The Canon SL3 is a versatile DSLR with an excellent mix of still and video capabilities at an attractive price. It’s an update to the popular Canon SL2. Key features include:
24.1MP APS-C CMOS sensor and DIGIC 8 processor
100-25,600 normal ISO range
Nine-point phase-detection autofocus system
UHD 4K24p, Full HD, and HD video capture
What’s Changed. The Canon SL3 offers several marked improvements over its predecessor, the SL2. Among these are a more powerful image processor, an eye-detection autofocus system, and UHD 4K24p video capture. It’s not all good news, though, as this camera has a slightly smaller sensor than the SL2, and loses that camera’s NFC functionality.
24.1MP APS-C CMOS Sensor and DIGIC 8 Image Processor. The SL3 is based around a newly designed 24.1 MP APS-C crop-frame CMOS sensor that works in conjunction with a DIGIC 8 image processor to produce sharp, bright images and video. Its normal ISO range of 100-25,600 is expandable to 100-51,200, ensuring solid low-light performance.
Nine-Point Autofocus System. The SL3’s nine-point phase-detection autofocus system features a cross-type center point for enhanced speed and precision, even in difficult lighting.
Dual Pixel CMOS, Eye Detection, and Movie Servo Autofocus. When using Live View and capturing video, you can now use Dual Pixel CMOS autofocus to more quickly and accurately acquire focus. You can use Eye-Detection autofocus to prioritize focus on a recognized subject’s eye. When shooting video, Movie Servo autofocus lets you specify tracking sensitivity, focus speed, and face-tracking priority. It also offers smoother rack focusing and focus adjustment via the touchscreen.
UHD 4K Video Capture. This camera supports UHD 4K24p, Full HD, and HD capture. Dual Pixel CMOS AF and Movie Servo AF functions improve your video, while Movie Digital Image Stabilization minimizes the appearance of camera shake across five axes for smooth footage. A dedicated Time-Lapse Movie mode lets you select interval settings between 1 second and 60 minutes for between 2 and 3600 consecutive frames. The frames can then be automatically compiled into a 4K to Full HD video file for playback. The touchscreen LCD gives you intuitive control over video functionality. You get a built-in microphone and a 3.5mm input so that you can use external mics for audio capture.
High-Quality Design. The SL3 boasts a solid build in an extremely compact package. The 3.0-inch 1.04m-dot vari-angle LCD offers high-resolution image playback and Live View performance, and an intuitive touchscreen interface. Its optical pentamirror viewfinder provides 95% frame coverage and 0.87x magnification for traditional shooting.
Additional Specs and Features. The SL3 has a single SD card slot, Wi-Fi connectivity for sending images and controlling camera functions wirelessly via compatible smartphones, and Bluetooth compatibility. It uses the same LP-E17 battery as many other Canon DSLRs, and records to SD/SDHC/XC memory cards.