In March 2016, the Canon 1300D was introduced: a starter model SLR camera with few new features and a very attractive price. It’s the successor to the Canon 1200D (February 2014), which was sold in large numbers. Canon 1300D and 1200D have the same sensor and image processor. The appearance is also practically the same. Built-in Wi-Fi and Dynamic NFC, focused on sharing photos with your smartphone on social media, are the plus points of the 1300D relative to the 1200D. The screen—not a touchscreen—on the back is the same size, but the screen of the 1300D has twice as many pixels as the screen of the Canon 1200D. Before you continue reading, we’ll give you a tip: Do you want an inexpensive Canon SLR, and do you not need wireless connections for sharing files through social media? Then if you get the chance, buy a Canon 1200D, since that is now even less expensive than the 1300D, while the image quality of the two cameras does not differ. In the conclusion, we’ll give you a tip for another Canon camera as an additional alternative to the Canon 1300D.
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SLR or mirrorless? | |
Every photographer, from beginner to professional, can choose from a large number of system cameras. System cameras are cameras with interchangeable lenses. They are for sale with a mirror (Canon, Nikon, Pentax) and without a mirror (Olympus, Fujifilm, Sony, Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Sigma, Leica). It is often suggested that the image quality only depends on the sensor size, but that is not the case. The quality of the sensors differs between brands, so that a good camera with a small sensor can beat out a camera from another brand with a larger sensor in terms of image quality (signal-to-noise ratio, dynamic range and resolution). If you do not spend much time photographing in situations with low light, then the image quality of cameras with a 1-inch, micro-43 or APS-C sensor is more than sufficient for a great enlargement. For beginners, factors like ease of use, speed of focus and the amount of noise that a camera makes are more important than the image quality of the different cameras that you can choose. It’s not clear to see in the video below, but from our measurements, it appears that the system camera used in this video focuses twice as sharply on a still subject as the Canon 1300D. For fast-moving subjects, they do not differ much from each other as far as AF speed is concerned.
If you don’t like the size of this SLR camera and changing lenses, then look at a Canon Powershot G7 (with a 1-inch sensor). With an SLR camera, you have to put your eye up against the viewfinder when you want to take a picture. If you like to use the screen on the back of the camera for taking pictures, then don’t choose an SLR. When you use the screen on the back of the Canon 1300D (“Liveview”) for taking pictures, then automatic focusing of the Canon 1300D is very slow. In addition, the mirror pops up after a short time, so that you don’t see anything on the screen. With automatic focusing during video, you clearly notice that this camera uses a sensor with a pre-2014 design: on this point, the 1300D loses out to all mirrorless system cameras that are currently for sale. If you are accustomed to photographing with a smartphone, then the switch to a mirrorless system camera can be a more logical choice for you. For those who like to shoot without being noticed, the choice of a mirrorless system camera might be smarter. The video above is a comparison between an SLR camera and a mirrorless system camera from Panasonic in the normal mode. The Panasonic in the normal mode is already much quieter, but it also has—like many other mirrorless system cameras—a ‘silent mode’ as well, in which the camera is practically silent. More expensive SLR cameras sometimes also have a silent mode, but because there is always a mirror popping up and down to take a shot, a mirrorless system camera wins the noise comparison with both hands tied behind its back. |
Canon EOS 1300D: |
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The Canon EOS 1300D is fitted with Canon’s DIGIC 4+ processor and an 18-megapixel APS-C format sensor. For beginners, an SLR can look intimidating. The Canon EOS 1300D helps users who are holding this SLR camera for the first time to get over that hesitation quickly. The number of buttons on the camera is manageable, and the camera sits nicely in your hand. The camera menu is very clear. With the Scene Intelligent mode (which can be found on the program button on the top of the camera), the camera handles everything and chooses the right settings for you. With a turn of the program button, you choose from shooting programs that are designed for specific subjects. In comparison with compact cameras, (both SLR and mirrorless) system cameras have fast auto focus. With the Canon 1300D, you can photograph moving subjects with a modest speed of three images per second. {insertgrid ID = 381} The optical viewfinder offers an effective viewfinder enlargement of 0.5x. That is smaller than the viewfinder of a Nikon starter SLR camera, although you won’t soon notice the difference. But some electronic viewfinders of Fujifilm, Panasonic, Sony or Olympus cameras are much larger, so that you more easily see what will be visible in the photo. With a mirrorless system camera, there is a TV in the viewfinder, as it were, with an image that is not as good as that from an optical viewfinder. The differences keep getting smaller, but it is certainly something to try out before making a choice. |
Canon EOS 1300D: IMAGE QUALITY |
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| As far as image quality is concerned, dynamic range, signal-to-noise ratio and resolution are the most important parameters that you as a photographer can control. The color reproduction depends on the image style that you choose on the camera. The color differences between the different image styles on one camera are greater than the color differences between camera brands. The dynamic range of a camera is a scale for how well a camera can simultaneously capture the color nuances in very light and dark colors accurately and without noise. In that area, the Canon 1200D lagged behind the competition, in particular Sony and Nikon. That is especially because of the high noise in the dark color areas. If you do not edit your photos (much), then you won’t notice the difference. But if you deliberately underexpose photos to lighten them in post-editing, or if you love bracketing and/or HDR photography, then you will see the noise. For the Canon 1300D, that is even more so the case. The APS-C sensor of the Canon 1300D is bigger than the micro-43 sensors of Olympus and Panasonic, but as far as resolution, signal-to-noise ratio or dynamic range is concerned, the bigger sensor does not pay off in higher image quality. | |
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Video | |
| You can make full-HD videos with the Canon 1300D, but just like most Canon SLR cameras, not in 4K. For video recordings that you make with a Canon 1300D, it’s much smarter to focus manually. The AF during video on the Canon 1300D is very slow. The sensor does not have any hybrid AF technology, like you find in more expensive Canon cameras, with which you can focus quickly during video. With the Video Snapshot mode, you can record short clips that can be automatically merged into a video. You see this option on ever-more cameras, because it takes you so little time to make a video, while editing and merging video fragments in video software takes a great deal more time. | |
SHARING AND SAVING | |
| If you are accustomed to photographing with a smartphone, then the chance is great that you share photos on social media. It used to be that you could not share photos that you made with an SLR camera. Today, it’s possible to share photos from all system cameras, with help from your smartphone. The Canon EOS 1300D can make contact with compatible Android devices/smartphones via NFC and Wi-Fi. Via Wi-Fi, you can also save photos or remotely operate your Canon 1300D with Canon’s Camera Connect app. Do be aware that the battery of the camera will run out sooner if you make heavy use of Wi-Fi. |
ConclusiON TO Canon EOS 1300D REVIEW | |
| Compare Canon 1300D with another camera: Use the camera comparison, or check our list of all reviewed cameras to compare the Canon 1300D with another camera | {insertgrid=329} |
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| The Canon 1300D offers the same ease of use and the same build and image quality as the Canon 1200D, which dates from 2014. The ability to share and save files is the primary improvement. Up against mirrorless system cameras from Olympus, Nikon 1, Sony, Fujiflim and Panasonic, it will be a good deal more difficult for the 1300D to beat out the competition than it was for the Canon 1200D. Those who like to use the screen on the back of the camera are better off with a mirrorless system camera, where the (touchscreen) screen does not shut off after a minute when you want to photograph with it, and those can also often tilt and/or turn. The optical viewfinder of the Canon 1300D gives a smaller viewfinder image than the electronic viewfinder of some mirrorless system cameras. The bigger the viewfinder image, the better you can see what will appear in the photo. Always look first through the viewfinder of a camera before buying it, since the preference for an (WYSIWYG) electronic or optical (not a TV, but real glass) viewfinder is strongly personal. There is also strong competition within Canon: The Canon 100D is a more compact model than the Canon 1300D with, aside from sharing files, better specifications. There are special memory cards for sale for a modest amount with which you can equip any camera with Wi-Fi, so that you can share your files via your smartphone. Because the Canon 100D has become much less expensive in recent years, this model is also an alternative for the Canon 1300D. If you are not planning to use different lenses (much), you can also consider a Canon EOS M10 or a Canon Powershot G7. | |
Hi Linda,
I’m sorry for our late response. Please find below the answer of our editor Jan Paul.
All the best, Roos
Hi,
That’s hard to tell. You didn’t say if the sensor was dirty as well. If so, that would be a good starting point, to clean that. Then take some images with a good lens, one that’s certainly not damaged (maybe you have another lens or you can borrow one?). If the results are okay, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t keep using the camera. If the images are still blurry, it might be the AF-system that needs calibrating or something else. If it is something else, repairs might cost more then the camera is worth. A new APS-C mirrorless model like the EOS R100 is a world apart from the 1300D, but unfortunately both in specs as well as in price. If the 1300D still gives good results, despite a line in the screen (on some models you can just replace the screen protector), just get a new lens. If you ever decide to buy a new mirrorless EOS, you can still use that with an EF to RF adapter. If the 1300D is on its last legs, consider saving up for an EOS R-model. Jan Paul
The images on my Canon EOS 1300D are coming out blurrier and the lens is slightly damaged from not covering it like I should have. Also the back view finder has a fine line crack in it. The camera insides may also need a cleaning. I was thinking of buying a telephoto lens for $89.00 – do you think the camera is shot?