GUIDEDUSERINTERFACE(GUI)
TheGuidedUserInterface(GUI)isn'ta new
featurebuteverygenerationis refined,with
theEOS250D'sbeingoneofthebestyet.It
providesbeginnerswitha visualexplanationof
keymodesandfunctions.Experiencedusers
canquicklyswitchtoa standardinterfacevia
theDisplayLeveltabonthe main menu.Handling 16 / 20
Easeofuse 18 / 20
Features 16 / 20
Performance 17 /2 0
Value 17 / 20Overall 84 / 100
As withtheEOS 200 D,thisCanonuses
DualPixelCMOSAF.Whenusedwiththe
viewfinder,onlynineAFpointsareavailable
andwhile theirdiamondarrangement
coversagoodareaoftheframe,it is basicby
currentstandards.LiveViewAFhasseena
big upgrade,offering 143 AFpointsviathe
camera'sautomaticselectionor3,975
pointswhenusedmanuallywithFaceAF.
Themeteringsystemappearsmostly
unchanged,withtheveryreliable63-zone
Evaluativepatternsupportedby spot,partial
andcentre-weightedaverage.
AlongwithWi-Ficonnectivity, thereis
Bluetooth,butNFChasbeenremoved,
mostprobably asBluetoothis soreliable.
Canon'sCameraConnectappworkswell
withtheEOS 250 D fortransferringimages
andofferingremotecontroloptions.
An integralflashis available,withthe
menu allowing settings suchasfirst- or
second-synctobe applied,but unusually
the autopop-upoptionhasbeenremoved,
sobeginnersneedtoensuretheymanually
raisetheflashwhenrequired.Othernotable
featuresarecreativedigitalfilterssuchas
HDRandtoycameraeffects,andsocketsfor
a microphoneandremoterelease.
TheEOS250Dprovestobeanenjoyable
cameratouse,withits sizeandsimple
controlset-upmakingoperationfast and
fuss-free.Theresultsareconsistentlygood
too,withimagesdisplayingexcellentcolour
andtonalreproduction,goodcontrastand
finenoisecontroluptoISO 3200. The
autofocussystemmaybebasicbutit's fast
andaccurateaslongassubjectsarestatic,
whiletheEvaluativemetercanbetrustedto
deliverconsistentresults.Beginnerslooking
foraneasy-to-usecamerawillfindthisto be
a greatchoiceforproducinghigh-quality
results withouthaving to try toohard.Canon's historyforgreat
entry-levelDSLRsis evident
in theEOS 250 D.Itdoesn't
boastthedepthoffeaturesof
some of its mirrorless rivals, but in terms
ofhandlingandeaseofuse,aswellas
consistencyofresults,it'shardtofaultforits
price.TheAFmaybebasicbutthe excellent
vari-angle touchscreen LCD, sensor and
DIGIC 8 processor are notable inclusions.VERDICT
CLOSESTRIVALS
ŔNIKON D3500: Released earlier this year, this
is the EOS 250D's strongest rival. Excellent build
quality, good ease of use (including a Guide
mode), 24.2-megapixel resolution and good
range of features, along with excellent overall
performance,makesit a finechoicefornovices.
Testdate:April2019.Testscore:86%.
ŔCANON EOS M50: A neat mirrorless model
that looks like a mini-DSLR and boasts an
excellent range of features, including a
24-megapixel APS-C sensor with Dual Pixel AF,
five-axis stabilisation and 4K video. It costs
around£599witha 15-45mmlens.
Testdate:November2018.Testscore:86%.
ŔFUJIFILM X-T100: This popular entry-level
model from Fuji sports a strong range of
features including a 24.3-megapixel APS-C
sensor, hybrid AF and tilting LCD monitor.
The retro-styled body handles beautifully
and image quality is excellent. Highly rated.
Testdate:October2018.Testscore:88%.
ŔOLYMPUS OM-D E-M10 MARK III: Small,
lightweight and retro-styled, this Olympus CSC
has a 16.1-million pixel Micro Four-Thirds sensor
that delivers very high-quality results. It costs
around £649 with 14-42mm EZ lens. Very neat.
Test date: May 2018. Test score: 90%.October 2 019 DigitalSLR Photography 101
Exposure: 1 /800sec at f/2.5 (ISO 400 )