The Buyers guide to...Best Canon cameras in 2023

The Canon EOS 250D, known as the EOS Rebel SL3 and the EOS Kiss X10, is designed for beginner photographers, however, it has a bit more to offer than the Canon EOS 2000D (EOS Rebel T7) and EOS 4000D.

Like many other DSLRs it has an APS-C sized (24.1Mp Dual Pixel CMOS) sensor but it’s the world’s smallest, lightest DSLR with that sized sensor. It’s also boasts 4K video technology and a vari-angle touch-screen.

Quite simply put, it’s a great little camera with well-integrated touch controls and Wi-Fi connectivity. It also offers tons of versatility to experiment with your photography with clever features such as its built-in timelapse mode.

It’s also a capable little camera that can get subjects sharp quickly and captures attractive images with a good level of detail. In fact, it’s the best entry-level DSLRs around at the moment.

Canon has paired the SL3’s sensor with its Digic 8 processing engine. As well as enabling 4K movies recording, this powers a maximum continuous shooting rate of 5fps (frame per second), 4K time-lapse mode and 4K image grab from movies.

In addition, the standard sensitivity range for stills is ISO 100-25,600, with an expansion setting of ISO 51200. With Full-HD movies, the native range is ISO 100-12, 800 (expandable to ISO 25600). In 4K movie mode, the maximum level is ISO 6,400.

Read our Canon EOS Rebel SL3 / EOS 250D Review

One of two new mirrorless APS-C cameras Canon introduced into its EOS R system in May 2022, the Canon EOS R10 offers a great balance of ease of use and plenty of capability and specifications to grow with.

Although it sits below the R7 in Canon’s mirrorless camera line-up, the Canon R10 has a lot of features in common with the flagship model. For example, although its sensor has a lower resolution with 24.2MP rather than 32.5MP, it features the same Dual Pixel CMOS AF II technology. This means that the Canon R10 uses phase detection focusing and every pixel is capable of being used by the focusing system. As a result, you can focus anywhere across the image.

Further performance enhancements in comparison with cameras like the Canon EOS 850D (Canon EOS Rebel T8i) and Canon EOS 6D Mark II are enabled by the use of the Digic X processor in the R10. This enables a maximum continuous shooting rate of 23fps (frames per second) with the electronic shutter and 15fps with the mechanical shutter.

The Canon EOS R10 is the real deal. It’s very compact, yet has a good grip and both a viewfinder and a flip out screen. Yes there’s is a crop if you shoot 4K at 60p video, but it can also shoot uncropped 4K video at 30p which is down-sampled from 6K, plus you still get phase detection focusing.

Read our Canon EOS R10 First Look Review

While Canon says that the EOS R3 sits below the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III in the company’s line-up, there can be little doubt that the new 24.1MP full-frame mirrorless camera will attract the attention of many of the flagship DSLR’s users. It’s aimed at the same pro sports and news photographer audience and has a fabulous feature set to keep them happy.

Canon used a full-frame backside-illuminated stacked CMOS sensor inside the Canon EOS R3 and paired it with the Digic X processing engine to deliver quick data readout and minimise rolling shutter. It offers an excellent blend of resolution, noise control and file size with blistering AF performance.

What’s more, the R3 can shoot raw or Jpeg files at up to 30fps with full exposure metering and autofocus (AF) tracking when the electronic shutter is selected. It’s a great choice of camera for sport, action and news photography.

The R5 and R6 were significant introductions for Canon when they launched in 2020. They gave significant depth to the EOS R system. But the addition of the EOS R3 takes things up a notch with its ability to shoot at 30fps, Eye Control AF and a high-resolution vari-angle touchscreen. It’s also the first double-gripped mirrorless camera, and while Canon says that it sits below the EOS-1D X Mark III, the R3 looks set to poach a few flagship DSLR sales and convert more professional photographers to mirrorless technology.

Canon has shown us a vision of the future for mirrorless cameras and while the R3 is beyond the budget of many photographers, the AI that it employs will trickle down to more affordable cameras.

Find the latest deals on the Canon EOS R3 at Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Read our Canon EOS R3 Review

The Canon EOS-1D X Mark III is Canon’s flagship DSLR and its the best professional DSLR currently available.

Its AF system, which is designed with pro sports photographers in mind, is superb and the 1D X Mark III can shoot at up to 20fps to capture once in a lifetime moments.

Thanks to its 20.1Mp full-frame (36x24mm) CMOS sensor, which has a new High Detail Low-Pass Filter, and the Digic X (8) processing engine, the 1D X Mark II controls noise very well up to around ISO 51,200.

The EOS-1D X Mark III is also Canon’s most advanced interchangeable lens video camera outside the Cinema EOS series. It can shoot 4K 12-bit video with raw internal recording. It can even record raw and MP4 video simultaneously to two separate memory cards.

In addition, 4K video can be video can be oversampled at 5.5K (5472×2886) and recorded as 12-bit CRM files highly-detailed footage.

As a twin-gripped camera, the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III is big and heavy but it’s also very robust.

Find the latest deals on the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III at Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Read our Canon EOS-1D X Mark III Review

The Canon EOS R is a very capable camera. In the right hands, it captures plenty of detail with good exposure and attractive colours. And while it’s AF system isn’t the best (nor the worst) at tracking fast-moving subjects, it focuses with confidence in low light conditions.

This is helped along by the EOS R’s AF system, which is sensitive down to an impressive -6EV. That means it can focus in near darkness. And in our tests, it could do just that.

What’s more, the Digic 8 processing engine enables Canon to claim that the R has the World’s fastest AF system, with focus acquisition at just 0.05secs.

• Read our Canon EOS R review

Honorable Mention – Canon EOS 6D Mark II

Sitting beneath the 5D Mark IV in Canon’s full-frame DSLR line-up the 6D Mark II is attractively priced and a solid upgrade on the original 6D. The sensor is new and brings a 6million-pixel jump in resolution yet thanks to improvements in technology that the passage of almost five years brings and the Digic 7 processor the standard sensitivity (ISO) range has also expanded to ISO 100-40,000.

The 6D Mark II is a well-rounded camera that has just about everything enthusiast photographers could want. The touch-control is excellent and the vari-angle screen is a real bonus for shooting from creative angles.

In addition, the always-on Bluetooth connection makes controlling the camera via your smartphone, or transferring images to share a doddle.

Read our Canon EOS R review

The Canon EOS R5 leaves little doubt that Canon is now serious about the mirrorless camera market. It has phenomenal specification with features like a 45Mp full-frame sensor, phase detection autofocusing that covers the whole frame, eye AF for humans and animals that works in video and stills mode and a class-leading viewfinder paired with a vari-angle touchscreen. And of course, the ability to shoot 8K video.

But what will appeal most to landscape photographers is the new full-frame sensor with 45 million effective pixels. Canon has introduced a new version of its Dual Pixel CMOS AF sensor design, called Dual Pixel CMOS AF II and this helps deliver some impressive autofocus functionality in the EOS R5.

Interestingly, although the Canon R5 has a lower resolution than the 50.6Mp Canon EOS 5DS and 5DS R, a newly designed optical low pass filter means that Canon is claiming that it can actually resolve more details than these cameras.

Honorable Mention – Canon EOS 5DS / 5DS R

With a staggering 50.6-megapixel sensor, the 5DS and 5DS R capture a stunning amount of detail. What’s more, Canon introduced a new anti-alias cancellation technology in the 5DS R that helps this further.

If you’re looking to produce large prints from one of these cameras – which is probably one of the main reasons you’d want to buy one of these – you can produce 300ppi prints from the 5DS and 5DS R that measure 73.6×49.1cm.

To process images of this size presents a huge challenge to manufacturers, and Canon has employed its Dual DIGIC 6 processors to keep the 5DS and 5DS R running smoother and employ a moderately fast burst rate of 5 frames per second.

So from purely a detail and image size perspective, the Canon EOS 5DS or 5DS R is the best Canon camera for landscapes. But they come at a high cost. Alternatively, you might consider the EOS 5D Mark IV or EOS 6D Mark II.

Read our Canon EOS R5 Review

Read our Canon EOS R6 Review

The Canon EOS R7 boasts a new 32.5MP sensor sensor that’s paired with the company’s latest Digic X processing engine. This combination enables a maximum continuous shooting rate of 15fps (frames per second) with the mechanical shutter and 30fps with the electronic shutter. Those rates are both possible at full resolution and with full autofocus and metering capability.

In addition, the Canon R7 has intelligent subject detection and tracking, which uses deep learning algorithms to enable the camera to detect and focus on people, animals and vehicles. It uses hierarchical detection, prioritising the eyes (when eye detection is enabled in the menu) the heads then bodies when detecting humans or animals.

As you’d expect, there’s also Touch & Drag AF, which allows you to set the AF point by touching or dragging on the screen with your finger.

The response of the R7’s AF system can also be refined to suite the subject or shooting conditions by adjusting the parameters in the Case Studies section of the AF menu tab.

While the Canon EOS R7 is pitched as a mirrorless equivalent to the EOS 7D Mark II, some may feel that the EOS 90D is a more direct comparison. However, the R7 makes some significant steps-up, not least Canon’s latest AF system with the addition of the subject detection and the ability to shoot at up to 30fps with the electronic shutter or 15fps with the mechanical shutter. There’s also full-sensor 4K video at up to 60P, C-Log and ports to connect both a microphone and a pair of headphones.

Read our Canon EOS R7 Review

For video, the main headline for the Canon R5 is that it can shoot raw 8K 12-bit video at up to 29.97fps. It’s also possible to shoot in 4:2:2 10-bit in Canon Log (H.265) or 4:2:2 10-bit HDR PQ (H.265).

In lay terms, an 8K video frame is equivalent to a 35Mp image and shooting in 4:2:2 10-bit with Canon Log means there should be plenty of scope for adjusting/grading footage post-capture. It also means that the EOS R5 can be used alongside other cameras, including Canon’s cine range, and the footage can be made to match.

What’s more, the footage is captured using the full width of the sensor so the video isn’t cropped.

Alternatively, 4K video can be recorded at up to 119.88fps in 4:2:2 10-bit in Canon Log (H.265) or 4:2:2 10-bit HDR PQ (H.265) 4:2:2 10-bit in Canon Log or 4:2:2 10-bit HDR PQ. That should be great news for slow motion video fans.

If you prefer to record 4K video to an external storage device, there’s an HDMI connection that can cope with recording at up to 59.94fps.

The Canon R5 also has an HQ (high quality) mode that can be activated for 4K recording. This sets the camera to use the 8K technology and downsample the output to 4K.

Honorable Mention – Canon EOS 90D

This might be a controversial choice for some people. One might think the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV should be sitting here. While the 5D Mark IV boasts good video quality, the fact that the screen is fixed rather than tilting or articulating seems a little out-dated and limiting.

There’s also no Log mode to record flatter footage for grading, nor focus peaking or a zebra display option. The 5D Mark IV is an excellent all-rounder for shooting stills but some videographers maybe frustrated by the missing features.

Enter the Canon EOS 90D. Sitting in the middle of Canon’s DSLR range, the 32.5-million-pixel APS-C format 90D has a very capable 45-point (all cross-types) autofocus system. The 90D introduced 4K recording capability at 29.97 and 25fps, and in Full HD you can record at frame rates up to 119.88fps. What’s more, its Full HD footage is very good with the live view AF system enabling smooth focus transitions during recording.

The Dual Pixel CMOS AF system that operates in live view and video mode is very good. It’s not quite as fast as the best systems in a compact system or mirrorless camera, but it’s pretty snappy and positive. When the menu option is set to slow AF adjustment subjects move smoothly into focus making professional-looking movie footage.

Are there more capable cameras for video out there? Yes, of course. But if you’re already a Canon user with Canon lenses and you want the best Canon camera for video on a budget, the EOS 90D will really surprise you.

• Read our Canon EOS 90D review

Read our Canon EOS R5 Review

While Canon didn’t really market the PowerShot G7 X Mark II at vloggers, it proved a popular choice with those users. It has a magical combination of a comparatively large sensor, a bright lens with a useful focal length range equivalent to 24-100mm, a flip-up touch-screen and a compact form. It’s ideal for slipping in your pocket to take everywhere and for using at arm’s length.

Now Canon has announced the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III. And although in some ways it doesn’t make a massive upgrade on the previous camera, there are a couple of features that could make it very popular indeed.

Firstly, whereas the Mark II’s maximum video resolution is Full-HD (1920 x 1080) at 59.94 / 50 / 29.97 / 25 / 23.98 fps, the PowerShot G7 X Mark III is capable of shooting 4K video 3840 x 2160 at 29.97 / 25fps without cropping. In addition, it can shoot Full HD (1920 x 1080) footage at 119.9 / 100 / 59.94 / 50 / 29 .97 / 25 fps. Those upper frame rates make high-quality slow-motion video possible.

And in an unusual move, there’s an option to shoot movies with a vertical movie aspect.

Crucially, there’s also a 3.5mm mic port. This could be used, for instance, to connect a Rode Wireless Go for cable-free audio recording.

The clincher, however, is that the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III is able to live-stream video. That’s big news. Instead of having to shoot on your phone or use a complex set-up, you can shoot directly to Youtube using a dedicated camera.

There’s also a clean HDMI output should you want it.

• Read our full Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III Review

Read our Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III Review