First Impressions: Canon SL1/100D vs Eos m

So, I know most of you are into those big ol' full frames that take such beautiful photos, but I wanted to post a quick comparison of two smaller bodies. I got a deal from Canon on a refurbished SL1/100D last week. I already have a Canon Eos m. I like the m with the 22mm lens, but the LCD is hard to use in bright light and the black out between shots is annoying.

Quick comparison, the SL1 is slightly bigger, but lighter than the Eos m. I think the Eos m is more comfortable to carry and use with the 22mm lens and in the right light, but not such a big advantage with other lenses. I have small hands, but the grip on the SL1 feels too small even for me. I dug out an old handstrap, however, and problem solved. I left a little slack in the strap and I can easily access the button controls with my right hand, still need two hands for the LCD. The SL1 feels unbalanced with bigger lenses, but use two hands and that optical viewfinder, and it is so much better than the m. While I'll still probably keep the m with the 22mm lens in my purse, I'm switching to the SL1 for situations when I don't want to carry the 70D, like backpacking.

Anyway, on a quick test Canon SL1 with the 24mm pancake lens and the Canon Eos m with the 22 mm, I didn't see a big difference in image quality.

First photo is the SL1 (24mm, 1/160 s, f/2.8, ISO 100) and second is Eos m (22mm, 1/100 s, f/2.0, ISO 100). I was using window light on a partly sunny day, so the light is a little different. And yes, I really need to dust!

Interesting to read your take. I haven't seen an SL1 in person, but just assumed that it was a lot bigger than the EOS M. From your observations, it sounds like the dimensions are a lot closer than I was thinking. Do you have a photo of them sitting next to each other?

I have an M here with the 22mm that I do like using when I want to be more discrete than lugging around a big camera. I'll occasionally use it with my nifty 50 (and EF-M adapter), but if I feel like I want a regular zoom, I'll just bring a larger camera instead.

The speed of the SL1 is more attractive to me than the M. Being able to use phase detect AF through a viewfinder is just so much nicer than the contrast detect AF in the EOS M. I've heard that the M2 and M3 have been improved in this respect.

yea the SL1 is REALLY small. I was kinda shocked when I got it. the only thing I feel that makes it a little more difficult to use is the viewfinder. Its really small and I have a hard time seeing the focus points at first.

Here's a comparison with the 24mm on the SL1 and the 22mm on the m. You really have to hold the SL1 to feel how light and small it is. Compromises were made to get it this small, like the smaller viewfinder. I definitely wouldn't pay list price for it, but if you can catch a deal and need a second body, I think it's a good choice. I paid $249 for the SL1 refurbished as part of the Black Friday sale.

And one more.

Wow, they are really close in size. I've always thought the M didn't have a big enough hand grip. The SL1 looks to be about the size of an M with a hand grip and EF-M adapter on front (and maybe the viewfinder piece to bring the height in line). If you end up adding those accessories to the M, you might as well just buy an SL1. Nice.