Will cameras replace smartphone user addiction? Canon thinks it can, hence the 1300D, a super-cheap lens-swapper aimed squarely at smartphone savvy Instagram addicts looking to level up. The first impression of this gadget is not the best because it is made of plastic. Nevertheless, it is nicely built, with a good, deep grip that helps it nestle nicely in the hand. The fact that it’s so plasticky means it is light. Its screen is neither touch-sensitive nor flippable.
Fortunately, the 1300D’s picture quality is nowhere near as humdrum as its design. In fact it is very good that it might surprise you a little when you look at its specs: inside it is an 18-megapixel APS-C sensor and Digic-4+ processor, a combination which doesn’t exactly jump up and scream cuttingedge at you. It takes pictures and connects via Wi-Fi and that’s about it.
The only other real ‘features’ are the creative shooting modes and built-in filters. One of these is ‘Food mode’, which joins the likes of Landscape, Portraits and Sports on the main Mode Dial. There is not much to know about it really, it just controls a few of the camera’s settings, such as aperture, colour tone and shutter speed, to optimise them for snaps of your snacks.
Good stuff
Great picture quality.
Wi-Fi and app abilities.
Low price.
Bad stuff
Hardly a stunner.
Video and Live View lack autofocus.
Similarly priced rivals are better.