Tested: Canon EOS 250D
We rated the predecessor as one of the best beginner DSLRS ever, but can the new EOS 250D/rebel SL3 do better?
We rated the previous iteration of this camera as one of the best newcomer cameras ever, but how does the new 250D fare?
The new EOS 250D has features we’ve already seen in other Canon cameras, so it’s not really breaking any new ground technically. But it’s aimed at beginners, who don’t need the latest tech, just an affordable, effective camera that’s easy to use and delivers the goods. And Canon pretty much has that nailed.
The EOS 250D offers point-andshoot simplicity, a Guided UI (user interface) to walk new users through the basics of photography, and a Creative Assist mode for more adventurous photographic effects. Underlying all this is the manual control you’d expect in a DSLR, sothat when you’re ready to move on to more manual techniques, the EOS 250D can stay right with you.
Inside is a 24.1-megapixel APS-C sensor of a type we see in lots of Canon cameras. Here, it’s matched up with Canon’s latest DIGIC 8 processor, which gives the new camera better image quality at high ISO settings, more advanced live view autofocus and 4K video, for the first time in a DSLR at this price.
If you’re using the viewfinder, the Canon offers a basic but effective 9-point autofocus system. The Live View autofocus is much more sophisticated. It uses Canon’s own Dual Pixel sensor technology, and in the 250D, there are no fewer than 3975 user-selectable AF points.
Build and handling
The Canon EOS 250D/rebel SL3 is very small for a DSLR, but while the Canon 18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM kit lens is pretty compact, it’s not a retracting type, so the combination of the thick camera body and lens makes the Canon a lot ‘longer’ than a mirrorless like the EOS M50.
The body has a good-sized grip, but does have a slightly plasticky feel, though that’s offset by high-quality knobs and dials – especially the main mode dial and power on/off switch, which has a third position for entering the video mode.
The vari-angle screen on the back is excellent. You switch to Live View by pressing a button on the back of the camera and you can then use the touch control to set the focus point and change camera settings.
Some of the minor buttons and the rear four-way control pad feel on the small side, but given the EOS 250D’s small size, Canon has still
managed to provide a lot of external controls, while still giving them enough room to breathe.
Performance
For shooting sports and tracking fast-moving objects you’d need a more sophisticated autofocus system than the 9-point AF in the EOS 250D. But it’s not that kind of camera and for everyday shooting the autofocus system is fine. It’s even better in Live View, where Canon’s latest Dual Pixel CMOS AF system takes over and delivers AF speeds which feel even faster.
4K video is a big selling point on this camera, but you do notice a couple of limitations when you switch from Full HD (1080p) capture to 4K. First, there’s a significant ‘crop factor’ in 4K mode, which means your lens’s angle of view effectively becomes narrower. You can also no longer use the Spot AF and Zone AF modes (but the Subject Tracking and Single Point AF are arguably all you need).
The Evaluative metering is easily influenced by very dark-toned objects under the active focus point, leading to occasional overexposure. This could catch beginners out – we’ve noticed this issue on previous beginner-level Canons.
The lab results and our real world tests show that the EOS 250D delivers exactly the sort of image quality we’d expect from a camera in this class, and latest DIGIC processor does seem to help its high ISO performance.
Overall, the Canon EOS 250D/ Rebel SL3 is a very competent, if unexceptional performer, and easily good enough for its target audience of beginners and smartphone upgraders.