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 ;

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 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

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, known as the EOS Rebel SL3 and the EOS Kiss X10, is designed for beginner photographers, however, it has a bit more to offer than the Canon EOS 2000D (EOS Rebel T7) and EOS 4000D .

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

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

Experienced DSLR users may find the Canon EOS 250D a little too simplistic, with its guided user interface being offered from the get-go. However, for newcomers its user-friendly handling, compact dimensions, straightforward menus, control layout and operation, plus a decent image quality,...

A great intro for those just starting out, It’s compact and relatively lightweight, Vari-angle touch screen LCD

Plastic-y feel to body, Slightly bulkier than mirrorless camera rivals, Four-way directional pad at rear is small

The Apple iPhone 14 is no match for the just-released iPhone 14 Pro, but if you ignore that, it’s one of the most effective phones around.

Great cameras, front and back, Fast performance, Good battery life, Innovative safety features

Design too familiar, Some average features