SL2: A great addition to any Canon kit

Selene wrote:

I completely prefer the Viewfinder like you. I hate taking pictures with live view, although I was encouraged to do so on a camera club trip to the Antelope Canyons and monument valley. I was using a 5D mk iv and I somewhat got used to the liveview shooting and even liked how easy it was to hit the right focus point and exposure with the touch screen on that camera. But...and this is a big but...I haven't used live view since! I went right back to my old view finder ways. Maybe it is habit, but I find it easier to get the right focus with my eye on the viewfinder.

I think so many people are used to taking pictures with cell phones, that the tendency is to think that people will be mostly using live view (which is true for a lot of people I see taking pictures), so that's probably what camera companies assume people want to do with entry level cameras. But you are right--I think Canon hasn't realized that there are a lot of people that find the Sl/2 appealing not because it is an entry level camera because it is a good smaller version of a dslr that has surprisingly good image quality.

Live view with touch was what attracted me to the SL1 in the first place about two years ago. I happen to use live view on a 7D yesterday while testing a lens out in a store and I forgotten how bad it was!

Sure, I don't use live view all the time but I do find it very useful when the camera is on a tripod. It helps checking precise focus using magnification, avoids any back focus or front focus issues, helps with composition and framing while avoiding bending at strange angles to look into the viewfinder.  I also sometimes use it to check the histogram while setting up a shot.  Of course, none of that works if the screen is washed out by bright sunlight and that is why the adjustable LCD on the SL2 will be very helpful.

I also just want to say that I agree 100% with your last sentence. I don't consider myself a beginner anymore.  I bring the SL1 to camera club outings  and get good results even though it looks like a novice camera.

If I do get the SL2, it will be because I want access to the latest Canon crop sensor in a very compact package and at an attractive price.

Before I bite the bullet, I am looking forward to more feedback from the early adopters.  If it were not for this thread, I would not have even remembered that the SL1 had the eye sensor. I had to grab my camera to check!   It is one of those things you forget about because it is seamless and transparent when you have it but you'll miss it when it's gone.

A lot of people did not think the SL2, if it ever came out, would have the latest sensor so it's great that it does. But holding back on modernizing the autofocus system and taking away the eye sensor is a disappointment mitigated only be the very competitive pricing.

Kevin