Jun 07 2013 11:41 am
Article by Jennifer Markert
After using a Canon Rebel XT for several years, getting a new model was like getting a new pet for me. Likening it to an adorable puppy with extreme superpowers, the Canon Rebel SL1 camera is not only compact and cute (only 14 oz, without a lens!), but more than capable of producing high quality results on the go. As the world’s smallest and lightest DSLR available, this camera screams of novelty from it’s portable size, to its sensitive touchscreen, to its extensive manual features. I recommend it for anyone that believe sometimes great things should come in small packages, in order to capture big and beautiful moments on the move.
photo by Jen Markert
Some Technical Tidbits
The Rebel SL1 has a high range ISO of 100-12800, which is expandable to ISO 25600, and the shutter-speed has a range of 30 seconds through 1/4000-second with a 1/200-second flash sync. newly-designed Canon 18.0 Megapixel CMOS (APS-C) sensor with speedy Canon DIGIC 5 Image Processor.
There is a fixed 3 inch touch screen display, through which you can live view and even add creative filters when shooting. The SL1 also has an autofocus system, which follows moving subjects in video mode which is a huge improvement from other Rebel models as the AF coverage area is 80% of the frame vs. 38% in older models. Other great features are four frame-per-second continuous shooting and a 1080 x 1920 video capture at 24-, 25-, or 30 frames per second.
photo by Jen Markert
Basically, don’t let the size fool you: this is a quality piece of equipment. In addition to being technically admirable for for advanced shooters, there are also a lot of fun creative features, for those who are less advanced to shoot in manual mode, such as a variety of scene modes including Handheld Night Scene, Night Portrait, Candle Light, Food, Kids, Manual, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Program, Scene Intelligent Auto, Flash Off, Creative Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close-up and Sports mode.
What and Who it’s Great For ?
Beginners, and Professionals !
Getting a hang of a new camera’s manual functions is always important, especially for those with less experience using more than one type of DSLR. Different DSLR’s operate with slight variances, but luckily the SL1 is extremely user-friendly; not only does it have quality automatic functioning, but the full range of manual controls those found in pro-level cameras. People with less experience will be able to learn well on this camera, and those who are intermediates or even professionals will be at immediate ease and take advantage of its lightweight body in situations that require moving about. It’s the perfect camera for a photography lover to carry with them every day to ensure they never miss a shot.
photo by Jen Markert
Travel Photographers
The Canon SL1 is ideal for travel photography, as I learned when taking it with me for the first time on vacation to Delray, Florida. As a location filled with palm trees and other exotic plants, Delray was an ideal starter’s trip to test the SL1 and it’s capacity. Because of its size, it is easy to carry from place to place without any strain or inconvenience. Just as easily as I could take it out and snap a shot of a lizard, I could put it away and get dinner at a beach-side restaurant without having to check any bags. Travel photographers will love this because it will won’t force them to compromise experience in order to capture it on camera.
Street Photographers
My trip to Florida overlapped with Miami’s annual Urban Beach Weekend, an enormous memorial day bash that takes place on South Beach, drawing in urban crowds from across the country. Of course, as we’ve noted in previous tutorials, events make for interesting and exciting street photography. The Rebel SL1 is small, especially if combined with a wonderful pancake 40 lens , so it’s non-intrusive, meaning subjects will be less intimidated and more willing to let you take their picture! Or, if you are going about street photography less ethically, it’s small enough that subjects may not notice or care if you take a photo of them, anyway.
photo by Jen Markert (HDR tweakes in Adobe Raw)
Video Users
Another perk of the SL1 is its video function, which is new to me, being a tool my old Rebel lacks. It has a continuous auto-focus in live video mode, so users don’t have to manually focus whenever recording, and is very simple to switch on and off. I found myself recording moving cruise ships, airplanes, and more, smoothly and without trouble. The SL1 has a full 1080 x 1920 video capture at 24-, 25- or 30 frames per second, continuous AF tracking of moving subjects, and video ISO of 100-6400 (expandable to H: 12800). While video feature may not be essential to all photographers, the ability to experiment with this tool as a related medium is an amazing opportunity. After all, how would we share tutorials at LMS without it?
photo by Jen Markert
Summary
The Rebel SL1 was definitely ideal for me on my recent vacation; it proved to be an extremely dynamic and useful tool wherever I needed it, and whatever I needed it for. It allowed me to have fun without the burden of heavy equipment, so that I could relax, enjoy my vacation, and produce some fun shots in the meantime.
Budget Friendly:
Today the SL1 Body retails at $649.00 on Amazon or $799 with a kit 18-55 EF-S IS STM lens.
What kind of camera do you use, and what do you love about it? Interested in the Canon Rebel SL1? Have vacation-themed photographs to share? Let us know in the comments!
This article is written by Jen Markert,
Staff Editor for LearnMyShot.com. Jen is a photography enthusiast with a
background in creative and editorial writing, with keen eye for art,
and passion for language and sound. Check out her writing and
photography work at jenmarkert.wordpress.com.