The Canon EOS SL2 (also known as the 200D and Kiss X9) is one of the company’s best-selling DSLRs. And it’s not surprising, as the SL2 was a low-priced, competent camera that you could slip into a purse or small bag.
The Canon EOS Rebel SL3 /EOS 250D is not the cheapest DSLR from Canon, but it is the cheapest we can consider buying. Instead of technical developments, the Canon DSLR range appears to be going through a convergence period, which is a polite way of suggesting that it hasn’t done anything particularly new for a while. With Canon using technology that we have already used in other Canon cameras to refresh the original EOS Rebel SL2 / EOS 200D, the latest EOS Rebel SL3 / EOS 250D falls into that range.
Check Out: Best Lenses for Canon EOS Rebel SL3
Canon EOS Rebel SL3: Price
The new SL3 (250D, Kiss X10) isn’t a dramatic departure from the SL2: it’s still small, inexpensive, and most up-to-date in terms of features. It borrows many features from Canon’s EOS M50 mirrorless camera, including the DIGIC 8 processor and rather disappointing 4K video camera capabilities. But more on that later.
Canon EOS Rebel SL3: Specifications
| Price | |
|---|---|
| MSRP | $599 (body only), $749 (w/18-55mm F4-5.6 lens) |
| Body type | |
| Body type | Compact SLR |
| Body material | Composite |
| Sensor | |
| Max resolution | 6000 x 4000 |
| Image ratio w:h | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 |
| Effective pixels | 24 megapixels |
| Sensor photodetectors | 26 megapixels |
| Sensor size | APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) |
| Sensor type | CMOS |
| Processor | DIGIC 8 |
| Color space | sRGB, Adobe RGB |
| Color filter array | Primary color filter |
| Image | |
| ISO | Auto, 100-25600 (expands to 51200) |
| Boosted ISO (maximum) | 51200 |
| White balance presets | 6 |
| Custom white balance | Yes |
| Image stabilization | No |
| Uncompressed format | RAW |
| JPEG quality levels | Fine, normal |
| File format |
|
| Optics & Focus | |
| Autofocus |
|
| Autofocus assist lamp | Yes |
| Manual focus | Yes |
| Number of focus points | 3975 |
| Lens mount | Canon EF/EF-S |
| Focal length multiplier | 1.6× |
| Screen / viewfinder | |
| Articulated LCD | Fully articulated |
| Screen size | 3″ |
| Screen dots | 1,040,000 |
| Touch screen | Yes |
| Screen type | TFT LCD |
| Live view | Yes |
| Viewfinder type | Optical (pentamirror) |
| Viewfinder coverage | 95% |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.87× (0.54× 35mm equiv.) |
| Photography features | |
| Minimum shutter speed | 30 sec |
| Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000 sec |
| Exposure modes |
|
| Scene modes |
|
| Built-in flash | Yes |
| External flash | Yes (via hot shoe) |
| Flash X sync speed | 1/200 sec |
| Drive modes |
|
| Continuous drive | 5.0 fps |
| Self-timer | Yes (2 or 10 secs) |
| Metering modes |
|
| Exposure compensation | ±5 (at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV steps) |
| AE Bracketing | ±3 (3 frames at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV steps) |
| Videography features | |
| Format | MPEG-4, H.264 |
| Modes |
|
| Microphone | Stereo |
| Speaker | Mono |
| Storage | |
| Storage types | SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I compatible) |
| Connectivity | |
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| HDMI | Yes (Mini-HDMI) |
| Microphone port | Yes |
| Headphone port | No |
| Wireless | Built-In |
| Wireless notes | 802.11b/g/n + Bluetooth |
| Remote control | Yes (via wired or wireless remote or smartphone) |
| Physical | |
| Environmentally sealed | No |
| Battery | Battery Pack |
| Battery description | LP-E17 lithium-ion battery & charger |
| Battery Life (CIPA) | 1070 |
| Weight (inc. batteries) | 449 g (0.99 lb / 15.84 oz) |
| Dimensions | 122 x 93 x 70 mm (4.8 x 3.66 x 2.76″) |
| Other features | |
| Orientation sensor | Yes |
| Timelapse recording | Yes (videos only) |
| GPS | None |
Canon EOS Rebel SL3: Key Features
As the world’s lightest DSLR with a movable screen, Canon is pitching the EOS Rebel SL3/ 250D. There are mirrorless cameras smaller than this one, to be sure, but Canon is very right as far as DSLRs go.
However, you may want to take a peek at the latest mirrorless Fujifilm X-T200 if size matters more than the actual camera style.
The DSLR style still has a lot going for it, amid the controversy around DSLRs vs. mirrorless cameras. They have transparent analog viewfinders that many still favor over digital models, and the batteries last even longer because they do not constantly power a digital display. DSLRs are chunkier and simpler to grip than most beginner-oriented mirrorless cameras.
With a combination of point-and-shoot ease, a guided UI (user interface) to walk new users through the fundamentals of photography, and an Innovative Assist mode for more inventive photographic effects, Canon goes for the entry-level market. All this is based on all the manual control that you would expect in a DSLR, so that when you are able to move on to more manual techniques.
Within is a 24.1-megapixel APS-C sensor of a kind that is used in many Canon cameras and equivalent in size and resolution to those used by rival Nikon, Sony and Fujifilm cameras, such as the Nikon D5600, Sony A6400, Fujifilm X-T200 and even Canon’s own mirrorless EOS M50. Here, it fits the newest DIGIC 8 processor from Canon, which gives the new camera improved image quality at high ISO settings than the older EOS Rebel SL2 / 200D, more sophisticated autofocus live view and 4K recording, at this price for the first time in a DSLR.
The Canon provides a simple but powerful 9-point autofocus system if you use the viewfinder. By today’s standards, that’s not much, however the focal points are distributed thinly over more than half of the frame’s width and height, they are clearly defined and it’s an easy setup to get used to for beginners.
A much more advanced is the Live View autofocus. In order to verify distance using the same phase detection autofocus concept used by DSLRs, it uses Canon’s own Dual Pixel sensor technology that separates each photosite on the sensor in two. It’s faster than the traditional ‘contrast AF’ in live view used by many sensors. There are no less than 3,975 user-selectable AF points in the Rebel SL3 / 250D that occupy up to 88 percent of the frame width and 100 percent of the height, depending on the lens used.
The 3-inch variable-angle touchscreen monitor and built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for wireless image sharing to a smartphone or tablet are other main features of this camera.
Canon EOS Rebel SL3: Conclusion
In the Canon series, there are two cheaper DSLRs than this one, the EOS Rebel T100 / 4000D and the EOS Rebel SL7 / EOS 2000D, but we agree with this EOS SL3 / 250D is a better purchase than both. It was actually very unattractive and seems as though it is on the way out, although the specifications of the SL7 / 2000D have been trimmed down too hard to allow the low price point that it is impossible to suggest. The T100 / 4000D was so inexpensive. It pays more for the SL3 / 250D, but the extra is worth paying. It comes in the right box for beginners with Canon’s top APS-C sensor, very good Live View autofocus, a multi-angle touchscreen, and 4K recording.
