Canon diversifies DSLR line with smallest full-featured body, the Rebel SL1

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Hey honey, I shrunk the Rebel! Canon's gone ahead and made a smaller yet full featured DSLR that it hopes will turn the attention of Micro-Four Thirds or Interchangeable Lens Camera (ILC) buyers by offering all the benefits of the established Canon EOS Rebel system of lenses in a smaller, lighter  body.

Canon does have an ILC in the EOS M line but this didn't seem to do too well against the Sony NEX, Olympus PEN and other ILC brands that have been eating the consumer DSLR's lunch. At 25-percent smaller and 28-percent lighter than the Rebel T4i, the T5i will definitely get some attention and the fact that it offers all the best EOS features and compatibility with the vast line of Canon lenses is a huge plus for anyone looking for a smaller body.

“The EOS Rebel SL1 Digital SLR Camera represents a new era in DSLR versatility: ultra-portable, full-featured DSLR cameras,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Canon U.S.A.

“The EOS Rebel SL1 combines the high speed, high image quality and expanded shooting range of a DSLR camera, with the easy and fun usability of a point-and-shoot camera.” 

The EOS Rebel SL1 features an 18 megapixel CMOS (APS-C) sensor that performs exceptionally well in both bright and dimly lit shooting environments with an ISO range of 100-12800 (expandable to H: 25600) for photos and ISO-6400 (expandable to H: 12800) for video. Canon’s DIGIC 5 Image Processor technology allows for exceptional image quality and shooting speed up to four frames per second (fps).

The camera includes a new nine-point center cross-type autofocus (AF) system to help achieve fast, sharp focus. The new AF system also includes a new Hybrid CMOS AF II sensor, which provides a wider focus area when shooting photos or video in Live View mode, and a continuous AF speed that’s increased from previous EOS models.

To help capture video with ease, the EOS Rebel SL1 features Canon's Movie Servo AF, which provides continuous AF tracking of moving subjects. When shooting video with one of Canon’s new STM lenses, such as the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM (available in the standard lens kit), Movie Servo AF takes advantage of the lens’ stepping motor for smooth and quiet continuous AF.

The camera is capable of Full HD shooting in a number of recording sizes and frame rates, and enables easy manual control of exposure, focus and Live View features. The combination of Canon’s new Hybrid CMOS AF system II and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens is ideal for shooting video helping to ensure only the sounds of the scene are recorded.

The new EOS Rebel SL1 Digital SLR Camera is scheduled to be available in April for an estimated retail price of $649.99 for the body alone or $799.99 bundled with the new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens.

Canon has done a smart thing here. Instead of trying to push a new product in an existing ILC market, it has stuck to its strengths and given users what they are already familiar with but in a more compact package. What will be interesting to see is whether Canon will grow this line of compact DSLRs and eventually transition its consumer or even prosumer models to this smaller form factor.

For more information about the EOS Rebel SL1 Digital SLR Camera, and a full list of product specifications, visit www.usa.canon.com/eos.