Canon EOS Rebel T100

CANON REBEL T100 FULL REVIEW

At the dawn of the year 2018 Canon decided to enrich its “entry level” reflex collection with two new models created specifically for those who, still inexperienced, strive for learning and for those who need a simple, basic and cheap instrument.

The brand-new twins T7 and T100 join the typical Canon functionality and reliability with a smart design that deftly hides the tricks used to make the camera more accessible, especially in terms of price.

If you wish to enter the world of real photography, this might be the right camera for you. Let’s find out!

CANON REBEL T100: CONTROLS AND CAMERA BODY

Holding this Canon for the first time, one of the first thing you notice (alas!) is the shell in resin; we’re right in front of one of those tricks that make the price of the camera low.

However, if we move on, we can immediately see the compact size that, together with the ergonomic design and the really low weight, make the camera quite light and easy to handle.

The touch control interface (buttons, rings, arrow keys) is classic Canon’s: rather easy, since most of the settings selectable with the back small wheel provide a wide set of shooting modes.

Other features are:

• Shoe mount for the optional external flash
• 2.7” fixed display, non-touchscreen
• Small wheel for aperture

TECHNICAL FEATURES

Canon Eos T100 is very similar to its sister, T7. They both have a good same-size APS-C sensor, but the first one has “only” 18 Megapixels, while the second one has 24 of them. The ISO range is between 100 and 6,400, expandable up to 12,800. Extremely valuable is the versatile autofocus that follows moving subjects with reliability.

Besides, this camera also offers:

• APS-C Sensor, CMOS technology, size 22.3x14.9mm, 3:2 ratio
• AF point selection: through optical viewfinder, 9 AF Manual points or in liveview mode on LCD display
• Mechanical shutter with selectable speed between 30 seconds and 1/4000s; with Bulb mode you can select the exposure time to your liking
• Pentamirror viewfinder, with 95% coverage and 0,80x maximum zoom
• 7” (6.8 cm) LCD Display with 230,000 dots and 100% coverage
• Integrated flash with 1/200s synchro speed
• Shooting mode: Auto smart scene, Automatic creative, Portrait, Landscape, Close ups, Sports, Food, Night portrait, AE program, AE with shutter priority, AE with aperture priority, Manual, Video
• Burst mode: 3fps
• Video: Full HD, 30p

Finally, it needs to be noted that the autonomy is more than satisfying, with an average of 500 shots.

Its connectivity, via Bluetooth or Wi-fi, is thought for Social Media fans and it transfers the images to the devices quickly. Those who prefer post-production can shoot in RAW mode. Wired connection has a HDMI port and a Mini-USB port, even if it would have been better if it had a Micro-USB port, more common and up-to-date.

TAKING PICTURES WITH CANON EOS REBEL T100

Like any tool designed for beginners, our camera is docile and a little “mechanical”. One afternoon and a quick reading of the manual are enough to get acquainted with the basics and the navigation commands, and with its practical functions. However, this is both a plus and a minus for the device, which doesn’t offer great possibilities of parameters modulation, except through the selection of shooting modes.

It is absolutely obvious that Canon REBEL T100 was specifically created to support and to be a test for whoever needs an instrument that can get by in every situation. The idea behind it is that the photographers could move freely without the weight of a heavy equipment and capture images “on the go”, letting themselves be inspired by what their eyes see and like in that moment.

Careful, though, not to overestimate the (good) abilities of this camera, which really struggles in low light conditions, due to the ISO – they should never be higher than 1600, not to fall into annoying digital noise. Another thing to keep in mind is that the camera is not mirrorless nor it has an electronic shutter: it’s not the right camera to take pictures in theaters, where everybody would look at you at the sound of “ta-tlack”, typical of reflex cameras.

T100 OR T7?

As you might have guessed, these twin cameras are very similar and, in general, they offer analogous performances with a few differences that we’re going to briefly illustrate, for the sake of clarity.

First of all, we have already mentioned the different image definition, 18MP in T100 and 24MP in T7; in an optimal scenic context you can hardly notice the difference, but in more difficult situations more MegaPixels might be convenient.

Canon T7 is also equipped with a slightly larger amount of functions, accessible through external commands; it has a bigger LCD display (3.0” vs 2.7”) with higher definition and it integrates the NFC system for connection to close devices.

Both cameras enter the market with a kit including – in addition to the camera body – an EF-S 18-55 mm lens, perfect as a first lens; the previous version in the T7 kit has image stabilizer, useful to reduce the micro-blurry effect.

Well then, why choose T100 instead of T7? Easy, the first one makes you save between 100 and 150 dollars, paying a lower price despite a not significant reduction of the functionalities. Some people prefer better performance, some others prefer saving money.

CANON T100: MY OPINION

Rebel T100 is ok for its price range, but it lacks in creativity and aggressiveness, thus it cannot find a more captivating room in the wide range of entry level cameras. Without praise or blame, its price for body+camera is still too high and it suggests you to wait until it’s at least 150€ less.

This is the same price issue that has been harassing Canon for quite a while now. It risks losing (and, partly, it’s already happening) the challenge with Nikon, which is getting quite interesting offers on the market, also in the low price range (in this respect, I suggest you to take a look at the review on Nikon D3400 or nikon d3500).