hybrid SLT isn't the way to go IMHO).

0 upvotes

"As soon as sensor-based AF becomes as reliable and fast as phase AF" ... for tracking focus. Contrast detection auto focus in some mirrorless systems is already faster and more reliable otherwise. Admittedly, still an advantage in some cases (sports being the biggest), but it's not like CDAF is behind in every way.

0 upvotes

may kill the sale of EOS-M?

2 upvotes

The EOS-M killed the sale of the EOS-M. That camera never stood a chance being that late to the mirrorless game and with an AF speed so slow you'd think it arrived in a DeLorean.

5 upvotes

I like the design. This is what Pentax should have done. Trim down the camera and leave the legacy lensmount. Pentax got that, but had to do the quirky design with the K01.

5 upvotes

Pentax had small cameras for years; K-m, K-x. Check the size of the SL1 vs K-x here. Not much difference at all:
http://camerasize.com/compare/#229,448

0 upvotes

Wha... bu... um.... I don't get it.

0 upvotes

It's pretty simple, as the author states in the final paragraph: this is Canon's attempt to hang on to some customers (and entice some new ones) that may be looking at m4/3, NEX, etc. It may work to some extent because size matters to a lot of consumers. I have an OMD, which I love, but also a 7D and some EOS lenses, so this is in an interesting alternative.

5 upvotes

This doesn't seem any smaller than my A33. The OMD, GX1 & GF3 are noticeably smaller than it. Unless the lens to sensor distance is reduced, making it mirrorless hits size limit of body and lenses.

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

Could work for me street-shooting with the shorty-forty. Just another point and shoot!

0 upvotes

I don't think a 60mm equivalent lens is of any use for street photography. Maybe they'll make a 22mm for this mount, as they did for the EOS M.

0 upvotes

I'm kind of excited about this. I've been looking for a smaller companion to my 7D, and this would work and keep it affordable by not having to buy any other lenses (although I'd obviously want to use smaller primes).

0 upvotes

Looks interesting to me - as a complement to my other Canon DLSR's. This form factor will be sweet when coupled with a 24-28mm pancake lens. Too many issues with Canon's mirrorless, especially w/r/t focus. The size and weight is small enough to keep many Canon DSL shooters from trying 4/3's, Sony Nex, Oly, Fuji - etc. as a supplement to their DLSR. Why not have the functionality of a DLSR, small size, and the ability to swithch lenses with your other Canon bodies compaired to the alternatives? I have an older Rebel that my wife uses and I use when I want to travel light, and this or its successor will likely be that camera body's successor - if they don't come up with a FF version of the same (understadably a bit larger) :-)

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

2 upvotes

Agreed, will be very interesting to see it in the flsh.

0 upvotes

as i am thinking of going mirrorless from my d7000, i'm wondering about the point of buying this camera. although smaller and lighter than my d7000, if i want a wide zoom walk-around lens, i'm still going to have a honking big lens hanging off this little guy..
what would that do for balance ???
and the total size and weight savings would be marginal..
no ?
yes ?

0 upvotes

Yeah. This may not be for everyone. The question is does it solve a need.

For me . . . it answers to one of the things that I find myself up against.

On vacation, I want something better than a point-and-shoot, but I don't want something way too big.

So I choose my Nikon D5100 over my Nikon D90 in thoses situations. And the small difference in size between these two bodies really makes a big difference to me.

It may be a small thing (pun intended), but its a really big thing to me.

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 4 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

It isn't exactly pocketable... For those who want a inbetween camera an E-PL5, NEX-3N or GX1 would be a better option

0 upvotes

Yawn, update of the Rebel T3/1100d.

0 upvotes

Yup. Nothing new here.

0 upvotes

Oh dear...

Canon trying to stem the tide of people moving to compact mirror-less systems, whilst not killing their EF lens cash cow.

Will most likely go the way of the M -System - i.e. epic fail

1 upvote

I don't think there is anything wrong with the idea and implementation of 100D. The main gripe with DLSR is the size - so here we have the smallest DSLR ever made, whithout sacrificing much more than the size (sorry for the pun). Of course this will not make the lenses smaller, but anyway Canon has a real argument: hey, we are getting smaller, why leave us? Making mirrorless even smaller than they are now is actually pointles - they are already at the limit of holdability :) But the micro4/3 format has always it's answer - if you think system, then we are always more compact thanks to lenses.
Surely at some moment in consumer oriented cameras the mirror will be replaced by pure electronic viewfinders. But as of today, the autofocus system of DSLR has it's significant advantages for sports and low light.

0 upvotes

Chris, have to agree entirely

Alendrake, it isn't just M43s - APS mirrorless with better quality sensors than in the 100D are available which have smaller lenses (because they have a shorter flange back distance). Frankly if you believe DXO the current entry level canon sensor is behind the sensor in almost all current mirrorless cameras including the smaller sensor in M43s. Saying it's a bit smaller is like saying "this 6 foot broadsword, I've improved it by making the handle smaller..."

This is a weak defensive move, nothing more.

0 upvotes

I think it's an excellent choice for a backup camera. It's more practical than EOS-M, ready to use regular EF/EF-S lenses. Still AF faster than even future EOS-M thru EOS-M adapter.

The point is lenses. There are simply no counterpart of EF-S 17-55/2.8 IS or Sigma 17-50/2.8 OS that I use and EF 70-200L/4.0 IS in M lineup or in other APS-C mirrorless lineup.

2 upvotes

This is cool! I know. It's just a smaller camera. But that's a big thing for me!

Example. We're making the trek to WDW this summer. I'm taking my Nikon D5100 and not my Nikon D90, why . . . because its smaller. I can toss that thing with my 18-135mm superzoom in a small little bag and tuck it under my arm and pretty much forget its there.

But this Canon camera, with that pancake lens, its like having your cake and eating it too! It can be a small (and potent) camera for carrying around [An enthusiast P&S and m4/3 killer <grin>], but when you want to have a bit more power, just change the lens. If you've already got some Canon lenses, you're good to go!

Nicely done Canon!

3 upvotes

I want some of what you are smoking

1 upvote

Wow, gimme a 24mm pancake (or at least a 28mm) and I'm in!

4 upvotes

Cool! This is just the type of camera that I wanted. I bet it will be a big seller.

1 upvote

Wow, I think I will go back to reading my 2 week old newspaper. Yawn.

0 upvotes

Canon. WHAT are you thinking?

You're developing solutions for problems that don't exist. The EOS-M didn't need a mirror, it needed a blindingly fast and reliable AF system. If I didn't have all the EF lenses, I wouldn't even look twice at the EOS-M, or this camera for that matter. The OM-D and a couple Sony offerings are far more worthy of my hard earned dollars.

Swing-and-a-miss...

Comment edited 22 seconds after posting

2 upvotes

Total comments: 325