The photographic world continues to struggle between the SLR and the mirrorless, each with its advantages and disadvantages, but one point where the mirrorless never seem to lose is it’s compact size. However, Canon continues to focus on SLRs for which it still has an endless collection of lenses, and has now launched the EOS Rebel SL3(250D) which it claims to be the world’s lightest DSLR weighing only 451 grams. It is purposed for new beginners and even younger kids.
To a large extent, the EOS 250D shares the specifications of the EOS M50, namely the same 24.1 megapixel sensor including the DIGIC 8 processor, and even the 3-inch LCD viewfinder with touch functionality.
The SL3 uses the same 24MP APS-C CMOS sensor and elderly 9-point autofocus system as the SL2 (when shooting through the viewfinder). In live view, the SL3 also has Dual Pixel AF, covering 88% of the frame horizontally and 100% vertically. The SL3 is Canon’s first DSLR to feature Eye AF in live view, as well.
Like the EOS M50, the SL3 has a Scene Intelligent Auto mode that will pick a scene mode for you, and provide easy-to-understand visual guides to adjusting things like aperture (‘background blur’), exposure compensation (‘brightness’) and white balance (‘color tone’).
KEY FEATURES
- 24.1MP APS-C sensor
- Digic 8 Processor
- Dual Pixel CMOS AF
- 9-point AF system
- Optical viewfinder with a 3.0″ articulating touch screen
- Built-in Bluetooth & Wi-Fi
- Available in black or white
The SL3 has a fully articulating touchscreen display with 1.04 million dots and a well-designed UI. The optical viewfinder is, as you’d expect, quite small, with an unremarkable magnification of 0.54x (in 35mm terms). You can see about 95% of the scene when looking through it, which isn’t ideal for precise composition.
For those wondering, that’s not a dial around the Q/Set button – it’s just a 4-way directional pad. The SL3 has one control dial and it’s on the top.
The EOS 250D can record up to 4K (3840×2160) video at 23.98 or 25 fps in inter-frame using H.264. The touch screen will come in handy when using the Dual Pixel AF features here. Also good to see that they haven’t skipped out on the 3.5mm external audio jack.
The Canon EOS 250D/Rebel SL3 DSLR retails for $599 USD. At this price, you could also consider many mirrorless cameras which would be just as small and similarly priced. The Canon Rebel SL3 will be a good choice for beginners, or professionals looking for a camera to appeal.
