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 ;