Canon 100D versus Canon 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 megapixel. Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their size, their sensors, their features, and their reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison: Canon 100D vs Canon T5i

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. If you prefer, you can also use the toggle button to switch to a comparison in percentage terms (in this case, the camera on the left side – the 100D – represents the basis for the calculations across all the size and weight measures).

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 find an overview of suitable optics 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»	4.6 in	3.6 in	2.7 in	14.4 oz	380	n	Mar 2013	549	-		Canon 100D
	Canon T5i«	5.2 in	3.9 in	3.1 in	20.5 oz	440	n	Mar 2013	649	-		Canon T5i
	Canon 4000D« »	5.1 in	4.0 in	3.0 in	15.4 oz	500	n	Feb 2018	399			Canon 4000D
	Canon 200D« »	4.8 in	3.7 in	2.8 in	16.0 oz	650	n	Jun 2017	549			Canon 200D
	Canon T6i« »	5.2 in	4.0 in	3.1 in	19.6 oz	440	n	Feb 2015	749	-		Canon T6i
	Canon 7D II« »	5.9 in	4.4 in	3.1 in	32.1 oz	670	Y	Sep 2014	1,799			Canon 7D II
	Canon 1200D« »	5.1 in	3.9 in	3.1 in	16.9 oz	500	n	Feb 2014	449	-		Canon 1200D
	Canon T5« »	5.1 in	3.9 in	3.1 in	16.9 oz	500	n	Feb 2014	449	-		Canon T5
	Canon 700D« »	5.2 in	3.9 in	3.1 in	20.5 oz	440	n	Mar 2013	649	-		Canon 700D
	Canon G16« »	4.3 in	3.0 in	1.6 in	12.6 oz	360	n	Aug 2013	549			Canon G16
	Canon SL1« »	4.6 in	3.6 in	2.7 in	14.4 oz	380	n	Mar 2013	549	-		Canon SL1
	Canon 650D« »	5.2 in	3.9 in	3.1 in	20.3 oz	440	n	Jun 2012	849	-		Canon 650D
	Canon M« »	4.3 in	2.6 in	1.3 in	10.5 oz	230	n	Jul 2012	599	-		Canon M
	Canon T4i« »	5.2 in	3.9 in	3.1 in	20.3 oz	440	n	Jun 2012	849	-		Canon T4i
	Canon 600D« »	5.2 in	3.9 in	3.1 in	20.1 oz	440	n	Feb 2011	599	-		Canon 600D
	Canon T3i« »	5.2 in	3.9 in	3.1 in	20.1 oz	440	n	Feb 2011	599	-		Canon T3i
	Panasonic G6« »	4.8 in	3.3 in	2.8 in	13.8 oz	340	n	Apr 2013	599	-		Panasonic G6
Convert to Metric

The camera’s price is obviously a critical decision-making factor. 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: Canon 100D vs Canon T5i

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 megapixel. 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.

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 image quality. 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: Canon 100D vs Canon T5i

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 following table reports on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Canon 100D, the Canon T5i, and comparable cameras. The full specs-sheets can be found in the camera manual or in the dpreview camera hub.

Both the 100D and the T5i write their imaging data to SDXC cards.

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.

Review summary: Canon 100D vs Canon T5i

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

Arguments in favor of the Canon EOS 100D:

• 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 swivel screen for odd-angle shots in portrait or landscape orientation.
• 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 (3 : 2 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.

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 handling 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. This is where reviews by experts come in. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, photographyblog). The full reviews are available by clicking on the site logo in the table header.

Review Scores

	Camera Model						Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Canon 100D»	Rec	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« »	rev	-	3.5/5	-	3.5/5	Feb 2018	399			Canon 4000D
	Canon 200D« »	HiRec	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 7D II« »	Rec	84/100	4/5	5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2014	1,799			Canon 7D II
	Canon 1200D« »	Rec	-	4/5	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2014	449	-		Canon 1200D
	Canon T5« »	Rec	-	4/5	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2014	449	-		Canon T5
	Canon 700D« »	-	76/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Mar 2013	649	-		Canon 700D
	Canon G16« »	Rec	-	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2013	549			Canon G16
	Canon SL1« »	Rec	78/100	4/5	4/5	4/5	Mar 2013	549	-		Canon SL1
	Canon 650D« »	HiRec	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2012	849	-		Canon 650D
	Canon M« »	Rec	-	4/5	3.5/5	4/5	Jul 2012	599	-		Canon M
	Canon T4i« »	HiRec	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2012	849	-		Canon T4i
	Canon 600D« »	rev	77/100	4.5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2011	599	-		Canon 600D
	Canon T3i« »	rev	77/100	4.5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2011	599	-		Canon T3i
	Panasonic G6« »	HiRec	-	5/5	-	4.5/5	Apr 2013	599	-		Panasonic G6

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. If you cannot find the camera you are interested in, kindly get in touch, and I will try to add information on that model to the database.

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