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

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

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 ;

We are photographing in a great time. We have a huge number of great camera choices available to us and selecting one is not usually an easy decision. This one is perhaps easier to differentiate than most.

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;

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.

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.

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 Rebel SL3 is a fine DSLR camera but doesn’t stand out next to Canon’s new mirrorless options.”

Despite its diminutive size and entry-level price tag, the Canon EOS Rebel SL3 is a surprisingly robust, well-built, and well-thought-out DSLR, not just for still images but for video as well.

The Canon EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 is a rather modest upgrade of the 2-year-old Canon EOS 200D / Rebel SL2, principally adding 4K video recording, a much-improved Live View experience and longer battery life to justify its introduction.

The Canon EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 continues the premise of its predecessors: a compact and affordable DSLR aimed at first-time buyers that’s step-up over the cheapest models while delivering what should be the best of both Worlds: a traditional DSLR optical viewfinder and a thoroughly modern live view...