In this guide we’re comparing two lightweight, compact cameras from Canon: the Canon EOS R50 vs EOS 250D / Rebel SL3, which both make a claim as two of the best cameras for beginners you can buy. While both cameras come from the same brand, and thus benefit from the same colour science and other hallmarks, they differ in their design and technology.
One of the last great beginner DSLRs, the Canon EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 was launched late in the crossover period when manufacturers started shifting their focus from DSLRs to mirrorless technology. At the time, the EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 was the smallest and lightest interchangeable lens camera you could buy, and with its guided interface, vari-angle touchscreen, snappy AF system and 4K video capability, it was a great option to learn and grow with.
But the world has moved on in just a few years, and while the EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 is still a great tool, there are some real benefits to using a mirrorless camera like the Canon EOS R50.
One of the main benefits of switching from a DSLR to a mirrorless camera, of course, is the reduction in size and weight. Mirrorless cameras are typically smaller and lighter than DSLRs, making them more portable and easier to carry around. But the diminutive 250D / Rebel SL3 already had that advantage. But where the best mirrorless cameras really shine is their ability to offer faster and more accurate autofocus, as well as better video capabilities. With a mirrorless camera, you can also preview the exposure and white balance in real-time, which can help you get better images.
Another advantage of mirrorless cameras is that they don’t have a mirror inside, which means there’s no need for a separate autofocus sensor. Instead, the camera uses the same sensor to capture both still images and video. This allows for faster and more accurate autofocus, as well as improved low-light performance.
In this Canon EOS R50 vs EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 comparison we’ll take a look at the two cameras through the lens of a DSLR vs mirrorless cameras analysis to help you decide whether the R50 is worth an upgrade.
Sensor
Canon EOS 250D / Rebel SL3: 24.1MP APS-C format Dual Pixel CMOS AF sensor
Canon EOS R50: 24.2MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
When looking at the Canon EOS R50 vs EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 in terms of sensor size and resolution, but cameras feature APS-C format CMOS sensors with a 1.6x crop factor. What’s more, their resolution is nearly identical, meaning both have roughly the same pixel density. However, sensor size and resolution, alone, don’t tell the whole story in terms of mage quality.
The chip inside the Canon EOS R50 is nearly four years older than the sensor inside the 250D / Rebel SL3 and will benefit from Canon’s technological advances in sensor development over this time. What’s more, the R50 benefits from having Canon’s latest image processing and Dual Pixel CMOS AF II technology, meaning it can work faster and perform better in low light.
While it’s close, the EOS R50 probably has a slight edge here.
- Best APS-C cameras you can buy today
Processor
Canon EOS 250D / Rebel SL3: Digic 8
Canon EOS R50: Digic X
Processing engines aren’t the sexiest items on a camera spec sheet, but they’re incredibly important to a camera’s performance. The GoPro Hero Black cameras, for instance, took a huge step forward when GoPro ditched third-party chips and developed its own powerful GP2 image processor. While Canon’s Digic 8 processor was no slouch, the Digic X chip will benefit from improvements in speed and noise reduction, as well as more accurate colours and tones. Advantage, R50.
Video
Canon EOS 250D / Rebel SL3: 4K, with 1.5x crop
Canon EOS R50: 4K UVD at up to 30p, Full HD at up to 120p
Their small size, versatility and ability to record 4K movies warrants both cameras for consideration as some of the best vlogging cameras you can buy on a budget. However, the EOS R50’s sensor read-out speed allows it to record faster frame rates in 4K than the 250D / Rebel SL3. What’s more – and perhaps more importantly – the Canon EOS R50 can record in Full HD at 120fps, meaning you can produce high-definition slow-motion movies. Advantage, R50.
Autofocus
Canon EOS 250D / Rebel SL3: Dual Pixel CMOS AF, with 3,975 selectable points
Canon EOS R50: Dual Pixel CMOS AF II
What made the Canon EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 one of the best DSLRs for beginners four years ago was its Dual Pixel CMOS AF. Canon’s groundbreaking AF technology was a game-changer and meant that no subject was off limits. Canon, though, has refined its Dual Pixel CMOS AF system and debuted the Mark II version with its full-frame Canon EOS R5 and Canon EOS R6 cameras in 2020.
The Canon EOS R50 inherits this technology, which provides better accuracy in stills and video.
Continuous shooting
Canon EOS 250D / Rebel SL3: 5fps
Canon EOS R50: 15fps for up to 28 JPEGs / 7 Raw files
This is another clear win for the R50 and is a benefit of using a mirrorless camera rather than a DSLR. By benefit of its electronic shutter – which is effectively just the sensor turning itself on and off – mirrorless cameras like the EOS R50 can shoot at faster frame rates in burst mode. The EOS R50 can shoot at 15fps for up to 28 JPEGs or seven raw files. Alternatively, you can shoot at 12fps for up to 42 JPEGs or seven raw files.
Conversely, the EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 can shoot at only 5fps; however, it can do this for an unlimited number of JPEGs and up to 10 raw files.
Screen
Canon EOS 250D / Rebel SL3: 3-inch vari-angle touchscreen with 1,040,000 dots
Canon EOS R50: 3-inch 1.62m-dot vari-angle touchscreen
The R50’s 3-inch vari-angle touchscreen is a mainstay of Canon cameras. As the screen is on a vari-angle hinge, it can be tilted and twisted for viewing. This is helpful for all sorts of photography and videography. Both cameras benefit from this, and it’s a real underrated feature.
The R50 has a slightly higher resolution screen than the 250D / Rebel SL3. There are higher-resolution screens out there than both of these screens, but in our experience, both show a good level of detail.
Viewfinder
Canon EOS 250D / Rebel SL3: Optical viewfinder
Canon EOS R50: 2.36m-dot OLED EVF
As the Canon EOS 250D is a DSLR, the viewfinder is optical. That means it shows the image through the lens but none of the camera settings are applied. Consequently, when you adjust the exposure settings, for example, you don’t see a change in the image in the viewfinder.
The EOS R50 boasts a 0.39-inch, 2.36-million-dot OLED EVF which, again, is one of the benefits, in our view, of using a mirrorless camera over a DSLR. Some people love the OVF on a DSLR, but an electronic viewfinder offers some real advantages – particularly for beginners – by previewing your image in real time with your exposure settings applied. This means you can tell if it’s too dark or too bright and make adjustments as needed. We love an EVF, and they’ve come a long way since the early days of mirrorless technology.
Body & Weight
Canon EOS 250D / Rebel SL3: 449g; 122.4 x 92.6 x 69.8mm
Canon EOS R50: 375g; 116.3 x 85.5 x 68.8mm
Another example of how much mirrorless technology has achieved, who would have thought upon its launch that you could get a viable interchangeable lens camera smaller than the EOS 250D / Rebel SL3? In just under four years, Canon has achieved this with the R50. Not only is it physically smaller, but it’s lighter as well. The 100g difference probably doesn’t mean a whole lot, as the 250D / Rebel SL3’s 449g is hardly backbreaking, but when it comes to packing (or even not packing, and stuffing your camera in a coat pocket) that 12% size difference can, well, make a big difference.
It’s also worth considering lenses here. The EOS R50 uses the RF mount, and Canon is able to design RF-S lenses and RF lenses much smaller than its EF-S and EF counterparts. Lenses add considerable weight to a camera, so this is certainly something to consider.
Should I sell my Canon EOS 250D?
When we tested the Canon EOS Rebel SL3 / EOS 250D, we noted that it was very impressive in what what it was able to achieve with its kit lens shooting everything from portraits to landscapes to fast-action sports. Shooting downhill biking, for instance, it did a great job of getting the cyclists sharp every time. What’s more, it delivers a good level of detail and noise is controlled pretty well.
Our main complaint that despite being a nice all-rounder, it would be better if you could switch seamlessly between shooting with the viewfinder and shooting with the screen. And this is the benefit of using a camera without a mirror. With a mirrorless camera, there’s no difference in the camera’s performance whether you shoot using the viewfinder or the screen. Also, it’s a major advantage to beginners to be able to preview the image in the viewfinder with the camera settings applied.
So if you’re a beginner photographer looking for a lightweight and compact camera, a mirrorless camera like the Canon EOS R50 is the better option in our Canon EOS R50 vs EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 comparison. Mirrorless cameras are now able to offer superior performance to DSLRs, and the gap is only getting wider. Couple this with a more advanced processor and better video options, the Canon EOS R50 is the ideal camera if you’re looking for your first interchangeable lens camera.
If you’re an existing EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 owner and happy with its performance, you will see definite upgrades in performance by selling your camera and buying the EOS R50. However, given their similarity on a number of fronts, you might consider selling your EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 and upgrading to a camera like the Canon EOS R8, which retains a lot of the user-friendliness and adds more advanced specifications.
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