SL1: Automotive Details

I took my SL1 to its first auto show this weekend using a 28mm 1.8 prime and slapped on a polarizer since it was sunny and I didn't have a 58mm ND - I wanted to shoot with wide apertures without maxing out shutter speed. I was very pleased with the AF and exposure performance. I shot using both Live View and OVF.

Using Live View was useful for the lower angle shots. I also liked how I could carefully frame the shot and take variations in focus by simply tapping on various parts of the screen, often outside of the 9 PDAF points. It was a much more intuitive and natural way of shooting than to adjust the active PD-AF point or to AF using the center point and recompose several times, especially when your subject is at knee height.

Say what you will about the SL1's lack of cross-type AF sensors but I found the off-center AF sensors performed flawlessly and quickly. I could trust them to hit the target every time without deliberately looking for a high contrast or vertical pattern to lock onto. Any deficiency in AF accuracy would have been quite obvious with a f1.8 lens.

All in all, I was most pleased with the SL1. We like to put labels like 'beginner's' or 'entry level' on cameras because of how they are marketed but for me, this is just another tool for users of any level and a very capable one at that.

I find automotive details far more interesting than the typical boring full body shots so that is my main focus here.