When it comes to choosing a camera, it can be incredibly overwhelming. There are hundreds of models out there to choose from and each have their own pros and cons and each are used for specific purposes. If you’re starting out, there’s a good chance you don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on a camera body and various lenses. To help you make a decision, we’ve decided to review one of Canon’s smallest DSLR cameras on the market with some excellent features for amateur photographers.
The Canon SL1 isn’t a new Canon camera, but it stills remains top of the market for its category. The SL1 is the smallest DLSR on the market, which also makes it the lightest. This is great news for someone who wants a better camera than a point and shoot, but doesn’t want to lug around a big, heavy piece of equipment to family functions or out on the road.
Lots of people claim the reason they don’t bring their DLSR everywhere with them is because it’s too bulky and heavy, but with the SL1 you’ll never have this problem. With both the battery and SD card in and the 18-55mm kit lens, this camera only weighs 1.34lbs, 612g, which for a DLSR is incredibly lightweight.
Just because the SL1 is lightweight, doesn’t mean it doesn’t take awesome photos and have some great features. It contains 18 megapixels, which is great news for those stepping up from a point and shoot where you won’t usually find more than 12. You can choose auto focus or manual focus, but if you want to use autofocus you’ve got the options of AI focus, one shot, or AI servo. You also are given the option to automatically selection a focus point or you can select it manually.
The ISO capabilities of this camera are the same as many high-end DLSRs, with 100-12800 in 1-stop increments. Images stay clear of noise up to 3200 and even at 6400 you only begin to see a little bit of noise, which is great news for those who like to shoot at night.
Your shutter speed ranges from 30 seconds-1/4000 in 1/2 or 1/3 increments. This is something that’s quite uncommon for an entry level DSLR. Many will only allow you up to around 15 seconds, so this will give the opportunity for great long exposure shots.
Complete with a viewfinder and touch LED screen, this camera is fantastic for someone traveling or looking to take some family snaps. The most attractive part of this camera is the price, which is around $500 for the body, EF 18-55mm IS STM kit lens and all the accessories that come with it (like neck strap, battery, lens cap, etc.). However, if you shop around a bit, there’s a good chance you’ll find the same bundle for a bit cheaper and on Amazon you can add in a whole bunch to the bundle for only $100 more.
This camera is a great starting DLSR with an attractive price and is totally worth the investment.
