If you’re wondering if the Canon Rebel SL3 is full frame then you’re barking up the wrong tree.
The Canon EOS Rebel SL3 (also known as the EOS 250D) is NOT a full-frame camera.
Table of Contents
What Sensor Does The Canon EOS Rebel SL3 Have?
Well if it’s not a full frame camera…
The Canon Rebel SL3 (250D) is a crop sensor camera with a CMOS sensor that has a size of 22.3mm x 14.9mm.
You might also hear people say it’s an APS-C camera, if they say this they basically mean it’s a crop-sensor camera.
If you’re wondering how this compares to other similar cameras, it’s the same sensor size as some other APS-C cameras by Canon.
For example, the Rebel SL2 and the Rebel T7 both have the same sensor size (22.3mm x 14.9mm) as the Rebel SL3.
Rebel SL3
Probably one of the best entry level crop-sensor DSLRs you can get.
How Is It Different From A Full Frame Camera?
Full frame Canon cameras have a sensor that’s about 1.6 times larger in area to crop sensor Canon cameras.
One of the key differences between full frame and crop is that full frame cameras, in general, perform better in low light situations.
Another important difference is that crop sensor cameras have a crop applied to lenses. People refer to this as crop factor…
If you want to see some full frame DSLRs then check out this list of Canon full frame DSLRs.
What’s The Crop Factor On The Canon Rebel SL3?
The crop factor for the Canon EOS Rebel SL3 is 1.6x.
This means that any lens you use on it has to have the focal length multiplied by 1.6x.
Basically all lenses are advertised in terms of their ‘full frame equivalent’ focal length i.e what the focal length would look like on a full frame camera.
But because you have a crop factor on your Canon SL3, you need to multiply this by 1.6.
So you actually end up with something that looks more like 80mm meaning you get a more narrow ‘zoomed in’ focal length.
💡 Let’s have a look at how a 35mm lens will look on the Canon EOS Rebel SL3:
- Focal length of lens = 35mm
- Crop factor = 1.6x
- Full-frame equivalent focal length = 1.6 x 35mm = 56mm
To play about with different focal lengths use this crop factor calculator.
So in this scenario, a 35mm lens on the SL3 ends up looking like how a 56mm lens would on a full frame camera.
Now don’t forget, you can’t just stick any lens on your Canon SL3.
It depends largely on whether the camera is a DSLR or mirrorless camera.
Is The Canon Rebel SL3 A DSLR Or Mirrorless?
The Canon Rebel SL3 is a DSLR and is NOT a mirrorless camera.
Don’t get this confused because Canon DSLRs and Canon mirrorless cameras use different lenses that are not interchangeable.
Lenses Compatible With The Canon Rebel SL3
Any EF or EF-S lens is fully compatible with the Canon EOS Rebel SL3.
EF and EF-S lenses are all designed for DSLRs with the EF/EF-S lens mount, so the Rebel SL3 fits the bill for this.
Don’t get the EF/EF-S lenses confused with EF-M lenses though.
EF-M lenses are for Canon mirrorless cameras with the EF-M mount.
These EF-M mirrorless lenses will not work on your Rebel SL3 (250D), so don’t try it.
Related Reading:
It might not be a full frame camera, but the Rebel SL3 is one of the best 60fps cameras with 1080p video that you can get (if you prefer Canon over other brands that is).
If you do plan on using the SL3 for video then make sure you know it’s recording limits and external microphone capabilities.