Choosing the best Canon camera isn't always easy. As the world's largest camera manufacturer, Canon makes cameras for every kind of photographer and offers several categories and price points, from affordable entry-level gear to premium professional products.
In this guide, we'll help you work out which is the best Canon camera for you, whether it's a full-frame mirrorless camera, a trusty DSLR, or a compact content creation camera. We’ve tried and tested all of the top models in real life, so we can help you find the right camera whatever you need. All Canon cameras are known for their intuitive handling and menus, great color reproduction, autofocus, and dependable design.
Best Canon camera: our top picks
For first-time camera owners and photography students, the Canon EOS Rebel SL3 / EOS 250D DSLR is still a good choice, while in the R-series mirrorless range, the Canon EOS R10 is ideal for beginners.
The Canon EOS R7 is brilliant for enthusiasts and for wildlife photography, and the Canon EOS RP is a great choice to step up to full-frame photography. If you want pure horsepower in stills and video the Canon EOS R5, and now the Canon EOS R5 C unleash the power of 8K video, while the Canon EOS M50 Mark II M-series mirrorless camera is great for vlogging and content creation.
Once you've decided which camera you want to get, you'll find lots of helpful tips and guides on using it in PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine, a monthly publication that features pro photographers and Canon EOS experts. But for now, here are the best Canon cameras in each category...
The best Canon camera for 2023
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Canon mirrorless cameras
Canon now makes mirrorless cameras in two ranges: EOS R and EOS M. This time, though, they use different lens mounts and are aimed at very different users. The smaller APS-C EOS M cameras are for non-professional hobbyists and beginners (though they also appeal to bloggers and vloggers).
The newer, EOS R models use a new cutting-edge RF lens mount and comprise both full-frame bodies for enthusiasts up to professionals, as well as APS-C cameras for new and graduating users. Canon's not the only company making mirrorless cameras, of course – read our guide to the best mirrorless cameras for more.
Not only is the Canon EOS R7 the manufacturer's finest APS-C mirrorless camera to date, but it may also be the finest APS-C camera on the market period. It's lightning-fast both mechanically and electronically, the resolution offers glorious detail as well as the opportunity to crop into your shots, and the 1.6x crop factor makes your lenses even longer for shooting faraway subjects.
There's plenty of play in the files, which gave us lots of leeway for post-production, and the video quality is crisp and clear in both 4K, whether it's the 4K 60p or 7K-oversampled 4K 30p, with autofocus performance straight out of the R3 / R5 / R6 that won't let you down.
On top of that, it accepts both the new line of RF-S (APS-C specific) lenses as well as the existing full-frame RF optics. Throw in a joystick, fully articulating touchscreen and dual memory cards, and this is one of the best bang-for-buck Canon cameras out there.
Read our full Canon EOS R7 review for more details
On the surface, this is a modest upgrade over the original Canon EOS M50, but the additions make it worth picking up over its predecessor. These include improved autofocus (along with eye detection in stills and video), along with big boons for video shooters in the form of clean HDMI out, vertical video recording, and the ability to live to stream directly to YouTube. Alas, while it's an excellent 1080p camera, it's a poor option for 4K – which loses Dual Pixel AF (left lumbered with contrast-detect) and suffers a 1.6x crop.
However, it packs a lot of other tech into its compact body, including a great 24.1MP sensor, 10fps shooting, and the fact that it has a viewfinder (which many similarly priced mirrorless cameras lack). This is a cute and easy-to-use camera that's really rather versatile, and it's a great mirrorless alternative to the Canon Rebel SL3/EOS 250D, but offers similar features in a smaller camera.
Read our full Canon EOS M50 Mark II review for more details
The EOS RP was Canon's second full-frame mirrorless camera, and it's smaller, lighter, and a lot cheaper than all of the others. It's designed to be a compact, affordable, and easy-to-use entry point into Canon's full-frame mirrorless system, and it succeeds brilliantly.
Its small dimensions mean it can sometimes feel overbalanced by larger lenses, though, and the 4K video mode comes with some caveats – the image frame is cropped by a factor of 1.6 and you can't use Canon's speedy Dual Pixel CMOS AF system unless you drop the resolution to full HD.
On the upside, the pictures are clear and sharp, the vari-angle touchscreen display is a real advantage for both stills and video, and the inclusion of an EF lens adaptor means you can use existing Canon DSLR lenses alongside the new but growing RF lens system. What a great camera! Is this the best Canon camera for enthusiasts? We think it's right up there with the EOS 6D Mark II DSLR.
Read our full Canon EOS RP review for more details
The EOS R6 Mark II is the serious enthusiast's model of the EOS R series, taking the place of the slightly muddled EOS R, and for those who don't need the leading-edge tech and resolution of the EOS R5 (more on which below).
The original Canon EOS R6 has been discontinued in favor of this new model, but that means that the best Canon EOS R6 deals are better than ever, making it a very covetable camera if you don't mind the slightly lower 20.1MP resolution and "slower" 20fps bursts.
The R6 Mark II's combination of speed, video, and low light capabilities gives it professional appeal, too. What you get here is a top shooting speed of 40fps, Canon's mind-blowing Dual Pixel AF II with Deep Learning, up to 6K RAW video, and a 24.2MP image sensor with a standard ISO range of 100-102,400 that's expandable to 50-204,800.
When you combine this with the introduction of Canon's 5-axis in-body image stabilization system, which provides up to eight stops of effective compensation, this is a seriously capable low-light camera. It's still pretty pricey, being relatively new and all, but EOS R6 Mark II is an amazingly capable all-rounder.
Read our full Canon EOS R6 Mark II review for more details
The EOS R5 is a technological bombshell. It's Canon's new flagship mirrorless camera, and at first, glance seems to be trying to corner every segment of the market at once.
It's got a brand-new 45MP sensor that produces images of incredible detail thanks to a new low-pass filter, as well as the class-leading autofocus system of the EOS-1D X Mark III, with a whopping 5,940 AF points for photography and 4,500 for video. Indeed, the EOS R5's video specs are nothing short of next-generation.
Uncropped 8K Raw video internally at up to 29.97fps in 4:2:2 12-bit Canon Log or HDR PQ (both H.265) in both UHD and DCI – this is a cinema-quality performance. But of course, there's a catch.
You've likely heard about the pretty steep recording limits that afflict the EOS R5 when shooting both 8K and 4K. While firmware has been introduced to lessen the blow of this, there's no doubt that it's definitely a drawback to the EOS R5 as a professional video tool.
Read our full Canon EOS R5 review for more details
The Canon EOS R3 is the latest addition to Canon's mirrorless lineup, offering 6K Raw video, 30fps continuous shooting and Eye control AF so you can place a focal point simply by looking at your subject. It packs a lot of advanced features which make up for the fact it's "only" 24.1MP.
It might not be the highest resolution sensor, but at least when you're shooting hundreds of images in burst mode, the file sizes will be smaller and it'll take less time to transfer than if you were shooting with something like the Sony A1.
The 6K and 4K video footage is crystal clear and best of all it doesn't seem to suffer from the same overheating issues as the R5 and R6. We were seriously impressed with the R3 when we got to do hands-on with it. It's a super-fast, intuitive camera that's more than capable of producing high-quality pictures and videos.
Read our full Canon EOS R3 review for more details
Canon DSLR cameras
Although many people will tell you that DSLRs are outdated, heavy and a thing of the past – and subsequently that mirrorless camera are the future – we think that DSLRs still have a lot to offer, including grippable bodies, clear optical viewfinders, great battery life and good value for money.
Canon's DSLRs are split into APS-C cameras aimed at beginners and enthusiasts, and full-frame cameras with bigger sensors that are more advanced and aimed at experts and pros – and we've picked out two of each. Read our guide to the best DSLRs if you're a DSLR fan but don't know which brand to buy.
The Canon EOS 90D is an astounding APS-C workhorse of a camera, available for a fantastic price. It combines the highest resolution of 32.5MP, with a high-speed frame rate of 10fps, and it also manages glorious uncropped 4K video – none of that irritating crop that has plagued Canon cameras in the past. Its handling and ergonomics are great, and it reminds us why shooting on a DSLR is such an enjoyable tactile experience.
The EOS 90D is available for a welcome enthusiast price point – not to mention the fact that you get an optical viewfinder, which many people still prefer over the electronic viewfinders on mirrorless cameras. Rumors of the DSLR's death will have been greatly exaggerated if Canon keeps on producing models as good as this.
Read our full Canon EOS 90D review for more details
The pint-sized Canon Rebel SL2 (or EOS 200D in Europe) was a really big seller, but its successor the Rebel SL3 (aka EOS 250D in Europe) improves on it in every way. Is it the best Canon camera for beginners that you can buy right now?
Canon’s top-of-the-range APS-C sensor with 24.1MP of resolution delivers excellent image quality, and Live View shooting with the LCD screen is so easy and intuitive, with such good autofocus, that we’d actually say this is one of the only DSLRs where composing shots with the screen is as easy as with a mirrorless camera.
Canon also packs in 4K video, which was missing from the previous SL2, wrapped up in an ergonomically designed DSLR body that's one of the smallest on the market. When it comes to price, the new EOS Rebel T8i is a lot more expensive but only marginally more desirable.
Read our full Canon EOS 250D review for more details
The EOS 6D Mark II is Canon's cheapest full-frame DSLR and the next step up from the EOS 90D. It might be affordable, but it's far from basic. The advantage of a full-frame sensor is that you get more megapixels, and the pixels (photosites) are bigger and can capture more light.
The 26-megapixel sensor in the EOS 6D Mark II offers a useful advantage over 24-megapixel cameras, as it has a powerful 45-point AF system for viewfinder shooting and Canon's Dual Pixel CMOS AF for live view photography, as well as a decent 6.5fps continuous shooting speed. What we really love is the streamlined handling and control layout and the fully articulating rear screen.
If you can afford the extra over the APS-C format EOS 90D (above), the EOS 6D Mark II would be our top recommendation as the best Canon camera for enthusiasts.
Read our full Canon EOS 6D Mark II for more details
While the EOS R mirrorless models in the next section offer new wave of stills and video features, the DSLR design still has lots of advantages – including a lag-free optical viewfinder, better handling with bigger lenses, and much better battery life.
Pros have long embraced the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV as a sturdy, versatile workhorse, and we believe it's even been used to film scenes on the hit TV show The Mandalorian, and while some predict it's the end of the line for the EOS 5D DSLR series, the 5D Mark IV is likely to be one of the best cameras for professionals for some time to come.
It's not a specialist camera designed to do justice to a particular genre of photography, but rather a robust all-rounder that can turn its hand to almost any assignment. The 61-point autofocus system is fast and powerful, and Canon's Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology makes Live View AF fast and snappy too. The 30.4-megapixel resolution isn't the highest, but it gives a great balance of resolution and low-light, low-noise performance.
Read our full Canon EOS 5D Mark IV for more details
The Canon EOS-1D X Mark III turned out to be much, much more than we were expecting. Not only is it an update to the 1D X workhorse series beloved by professionals worldwide, but it's also an important step forward for DSLRs generally, boasting deep-learning AF, uncropped 4K (something that had been missing from Canon cameras for quite some time), a revamped control system and much more besides. If you need a camera that just shoots and shoots, with whip-smart AF and an indomitable burst rate... well, you probably don't need us to tell you twice.
But we'll do it anyway: the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III is an astonishing camera. We do hear talk that it could be the last pro Canon sports DSLR and that its replacement will be mirrorless, but in this game, nothing happens until it happens!
Read our full Canon EOS-1D X Mark III review for more details
Canon compacts
DSLR and mirrorless cameras are great, but sometimes you need something smaller, cheaper, or just a bit simpler to use. Below you'll find our top two Canon compact camera picks right now, but for a wider choice, see our guide to the best point and shoot cameras.
Not everyone needs professional features, full-frame image quality, 4K video, and interchangeable lenses. Sometimes you're just looking for a decent, simple, and effective (and cheap!) little camera you can slip into a pocket and that the whole family can use.
The little Powershot Elph 180 (known as the Ixus 185 in Europe) certainly passes that last test, and yet delivers some rather impressive specifications at the same time. One of the key advantages of a compact point-and-shoot camera over a smartphone is that you get a zoom lens, and the one on this camera has a massive 8x range, from 28-224mm.
It uses a small 20-megapixel 1/2.3-inch sensor, so the picture quality is going to be adequate rather than great, but it's fine for family snaps and it can go up to ISO 1600 for shooting indoors or in low light. It even looks pretty smart, so the Elph is a really appealing (and did we mention cheap?) little snapshot camera.
Other popular Canon PowerShots: Canon PowerShot SX740 HS review | Canon PowerShot SX70 HS review
When the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II proved unexpectedly popular with the vlogging community, Canon went all in and produced the G7 X Mark III, adding full uncropped 4K video and a 3.5mm microphone port.
These features beautifully complimented lots of the strengths of the Mark II, which included a flip-out screen and a beautiful 24-100mm equivalent f/1.8-2.8 lens, making for an extremely solid all-around compact that'll do everything most vloggers need it to, and indeed many photographers, though the lack of an eye-level viewfinder is a bit of a shame.
The Mark III is arguably still a little expensive, but if you can afford the outlay, you'll find it an extremely capable compact for video and stills alike.
Read our full Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III review for more details
Although pretty expensive for a compact camera, the PowerShot G1 X Mark III squeezes the same 24-megapixel APS-C sensor in its compact body as you'll find in a lot of Canon EOS DSLRs and EOS M mirrorless cameras. What's more, it's also managed to equip the PowerShot G1 X Mark III with a pretty decent standard zoom, ranging from 24-72mm.
It might be pretty modest for some tastes, but thanks to the fast maximum aperture of f/2.8 at the wide end, it makes it a pretty versatile option. There's also a decent electronic viewfinder and large touchscreen at the rear, while the handling is very nicely sorted, making this a great premium compact camera.
Read our full Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III review for more details
Best Canon camera for beginners?
For first-time camera owners and photography students, the Canon EOS Rebel SL3 / EOS 250D DSLR is still a good choice, while in the R-series mirrorless range, the Canon EOS R10 is ideal for beginners.
What's the best Canon camera for photography?
If you want pure horsepower in stills and video the Canon EOS R5, which allows you to unleash the power of 8K video with the ability to capture images in stunning 45-megapixel detail.
How we test cameras
We test camera resolution, dynamic range, and noise under scientifically controlled conditions using two key testing tools: Imatest Master and DxO Analyzer. All DSLRs and mirrorless cameras are subjected to these tests and, in some instances, high-end compact cameras too.
We use these real-world testing and lab results to inform our comments in buying guides.
1. Resolution (ISO-12233): We use a resolution chart based on ISO-12233 from Applied Image inc to indicate the limit of the camera’s vertical resolution at the centre of the frame. The higher the value, the better the detail resolution.
2. Dynamic range (DxO Analyzer): This is a measure of a camera’s ability to capture detail in the highlights and shadows. We use DxO’s transmissive chart, which enables us to test a dynamic range of 13.3 stops.
3. Noise (DxO Analyzer): We use the dynamic range transmissive chart to analyze the signal-to-noise ratio for RAW and JPG files at every sensitivity setting using DxO Analyzer. A higher value means the signal is cleaner.
Some products lend themselves to lab testing, such as cameras and lenses, while others can only be evaluated in real-world use. If possible, we do both, but we review a very wide range of photography-related products that can only be tested in the field. Because of this, we work hard to achieve proper consistency.
One way we do this is to use team members or experienced freelancers who are familiar with these products and have used many different examples in the past. We will agree on a series of criteria to check for each product type.
Read more: How we test and review
