Camera prices may seem higher than ever, but using Canon as a reference point, I compare camera prices from the past 20 years to find out if we’re being ripped off or getting a pretty good deal in 2026.
With new flagship full-frame cameras priced around £4500 these days, which is a big chunk of anyone’s budget, it begs the question – are these price tags justified when compared to what you were paying 10, 20 years ago for a new camera?
To find out, I’ve looked back in time and compared older Canon EOS cameras’ launch prices to new camera prices of today. As a Canon professional photographer, and former editor of the No.1 Canon magazine, I’ve used every EOS 5-series camera from the 5D to R5 Mark II, and still shoot today with a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and EOS R5.
So, to keep things fair and on a level playing field for this price comparison, I’ve focused on the very popular Canon EOS 5D to EOS R5 series cameras, from 2005 to 2026.
I’ll be honest – I initially set out to prove that new camera prices are extortionate. On further investigation, it’s interesting how camera prices were actually relatively high over 20 years ago, and when you now compare the original EOS 5D’s price (with inflation) to the EOS R5… the results are surprising!
The Canon EOS 5D launched in 2005 with a body-only price of £2,539. Adjusted for inflation, that equates to around £4,619 in 2026 money. Now compare that with the Canon EOS R5. Canon’s groundbreaking mirrorless model arrived in July 2020 with a launch price of £4,199. Thanks to the unusually high inflation seen during and after the pandemic years, that figure is equivalent to roughly £5,487 in 2026 terms. Yet despite this, Canon currently lists the EOS R5 at £2849 on its online store – significantly less than both its inflation-adjusted launch price and the inflation-adjusted cost of the original EOS 5D.
The latest EOS 5-series camera is the Canon EOS R5 Mark II, released in August 2024 with an RRP of £4499. And this is the price of the camera still today whether buying it directly from Canon or via online sellers like WEX.
Compared to the Canon EOS 5D’s inflated price of £4423 in 2025, it makes the EOS R5 Mark II actually very good value at £4499 – especially considering all the incredible new AI technology and autofocus modes packed inside.
It’s unfair to put a 2005 EOS 5D head-to-head with a 2024 EOS R5 Mark II, but I can’t resist – 12.8MP vs 45MP, 3fps vs 30 fps, 9 AF points vs Dual Pixel Intelligent AF with Action Priority AF and Eye Control AF… I’ll stop now.
These are the body-only RRP prices and year of launch in newest to oldest cameras:
| Equivalent prices would be as of 2026 with inflation: | ||
| Canon EOS R5 Mark II | £4499 in 2024 | £4776 |
| Canon EOS R5 | £4199 in 2020 | £5487 |
| Canon EOS 5D Mark IV | £3599 in 2016 | £5081 |
| Canon EOS 5D Mark III | £2999 in 2012 | £4436 |
| Canon EOS 5D Mark II | £2299 in 2008 | £3855 |
| Canon EOS 5D | £2539 in 2005 | £4619 |
Adding on inflation (using the Bank of England inflation calculator), the equivalent prices would be as of 2026. So perhaps when looking at today’s camera prices, we should look at what’s on offer and how much we get, compared to what we used to get.
Latest updates:
- June 2026: Inflation rates recalculated.
Related reading:
- Best Canon cameras – mirrorless favourites for every level
- The best Canon DSLRs you can buy
- Best used DSLRs
The views expressed in this column are not necessarily those of Amateur Photographer magazine or Kelsey Media Limited. If you have an opinion you’d like to share on this topic, or any other photography related subject, email: [email protected]
Follow AP on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
