Canon EOS R100 Review (2024): Sometimes basic is good enough

Rating: ★★★★ (4/5 Stars)

Before I say anything, let me say this: basic cameras are good cameras, too. The fact is, most people don’t need all of the bells and whistles that most $1,000+ cameras have. When I picked up the Canon EOS R100, I knew exactly what I was getting. You’re not using it to shoot a spread in Vogue (though you could) or film an HBO show (though you could); it’s a camera that can be used in 90% of regular life situations and then some. Here’s my review of the Canon EOS R100, the basic camera that gets the job done.

What’s in the box?

I ordered the basic EOS R100 kit that comes with a camera body, lens, battery, charger, and strap. There are different kit variations including the body plus RF-S 18-45mm lens (that’s the one I have), body plus RF-S 18-45mm and RF-S 55-210mm lenses, or the body plus RF 16mm f/2.8 STM lens and webcam accessory set.

If you’re just starting out or want a lens that can cover most situations (landscapes and portraits in daylight or with flash at night) the kit that I have will do just fine.

Before you start shooting, you’ll need to charge your battery which for some reason doesn’t even come partially charged. You’ll also need to purchase an SD memory card since the camera doesn’t come with one of those (c’mon, Canon. Not even a 4GB cheapo card?).

Once you have your SD card and charged battery, the camera will prompt you to select your date and timezone and you’re ready to go out and shoot.

Shooting the Canon EOS R100

If you were looking for an easy to carry camera, that’s what you’re getting, but with a caveat. I’s not as compact as an iPhone, but it’s tiny compared to those behemoth DSLRs and mirrorless cameras many of us drag on vacation. The Canon EOS R100 is a lightweight camera. You can carry it around in your hand all day and not get tired. The strap can go around your neck or you can wrap it around your wrist a few times if you’re cool and you won’t even notice it there. Really, the EOS R100 might even be too lightweight; when I put it down on a flat surface haphazardly, the little kit lens that it comes with weighs it down, making it lean forward.

EOS R100 Ergonomics

The Canon EOS R100 weights 506g or just over 1lb with all the bits and bobs attached including lens, battery, and strap. The grip is decent for average sized hands, with a comfortable thumb-hold on the rear of the camera. If you have slightly larger (or a lot larger) hands, you might take a minute to find a comfortable way to hold the camera. It’s small, after all, and maneuvering your finger and thumb one-handed to shoot and adjust settings can be tricky on the first go-around.

The display screen on the Canon EOS R100 seems small, but it’s a standard 3 inches and doesn’t tilt. The user interface is simplified and intuitive, allowing you to adjust shooting settings, playback, wireless connectivity, and other boring things like adding gridlines or entering copyright information into the metadata.

The viewfinder is digital, which is unsurprising for a mirrorless camera. I typically find these to be uncomfortable to look through (what is this, a screen for ants). So what was surprising was that I actually ended up using this one as the eye-cup was comfortable and the display was bright and didn’t feel too close, if that makes sense.

The buttons, aperture wheel, and on/off switch are plastic but feel solid enough and make a nice clicking sound. The kit lens felt a bit less sturdy and I kept overshooting the 18mm spot when adjusting my focal length, which takes the lens out of shooting position and requires another turn in the other direction. This only happens when I try to adjust the focal length too quickly. It does have a speed bump, just not a very prominent one.

Canon EOS R100 Specifications

• Sensor: APS-C CMOS with 24.1MP; 22.3 x 14.9mm

• Lens/Mount: RF/RF-S; Kit lens is RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM

• Aperture: f/4.5 - 6.3, up to f/22

• ISO Range: 100 - 12800, Auto

• Shutter Speed: 30 sec - 1/4000, Bulb mode

• Image Stabilization: Digital (Evaluative, Partial, Spot, Center-weighted)

• Autofocus System: Contrast Detection (Tracking, Spot AF, 1-point AF, Zone AF); 3,975 points or 3,375 points for video

• Viewfinder: 0.39” (9.9mm) OLED color EVF, Electronic, 0.95x magnification, 2.36 million dots, DOF preview

• LCD Screen: 3.0-inch LCD, Fixed, non-touchscreen, 3:2 aspect ration, 1,040,000 dots

• Video Recording: 4K 3840×2160 at 24fps; FHD 1920x1080 at 59.94fps; 16:9 aspect ratio; MPEG 4, AVC

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth

• Battery: Lithium Ion, 22 g; Approx. 340 shots per charge without flash; 4K video = approx. 1h 50 min.

• Dimensions: 116.3 x 85.5 x 68.8mm / 4.58 x 3.37 x 2.71 inch

• Weight: 506 g (with battery, lens, and strap)

• RAW: RAW / C-RAW 24 MP (6000 x 4000)

• Flash: Integrated, lifts manually; TTL Auto, 1/250 sec sync speed

• Hotshoe: Yes

Does the Canon EOS R100 take good photos?

It’s certainly capable of it. The autofocus is quick enough for stealthy street photography. Beyond manual mode, which will give you ultimate control and make your photos look however you’d like, the EOS R100 is perfectly useable in aperture or shutter speed priority. That’s all true when it comes to bright lights. Indoors, dim lighting, or night hours is a bit of a different story; the autofocus searches a bit longer and, with the narrower aperture, you’ll want to switch from handheld to a tripod or some other surface to get sharp images. There’s also the softness that comes with close up photos are full zoom.

I’ll cover it’s video capabilities below, but have a look at some photo samples from the Canon EOS R100.

Canon EOS R100 photo samples and gallery

That was a lot more mushroom than you were expecting, right? I tried to take photos in different lighting conditions. I’ll include indoor and night photos as soon as I take them. I do want to add that the EOS R100 has a creative filter mode, which lets you choose all sorts of wacky filters. The most relevant one to me was the miniature effect, which is basically a tilt shift filter. You can see a sample of what it looks like below.

Shooting video with EOS R100

Yes, it shoots video and, yes, it’s can shoot 4K, but only at 24 fps. You’re better off shooting FHD 1920x1080 at 59.94 fps (that’s 60 fps, basically). That’s not to say that the video capabilities aren’t good enough for most situations. If you’re filming a documentary for Netflix, maybe use something else. If you’re shooting video of your family or short clips on vacation, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it.

My one gripe with shooting video on the EOS R100 has to do with the interface. The red recording button on top of the camera allows you to shoot video while you’re in a photo mode (manual, aperture priority, etc.). You can select your video settings in the menu before you shoot. However, the 4K video setting doesn’t show up as an option unless you turn the dial to video mode. Then it appears. Otherwise, you’re stuck with FHD at best.

It’s a minor annoyance; you can easily turn the dial, but my instinct is just to press the record button in between taking photos. You’re either focused on video or photo, but not both I guess.

Check out some video samples from the EOS R100 below in FHD 1920x1080 at 60 fps and UHD 4K 3840x2160 at 23.98 fps. They’re all handheld and unedited so you know what you’re getting straight out of camera.

So, is the Canon EOS R100 for you?

The EOS R100 is for everybody. If you want something really cheap that allows you to use any of Canon’s wide array of RF and RF-S lenses, it’s a great mirrorless camera. Amazon frequently has it on sale for under $400 with the kit lens included. The lens alone is $299 at retail price, but the entire kit is going for $399 as of August 2024. That’s a sweet deal. It’s no wonder that the Canon EOS R100 is a best seller for Amazon. And B&H Photo. Any anywhere cameras are sold.

If you want something simple to use for your vacation, or you only document birthdays and graduations, or you really just don’t care for iPhone photography and like the feel of a camera but don’t want to spend $1,000, then the EOS R100 is perfect for you.

And yes, you can use it as a webcam with the right software.

Go out an get your own. As much as some people complain about Canon cutting corners on this camera, they’re just plain wrong. Canon didn’t cut corners; they created a camera for people who only need something that’s basic but good.

That’s what the EOS R100 is. Good enough.