Canon EOS 100D - A Well-designed & User-friendly DSLR for Everyone
The Canon EOS 100D is the smallest and lightest DSLR camera in the world with a large APS-C sensor. We first thought of it as just a small DSLR, but the 100D surprised us with its well thought-out design and ease of use. Check out our review for more insights.
Introduction
Truth be told, we didn’t expect to like the Canon EOS 100D. After all, it’s just a shrunk DSLR camera in a world full of already-small mirrorless system cameras (which are, no doubt, both the 100D’s main competitors and its reason for being). But thanks to some clever handling decisions, we actually like it – a lot.
The big thing about the EOS 100D is its small size; today it's the world's lightest and smallest DSLR with an APS-C sensor. Nikon's D3200 is 98g heavier at 505g (with battery and memory card, no lens). So is Sony's A35, which is 63g heavier (body only), and both competitors are slightly larger.
Canon 100D | Nikon D3200 | Sony A35 | |
Sensor | 18MP APS-C | 24MP APS-C | 16.2MP APS-C |
Mount | Canon EF | Nikon F | Sony A,Minolta & Konica Minolta AF lenses |
Size | Approx.116.8 x 90.7 x 69.4mm | Approx. 125 x 96 x 76.5mm | Approx. 124.4 x 92 x 84.7mm |
Weight | Approx. 407g
(CIPA guidelines) | Approx. 505g
(with battery and memory card) | Approx. 433g
(not including battery, memory card or accessories) |
Price | S$999 (with 18-55mm kit lens) | S$999 (with 18-55mm kit lens),
S$1249 (with 18-105mm kit lens) | S$899 |
Design & Handling
The EOS 100D is light; at 407g the body is lighter than even the Olympus OM-D E-M5, which weighs 425g. You can grip it easily with one hand, thanks to a contoured thumb-rest on the back and a textured grip on the front. The controls are comfortably spaced-out and nothing feels cramped.
The Canon EOS 100D is small for a DSLR. While it's thicker than the mirrorless Olympus OM-D E-M5 camera, it's only slightly taller than the E-M5 with its flash attached and is lighter.
The controls are comfortably spaced-out and nothing feels cramped.
A main control dial sits just below the shutter release, within easy reach. A dedicated ISO button sits next to that; it surprised us that Canon would put one on an entry-level model but it’s one of the clever touches on the EOS 100D which elevate it beyond a simple DSLR model. The camera also has a Q button for the Quick Menu, which gives you immediate access to essential settings.
A control dial sits within comfortable reach of the shutter release, and a dedicated ISO button gives you quick control to ISO sensitivity.
The Quick Menu offers immediate access to important settings.
The EOS 100D’s 3-inch monitor is touch-sensitive; even though the touch targets can be small at times (like when inside the Menu), it works surprisingly well. Touch controls complement the physical controls, making it easier to operate the camera. The 1.04 million-dot display is rich and vivid, and the high resolution is a Canon standard that some other manufacturers are still trying to reach.
Another great feature about Live View is how controls like AF and ISO are also easily available on the screen, just like with Canon’s digital compact cameras. Auto-focus, with the hybrid AF system, is quite responsive even in low-light, and shooting in Live View is smoother than on the EOS M. You can touch to focus, even if the camera is in Multi-AF mode, and the camera will focus inside the large target area you dictate (we would have preferred it if we could have made the touch target smaller in this mode). Touch to shoot is optional, which we appreciated – some will like it and some will not, and it's good to be able to choose.
The Live View interface is smooth and elegant, giving you quick access to settings via either touch or the physical controls.
Image Performance
Of course, the main reason you’d get a DSLR camera these days instead of a mirrorless camera is the image quality from a larger APS-C sensor. Resolution scores a high 2600LPH (horizontal and vertical) on our resolution chart, and you can shoot up to ISO 3200 to get clean, safe results. ISO 6400 isn’t terrible and ISO 12800 isn’t hopeless, but you’ll see noticeable noise and degradation of detail. JPEG colors are vivid and much like what you’d expect from Canon, boosted just right to look good and not garish.
In comparison to mirrorless system cameras which only use phase-detection auto-focus (mirrorless cameras like the Nikon 1 series are an exception), DSLR cameras like the 100D also do better at tracking moving subjects using the AF-Continuous mode.
f/11 at 29mm, 1/30 sec, ISO 250.
f/5.6 at 56mm, 1/60 sec, ISO 100.
f/4 at 38mm, 1/30 sec, ISO 2500.
f/5 at 70mm, 1/25 sec, ISO 6400.
Conclusion
The compact size of the Canon EOS 100D is its upside as well as its downside. Thanks to the fact that it has an EF mount, you have access to Canon’s rich library of DSLR lenses. But the diminutive camera body really isn’t built for large lenses; which offsets its heft and make it unwieldy. That limits your choice of lenses, especially with large zooms. That's not to say there aren't any compatible lens, Canon's pancake 40mm f/2.8 looks like the perfect fit for the 100D. However, it is a counterpoint to Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras, which admittedly have smaller image sensors than the 100D, but also much smaller lenses for a more balanced total package.
But if you just want an affordable, easy to carry DSLR camera around, the EOS 100D is the pick of the crop at this moment. Canon deserves extra props for creating the most usable Live View and touch-screen functions today with a DSLR camera, which makes the EOS 100D a breeze and a pleasure to handle for both beginners and experienced users. The camera's lightness makes it fun to carry around and use, while the large APS-C image sensor produces great picture quality.
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