If you are on the market seeking out the best travel camera, one that is small, compact, but can also take incredible photos—we have the Canon EOS Rebel SL3 to discuss. Considered one of the smallest mirrorless cameras available, its small size is hiding 4K video and 24.1 megapixels. After reading this review, you may want to see how this model compares with other top-performing digital cameras.
Why We Like It – Canon EOS Rebel SL3
One of the smallest mirrorless cameras to grace our list, the Canon EOS Rebel SL3 comes equipped with an external microphone, 4K video capture, and 24.1 megapixels to play with. Another mirrorless camera you can compare this to is the Canon EOS M50 model.
- Great choice for vloggers
- Excellent battery life
- Supports external mics
- Autofocus system can choke sometimes
- Dual Pixel AF doesn’t work at 4K
Performance
Don’t let its small size deter you; the Rebel SL3 is packing an admirable amount of performance. Equipped with a 24.1MP APS-C CMOS sensor, an updated DIGIC 8 image processor, and a good AF system, the Rebel SL3 is capable of capturing stunningly high quality images. You can let auto ISO do the work, but for more advanced users, you can fiddle with the high ISO capabilities—as high as 51,200.
Image quality aside, video recording is good, but not the greatest. It’s mostly to do with the Dual Pixel CMOS AF system. During fast-moving moments, autofocus can have trouble zoning in. At the same time, you only get nine AF points to fiddle with. It’s still leagues better than the Canon PowerShot ELPH 180 though.
Battery life varies based on your settings, but is overall pretty excellent for a mirrorless camera. During live view mode, you can net about 320 shots; with the optical viewfinder, it’s 1,070.
Related: Another great camera that packs plenty of features is the Canon EOS Rebel T100 model.
Design
While the Canon EOS Rebel SL3 body looks bulky at first glance, sharing a similar design to the Panasonic Lumix FZ80, it’s rather compact in nature—one of the smallest, in fact. It measures at 2.70 x 4.80 x 3.60 inches, without a kit lens fitted to it and weighs 2.17 pounds. Not as light as, say, an Olympus TG-5.
In addition to its compact size, Canon made some smart design decisions regarding the various buttons, most of which can be found on the right-hand side. The SL3 also has built-in flash that pops-up when needed. You can find the memory card slow along the bottom, including the battery.
Value
The Canon EOS Rebel SL3 is a bit of a Frankenstein. First off, it comes bundled with the SL2’s lens kit, and sporting an identical image sensor and processor to Canon’s own EOS M50. Is that bad? No, not at all—but it does reveal Canon’s attempt to rehash their tech.
With that said, the Canon Rebel SL3 does find its niche as a good choice for vloggers. Since it supports external microphones, and you wouldn’t have to fiddle with the settings often. It goes well with a EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM Lens. However, if you’re seeking identical performance, with better autofocus performance, we’d recommend the EOS M50.
Canon EOS Rebel SL3 Wrap Up
The Canon EOS Rebel SL3 falls short in a few key categories the uninitiated wouldn’t even notice; experienced users would disagree. What it does do, it can do well—in addition to an excellent battery life and compact design. It’s a really solid choice for vloggers, thanks to its external mic. It still beats out its predecessor, the EOS Rebel SL2, by a mile.
