These are pictures of my latest acquisition.  Those of you who have followed me for many years will be surprised to note that it is a Canon, and the least expensive and smallest DSLR that they make.  I am now going to tell you why I got it.  I will have to use it for a longer period to know if it was the right decision.

I have wanted to buy the Fujifilm X100T, but hesitated for many reasons.  I had an X100, the first version that came out, and I loved it, but always worried about it having an effective 35 mm focal length and being tough to focus quickly and accurately.  When I had the X100, the focal length usually worked well for me but, I did a lot of crop-zooming.  I also found that it usually took two hands to hold and use the X100.  In addition, I am now hesitant about spending so much money on another camera.  So, I looked around for something else and started looking more carefully at the Canon EOS SL1 Rebel.

The SL1 uses interchangeable lenses, and I noted that Canon had two pancake lenses.  I found that both the 40 mm and the 24 mm lenses were both small and light-weight, quite inexpensive, and highly rated in reviews.  I also realized that the Canon SL1 with the 24 mm lens attached weighed about the same as the X100T, and was about the same size except for the depth; but at about half the cost!  In addition I would have effective focal lengths of about 38 mm and 64 mm with the two Canon lenses.

The SL1 has another advantage for me in addition to the cost and weight.  It has a nice handgrip and with the arthritis in my hands that is a significant advantage.  I have posted the above pictures so that you can see the handgrip.  Many of the on-line pictures don’t do a good job of showing the handgrip.  If you are interested you need to try it.  All hands aren’t the same, but I have found that it works very well for me.

This Canon Rebel isn’t as sexy as the X100T, doesn’t have the perceived quality, doesn’t have the dial controls, and doesn’t have the X-Trans sensor, but it is a lot cheaper, and I think more versatile for my uses.  Time will tell.