The Canon EOS RebelSL3 is a beginner-friendly, entry-level DSLR camera that performs well across the board in all kinds of photography. It is perfect for portraits when used with an appropriate lens and has Eye Auto Focus that helps photographers keep the focus on subjects, but is equally good at shooting landscapes and even Astrophotography when using its wide ISO range.

There are key specifications.

The sensor is theAPS-C.

There is a lens mount.

The ISO range is 100 to 25,600.

The video has a 25p inter- frame.

The weight is 499g.

The memory card slots are compatible.

It can shoot 24.1MP stills at a max burst speed of 5FPS, which is fast enough for most photography beginners and can even do well at capturing basic wildlife and action images.

This camera is different from the rest of the Canon line-up due to its user interface aids and creative effects. It is useful in all shooting situations.

There is a reason Canon is on our best cameras list and in our beginners guide. Do you not know if the Canon EOS RebelSL3 is right for you? One of the best cameras could take your fancy. Read on if you want to find out if the RebelSL3 is the one.

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Canon EOS Rebel SL3: Design

  • Feels comfortable and chunky in the hand, even for kids 
  • The compact design makes it extremely portable

A rear view of the camera with the var-angle screen flipped out showing a dog

Image shows rear of the camera with vari-angle screen flipped out (Image credit: Tantse Walter)

The lightest DSLR in the world has one of the most obvious advantages. It has elegant curves around the front of the camera body, which makes it feel like it's a nod to the higher-end cinema cameras that Canon also produces. It has a legitimate high-end DSLR feel thanks to the relatively deep hand grip and solidity of settings dial and shutter release button, which makes it ideal for younger children to use.

Some areas of the design could be improved because of the space-saving that Canon has had to do on this small DSLR. The connection ports on the side of the camera have been split to make it easier to drop the camera's height. If you tether or shoot to an external monitor, the RebelSL3 will be mounted on a tripod.

Canon EOS Rebel SL3: Performance

  • Automatic exposure and autofocus in video mode are great 
  • Dynamic range is good but struggles in areas 
  • Shooting FPS is adequate for beginners

A view of the camera screen showing the guide mode

The guide mode is especially handy for beginners (Image credit: Tantse Walter)

For budding photographers and videographers that need something small and light, the eos rebel sl3 (250D) is a great choice. The camera can keep up with most of the action as kids whizz through the garden or motorcyle races. For its demographic, it's perfect, even though it won't compete with the likes of the 5D Mark IV or the 1D-X Mark II. We would like the buffer to be bigger as we found the camera to choke up after eight shots.

A usable ISO range from 100 to 25,600 is ideal for low light shooting. Due to the inherent issues with crop-sensor cameras, it may be hard to take clear pictures. Astro is possible with the help of noise reduction software.

A night sky photograph taken with the Rebel SL3 shows ursa major

Astrophotography with the SL3 is better than we thought it would be (Image credit: Tantse Walter)

GuidedUI and Creative Assist modes make it easy to operate the camera, without having to open the manual. GuidedUI is helpful for anyone who has never picked up a camera before. There are diagrams and descriptions for menu items on the back screen.

Creative Assist mode contains a treasure chest of in-camera image manipulation tools. There are examples of Grainy B/W, Soft focus, Fish-eye effect, and Miniature effect. This is useful for people who don't want to spend a lot of time editing their photos. If you want to edit your photos in the future, you should refrain from doing so as the images are only in Creative Assist mode and cannot be undone. Users need to switch to another mode if they want to shootRAW.

A close-up photograph of a poppy flower with detail around the stamen

Close up of a poppy showing the detail the SL3 can pick out (Image credit: Tantse Walter)

Canon EOS Rebel SL3: Functionality

  •  The lift-up pop-up flash is elegantly simple 
  •  The vari-angle screen is helpful for awkward shooting positions 
  •  Touchscreen controls make it easy to change settings

Sample image of a white dog taken with the Canon SL3

The Canon EOS Rebel SL3 meters well in daylight with the bright white highlights of this dog rendered perfectly (Image credit: Tantse Walter)

The Canon EOS RebelSL3 is an easy-to-use camera that doesn't skimp on image quality. The vari-angle touchscreen makes it easy to shoot in awkward positions, whether you want to take a picture above the heads of a crowd or down at the flowers in the park. The buttons on the body can be used to control the camera settings.

The pop-up flash works well with a simple lip on either side of the front and a simple flick up. Other pop-up flash designs rely on a more complicated button and release catch mechanism, which we prefer over this one.

Image showing the result of the in-camera fish eye effect

The in-camera fish eye effect gives a distorted, close-up view of this lupin flower (Image credit: Tantse Walter)

The dial is textured for easy control in all weathers and the rubber grip around the hand feels safe, but we wish there was some type of texturized rubber on the other side of the body.

Taking portraits in focus is no longer a problem thanks to the Eye Auto Focus system, which puts the onus on the photographer to take care of the camera. While not fast, autofocusing works well in areas with plenty of natural light and can be used during video recording as well.

Should you buy the Canon EOS Rebel SL3?

The Canon EOS RebelSL3 is an easy-to-use camera that doesn't skimp on image quality. The vari-angle touchscreen makes it easy to shoot in awkward positions, whether you want to take a picture above the heads of a crowd or down at the flowers in the park. The buttons on the body can be used to control the camera settings.

The pop-up flash works well with a simple lip on either side of the front and a simple flick up. Other pop-up flash designs rely on a more complicated button and release catch mechanism, which we prefer over this one.

A close-up photograph of daisies shining in the midday sun

The vari-angle touchscreen allows for easy set up of interesting compositions (Image credit: Tantse Walter)

The dial is textured for easy control in all weathers and the rubber grip around the hand feels safe, but we wish there was some type of texturized rubber on the other side of the body.

Taking portraits in focus is no longer a problem thanks to the Eye Auto Focus system, which puts the onus on the photographer to take care of the camera. While not fast, autofocusing works well in areas with plenty of natural light and can be used during video recording as well.

If this product isn’t for you

The entry level DSLR isn't suitable for everyone, especially for the more experienced or those who need to push their camera harder.

The Canon EOS 6D Mark II is a full-frame (rather than crop-sensor) camera that can shoot at up to 6.5 frames per second.

The Canon 5D Mark IV or the Canon 1D-X Mark III are the best choices for professional photographers who want to go further with their photography.