Totally Unique- The Worlds Smallest DSLR

This little pocket rocket is one of those rare cameras. It singlehandedly trumped the mirrorless is smaller and lighter marketing campaign that ultimately has been left to the wayside. Canon showed that a DSLR could be just as small and light (or even smaller and lighter in some cases) as Mirrorless yet not sacrifice handling or a good grip for that form factor.

This is an amazing little camera, one that fortunately did very little chimping on features or performance compared to other entry to mid level DSLR's. It's got to be held and used to be truly appreciated, pictures do it no justice!

The icing on the cake with the 100D/SL1 is that it is an INCREDIBLE bargain today. If you can live with a lack of wifi, 4k, weather sealing, DPAF, this little camera has basically everything else in a very sturdy and dense body made of high end composite with an aluminum subframe structure.

It's not going to win any speed races with frame rates either, but it doesn't need too at all. To me it is the only "Rebel" class camera that stands out amongst all of those models with a truly unique and well implemented design. All of the Rebels were excellent cameras, but the SL1 stands on its own even in comparison to the SL2/3 cameras that came after that were larger, heavier, and a bit more complicated to use ergonomically.

Armed with a few truly excellent STM lenses like the 40mm/24mm STM, 35mm macro STM, 18-55mm IS STM, and 55-250mm IS STM, you've got so much covered yet, in a completely lightweight system that you can bring almost anywhere without the burden of cost/weight/bulk.

Then factor cost. All of those lenses are not only optically excellent and versatile for stills or video, you can get a used SL1 in great condition for about $150.00 these days (in two shades of white (tan/grey grip, or black). An SL1 with all those lenses can be had for easily under a grand total if you buy used in great condition, and still under a grand new if you mix new with used.

That's just amazing.

But the real selling point is the experience shooting with the little SL1. It's comfortable, responsive, versatile, well organized and downright fun to shoot with. Love its touchscreen implementation, its the best. I've lost count how many times I've looked at it amazed how it can do so much in a such a small package.

One shining spec,. I'd like to mention is its viewfinder. It has the largest "Rebel" viewfinder specification of all the Rebels at .87x (aps-c) or .55x (35mm). Add the tiny MG-Ef viewfinder magnifier, and that become 1.05x (aps-c) or .66x (35mm). It's AF system is competent and quick, with the center point being a dual cross type.

Before the SL1 came along, my favorite small DSLR was the E420 Olympus, which was the worlds smallest DSLR at one time. But it had mediocre image quality, very few compact lens options, and a mediocre menu system. The SL1 and those lenses I mentioned, blow the Oly experience right out of the water.

For collectors, its unique design will likely be coveted one day. Not today with all the supply, but when that supply begins to dry up on the used market. For shooters of all types, you can't afford not to have one if you have any investment in the EF/S mount.

Otherwise you'll just be missing out on way too much fun.

Kit Lens Avenger wrote:

Your mention of the larger OVF and the magnifier sparked my interest. Must investigate!

Good luck detective.

Dareshooter wrote:

An underrated camera if ever there was one. It was the camera I used before I downsized even further and bought the Canon M50 . I used the SL1/ 100D with the 18-55 and 55-250 MM combo at first then added the 18-135mm STM which ended up being used for 90% of my shooting . It was a joy to use and on of my favorite SLR's .

100% agreed!

The SL1 was my first interchangeable lens camera. I learned digital photography on that camera. But then I moved on after a year or two.

A few months ago, I got tired of the EVF on my RP and also wanted something more compact (in terms of the both the camera and lens) to use as a second camera. So, I bought a used SL1 to find out how it would be like to use one today. I also wanted to find out if any of the things I have learned since 2015 could improve the images I used get out of it. The main surprise was that I found the body uncomfortable to hold (too compact). I never had that problem before. My hands didn't grow or shrink but I do now have some arthritis in some joints. So, it is an aging thing. And one thing I never liked was the exposure compensation button which I could never find when I had my eye to the camera. And I still don't like it. The images were fine, but it wasn't that much fun to shoot.

So, I sold it (this whole experiment cost me about a $100 net) and after looking around in the Canon crop sensor world, decided, to my own surprise, to try the T7, a camera I would never have given 10 seconds thought to before. I have had it a couple of months and I like it. Because it is a Rebel, it has a lot in common with the SL1, but it has even fewer features. There is no touch screen which is a bit of an inconvenience (and was the feature that attracted me to the SL1 originally) but that was easy to get used to. Contrast detection Live View focusing instead of dual pixel or the system the SL1 had is a bit of a problem, but it is a camera which you use when you can take some time taking images. If you need speed, use the viewfinder. The lack of sensor cleaning will be a problem long term but can be dealt with.

What do I like? I like the simplicity. The like the ergonomics (it is just slightly bigger than the SL1 and much more comfortable but not much heavier) and I really like the price (I paid $280 for a used copy that barely looks used and you could get one even cheaper in "good" condition). I consider it to be an ideal sized, very low-cost compact camera.

It does have an exposure compensation button similar to the SL1, but it slightly easier to reach. It does not have an INFO button, but the Display button takes those functions over. A key discovery was that you could assign ISO to flash pop up button next to the shutter release. And the quick menu screen remembers what setting you last used, which is very convenient sometimes.

One reason I wanted a Canon crop camera was so I could use my EF primes (without an adapter). The EF 28mm f/2.8 IS on the T7 gives me a 45mm equivalent image stabilized lens, which I really like. The T7 is also very comfortable to handle with the EF 85mm F/1.8 lens, which gives it some decent reach at a fast aperture.

What is missing that I could really use?  the ability to set up at least one set of custom settings (HDR brackets in my case).

So, what did I eventually learn since I bought the SL1 in 2015 and many other cameras since?  1) simplicity is a virtue; 2) neat features like a touch screen or 10 FPS don't really make much difference for most of my photography; 3) compact size is more important than a bunch of other features; 4) I am not scared of noise over ISO 1600 because DXO Photo Lab can deal with it; and 5) I doubt I will ever use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth on a camera.

The amazing thing is that this camera is still in Canon's current product line. The feature set is very very old school, but you still get a well bult Canon camera that has access to lots of used EF-S lenses that are surprisingly good AND cheap today and EF lenses that have also come down in price.