This evening Canon officially announced two new entry-level SLRs to their lineup, the EOS Rebel T5i and, more interestingly, an even smaller SLR called the EOS SL1. Both cameras will be available in April.
Canon EOS Rebel T5i
Considering that Canon T4i was announced only 10 months ago, I was surprised to hear that the T5i was already in production. What has Canon added to the new camera to justify a new model number? Very little, unfortunately. I have yet to identify any significant new feature in the T5i. The camera’s upgrades seem to fall in the realm of “creative controls”, a set of post-processing effects that probably could have been added with a firmware upgrade. Frankly, this is a disappointing camera model, especially following the release of the Nikon D5200. It seems likely to me that the T5i was devised simply as a platform for selling the new 18-55mm STM lens.
The T5i body is expected to cost $750, while the T5i kit, including the 18-55 STM lens, will cost about $900.
Canon EOS SL1
For those photographers who are looking for the quality and flexibility of an SLR in a smaller package, the new EOS SL1 may be just the thing. It is intermediate in size between the T5i and the compact, mirrorless EOS M. At an empty weight of about 370 grams, the camera weighs almost 30% less than the EOS Rebel T4i, and is about 25% smaller.
The SL1 still uses the same EF and EF-S lenses as a standard EOS SLR, making it very flexible. And also, potentially, very large. Though it seems that Canon intends this camera to fit the needs of those customers looking for a small, easy to carry “sightseeing on vacation or to capture the everyday”, the same large SLR lenses must be attached to it, and a 25% smaller camera attached to a tourist’s 70-300mm lens is still not a compact camera.
The camera is otherwise very much like a T5i, with an 18 megapixel sensor and hybrid phase-detect autofocus for video. The camera will cost about $650 for the body alone, $800 with the new kit lens, the 18-55 IS STM.
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens
For several years, Canon’s EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II has been the standard kit lens for the Rebel series, but the lens has just received a makeover. The new version features an STM motor, which provides quiet, fine focusing for use with video. Like the old lens, the STM version is lightweight, with a plastic lens mount. Information about changes in optics is not yet available.
