These are the best Canon cameras in 2026 for photography and video

If you’re looking for the best Canon camera – whether you’re a beginner, enthusiast or pro – look no further. This is my regularly updated guide to all the top cameras from the big C, with options for all budgets and for those who shoot photos, videos, or a little of both. In short, if you want a great Canon camera, you’ll find it here.

One thing to note is that when we talk about the ‘best’ Canon cameras in 2026, we’re mostly talking about mirrorless cameras from the EOS R series. Old-fashioned DSLRs are still popular in some quarters, but they have been comprehensively outclassed in every way by Canon’s mirrorless offerings. If you simply prefer DSLRs then don’t worry – we also have a guide to the best Canon DSLRs. But this list will focus mostly on mirrorless, albeit with a few of Canon’s popular compact (i.e. fixed-lens) camera in the mix.

Every camera on this list has been tested, reviewed and rated highly by our team. I’ve ordered them roughly by price and target user, so we start with beginner-friendly models before moving on to the more advanced stuff, which hopefully should make it easy for you to find a camera at the appropriate level for you. For more great Canon gear, check out our handy guide to Canon RF-mount lenses, and if you want more choices from other brands, we also have a run-down of the best full-frame mirrorless cameras.

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Best Canon cameras: our quick list

Here’s a quick list of our picks for the best Canon mirrorless cameras, as well as links to the best current prices:

• Best Canon for beginners: Canon EOS R50 – Buy now
• Best Canon camera under $1000: Canon EOS R10 – Buy now
• Best high-speed APS-C Canon: Canon EOS R7 – Buy now
• Best compact Canon for stills: Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III – Buy now
• Best compact Canon for video: Canon PowerShot V1 – Buy now
• Best budget full-frame Canon: Canon EOS R8 – Buy now
• Best all-rounder Canon camera: Canon EOS R6 Mark III – Buy now
• Best Canon camera for video: Canon EOS C50 – Buy now
• Best professional Canon camera: Canon EOS R5 II – Buy now
• Best Canon camera for sports: Canon EOS R1 – Buy now

Looking for the best deal on Canon cameras? Not only will you find the best Canon cameras, but you’ll also find some of the best Canon camera deals, as our ‘Buy now’ buttons are set to automatically take you to the best prices, from trusted retailers, plus you’ll also find a list of other retailers below each camera, so you can find the right deal for you.

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Best Canon camera for beginners: Canon EOS R50

Initially, I thought the Canon EOS R50 would be the Canon EOS R mirrorless camera for beginners, but the subsequent arrival of the cheaper and more basic Canon EOS R100 complicated that picture. However, having spent time with both cameras, I’d say that if you can afford the extra outlay for the EOS R50, it’s a much more fully-featured camera for beginners to learn the basics on.

It’s a nice and light camera, with a standard 24.2MP APS-C sensor and a fairly generous (for this level) ISO range that goes up to 32,000 natively, or can be expanded to 51,200. Of course, some of this is little more than marketing – as we found in our review, it’d be a very rare situation where you’d want to push this beyond 25,600, as you simply don’t get very useable images at these higher settings. But this is still a decent showing for a camera of this type.

What’s more exciting though – and really sets the EOS R50 apart from the inferior EOS R100 and many other cameras around this price – is its fantastic subject recognition autofocus. Inherited from the more expensive professional camera, this intelligent system can recognise and track focus on specific subject types (people, animals and vehicles). This pairs beautifully with the surprisingly clippy burst rate – 12fps, or 15fps with the electronic shutter.

All in all, this is one of the most capable and versatile cameras in this price bracket – it costs $679 / £589 body-only, or $799 / £699 with an 18-45mm kit lens. It’s still somewhat hobbled by the meagre selection of RF-S lenses, a problem that Canon doesn’t seem to be in a rush to correct. You can get by with EF-S lenses and an EF-EOS R adapter, though the latter will add an extra £100 / $100 approx. to your costs. Also, bear in mind that if you’re more interested in video than stills, Canon has released a vlogging-oriented version of this camera: the Canon EOS R50 V, which tends to be the same price as the EOS R50, or even cheaper.

Read our full Canon EOS R50 review

Best for: Beginners

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Best Canon camera under $1000/£1000: Canon EOS R10

Being smaller, lighter and less expensive than the EOS R7 (featured below), but a little more capable and sophisticated than the EOS R50, the Canon EOS R10 is designed for enthusiasts with a smaller budget. It offers a more sophisticated suite of manual controls and a faster burst shooting rate than the EOS R50, with up to 23fps available for wildlife and sports photographers. The smaller APS-C sensor is ideal for shooting distant subjects without having to employ super long lenses. You also get 4K video recording, a single UHS-II SD card slot, a 3-inch 1.04m-dot articulating touchscreen and Dual Pixel CMOS AF. All this is fairly standard for a camera at this price, but it’s certainly nothing to complain about.

In our full review, we found the EOS R10 to be a likeable, well-handling camera, and an especially good bet for the price. The main forfeits compared to the EOS R7 are the small viewfinder and lack of in-body image stabilisation (IBIS), which for many users will be acceptable trade-offs. A key problem is one we’ve already discussed at length – the poor selection of RF-S lenses for APS-C cameras, but this is common across the range, and as mentioned, can be mitigated by investing in an adapter to be able to use EF-S lenses.

The Canon EOS R10 currently starts at $999 / £899 for the body only, and there are various lens bundles available that will nudge the price up by $/£100 or so. That’s very impressive value for such a well-featured camera.

See more in our full Canon EOS R10 review

Best for: entry-level photographers

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Best high-speed APS-C Canon camera: Canon EOS R7

The Canon EOS R7 was one of the first EOS R cameras to sport an APS-C sensor – proof if proof were needed that the EOS M system’s days were numbered. While there have been several other APS-C RF models since then, the EOS R7 still has a place as a speedy crop-sensor camera that’s particularly good for wildlife at a budget.

A smaller APS-C sensor doesn’t quite offer the same image quality as full-frame – however it has advantages of its own. The crop factor extends the focal length of lenses, giving you more telephoto reach, which is great for wildlife photography. It also allows the camera to be smaller and lighter, which is one reason why crop-sensor cameras are so popular for travel.

The EOS R7’s AF tracking is highly impressive; it locks on and maintains focus with very high accuracy, easily detecting animals and birds. Paired with up to 30fps continuous shooting speed with the electronic shutter, the R7 is well-suited to wildlife photography. Unlike Nikon’s APS-C mirrorless offerings, the EOS R7 boasts in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) too. This system can deliver up to 8 stops of compensation and also has automatic horizon correction, a feature that was previously exclusive to Pentax.

Elsewhere, Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF II is highly impressive as always, with 651/5915 selectable focus points that cover the entire image area and work in extreme low-light conditions. As is fast becoming standard on new cameras, the EOS R7 also benefits from AI-powered subject-detection autofocus.

The body is lightweight and well-balanced, but Canon has still found room for weather-sealing, meaning you can capture wildlife images in the great outdoors without worrying about the rain – or at least, you could if the kit lens were weather-sealed too. You’ll probably want to upgrade from this lens anyway so it’s not a deal-breaker, but it’s something to be aware of. The camera costs $1,349 / $1,349 body-only, or $1,819 / £1,499 with an 18-150mm kit lens.

Read our full Canon EOS R7 review

Best for: wildlife photographers

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Best Canon compact for stills: Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III

Although now almost seven years out from its release, the G7 X Mark III is still a perennially popular pocket powerhouse, and the best compact Canon you’ll find for stills. The 20.1MP stacked CMOS sensor coupled with the DIGIC 8 processor delivers images far superior to a smartphone. So if you are ready to ditch your handset but don’t want to deep dive into to ins and outs of using a bigger interchangeable lens camera yet, the G7 X III could be an ideal upgrade.

It is equipped with a fixed lens that has a 24-100mm equivalent focal range and a bright f/1.8-2.8 variable aperture, letting you compose wide landscapes or zoom in on some distant action. Thanks to the 3 stops of in-body image stabilisation and three stops of built-in ND filters, the G7X III tackles slow shutter speed shooting remarkably well, giving you more latitude to shoot handheld in low light. It also features 4K video recording at 30fps, but you are limited to only 10 minutes of recording time at this resolution.

Its tiny 105.5 × 60.9 × 41.4mm body is packed with other useful features like High-Speed Raw capture that employs the electronic shutter to capture an impressive 30fps. An ideal travel camera or everyday photography companion that easily slips into your pocket and delivers better results than a smartphone, the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III currently goes for $879 / £819 – and is still so popular that it often goes out of stock.

Canon recently celebrated the continuing success of this camera with the release of an updated ‘special’ anniversary edition for 2026. Don’t get too excited though – the sum total of the upgrades for the new version was a new graphite colour, as opposed to the regular old black, and a special box. As our own Gavin Stoker pointed out in his comment piece on the release (linked above), what would really be nice is a properly updated and stills-focused camera to join the PowerShot range. Fingers crossed.

Read our full Canon Power Shot G7 X Mark III review

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Best Canon compact for video: Canon PowerShot V1

As the ‘V’ designation suggests, Canon’s latest compact on the market is geared towards video capture. With its extremely wide 16-50mm f/2.8-4.5 equivalent lens, the V1 is clearly designed for video, and especially well suited for vlogging. You can hold it at arm’s length at the widest, 16mm setting and record yourself with a good amount of background included in the frame.

It relies solely on its 3in 1.04m-dot vari-angle touchscreen, as there is no viewfinder. A nice touch is the added countdown timer, so when filming yourself or someone else, you can factor in a few seconds to settle down for the recording.

The dual pixel autofocus puts in a good performance in terms of tracking both during video and stills capture, and the 3,431 selectable focus points cover the entirety of the sensor. Moreover you get autodetect subject recognition for people and animals

Like other compacts from Canon, the V1 includes a built-in 3-stop ND filter, which makes it ideal for filming with larger apertures while still using slower shutter speeds. A headphone socket is included as well as a windshield which you can mount on the hotshoe. You also have the option to record in C-Log3, allowing for more flexibility in post-production colour grading, and thanks to the built-in fan, overheating won’t be a limiting factor for recording times. But you still need to keep an eye on battery charge and SD card space.

With an asking price $899.99 / £959.99, the Canon PowerShot V1 is pretty good value for an all-in-one vlogging camera. It’ll blow your smartphone away in terms of image quality, and while it’s a little more expensive than the vlogging-focused EOS R50 V, it’s easier to use, and will probably better suit the majority of independent content creators.

Read our full review of the Canon PowerShot V1

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Best budget full-frame Canon: Canon EOS R8

Canon provided a welcome upgrade for the ageing Canon EOS RP in the form of the Canon EOS R8. At first glance, it looks much the same, with a similar body size, and a full-frame sensor of about the same resolution. So what’s the difference?

Well, Canon packed in the fantastic subject-detect autofocus system from the high-end Canon EOS R6 Mark II, giving it one of the most reliable autofocus systems of any camera around its price. It uses Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF sensor to lock on quickly and accurately anywhere in the frame. And thanks to that AI-powered subject-detection, it can recognise subjects like humans, animals and vehicles and keep hold of them even as they move. Focusing basically becomes something you no longer have to think about, which can really improve your hit-rate for tricky subjects like wildlife and street scenes.

The Canon EOS R8 really is just a camera that nails the shot, again and again. Thanks to Canon’s well-judged in-camera processing, it produces JPEGs good enough to share straight out of camera, punchy and sharp with fantastic colours. Again, it gives you less to think about, resulting in a camera that just gets out of your way and lets you focus on the business of composing and shooting.

As we found in our review, the compromises with the EOS R8 mostly concern build and handling. The EOS R8 skates by with very few physical controls, necessitating some menu fiddling to get to grips with its settings. There’s only one card slot, and the LP-E17 battery is unusually small for a camera in this class, rated to just 220 shots (in practice you’ll probably get a few more, but you’ll still definitely want a spare). Also, be aware that there’s no in-body stabilisation, so you’ll be relying on the systems built into the lenses.

The Canon EOS R8 has been out for a little while now, and discounts are not uncommon. Currently you can get this mirrorless body for $1,299/ £1,499, which is pretty competitive in the crowded full-frame market, and makes it a compelling option for anyone looking to make the jump to a larger sensor format.

Read our full Canon EOS R8 review

Best for: upgrading to full-frame

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Best full-frame all-rounder: Canon EOS R6 Mark III

The original Canon EOS R6 was a big hit with a lot of users and reviewers, including us. It was a quieter launch than the Canon EOS R5, but arguably a more successful one, fielding a lower-resolution sensor for a more reasonable price tag. It was the quintessential full-frame all-rounder – and the EOS R6 Mark III very sensibly builds on that formula to deliver an even better jack-of-all-trades for enthusiast photographers and videographers.

The biggest addition is the new 35.2MP Dual Pixel CMOS AF II, which ups the resolution from a slightly stingy 20MP on the original, giving you more latitude to crop into your images without losing details and for making high-quality prints. This sensor is not a stacked type as with the sports-focused cameras like the EOS R1, so you don’t get those ultra-fast readout speeds. However, it is optimised to deliver exceptional low-light performance, with a standard ISO ceiling of 100-64,000, extendable to 50-102,400, which means the EOS R6 III can go on shooting and get useable images even in exceptionally poor light conditions, especially if you’re willing to put some time into post-processing. This is complemented by the highly capable autofocus system.

The EOS R6 Mark III does inherit one thing from the top-end sports cameras, however – that freakishly powerful subject-detect autofocus that can lock onto specific targets: everything from humans and animals to cars and trains. This provides real versatility to a photographer, allowing you to try your hand at different sorts of subjects and consistently come away with sharp, high-quality images.

In our review, we were particularly impressed by the video specs that get the most eye-catching boost from the Mark II predecessor. The R6 III can record raw video internally at 7K resolution and 60fps in 17:9 aspect ratio, or 30fps in Open Gate mode that capture the full sensor area. Alternatively, 4K can be shot at 120fps, and Full HD at 180fps, for slow-motion playback.

While you couldn’t call it a cheap camera, with a current starting price of $2799 / £2799 body-only, the EOS R6 Mark III definitely represents excellent value for how much functionality you get. I can safely say that the Canon EOS R6 Mark III is one of the best cameras for amateur and enthusiast photographers who want to capture all kinds of different subjects.

Read our full Canon EOS R6 Mark III review

Best for: enthusiast photographers

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Best Canon camera for video: Canon EOS C50

As well as its impressively stacked ranges of mirrorless, DSLR and compact cameras, Canon also has a dedicated selection of cine cameras oriented towards videographers and filmmakers – the Cinema EOS, or EOS C series. While these cameras can climb to vertiginous heights in terms of price, there are some excellent entry points to the series priced at a level comparable to the EOS R mirrorless range, one such camera being the Canon EOS C50. Recently tested by our former deputy editor Richard Sibley, the EOS C50 is a genuinely pretty exciting camera in terms of what it packs in for the price.

For a start, having 7K open-gate RAW recording out of the box is immediately attention-grabbing – allowing for simple crops to produce footage in different aspect ratios like 16:9, Super 35 and Super 16. This is augmented by features like dual-base ISO, which improves clarity of images at higher sensitivity settings for better low-light performance. Footage also benefits from Canon’s excellent colour science, enabling a smooth workflow in editing that makes it straightforward to produce good-looking colour grades with lots of detail in highlights and shadows.

There is a huge abundance of video options available on the EOS C50, to the point where it might be overwhelming to the new user – in his review, Richard recommends sitting down with the camera and going through what’s on offer before you start shooting, but if you’re someone to whom XF-AVC 10-bit 4:2:2 and XF-HEVC S 10-bit 4:2:2 just look like strings of nonsense, it could be a bit of a learning curve.

It’s not a perfect camera – as noted in our review, the dim 3-inch screen feels a bit dated, especially compared to the resplendent monitors on rivals like the Nikon ZR. There’s also the lack of in-body stabilisation, which isn’t exactly a surprising omission as this isn’t really a run-and-gun vlogging camera, but may be a sticking point for some users.

Read our full Canon EOS C50 review

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Best professional Canon camera overall: Canon EOS R5 Mark II

The R5 has been one of Canon’s best high-resolution full-frame mirrorless cameras. It boasted impressive specs but had some issues with overheating during high-res video recording. The EOS R5 II addressed this problem and further improved the video specs and overall performance of this otherwise stellar full-frame powerhouse.

The R5 II has the same megapixel count as its predecessor, but now it’s equipped with a new back-illuminated stacked-CMOS sensor, that is said to reduce rolling shutter by 60%. Rolling shutter is an undesirable effect caused when a subject (or the camera) moves during the short amount of time that the sensor is being read, resulting in it appearing distorted. This can make even the most high-quality video look cheap and amateurish, so it’s always welcome when manufacturers take steps to deal with it.

The EOS R5 II has also received a new DIGIC X processor, which powers many of its exciting new features, as well as delivering faster and more responsive operation. It inherits some tech from Canon’s high-end sports cameras, such as the impressive Eye Control Focus technology, previously seen in the EOS R3, which detects where you are looking in the viewfinder and then automatically focuses on the subject you’re looking at. Another new autofocus feature ‘Action Priority’ autofocus has ball tracking and recognises ‘action poses’ in football, basketball, and volleyball. It also registers up to ten faces that it will prioritise focusing on, and it even lets you arrange them in order of priority. All this is designed to make you a faster and more responsive photographer, able to keep up with demanding subjects and complex scenes.

Now, for the video specs. Canon made sure to bulk up in this area, fixing the overheating issue that plagued the original EOS R5 by adding an internal heat dissipation channel. If you plan to put it through even more demanding use, there is an additional cooling fan grip. The R5 II records internally in 8K 60fps using Canon’s proprietary SRAW format, delivering ultra-high resolution video with a great deal of latitude for post-processing. Another new feature is proxy recording where a low-resolution file can be simultaneously recorded to the second memory card, creating clips that can be quickly edited and shared ahead of the high-res stuff. There’s also a new dual still/video shooting function, in which it’s possible to record Full HD video to one memory card and still images to the other at the same time.

In our full review we found that “for any photographers still using 5D-series DSLRs, the EOS R5 Mark II is a massive step forward. Even for existing EOS R5 users, there’s plenty here to make it worth considering upgrading.” Of course, with starting price of $4,099 / £4500 body only, the Canon EOS R5 Mark II sits exclusively in the professional realm. If you don’t need all of its class-leading features – and most users don’t – you can afford to spend less and pick up one of the other options on our list.

Read our full review of the Canon EOS R5 II.

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Best professional Canon camera for sports: Canon EOS R1

Designed for professional sports and action photography, the Canon EOS R1 is the firm’s first mirrorless model to sport its flagship “1-series” designation. Announced in mid-2024 alongside the 45MP EOS R5 Mark II, it can shoot 24MP stills at up to 40 frames per second, record 6K raw video at 60fps, and has a large body with an integrated vertical grip. In many ways, it can be seen as a fully pro-spec update to the Canon EOS R3 from 2021.

The EOS R1 employs a 24MP stacked-CMOS sensor, yet differs from the unit in the EOS R3. The big first difference is in its implementation of Canon’s dual-pixel CMOS AF, where every sensor pixel is split into two for phase detection autofocus. In Canon’s other cameras, each pixel is split into left/right pairs, but in the R1, alternate green pixels are split vertically instead. This enables cross-type focusing, which helps the R1 to focus in certain situations where other cameras might fail. What this means in simple terms is that the EOS R1 is a rugged, shot-getting machine. It practically sics itself onto subjects and keeps hold of them, allowing you to make use of that powerful burst mode to fire off reams of ultra-sharp images.

Some new autofocus features reflect the EOS R1’s particular specialisation for action and sports. The Action Priority mode, which initially works for football, basketball, and volleyball. It employs ball tracking and an understanding of certain ‘action poses’ to determine when to switch focus between the players. With soccer, for example, it’s designed to recognise and prioritise such things as ‘save by keeper’ and ‘sliding tackle’. We tested it out on a basketball game and were simply blown away by its ability to keep up with the action and produce exactly the shots we wanted, time and again.

At its top-tier price of $6,799 / £6,799 for just the body, however, this is a camera exclusively for professionals. This is the best Canon camera for sports and action – but if you’re not shooting sports and action for a living, you don’t need it.

Read our full Canon EOS R1 review

Best for: action and sport photography

Specifications compared

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How to choose the best Canon camera

Canon make mirrorless cameras, DSLRs, and compact cameras. Of these, the mirrorless camera is the most versatile, as well as the newest, and is what we’d recommend for most photographers and videographers. Picking a Canon mirrorless camera can be a daunting task, particularly if it’s your first. So let’s run through the key specs to consider when choosing the best Canon camera for you.

Sensor and resolution: Canon’s mirrorless cameras contain either a full-frame or an APS-C sensor. Essentially, full-frame tends to give better image quality in a range of situations, especially low light, while APS-C makes for an overall smaller system and can be beneficial for certain subjects such as wildlife. See our guide to full-frame versus APS-C for more on the key differences between the two. Resolution is also worth thinking about – it’s not necessarily true that more pixels are better. Whether you need a very high resolution likely comes down to the type of subjects that you photograph.

Screen and viewfinder: All of the cameras in our list include a rear screen, while most (but not all) include an electronic viewfinder too. Think about whether you would like an articulating or tilting screen (which can be handy for composing from awkward angles, as well as for video). For the viewfinder, pay attention to the resolution and size.

Image stabilisation: Canon’s first mirrorless cameras with in-body stabilisation arrived in 2020 – the EOS R5 and the EOS R6. Since then, the sports flagship EOS R3 has also included it, though you don’t get IBIS with Canon’s APS-C format cameras. Image stabilisation is not essential, since many Canon lenses have IS (Image stabilisation) built in too. But it is definitely beneficial for those who prefer to shoot handheld rather than on a tripod.

Frame rate: For photographing fast-moving subjects like sports and wildlife, you need a camera with a fast frame rate. Some cameras in the EOS R and EOS M ranges give you up to 30fps (frames per second). This will be less important to you if you mainly shoot static or near-static subjects, such as landscapes or portraits.

Video: All the cameras on this list can record 4K video. Other video-related specifications to consider include whether a crop is applied to 4K, frame rates and special video modes.

Lens choices: Canon’s two mirrorless lines (R and M) use different lens mounts, and as such, the lenses between them are not interchangeable. Despite being much older, the EF-M lens range for the M series never really took off, there are just 8 available optics. By contrast, there are currently 30 native lenses for RF-mount, though only three are designed specifically for the smaller APS-C models.

If you choose a Canon camera with interchangeable lenses, then you’ll need to know about the Canon lens mount options

• RF mount: this is used by all the latest Canon mirrorless cameras including both full frame and APS-C EOS R models. You can use the full-frame lenses on the smaller camera bodies too.
• RF-S mount: this is the mount used by Canon’s new APS-C mirrorless cameras. Physically, it’s the same as the RF mount, but the smaller sensor size benefits from specially designed lenses which carry the ‘RF-S’ designation
• EF-M mount: this is a mount used by Canon’s first-generation APS-C mirrorless cameras, the EOS M series. These cameras and lenses are now discontinued, but you can still find some bargains on the second-hand market.
• EF mount: this is Canon’s DSLR mount. These lenses can also be used on its mirrorless cameras via an adapter.
• EF-S mount: this is a special adaptation of the EF DSLR mount for Canon’s smaller APS-C DSLRs. You can use EF lenses on a camera with an EF-S mount, but not the other way round. You can also use EF-S lenses on a Canon mirrorless camera via an adapter.

You can use the best EF-mount zoom lenses made originally for Canon DSLRs, with either the M or the R mount cameras, via adapters. Take a look at our guide to DSLR vs mirrorless: which is best for more on the differences between the two types of camera.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Recent updates

• May 2026: Canon EOS C50 added as the best Canon camera for video.
• April 2026: Tables updated and comparison table added.
• February 2026: Reordered listings to prioritise affordable and beginner-friendly cameras first, placing higher-end and specialised cameras towards the end.
• January 2026: Updated listings with the latest prices for 2026, and expanded FAQs to answer more of the most common questions around Canon cameras.
• November 2025: Canon EOS R6 Mark II replaced by Mark III model as the best Canon all-rounder.
• October 2025: Canon EOS R5 and R6 removed as these models are no longer available new. ‘How we test’ section expanded.

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Text by Amy Davies, with contributions from Jon Stapley.

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Related reading:

• Have a look at more buying guides here
• The 12 Best Canon EOS Cameras Ever (film and digital)
• The best mirrorless cameras you can buy right now
• Best Canon RF Mount Lenses

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