CAMERA TEST
Canon’s entry-level APS-C mirrorless camera uses a simple design to keep the costs down, but has it cut too many corners? Andy Westlake finds out
The Canon EOS R100 represents the entry point into the firm’s RF-mount range of mirrorless cameras. Designed to be a compact, lightweight, and easy-to-use family camera, it sits below the similar-looking EOS R50 in the line-up. But it’s notably cheaper, at just £600 with the 18-45mm zoom (vs £850).
So how has Canon achieved this feat of affordability? In essence, it’s re-used the innards of the EOS M50 Mark II from 2020, which itself wasn’t much different from the original EOS M50 that appeared a couple of years before. And it’s put these into a super-simple body that has a lot in common with the EOS R50 but makes do with a fixed, non-touch-sensitive screen.
To put the price into perspective, Sony’s Alpha A6100 and the Nikon Z 30 come closest among APS-C mirrorless models, but still cost around £700 with a basic zoom. In essence, if you want a small, simple and cheap camera with interchangeable lenses, the EOS R100 seems to fit the bill. But what do you get – and what do you miss out on?
Features
Like the EOS R50, the EOS R100 employs a 24MP APS-C sensor. It provides a standard sensitivity range of ISO 100-12,800, which is extendable to ISO 25,600. By current standards it isn’t particularly quick, being capable of shooting at 6.5 frames per second with focus fixed, or 3.5fps with focus tracking. The R50 can go twice as fast.
You also get the older Digic 8 processor, rather than the latest Digic X. Unfortunately, this isn’t Canon EOS R100,18-45mm at 18mm, 1/125sec at f/6.3, ISO 100 beefy enough to run the subject detection autofocus that’s on all of Canon’s other recent cameras, so the EOS R100 is restricted to face and eye detection instead. If you can accept the idea that this is a family camera that’ll mainly be used for pictures of people, that might not be a huge loss.
Another penalty of the old sensor and processor comes with regards to 4K video. This comes with a substantial 1.6x crop, and using the kit zoom, that equates to a 46mm equivalent view, which is not very wide at all. Canon’s Dual Pixel AF isn’t available with 4K, either, which instead uses the inferior contrast detection AF method. This means that for decent video performance, you’re limited to shooting in Full HD. The built-in microphone is only mono, too, but there’s a 3.5mm stereo input for an external unit.
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