The Canon SL3 is the smallest, lightest EOS DSLR, boasting 4K, Eye AF and much better battery life

posted Wednesday, April 10, 2019 at 12:00 AM EDT

Family documentarians in need of a new Canon EF-mount camera will soon have another option to choose from, which its maker is calling the smallest and lightest EOS-series DSLR within the current lineup. The Canon SL3 is all but identical in size and weight to 2017's SL2, although it's just fractionally lighter, but it brings several important new features and improvements to the table.

Key amongst the upgrades in the 24.1-megapixel, sub-frame SL3 is a new sensor and processor pairing which together allow for ultra high-definition 4K video capture, answering one of our key criticisms of its predecessor. And battery life, too, has improved by a whopping two-thirds, addressing another of our cons for the earlier camera.

Other new features of the Canon SL3, some of them firsts for the EOS DSLR line, include eye autofocus in live view mode, a deeper raw buffer and an optional new compressed raw format, improved exposure metering in live view mode, a spot AF function, Creative Assist tool to help amateur photographers to get better results, and a fair few other changes besides.

The Canon SL3 goes on sale in the US market from the end of April 2019. A choice of either black or white body colors will be available, priced at either US$600 body-only, or US$750 with an EF-S 18-55 f/4-5.6 IS STM lens. Both prices are around US$50 more than those of their SL2 equivalents at launch.