Canon EOS Rebel SL2 vs Nikon D850

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS Rebel SL2 and the Nikon D850, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Canon EOS Rebel SL2 was introduced in June 2017 and Nikon D850 was introduced in August 2017. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS Rebel SL2 over Nikon D850.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon D850 over Canon EOS Rebel SL2.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Canon EOS Rebel SL2 has a 3.0" Fully Articulated screen with 1,040k dot resolution and Nikon D850 has a 3.2" Tilting screen with 2,359k dot resolution. Fully articulated screen makes Canon EOS Rebel SL2 selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Tilting screen makes Nikon D850 very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Both models feature touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Viewfinder

Canon EOS Rebel SL2 has a built-in Optical (pentamirror) viewfinderNikon D850 has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. Canon EOS Rebel SL2 has 95% coverage with 0.87x (0.54x 35mm equivalent) magnification and Nikon D850 has 100% coverage with 0.75x magnification.

Canon EOS Rebel SL2 features a 24.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 22.3 x 14.9 mm and a total area of 332.3 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 25,600 and expands to 100 - 51,200 in boosted mode. Nikon D850 features a 45.7 megapixel Full Frame BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.9 x 23.9 mm and a total area of 571.2 mm². Its native ISO range is 64 - 25,600 and expands to 32 - 102,400 in boosted mode.

Nikon D850 has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Canon EOS Rebel SL2 is equipped with DIGIC 7 processor and can take pictures up to 6000 x 4000 resolution. Nikon D850 is equipped with EXPEED 5 processor and can take pictures up to 8256 x 5504 resolution.

Lens Mount

Canon EOS Rebel SL2 has Canon EF/EF-S lens mount and Nikon D850 has Nikon F lens mount. Due to APS-C sensor in Canon EOS Rebel SL2 its crop factor is equal to 1.6x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.6. Due to Full Frame sensor in Nikon D850 its crop factor is equal to 1x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length.

No Low-Pass Filter on Nikon D850

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Nikon D850. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Canon EOS Rebel SL2 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Nikon D850 nothing can be done. On Nikon D850 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS Rebel SL2 nothing can be done.

Built-in Wi-Fi

Cameras have built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n 2.4 GHz on Canon EOS Rebel SL2, 802.11b/g 2.4 GHz on Nikon D850) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth

Canon EOS Rebel SL2 and Nikon D850 have built-in Bluetooth (version 4.1 LE on Nikon D850) which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

NFC

Cameras have Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. Canon EOS Rebel SL2 has a Mini HDMI and Nikon D850 has a Mini HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS Rebel SL2 comes with LP-E17 battery pack with battery life of 650 shots and Nikon D850 comes with EN-EL15a battery pack with battery life of 1840 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS Rebel SL2 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot. Nikon D850 has two card slots - one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) and one for CFexpress Type B / XQD.

Shutter

Canon EOS Rebel SL2 has Electronically-controlled focal-plane shutter. Nikon D850 has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Canon EOS Rebel SL2, and up to 1/8000 sec on Nikon D850. Canon EOS Rebel SL2 can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps. Nikon D850 can shoot continuously up to 7.0 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS Rebel SL2 has Dual Pixel CMOS AF system with 9 (1 cross-type) focusing points and Nikon D850 has 153 (99 cross-type) focusing points. Canon EOS Rebel SL2 has detection range from -2 to +18 EV and Nikon D850 has detection range from -4 to +20 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Canon EOS Rebel SL2 and Nikon D850 range from +1 to +20 EV and -3 to +20 EV respectively and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Canon EOS Rebel SL2 and ±5 EV range on Nikon D850. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS Rebel SL2 and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon D850.

Flash

Canon EOS Rebel SL2 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 9.80 m at ISO 100 and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe. Nikon D850 has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on Canon EOS Rebel SL2 and 1/250 sec on Nikon D850.

Canon EOS Rebel SL2 body has dimensions of 122 x 93 x 70 mm (4.8 x 3.66 x 2.76") and Nikon D850 body has dimensions of 146 x 124 x 79 mm (5.75 x 4.88 x 3.11"). Canon EOS Rebel SL2 weighs 453 g (1.00 lb / 15.98 oz) and Nikon D850 weighs 1005 g (2.22 lb / 35.45 oz).

Canon EOS Rebel SL2

Nikon D850

122 mm

93 mm

146 mm

124 mm

93 mm

124 mm

70 mm

79 mm