Size vs features - Climbing up (and down) the Canon ladder

I started with a Rebel and my first FF was a 6D. Then as I wanted something smaller I tried the SL1 and most of the M's. Shooting with the M5 has been great, a small body with a great sensor and sophisticated control options. I love it but it can't completely replace a DSLR.

I also love the SL1 but my niece has my 1st one and my daughter has my 2nd one. I was excited with the release of the SL2, it would make a great complement to the M5. I often carried the SL1 with a 50-250 STM and an M5 with something wider.

Along comes the SL2 and I can have DPAF and tilt screen along with the OVF. But wait! what about the 77D? It is only a little bigger and I get a 2nd control dial, bigger buffer, faster frame rate, 45 x-type AF points, eye sensor, etc...

But wait! For about the same price I could get an 80D, it offers AFMA, even faster frame rate, really nice OVF, silent shutter, 1/8000 shutter speed, faster flash sync, headphone jack, motor driven shutter, etc...

I finally made a choice and ordered the 77D today. What I really wish Canon would do is set aside the cost considerations and make the best small camera possible. There are a lot of small things that they could add that would not need a larger body.

My first wish would be full control customization,. If I remember correctly, my 7D II let me program the magnify button so 1st press was 100% view at the focus point, 2nd press was zoom out to normal view and 3rd press was back to shooting mode. On the 77D you can't program the magnify button at all and you have to double tap the screen on (hopefully) the point of focus to accomplish the same thing as one button press on th 7D II. The 77D adds an AF ON button vs the T7i but the customization for it is limited, why not allow it to offer servo/one shot toggle? Full control customization would make the 77D a much more useful camera without making it bigger. I am guessing you could also add things like AFMA, silent shutter, touch to drag AF point selection (like the M5), 1 or 2 custom options on the mode dial, and All-I video compression without a size penalty.

The 77D is supposed to be the enthusiast version of the Rebel, why not cram in everything you can?

I also think the SL2 should have been the SL200 and then have an SL20 with every feature they could add in the same body. A slightly wider AF spread (rectangular) and a bigger buffer would go a long way to add value.

The M5 is a great example of cramming a lot of features into a small body. I wish Canon would take that concept and push it as far as they can with a DSLR.