Lusting over your friends' Facebook photos and wishing you could get those kind of beautifully detailed images with your camera? It's time to move beyond point-and-shoot and to enter the realm of DSLRs. Invest in Canon's new EOS 100D and images will be sharp, you'll get a huge amount of control over every picture, and a brand new world of photography will open up.
Your next step
You can bin any notions that all DSLRs are heavy and complicated: the EOS 100D weighs in at 407g – not much more than a can of fizzy drink – and measures a slimline 11.68cm x 9.07cm x 6.94cm. Even for the most novice photographer using the Canon EOS 100D is simple; you can operate the camera in full automatic mode or choose the Creative Auto mode which bridges the gap between full-on auto and manual controls, letting novices change one or two elements at a time to get used to the settings. For example, you can adjust the aperture or shutter speed to control the amount of light in the frame, and there are nine image filters to test out, including monochrome, vivid, soft and warm.
The joys of a DSLR really hit home when you start using the camera. You'll be amazed by the accuracy of the exposures with the 63-zone metering sensor. The ISO goes up to 12,800 so that you can work in low light and come back with atmospheric images. For great action shots, you can shoot at four frames per second and the nine autofocus points will always ensure pin-sharp pictures.
You'll never look at photos in art galleries in the same way again, now you know how to achieve the blurred background look on your own (hint: it's all about using a small aperture and a telephoto lens). As the EOS 100D is fully compatible with all Canon EF and EF-S lenses, as your confidence increases you can experiment with different types such as a macro lens for capturing super close-ups (think raindrops on flowers) or a telephoto zoom lens for tightly framed shots at your child's school sports day.
The Canon EOS 100D is built to last with a sturdy body made of aluminium alloy and polycarbonate resin, strengthened with carbon and glass fibre. The rubberised handgrip is designed to be comfortable and ergonomic and the 3.2in LCD touchscreen displays images in crisp colour. During playback mode, you can use your fingers to quickly swipe through your images and pinch to zoom in on details.
Going pro
It is jam-packed with pro features to make those pictures pop, too. It takes 18 megapixel high-resolution images which can be captured as Raw files, so you have maximum flexibility to alter ("process" in the photography lingo) your shot in your computer afterwards.
Budding film-makers and YouTube addicts will be pleased that the camera can capture full HD 1080p video at 24, 25, and 30 frames per second. Sound is captured in mono, but audiophiles can get stereo sound by plugging an external microphone into the 3.5mm mic jack.
The Canon EOS 100D introduces you to your next step in photography, with a simple but effective design and features that any DSLR novice will immediately be able take advantage of. It's time to take the next step on your photographic journey.
Visit canon.co.uk/yournextstep
*According to Canon research, correct as of 21 March 2013.
