The Canon EOS Rebel SL3 (or the Canon EOS 250D, as it's known in other territories) was launched all the way back in 2019, but is often one of the first cameras that people recommend to newcomers. The question is, after four years, is it still worth buying?
The short answer is yes. For my money, the Canon EOS Rebel SL3 is still one of the best cameras for beginners looking for a DSLR despite being a wily old veteran of the camera scene – or perhaps, because of that very fact.
• Read our full Canon EOS Rebel SL3 review to get our detailed thoughts
You see, while we certainly live in the mirrorless age, and the best mirrorless cameras are all the rage and get all the headlines, there's a big difference in a mirrorless camera from 2019 and a DSLR from 2019: how they've aged.
Let's take a quick look at some of the Canon EOS Rebel SL3's contemporaries from the class of 2019: the Canon EOS M6 Mark II, Fujifilm X-T30 and Nikon Z50. Now, those are very different cameras from very different categories, and someone looking at buying an SL3 wouldn't really be looking at them. But that's not what we're looking at here.
Every single one of those cameras has since been superseded, because 'mirrorless years' are like 'doggy years' – they move a whole lot quicker.
Would I still recommend any of those cameras today? In and of themselves, perhaps – but I would have to point out that there are newer and better cameras that I would recommend ahead of them.
'DSLR years', meanwhile, have pretty much become as ageless as a vampire. DSLR technology is fully mature, so there is simply nowhere else for these cameras to go. Simply put, there isn't a newer better version of the Canon EOS Rebel SL3 to recommend – and I don't think there's ever going to be.
So if you're looking for a DSLR for a beginner, the Canon EOS Rebel SL3 is still the best recommendation. Its 24.1MP sensor, solid Live View autofocus and 4K video are as good as it gets in this category.
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