Canon 1200D vs 1300D

The Canon EOS 1200D (called Canon T5 in some regions) and the Canon EOS 1300D (labelled Canon T6 in some countries) are two digital cameras that were revealed to the public, respectively, in February 2014 and March 2016. 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 1200D		Canon 1300D
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 100-6400 (100-12800)		ISO 100-12800 (100-25600)
Optical viewfinder		Optical viewfinder
3.0" LCD, 460k dots		3.0" LCD, 920k dots
Fixed screen (not touch-sensitive)		Fixed screen (not touch-sensitive)
3 shutter flaps per second		3 shutter flaps per second
500 shots per battery charge		500 shots per battery charge
130 x 100 x 78 mm, 480 g		129 x 101 x 78 mm, 485 g

Going beyond this snapshot of core features and characteristics, what are the differences between the Canon EOS 1200D and the Canon EOS 1300D? 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 side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size and weight of the Canon 1200D and the Canon 1300D. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are available. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size, the Canon 1200D and the Canon 1300D are of equal size. However, the 1300D is slightly heavier (1 percent) than the 1200D. In this context, it is worth noting that neither the 1200D nor the 1300D 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.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the two cameras alongside a broader set of comparators. If you would like to visualize and compare a different camera combination, just use the right or left arrows in the table to switch to the respective camera. Alternatively, you can also navigate to the CAM-parator app and make your selection from the full list of cameras there.

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 1200D»	130 mm	100 mm	78 mm	480 g	500	n	Feb 2014	449	-		Canon 1200D
	Canon 1300D«	129 mm	101 mm	78 mm	485 g	500	n	Mar 2016	449	-		Canon 1300D
	Canon 2000D« »	129 mm	101 mm	78 mm	475 g	500	n	Feb 2018	449			Canon 2000D
	Canon 4000D« »	129 mm	102 mm	77 mm	436 g	500	n	Feb 2018	399			Canon 4000D
	Canon SX540« »	120 mm	82 mm	92 mm	442 g	205	n	Jan 2016	399			Canon SX540
	Canon 750D« »	132 mm	101 mm	78 mm	555 g	440	n	Feb 2015	749	-		Canon 750D
	Canon 760D« »	132 mm	101 mm	78 mm	565 g	440	n	Feb 2015	649	-		Canon 760D
	Canon G9 X« »	98 mm	58 mm	31 mm	209 g	220	n	Oct 2015	529	-		Canon G9 X
	Canon M10« »	108 mm	67 mm	35 mm	301 g	255	n	Oct 2015	499	-		Canon M10
	Canon SX530« »	120 mm	82 mm	92 mm	442 g	210	n	Jan 2015	429	-		Canon SX530
	Canon 100D« »	117 mm	91 mm	69 mm	407 g	380	n	Mar 2013	549	-		Canon 100D
	Canon 700D« »	133 mm	100 mm	79 mm	580 g	440	n	Mar 2013	649	-		Canon 700D
	Canon 650D« »	133 mm	100 mm	79 mm	575 g	440	n	Jun 2012	849	-		Canon 650D
	Canon 1100D« »	130 mm	100 mm	78 mm	495 g	700	n	Feb 2011	449	-		Canon 1100D
Convert to Imperial
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.

Any camera decision will naturally be influenced heavily by the price. The retail prices at the time of the camera’s release place the model in the market relative to other models in the producer’s line-up and the competition. The two cameras under review were launched at the same price and fall into the same market segment. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. 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. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant 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. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tend to 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.

Technology-wise, the 1300D uses a more advanced image processing engine (DIGIC 4+) than the 1200D (DIGIC 4), with benefits for noise reduction, color accuracy, and processing speed.

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 1200D and the 1300D have the same pixel density, as well as the same pixel size. It should, however, be noted that the 1300D is much more recent (by 2 years) than the 1200D, and its sensor will have benefitted from technological advances during this time.

The Canon EOS 1200D has a native sensitivity range from ISO 100 to ISO 6400, which can be extended to ISO 100-12800. The corresponding ISO settings for the Canon EOS 1300D are ISO 100 to ISO 12800, with the possibility to increase the ISO range to 100-25600.

For many cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar 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 1200D and the 1300D 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%), as well as the same magnification (0.50x). The adjacent table lists some of the other core features of the Canon 1200D and Canon 1300D along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

Concerning the storage of imaging data, both the 1200D and the 1300D write their files to SDXC cards.

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 1200D and Canon EOS 1300D and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

It is notable that the 1300D offers wifi support, which can be a very convenient means to transfer image data to an off-camera location. In contrast, the 1200D does not offer wifi capability.

Both the 1200D and the 1300D have been discontinued, but can regularly be found used on eBay. The 1200D was replaced by the Canon 1300D, while the 1300D was followed by the Canon 2000D. 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 is the bottom line? Is the Canon 1200D better than the Canon 1300D or vice versa? A synthesis of the relative strong points of each of the models is listed below.

Arguments in favor of the Canon EOS 1200D:

• More heavily discounted: Has been available for much longer (launched in February 2014).

Advantages of the Canon EOS 1300D:

• Better jpgs: Has a more modern image processing engine (DIGIC 4+ vs DIGIC 4).
• More detailed LCD: Has a higher resolution rear screen (920k vs 460k dots).
• Easier file upload: Has wifi built in for automatic backup or image transfer to the web.
• Easier device pairing: Supports NFC for fast wireless image transfer over short distances.
• More modern: Reflects 2 years of technical progress since the 1200D launch.

If the count of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a measure, the 1300D is the clear winner of the contest (5 : 1 points). However, the relative importance of the various individual camera aspects will vary according to personal preferences and needs, so that you might like to apply corresponding weights to the particular features before making a decision on a new camera. A professional wildlife photographer will view the differences between cameras in a way that diverges from the perspective of a family photog, and a person interested in architecture has distinct needs from a sports 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 1200D and the Canon 1300D 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 technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the 1200D or the 1300D perform in practice. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable.

Expert reviews

This is where reviews by experts come in. The adjacent summary-table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular 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 1200D»	+	-	4/5	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2014	449	-		Canon 1200D
	Canon 1300D«	o	73/100	4/5	3.5/5	4/5	Mar 2016	449	-		Canon 1300D
	Canon 2000D« »	o	-	3.5/5	-	3.5/5	Feb 2018	449			Canon 2000D
	Canon 4000D« »	o	-	3.5/5	-	3.5/5	Feb 2018	399			Canon 4000D
	Canon SX540« »	-	-	-	-	-	Jan 2016	399			Canon SX540
	Canon 750D« »	-	75/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	749	-		Canon 750D
	Canon 760D« »	+	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	649	-		Canon 760D
	Canon G9 X« »	+ +	-	4.5/5	4/5	4.5/5	Oct 2015	529	-		Canon G9 X
	Canon M10« »	-	-	-	o	4/5	Oct 2015	499	-		Canon M10
	Canon SX530« »	+ +	-	4/5	-	4/5	Jan 2015	429	-		Canon SX530
	Canon 100D« »	+	78/100	4/5	4/5	4/5	Mar 2013	549	-		Canon 100D
	Canon 700D« »	-	76/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Mar 2013	649	-		Canon 700D
	Canon 650D« »	+ +	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2012	849	-		Canon 650D
	Canon 1100D« »	80/100	69/100	4/5	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2011	449	-		Canon 1100D
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (-) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods 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? In case you are interested in seeing how other cameras pair up, just make your choice using the following search menu. Alternatively, you can follow any of the listed hyperlinks for comparisons that others found interesting.

Specifications: Canon 1200D vs Canon 1300D

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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