When Is A Bridge Not A Bridge? - With Canon

When is a bridge not a bridge? When it is an entry-level DSLR that is the same size as a bridge camera.

For those late into the movie, the DSLR cameras have traditionally been physically larger than the compact cameras, with interchangeable lenses and a higher specification. They have been the entry to a whole sophisticated system of photography, as opposed to a point-and-shoot convenience.

Then the bridege camera came on the scene - smaller than the DSLR, larger than the compact, with many of the convenience features of he compact and a fixed zoom lens. Good compromise instrument for the traveller or those who wanted simplicity. Simplicity, like soup, can be a variable concept - some of the bridge cameras can have as many controls visible as a DSLR.

Canon have just introduced the EOS 100D. We have them as single kits with an 18-55 lens and can easily do double kits with a 55-250 as well. From the looks of it, the camera is a winner in the entry-level DSLR stakes and may well obviate the need for a bridge camera.

It is the size, you see, and the ergonomics. I am constantly using that word here to try to sound all scientific and stuff - but mainly to get people to try the cameras they consider in their hands and see if the heft, the shape, and the arrangement of controls well suits their own anatomy. it is not the same for everyone.

The EOS 100D is small - hence the comparison to the bridge camera - and light. The body is polycarbonate over a metal frame, as most modern cameras are. The shape of the RHS hand grip is different from previous Canon models in that there is a distinct shelf to rest the firing forefinger on. And as you will see from the image, there is a chequered grip material on this area and on the mode control knob at the top that lets you have a really firm control. Okay, call it aesthetics, but there is a practical value there too.

There are no over-profusions of buttons at the back, nor have Canon scattered them to the four corners of the body - you can get to the menu and the control patch easily. The menu is pure Canon, and is therefore laid out quite clearly in sequence. You can get a newbie to set their criteria quite easily, and by the time they have advanced enough to want to change these over and above the helper programs on the mode dial, they can do it logically.

The kit 18-55 is a new version of this lens, and as the front element does not revolve, is ideal for polariser work. For a newbie ( or someone willing to look at the pictures instead of internet chat room forums...) this is a delightful piece of glass. The 55-250 that you can pair it up with is also good value both aesthetically and financially.

I think I am going to be able to confidently sell this camera to new friends - and if they take to the art, perhaps some more new glass as well....