Travelling is our ticket away from reality and our chance to see and be inspired by other corners of the world. But when we get home all we have to look back are our fading memories… and our photos. If you’ve always wanted to be a better photographer but don’t have the time or the moolah to turn pro, then read on. We put Canon’s lightest and smallest digital SLR, the Canon EOS 100D to the test and came out feeling pretty chuffed with our efforts.

Location, location, location

First step when roadtesting a camera, you need a great backdrop. So we jumped in the car and road tripped (plus boat tripped) our way about an hour out of Sydney to Dangar Island.

Once we were wrapped in a beautiful landscape with snap-worthy detail we were ready to go. The Canon EOS 100D may be small, compact and entry-level, but it doesn’t skimp on the features. It has an 18.0 megapixel sensor, captures true colour and we love its touch screen LCD monitor, plus all the other fancy things it does in a really easy to understand and master kind of way.

 

Oh, the Features!

There are so many features to play around with; the seven Creative Art Filters are a lot of fun to get you started. Choose from Fish Eye, Soft Focus, Toy Camera, Grainy B&W, Miniature, Art Bold and Water Painting effects. Who needs Photoshop when you can create the look you want in the palm of your hand.

The Creative Auto Shooting functions were our favourite to experiment with. This clever option allows you to take two different versions of the same shot; one with the effect applied and one without. Great for making sure you’re capturing the best version of what you see in front of you! 

As if that wasn’t enough choice for you, there’s also the Special Scene Mode. Think perfect settings for photographing kids, food, candlelight, night portrait, handheld night scene and HDR backlight control. Yes that’s right, finally taking night photos without a tripod (because who ever has one of those hiding in their handbag?!) is possible, without the blur factor. With the Night Scene (Handheld) mode, your Canon will snap four continuous shots per photo to ensure reduced camera shake is recorded. It’s that simple. 

A Lens For Every Occasion

For any travel adventure where you can go from shooting a gorgeous landscape one second to getting up close for a macro snap the next, you need more than one lens if you’re going to get it right.

The Canon EOS 100D fits a whole range of lenses and don’t worry, they’re just as light as the camera so you won’t throw out your back lugging them around.

So which ones do you need? The EF-S10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM lens is perfect for wide-angle shots and has a built-in image stabiliser for sharp images; take this lens along for your landscape scenes, like we did as we walked around the top of the island and peered down at private wharfs, sail boats and bright blue waters. Gosh they live the good life over on Dangar Island!

The EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens is your go-to lens for portrait shots and does a fantastic job of fading the background into a blur to give you excellent depth of field, making your subject really pop. Because this lens is great at giving soft background blur, we used this one for our close-up flower photos. 

 

From beginner to pro

This camera really can do it all. The compact, lightweight body means you can carry it in your handbag on a daily basis. Tick. The endless settings means it will suit any lifestyle – foodie, traveller, mum, night owl, you name it. Tick. And it will see you from starting out to super duper photographer who knows the difference between aperture and shutter speed and wants to tweak your settings to customise your shots. Tick! 

Now off you go, book that next adventure and don’t forget to pack your camera.

This message is sponsored by Canon

The proof is in the pictures!