Canon's compact "mini DSLR" gains some much-needed upgrades. With a higher-res 24MP APS-C sensor, Dual Pixel AF, a faster DIGIC 7 processor as well as improved ergonomics, a vari-angle touchscreen and wireless connectivity, the Rebel SL2 offers better image quality and a better shooting experience than the original SL1. Compared to leading rivals, both DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, the Canon SL2 lags behind in both image quality performance and popular features like 4K video. But for those who want a fairly full-featured DSLR that's still extremely small, easy to operate and easy on the wallet, the Canon Rebel SL2 has a lot to offer.
The Canon Rebel SL2 started shipping in late July 2017 at a retail price of just under US$550 for the body only. The SL2 is also available in a kit with the new EF-S 18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens for about US$700.
In 2013, Canon released a very small, light DSLR, the Rebel SL1. In fact, at the time, it was the smallest and lightest DSLR we’d ever reviewed. In conjunction with National Camera Day 2017, Canon unveiled the Canon Rebel SL2, which retains the spirit of its predecessor, but changes almost everything else. The camera has been redesigned inside and out. Let's take a look at everything that is new  and what has stayed the same.
With a refined design, the Canon Rebel SL2 does look considerably different from the SL1, and it feels different too. The SL2 has a sleeker design than its predecessor with fewer indentations and protrusions. The shutter release has been designed to feel better too. The grip has been redesigned, it is now deeper and has a grain finish. The control dial on the top of the camera has additional knurling to give it more texture. Further changes to the top of the camera include the addition of a ’DISP’ button, a slightly different power/video mode switch and an embedded mode dial. An additional change includes the addition of a Wi-Fi button on the top left area of the SL2 body.
The SL2 continues to be a small camera with dimensions of 4.82 x 3.65 x 2.75 inches (122.4 x 92.6 x 69.8 millimeters). This is slightly wider, taller and deeper than the SL1, but not by much. The SL2 weighs 15.98 ounces (453 grams) with a battery and memory card. Interestingly, the white version of the SL2 which is a Canon Online Store exclusive weighs slightly more at 16.08 ounces (456 grams).
Part of the reason for the larger dimensions, in addition to the redesigned grip and refined design, is the addition of a vari-angle display. The 3-inch display has the same touchscreen capabilities as the SL1 and the same number of dots  1,040,000  but it now swivels and tilts. Besides the vari-angle display, the rear of the SL2 looks like the rear of the SL1. The viewfinder remains the same 0.87x magnification (0.54x 35mm equivalent) pentamirror with approximately 95% frame coverage, which is pretty typical for an entry-level DSLR.
One of the big new features of the Canon Rebel SL2 is its new image sensor. The SL1 used an 18-megapixel sensor and the SL2 ups its resolving power with a 24-megapixel APS-C image sensor. The CMOS sensor has been seen in many recent Canon cameras, including the Canon Rebel T7i.
The sensor has a low-pass filter and self-cleaning capabilities. For any hard to shake dust, the camera also has Dust Delete Data acquisition and appending. The sensor records JPEG and RAW images, the latter of which can be recorded at up to 14-bit depth. Images can be recorded in the sRGB and Adobe RGB color space.
In addition to offering more megapixels than its predecessor, the DIGIC 7-paired 24-megapixel sensor also has a higher native ISO setting of 25,600 compared to 12,800 on the SL1. There will be more information on shooting features and modes further down.
As is the case with many recent Canon cameras, the Rebel SL2 now incorporates Dual Pixel CMOS AF. The impressive autofocus system covers 80% of the width and height of the image sensor when using Live View. In other recent Canon DSLRs we’ve been impressed with the system so we expect it will also work well on the Rebel SL2. As is the case with the T7i and 77D, the Live View autofocus promises to be the world's fastest at a claimed 0.03 seconds with the kit lens.
When shooting through the viewfinder, the SL2 relies on a 9-point autofocus system, as did the SL1. The center autofocus point is an AF cross-type point supporting f/5.6. Other autofocus points are vertical line-sensitive or horizontal line-sensitive AF points supporting f/5.6. The central AF point is rated to work in light levels down to -0.5 EV whereas the other eight points are rated for 0.5 EV. Autofocus drive modes include One-Shot AF, Predictive AI Servo AF and AI Focus AF.
When looking at metering, the SL2 relies on a 63-zone metering sensor, the same as the SL1. The metering range is 1-20 EV and the SL2 offers evaluative (linked to all autofocus points), partial metering (the central 9% of the frame), spot metering (the central 4% of the frame) and center-weighted average metering. In Live View, the camera uses a 316-zone metering system which utilizes the image sensor in real-time and has a working range of 0-20 EV.
All in all, the introduction of Dual Pixel CMOS AF to the Canon SL2 is the highlight in this section. Otherwise, users should expect much of the same in terms of autofocus and metering performance, particularly when shooting still images through the viewfinder.
With its new DIGIC 7 image processor, the Canon Rebel SL2 is poised to offer improved performance over its predecessor. Continuous shooting speeds are specified to top out at 5 frames per second with One-Shot and AI Servo AF modes. Silent continuous shooting speeds top out at half that, at 2.5 fps. According to Canon, when shooting highest-quality JPEG images, the SL2 is said to be capable of shooting at 5 fps until the card fills up. Recording RAW or RAW+JPEG cuts that number dramatically with the buffer filling up after six frames. In our lab tests, the Canon easily met the 5 fps spec, but the buffer depth was lower. When shooting best quality JPEGs, the buffer depth was 22 frames with a fast UHS-I, and when shooting RAW or RAW+JPEG, the buffer depth was only five frames. See our Performance page for details.
By comparison, the SL1 was able to continuously record images at just under 4 fps in our lab tests, so there is a definite speed improvement for the SL2. However, the buffer depth for RAW images tested at a more generous eight frames but only four for RAW+JPEG.
The Canon SL2 has a variety of Picture Styles, including an automatic Picture Style which adjusts image parameters depending on your subject. Other Picture Styles include Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Fine Detail, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome and three customizable user defined Picture Styles. The camera includes Special Scene shooting modes as well, such as: Portrait, Group Photo, Landscape, Sports, Kids, Close-up, Food, Candlelight, Night Portrait, Handheld Night Scene and HDR Backlight Control. There is also an assortment of creative shooting effects, including: Grainy B/W, Soft Focus, Fish-eye effect, Water painting effect, Toy camera effect, Miniature effect, HDR art standard, HDR art vivid, HDR art bold and HDR art embossed.
Regarding exposure, the SL2’s fastest shutter speed is 1/4000s. Further, it offers exposure compensation of +/- 5 EV in 1/2 and 1/3 stops.
To help budding photographers, particularly those for whom the SL2 is their first camera, the new Feature Assistant user interface is designed to ease the transition. Feature Assistant shows on the vari-angle touchscreen how different camera settings such as aperture and exposure compensation will affect the image you are preparing to capture. This helps photographers determine which settings they need to freeze or blur a subject or have a shallow depth of field.
The Canon Rebel SL2 can record Full HD (1920 x 1080) video at up to 60 frames per second. Video is recorded as .MP4 files using H.264 codec. The bit rate when recording 1080/60p video is 60 Mbps. The maximum clip length is 29 minutes and 59 seconds. The camera also includes a time-lapse recording mode, which creates a final Full HD video that plays back at up to 30 fps. Like its predecessor, the SL2 has an external microphone input but no headphone jack.
Given that the SL2 includes Dual Pixel CMOS AF, video autofocus performance is impressive. That alone will provide a substantial upgrade for its video features over the SL1, in addition to the faster frame rate.
With built-in Wi-Fi, NFC and Bluetooth -- none of which the SL1 had -- the SL2 has more connectivity than its predecessor. You can connect the Rebel SL2 to your smartphone through Canon’s app and transfer images through a continuous low-power Bluetooth connection in addition to being able to transfer images and control the camera over Wi-Fi. The Canon SL2 did however lose the SL1's infra-red remote receiver, but it is compatible with Canon's BR-E1 Bluetooth remote control.
Further connections include a 3.5mm stereo microphone jack, as mentioned above, a wired remote jack, a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 port, and a Mini HDMI Type-C video output. Composite A/V out has been dropped. The SL2 writes media to SD/SDHC/SDXC cards and is UHS-I compatible.
The Rebel SL2 uses the same lithium-ion battery pack and charger as the Canon T7i and 77D cameras, an LP-E17 ( 7.2v 1040mAh) battery and LC-E17 charger. Battery life is substantially improved over the SL1 as the SL2 is CIPA-rated for up to 650 shots versus the 380 shots the SL1 offered via its lower capacity 875mAh LP-E12 battery.
What is new with the Canon Rebel SL2?
The Canon Rebel SL2 started shipping in late July 2017 at a retail price of just under US$550 for the body only. The SL2 is also available in a kit with the new EF-S 18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens for about US$700. When purchased as a kit, a white body and lens combination is also available in addition to all black.
The Canon SL1 was released in 2013 and at the time was the smallest and lightest DSLR camera available. This summer, Canon released the successor, the Rebel SL2, and while the SL2 is slightly larger than the SL1, it is still the smallest current generation DSLR available. Despite the similarly compact shape, the Canon SL2 has essentially been redesigned from the ground up. The compact entry-level spirit lives on, but the SL2 is a very different camera from its predecessor.
We will be tackling the SL2 in a two-part Field Test to see how its new features work in the real-world. The highlights include a redesigned camera body, new sensor, Dual Pixel CMOS AF and DIGIC 7 image processor.
As I discussed in my first Field Test, the camera offers a very good user experience thanks in large part to its touchscreen and user-friendly interface. There's more to the experience of shooting with a camera than that, though, things such as exposure metering and shooting modes.
On the exposure metering side of things, the SL2 performs quite well. It is not as adept at handling complex scenes as a higher-end Canon DSLR, but it does a good job with most scenes and doesn't often miss the mark. With that said, in lower light, the SL2's metering accuracy drops off, particularly with respect to white balance, which often trends on the cooler side as it is and especially so when working in lower light. This is not unusual performance and is not a large concern. It is important that a camera meters consistently, such that you can adjust as needed once you're familiar with how the automatic exposure metering behaves, and the SL2 does well in that regard.
Here we present crops from our laboratory Still Life target comparing the Canon SL2's image quality to its predecessor's, the SL1, as well as against several competing ILC cameras which all sit at similar price points or product categories: the Fuji X-A3, Olympus E-M10 Mark III, Nikon D5600 and Sony A6000.
Found out how large you can print at each ISO!
The Canon SL2 bests its predecessor, the popular Canon SL1, at every ISO by a print size or more. The higher resolution combined with improved noise reduction processing is evident, and anyone looking to upgrade for larger prints will be pleased in that regard. In addition, the camera matches stride in the print quality department with the larger and pricier Canon 77D, giving interested buyers more than one reason to choose this little gem based on image and print quality.
After over four years in the market, Canon finally refreshed their most-diminutive DSLR with the aptly named EOS Rebel SL2. Following in the footsteps of the SL1, the successor model maintains the notably compact design, but brings some much-needed imaging pipeline updates, performance upgrades, ergonomic improvements and modern features.
Much like its other Rebel compatriots, the Canon SL2 is very much aimed at beginner and entry-level photographers. The ultra-compact nature of the SL2's design, however, makes it an enticing option for those looking to get their first DSLR, or upgrading from a compact fixed-lens camera, and who want that tried-and-true DSLR experience without a lot of bulk. In a way, the compact Rebel SL2 serves as an alternative to the generally small, svelte mirrorless cameras; those who want an easy-to-carry DSLR, one that gets them into the vast Canon ecosystem, should look no further than the Canon SL2.