Rebel SL1 vs RX10

Bob Marley · Jul 18, 2015

Hey yo!
I want to buy a new camera and need some advice.
I'm divided between the Canon Rebel SL1 and the Sony RX10 I (not II).
If I buy the Canon I'm going to buy it with the kit lens + the 24mm f/2.8 STM to make it really portable for most of the time and get a little more aperture, and I'm probably not going to buy any more lenses after that, I feel these two will do for my needs.
I need it for nature photos and family, nothing professional. But I do want the best image I can get for my buck.
The RX10 got me interested with its constant f/2.8 but now I'm understanding that because of the smaller sensor that actually equals about F/4 on the Canon. I would really want to get some blurry backgrounds.
The Canon does a little bit better with the ISO and that in combination with the f/2.8 lens will probably give me better images in the dark (correct me if I'm wrong, I'm a noob).
I'm also thinking that the Sony Carl Zeiss optics will give me a little bit more crispness (which I feel is really important).
And the Sony's weather resistance is really attractive. Not that I'm gonna shoot in the rain all the time, but it's good to have that confidence.
Also I heard people saying that the RX10 video codec is a little outdated and blurry, I don't know how exactly that compares to the Canon's MOV format.
So I'm really stuck and can't make up my mind. What do you think? Or if you think there's a 3rd even better option in that price range (which is not a really huge 1kg camera), lets hear it.
Thanks!

P.S.
A friend also recommended the Sony a6000. I understand it's better image quality but I just hate how it looks so square and retro. I like the DSLR look. It might sound stupid but I think enjoying the photos is just half of it, the other half is enjoying your camera, and the a6000 looks really ugly to me...

Derrel · Jul 18, 2015

There is no getting around it....the Sony A6000 is flat out butt-ugly. If your goal is defocused backgrounds, the small-sensor compacts are not very good at providing blown-out, defocused backgrounds under anything but the most-optimal shooting parameters. The RX10 is a small, compact camera...the SL1 is a very small d-slr body with a miniuaturized viewfinder and minaturized body. No doubt the new Canon pancake prime lenses DO make for a more compact d-slr experience than traditional lenses.

Sony Carl Zeiss lenses... SONY is an electronics company....Carl Zeiss is a long-dead man....Carl Zeiss is little more than a brand name today, assembled wherever and built by Cosina or whoever, and priced as if the name truly means something; on a tiny sensor camera, the name Carl Zeiss means very little; an AVERAGE Canon lens on a sensor that has five or six times more area will out-perform a great lens on a tiny sensor. I think of it as , "Carl Zeiss, assembled by Cosina."

Buy based on your own preferences...portability of the camera is a big, big deal; no matter how good a camera is, it's of no use to you if it is left behind due to size or weight. The new Sony compacts are very neat cameras...the SL1 is a neat, small d-slr...

rudimaes · Jul 19, 2015

I don't find the A6000 ugly. It's rangefinder-style and it is a good camera.
But of course each has his own taste.
Rudi

beagle100 · Jul 22, 2015

Derrel said:
There is no getting around it....the Sony A6000 is flat out butt-ugly. If your goal is defocused backgrounds, the small-sensor compacts are not very good at providing blown-out, defocused backgrounds under anything but the most-optimal shooting parameters. The RX10 is a small, compact camera...the SL1 is a very small d-slr body with a miniuaturized viewfinder and minaturized body. No doubt the new Canon pancake prime lenses DO make for a more compact d-slr experience than traditional lenses.

Sony Carl Zeiss lenses... SONY is an electronics company....Carl Zeiss is a long-dead man....Carl Zeiss is little more than a brand name today, assembled wherever and built by Cosina or whoever, and priced as if the name truly means something; on a tiny sensor camera, the name Carl Zeiss means very little; an AVERAGE Canon lens on a sensor that has five or six times more area will out-perform a great lens on a tiny sensor. I think of it as , "Carl Zeiss, assembled by Cosina."

Buy based on your own preferences...portability of the camera is a big, big deal; no matter how good a camera is, it's of no use to you if it is left behind due to size or weight. The new Sony compacts are very neat cameras...the SL1 is a neat, small d-slr...

if you shoot sports or action the SL1 might be a better choice, if you like compactness and small size the Sony could be better