Canon 100D vs T5i

The Canon EOS 100D (called Canon SL1 in some regions) and the Canon EOS Rebel T5i (labelled Canon 700D in some countries) are two digital cameras that were revealed to the public in March 2013. Both are DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras that are equipped with an APS-C sensor. Both cameras offer a resolution of 17.9 megapixels.

Below is an overview of the main specs of the two cameras as a starting point for the comparison.

Headline Specifications

Canon 100D		Canon T5i
Digital single lens reflex		Digital single lens reflex
Canon EF mount lenses		Canon EF mount lenses
17.9 MP, APS-C Sensor		17.9 MP, APS-C Sensor
1080/30p Video		1080/30p Video
ISO 100-12800 (100-25600)		ISO 100-12800 (100-25600)
Optical viewfinder		Optical viewfinder
3.0" LCD, 1040k dots		3.0" LCD, 1040k dots
Fixed touchscreen		Swivel touchscreen
4.9 shutter flaps per second		5 shutter flaps per second
380 shots per battery charge		440 shots per battery charge
117 x 91 x 69 mm, 407 g		133 x 100 x 79 mm, 580 g

Going beyond this snapshot of core features and characteristics, what are the differences between the Canon EOS 100D and the Canon EOS Rebel T5i? Which one should you buy? Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their body size, their imaging sensors, their shooting features, their input-output connections, and their reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison

The physical size and weight of the Canon 100D and the Canon T5i are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The 100D can be obtained in two different colors (black, white), while the T5i is only available in black.

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size, the Canon T5i is notably larger (25 percent) than the Canon 100D. Moreover, the T5i is substantially heavier (43 percent) than the 100D. In this context, it is worth noting that neither the 100D nor the T5i are weather-sealed.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete since they do not consider the interchangeable lenses that both of these cameras require. In this particular case, both cameras feature the same lens mount, so that they can use the same lenses. You can compare the optics available in the Canon EF Lens Catalog.

Concerning battery life, the 100D gets 380 shots out of its LP-E12 battery, while the T5i can take 440 images on a single charge of its LP-E8 power pack.

The following table provides a synthesis of the main physical specifications of the two cameras and other similar ones. In case you want to display and compare another camera duo, just click on the right or left arrow next to the camera that you would like to inspect. Alternatively, you can also use the CAM-parator to select your camera combination among a larger number of options.

Camera Body Specifications

	Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life (CIPA)	Weather Sealing (yes/no)	Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Canon 100D»	117 mm	91 mm	69 mm	407 g	380	n	Mar 2013	549	-		Canon 100D
	Canon T5i«	133 mm	100 mm	79 mm	580 g	440	n	Mar 2013	649	-		Canon T5i
	Canon 4000D« »	129 mm	102 mm	77 mm	436 g	500	n	Feb 2018	399			Canon 4000D
	Canon 200D« »	122 mm	93 mm	70 mm	453 g	650	n	Jun 2017	549	-		Canon 200D
	Canon T6i« »	132 mm	101 mm	78 mm	555 g	440	n	Feb 2015	749	-		Canon T6i
	Canon T6s« »	132 mm	101 mm	78 mm	565 g	440	n	Feb 2015	649	-		Canon T6s
	Canon 7D II« »	149 mm	112 mm	78 mm	910 g	670	Y	Sep 2014	1,799			Canon 7D II
	Canon 1200D« »	130 mm	100 mm	78 mm	480 g	500	n	Feb 2014	449	-		Canon 1200D
	Canon 700D« »	133 mm	100 mm	79 mm	580 g	440	n	Mar 2013	649	-		Canon 700D
	Canon G16« »	109 mm	76 mm	40 mm	356 g	360	n	Aug 2013	549			Canon G16
	Canon SL1« »	117 mm	91 mm	69 mm	407 g	380	n	Mar 2013	549	-		Canon SL1
	Canon 650D« »	133 mm	100 mm	79 mm	575 g	440	n	Jun 2012	849	-		Canon 650D
	Canon M« »	109 mm	66 mm	32 mm	298 g	230	n	Jul 2012	599	-		Canon M
	Canon T4i« »	133 mm	100 mm	79 mm	575 g	440	n	Jun 2012	849	-		Canon T4i
	Canon 600D« »	133 mm	100 mm	80 mm	570 g	440	n	Feb 2011	599	-		Canon 600D
	Panasonic G6« »	122 mm	85 mm	71 mm	390 g	340	n	Apr 2013	599	-		Panasonic G6
Convert to Imperial
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.

Any camera decision will obviously take relative prices into account. The listed launch prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The 100D was launched at a somewhat lower price (by 15 percent) than the T5i, which makes it more attractive for photographers on a tight budget. Normally, street prices remain initially close to the MSRP, but after a couple of months, the first discounts appear. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down.

Sensor comparison

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

Both cameras under consideration feature an APS-C sensor and have a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.6. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the review cameras among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability. Both cameras have a native aspect ratio (sensor width to sensor height) of 3:2.

The two cameras under review do not only share the same sensor size, but also offer an identical resolution of 17.9 megapixels. This similarity in sensor specs implies that both the 100D and the T5i have the same pixel density, as well as the same pixel size. Moreover, the two cameras were released in close succession, so that their sensors are from the same technological generation.

The Canon EOS 100D has a native sensitivity range from ISO 100 to ISO 12800, which can be extended to ISO 100-25600. The Canon EOS Rebel T5i offers exactly the same ISO settings.

For many cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. The Overall DXO ratings for the two cameras under consideration are close, suggesting that they provide similar imaging performance. The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of comparator-cameras.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. Both cameras under consideration have a sensor with sufficiently fast read-out times for moving pictures, and both provide the same movie specifications (1080/30p).

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. The 100D and the T5i are similar in the sense that both have an optical viewfinder. The latter is useful for getting a clear image for framing even in brightly lit environments. The viewfinders of both cameras offer the same field of view (95%), but the viewfinder of the 100D has a higher magnification than the one of the T5i (0.54x vs 0.53x), so that the size of the image transmitted appears closer to the size seen with the naked human eye. The following table reports on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Canon 100D, the Canon T5i, and comparable cameras.

Concerning the storage of imaging data, both the 100D and the T5i write their files to SDXC cards. Both cameras can use UHS-I cards, which provide for Ultra High Speed data transfer of up to 104 MB/s.

Connectivity comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Canon EOS 100D and Canon EOS Rebel T5i and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Both the 100D and the T5i have been discontinued, but can regularly be found used on eBay. The 100D was replaced by the Canon 200D, while the T5i was followed by the Canon T6i. Further information on the two cameras (e.g. user guides, manuals), as well as related accessories, can be found on the official Canon website.

Review summary

So what conclusions can be drawn? Is there a clear favorite between the Canon 100D and the Canon T5i? Which camera is better? Below is a summary of the relative strengths of each of the two contestants.

Arguments in favor of the Canon EOS 100D:

• Larger viewfinder image: Features a viewfinder with a higher magnification (0.54x vs 0.53x).
• More compact: Is smaller (117x91mm vs 133x100mm) and thus needs less room in the bag.
• Less heavy: Is lighter (by 173g or 30 percent) and hence easier to carry around.
• More affordable: Was introduced into a lower priced segment (15 percent cheaper at launch).

Reasons to prefer the Canon EOS Rebel T5i:

• More flexible LCD: Has a swivel screen for odd-angle shots in portrait or landscape orientation.
• More selfie-friendly: Has an articulated screen that can be turned to be front-facing.
• Longer lasting: Gets more shots (440 versus 380) out of a single battery charge.

If the number of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a guide, the 100D comes out slightly ahead of the T5i (4 : 3 points). However, the pertinence of the various camera strengths will differ across photographers, so that you might want to weigh individual camera traits according to their importance for your own imaging needs before making a camera decision. A professional sports photographer will view the differences between cameras in a way that diverges from the perspective of a street photog, and a person interested in family portraits has distinct needs from a landscape shooter. Hence, the decision which camera is best and worth buying is often a very personal one.

How about other alternatives? Do the specifications of the Canon 100D and the Canon T5i place the cameras among the top in their class? Find out in the latest Best DSLR Camera listing whether the two cameras rank among the cream of the crop.

In any case, while the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the shooting experience and imaging performance when actually working with the 100D or the T5i. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased.

Expert reviews

This is where reviews by experts come in. The following table reports the overall ratings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, and photographyblog). As can be seen, the professional reviewers agree in many cases on the quality of different cameras, but sometimes their assessments diverge, reinforcing the earlier point that a camera decision is often a very personal choice.

Review Scores

	Camera Model						Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Canon 100D»	+	78/100	4/5	4/5	4/5	Mar 2013	549	-		Canon 100D
	Canon T5i«	-	76/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Mar 2013	649	-		Canon T5i
	Canon 4000D« »	o	-	3.5/5	-	3.5/5	Feb 2018	399			Canon 4000D
	Canon 200D« »	+ +	78/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2017	549	-		Canon 200D
	Canon T6i« »	-	75/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	749	-		Canon T6i
	Canon T6s« »	+	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	649	-		Canon T6s
	Canon 7D II« »	+	84/100	4/5	5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2014	1,799			Canon 7D II
	Canon 1200D« »	+	-	4/5	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2014	449	-		Canon 1200D
	Canon 700D« »	-	76/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Mar 2013	649	-		Canon 700D
	Canon G16« »	+	-	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2013	549			Canon G16
	Canon SL1« »	+	78/100	4/5	4/5	4/5	Mar 2013	549	-		Canon SL1
	Canon 650D« »	+ +	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2012	849	-		Canon 650D
	Canon M« »	+	-	4/5	3.5/5	4/5	Jul 2012	599	-		Canon M
	Canon T4i« »	+ +	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2012	849	-		Canon T4i
	Canon 600D« »	o	77/100	4.5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2011	599	-		Canon 600D
	Panasonic G6« »	+ +	-	5/5	-	4.5/5	Apr 2013	599	-		Panasonic G6
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (-) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

Other camera comparisons

Did this review help to inform your camera decision process? If you would like to see a different side-by-side camera review, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. Alternatively, you can follow any of the listed hyperlinks for comparisons that others found interesting.

Specifications: Canon 100D vs Canon T5i

Below is a side-by-side comparison of the specs of the two cameras to facilitate a quick review of their differences and common features.

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