A camera with the potential to turn keen photographers into obsessives. Good value for money meets good usability and image quality

Great image quality; Superb battery life; Incredible selection of lenses;

Boring video mode; Not enough body controls;

A camera with the potential to turn keen photographers into obsessives. Good value for money meets good usability and image quality

Great image quality; Superb battery life; Incredible selection of lenses;

Boring video mode; Not enough body controls;

A camera with the potential to turn keen photographers into obsessives. Good value for money meets good usability and image quality

Great image quality; Superb battery life; Incredible selection of lenses;

Boring video mode; Not enough body controls;

The 250D is a mixed bag, but at this price that’s to be expected – and the good definitely outweighs the bad here. Most importantly, it takes lovely stills that beat those from any phone. To put that to the test I shot the same subject in full Auto mode and on one of the best smartphone snappers out there, the Huawei P30 Pro. There’s not much in it, admittedly, but for my money the 250D’s images are a clear step up from even a phone of that quality. Stick a good lens on it and they’ll leave it for dead. Alright, so the autofocus is a bit limited when shooting through the viewfinder, but then again a phone doesn’t even have one of those – and with Live View, it’s excellent. Video is a harder sell, with many phones now shooting excellent 4K footage themselves. For that reason, YouTubers should look elsewhere. It’s also a much closer-run thing if you compare it to similarly priced compact system cameras. For instance the Fujifilm X-T100, which I tested for Stuff last year, has many of the same advantages (great stills) and disadvantages (poor 4K video). Fuji’s camera is a lot nicer to look at, a lot smaller and handles far better – but on the other hand, it has a much smaller viewfinder and far worse battery life. You pays your money and you takes your choice… Finally, bear in mind that the 250D’s predecessor, the 200D, is still on sale and for £130 less. There’s not a huge difference between them, with the absence of 4K video and a less advanced Dual Pixel AF the main drawbacks to the earlier camera. It’s definitely worth considering. Ultimately, anyone who fancies taking dipping their toes into photography will find lots to like here. It’s a camera you’ll probably outgrow in a few years, but it’ll definitely help give you the bug.

Excellent stills; Flexible LCD screen; Excellent battery life; Helpful guide mode;

Patchy 4K video ; Limited autofocus through viewfinder; Small buttons ;

There are better mirrorless cameras available at this price – for example, Canon's own EOS M50 or the Fujifilm X-T100. But for beginners who fancy learning their trade on a DSLR, with all of the handling and battery life benefits this brings, the 250D is a solid choice. It's not quite as much of a bargain as the Nikon D3500, but you do get 4K video, a great range of lenses and some very decent performance in most shooting situations. Vloggers will also very much appreciate that vari-angle touchscreen too.

Good image quality in most situations; Fully articulating, touch-sensitive screen; 4K video recording (albeit with a crop); Huge number of accessories available; Good price;

Limited 9-point auto focus system through viewfinder; 95% viewfinder coverage; 4K video crop; Kit lens not great;

The Canon EOS Rebel SL3 is a great option for beginners that are looking to get serious about photography. It's comfortable to hold, fun to use, and has a useful guide mode to help you learn photography's basics in real time. The optical viewfinder is small but adds flexibility and image quality is solid. Video quality is sub-par and users may eventually grow out of the simplified controls, but for its intended market, the SL3 is good value for money and will reward you with great photographs.

Casual family and social photographers, travel photographers and those looking to start learning the basics of photography.;

More advanced users that will miss more greater control and customization options, those looking for better video quality and those wanting to shoot fast action;

Ideal for beginners looking to learn, vloggers wanting decent Full HD capture (including to camera with a 3.5mm mic), or progressing photographers looking to learn more. Picture quality is great, the price is accessible and this entry-level model shows why Canon is so strong in this suit.

Vari-angle touchscreen allows forward-facing view; Suits beginners and advanced shooters; Live view focus-tracking performs really well; In-camera effects and scene modes actually useful; Strong battery life;

4K video requires cropping and suffers rolling shutter; AF points limited with viewfinder; Bulkier than mirrorless options;

Excellent stills; Flexible LCD screen; Excellent battery life; Helpful guide mode;

Patchy 4K video ; Limited autofocus through viewfinder; Small buttons ;

The EOS Rebel SL3 / EOS 250D blends a number of tried-and-tested features with a mount that accepts an endless array of lenses, and its small size, battery life and general performance are all solid.

Excellent battery life, Great Dual Pixel CMOS AF system, Small, light body with good handling, Touch controls implemented well, LCD is very responsive

Dated 9-point AF system, Awkwardly designed power control, 4K video crop and rolling shutter, Kit lens could be optically better

The Canon EOS 250D offers a compact DSLR, with Canon’s typical, and excellent, colour reproduction. Noise performance is improved compared to other entry-level Canon, and Nikon DSLRs.

Compact DSLR with vari-angle touch-screen, 24mp sensor with good noise performance, 4K video recording, Excellent colour reproduction, Easy to use menu system and controls

Only 9 AF points when using OVF, Slow continuous shooting in comparison to mirrorless cameras, No built-in panoramic shooting mode, Could be quicker access to controls