First Look: Meet the Canon Rebel SL3, the Lightest & Smallest EOS DSLR Camera Yet

When you’re constantly on-the-go and already have your arms full, the last thing you want to do is add a heavy camera to the mix, am I right? Which is why I am so glad that Canon released its lightest — lightest and smallest — EOS DSLR camera to date.

The new Canon Rebel SL3 was unveiled today, and I was lucky enough to get my hands on this unit before its official release, and let me tell you, you are going to be glad Canon came out with this camera.

Key features:

Let’s talk specifics:

First and foremost, when you hear that Canon has expanded its Rebel series, you already know the great quality you are going to get from an already well-established line of interchangeable lens cameras.

Sometimes when you hear that a camera is lightweight and small, you may think that something is missing. But that is not the case with the SL3. You are still getting Canon’s high image quality with a 24.1 Megapixel CMOS (APS-C) sensor, but in a more portable and compact body.

What’s even better? It includes Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS autofocus with Eye Detection autofocus, so that you can focus on your creativity, and let the camera do the rest of the work. This is a similar feature as to what you may have seen with the EOS RP but the eye detection is an added bonus for the SL3. This feature means you will never have to worry about filming a scene out of focus when shooting in live view or in video. Did I mention this is also all in HD?

Can you guess what makes this Rebel SL3 stand out above the rest? This is the very first Rebel with 4K video at 24p. And it doesn’t end there — it also comes with 4K frame grab and 4K time-lapse movie mode, all thanks to their DIGIC 8 Image Processor.

This SL3 also has a wide ISO range of 100 to 25600 and an optical viewfinder with a 9-point autofocus system.

Taking it out for a spin:

I was able to take this Rebel out for a spin (check out my AdoramaTV video below) and I have to say, I was really impressed. I like how compact and lightweight it is — the body weighs just 14 ounces — and it was really easy to carry around the streets of New York without feeling weighed down by equipment.

It was also really easy to use, which I appreciated. The Rebel SL3 keeps it simple and basic with only the most significant settings that are great for starting out. The on-screen guide also helps you in selecting the ideal image capture mode for any given situation. 

Check out some of the images I captured below: 

Thanks to its ease-of-use, the Rebel SL3 can be a great unit for an aspiring photographer, those starting out in the photography world, or for families wanting to upgrade their memory-capturing gear.

Where this camera really shines is its functionality for vlogging and taking pictures on-the-go. I love that Canon included a standard microphone jack, because as a vlogger, I need people to be able to hear what I’m saying (even if they think they don’t want to listen).

The SL3 also has a vari-angle touchscreen LCD, which is great for selfies and for seeing yourself when recording. The touchscreen aspect is phenomenal, because for someone like me, who is on the more petite side, sometimes stretching for the shutter can be uncomfortable, so the fact that I was able to touch the screen with my other hand was a blessing.

In today’s world, if you don’t post about something on social media, it’s almost as if it didn’t happen, so I love that the Rebel SL3 makes it possible to share directly with its built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology and auto image transfer. Along with the high-quality photographs I’m getting from this camera, this is my favorite feature. It is such an easy, simple, and quick process with the app, and is far superior to smartphone photos.

Now go capture and share your images — your Instagram is about to get elevated.

The Canon Rebel SL3 is available for preorder now for , or with an EF-S18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens for  at Adorama. 

Check out the first look video from AdoramaTV below: