Canon EOS 1100D

The Canon EOS 1100D is the perfect entry level digital SLR. For anyone who is new to SLR’s or is on a budget, this camera will fit the bill, but after time it will have its limitations. I have just upgraded to the 600D, at a couple of hundred pounds more than this particular model, I notice the difference, but I will always have a soft spot for the 1100D! This entry level camera varies in price depending on what you want from it. For example Jessops offer a range of packages increasing in price. For £329.95 you can buy the camera body only, but spend a little more (£359.95) and you can pick up the camera, a 8GB Sandisk memory card and a bag to store it all in. I’ve had the camera quite a while and to be honest I can’t remember how much I paid for it, but it is worth shopping around. Various shops have offers on all the time. Buyacamera.com is always a good choice and I’ve bought a few cameras from here now with no problems.

The beauty about this SLR is the ability to create beautiful images that only an SLR can, as well as HD video content. It has 12 megapixels image quality so not the best on the market, but unless you are printing to large sizes (about A3 paper size), you won’t notice. The 14-bit DIGIC 4 image processor provides 3.2fps which will work alongside the other features within the camera to provide fast shooting and quality images.

The camera has an on screen feature guide which provides descriptions of the functions within the camera. What I like is that it provides little tips of how to use them for your photography. Most people buying this camera will be fairly new or have limited or beginners knowledge on SLR’s so this is a handy little feature to bear in mind when considering this camera.

An added feature for unconfident users and users who have been used to standard digital cameras, is the easy to use scene modes which allows that you can choose to use the automatic mode rather than manual settings to allow the camera to choose the most suitable exposure and focus. The Basic + technology changes the auto modes according to light and ambience.


The HD movie mode allows it can be used as a camcorder. The footage can be edited on PC’s or Macs and can also be linked directly to your TV (with a HDMI connection). This isn’t something we used a lot as we already had a camcorder and we found that instances that we did want to record we also wanted to shoot so one of us did each! We did use it the odd time though and it certainly is a nice little feature.

The ISO 100-6400 sensitivity is a good range which will be enough to satisfy most amateur photographers and will help to reduce grainy images at high ISO levels. There is also central cross type point which helps the camera to focus quickly using vertical and horizontal lines. This is a good number of auto focus points which can be independently selected to identify a specific focal point (both static and moving objects).

The one thing that is fantastic about digital SLR’s is obviously that it is digital. While this seems a silly thing to say, it is ideal for beginners and means that you can keep practicing and practising and never be afraid of pressing the shutter release to take your photo, because it really doesn’t matter if it hasn’t come out the way you expected (in fact this helps as you can learn from the mistakes). I would also say that if you haven’t invested in a bag, but are thinking of buying an SLR, go for a package and spend the extra for the carry bag. These SLRs are a lot of money and keeping your kit clean, dry and all together is important. Having a bag is also a handy way to carry a spare battery – there is nothing worse than going out for the day hoping to get some good snaps and realising that your battery is dead (I think we’ve all been there with one electrical item or another!).

All in all this is a really great entry level SLR, and it’s light and easy to carry around. I upgraded mine as I wanted a higher resolution and more focus points as well as higher ISO settings. It feels slightly plastic and you can feel a difference as you upgrade. As I have started to take photography a little more seriously and I have improved (some might say!) it was time to upgrade, but I wouldn’t have been without the 1100 D, it’s shown me how to use SLR’s properly and has given me some great pictures along the way. Definitely recommended.

Other General information:

LCD Monitor: 2.7"

Sensor Size (w x h) 22.2 x 14.7mm

Max Consecutive Shots: 830

Continuous Shooting Speed: 3fps

Extra features: Depth of Field Preview, White Balance Mode, Built in Flash, Tri-Pod Thread

Body Dimensions (WxHxD) mm129.9 x 99.7 x 77.9 mm