Canon EOS 100D / SL1 review – Handheld Landscapes

June 13^th, 2013

by Sebastian WöberJune 13^th, 2013

The Canon EOS 100D is Canon’s newest entry level DSLR and once again: It also shoots video. I tested the camera and took it out for a walk in the highlands of Scotland.

It’s lightweight, it’s compact, it shoots video. A travel application is the logical conclusion to test this full fledged DSLR.

Beautiful landscapes are a nice thing to shoot. Unfortunately the aliasing the sensor produces makes it less ideal to shoot something that has a lot of detail, like landscapes.

In terms of video quality this camera is similar to the other affordable Canon DSLR’s out there.
So if you’re only looking for this kind of video performance and you don’t care about functionality you will not notice a difference between this one, the new 700D, the 4 year old 7D or anything in between. You can get the Canon EOS T3i for $549 right now (was $400) which offers a very similar look.

The Image Stabilizer performance of the included 18-55mm kit lens was very convincing and helped me shoot the whole thing without a tripod. I had to apply some post processing, and lost 1% of the video size to cancel rotational shake. (I also added movement stabilization to the shot with my colleague on the bridge).
To get stable shots with this camera I recommend a pocket rig like the edelkrone or more affordable Fotodiox.

In terms of storage a 32GB SD card that costs $23 (LINK) and will give you 90 minutes of space for video. You can record individual clips of up to 30 minutes.

The autofocus is rather quick, but I personally don’t like to see the focus shifting the camera does while focusing.

Pro’s and Con’s:

– similar sensor as most other DSLR’s over the oast 4 years
– lots of aliasing
– touch screen control is not very intuitive
+ STM kit lens offers great stabilization in video
+ lightweight, small design supports easy handheld shooting
+ can almost go in your pocket, if it’s a big pocket
+ autofocus might be useful for some

The Canon EOS 100D is available for $799: LINK

Conclusion
As more and more new camera models offer better video quality the sensors used in Canon DSLR’s are getting outdated. If you’re not looking for the light weight and portability of this DSLR there might be better options out there.
The convenience of the form factor of this DSLR however was a very pleasing when using it in a travel environment and could very well be something hobby videographers enjoy.

Music kindly provided by themusicbed:
Carly Comando – Summer

Here are some of the photographs I took. As a photo camera the 100D really shows the true powers that lie within the compact body. And hopefully this is how video will look in future generations of the EOS series. With the 5D mark III’s RAW functionality the first step in that direction has already been taken.