Canon Camera Review

Welcome to the Canon Camera Review! On this page we list current canon cameras, discontinued models, and our recommendations for different budgets, uses, and types cameras.

Current Line of Canon DSLR cameras

Discontinued Cameras (Or Soon to Be)

My Overall Choice

For me the overall best camera choice that delivers the best quality and overall best features that Canon has to offer is the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. That choice is made with image quality as the main decision point. It isn’t the fastest or the lightest, but it is the camera from Canon that delivers the best overall image quality. For me that is important in making my fine art photography. For you if you aren’t going to be making huge prints that require amazing levels of detail then you honestly won’t want this camera.  It isn’t the best at a lot of other things but for me those other things are details that can be dealt with or I can get a second camera.

Camera Choices by Budget

For budgets under a $1000 USD:

  • Canon EOS Rebel T1i : This camera gets the nod here because it is a bit cheaper without losing much compared to the slightly more expensive Canon EOS Rebel T2i, and higher priced Canon EOS 60D (at the time of writing you can get this camera for under $1000 USD without a lens…) Going with the T1i instead of the T2i or 60D will only cost you a bit slower shooting speed (3.4 fps is still fast) and some megapixels (which may actually be a better deal because more megapixels doesn’t necessarily mean pictures).

For budgets under $2000 USD:

Here is some big potential for debates…so we will do a few subcategories.

  • I just need a great camera: Canon EOS Rebel T1i. I would still say this camera because if you have around $2000 USD to spend you will want to consider things that really can help make better pictures overall like lenses and a tripod. The camera can only affect a certain amount of the picture taking process, the lens can arguably affect more. Everything you see passes through the lens, if it is crap what can the camera record other than crap? So maybe you will want to consider grabbing a camera like the Canon EOS Rebel T1i and some nice lenses that will make a big difference. Here is a professional photographer that used what some would term a pretty low grade camera to establish and grow her landscape photography business. If you really need features like a more advanced focus system or faster fps then you may want to try out the Canon EOS 60D or Canon EOS 7D. Going with either of these though may limit what you can spend on other things that may make a big difference.
  • I need a camera that has more advanced features: Canon EOS 7D is a camera that can make great pictures in really difficult situations, because it has a faster and more accurate focusing system and shooting speed than the rebel camera talked about above. It comes at a price, you may not be able to buy a really nice lens as well and stay under the $2000 USD mark.
  • I just need the best: If money is no problem at all and/or you need super advanced features then you will want to go with the Canon EOS 5D Mark II (offers the best image quality Canon has to offer as well as one of the best of any DSLR available) or the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV (the fastest shooter on the market and the most advanced focusing system available). The Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III isn’t at the top of this list because it at best only has image quality as good as the 5D Mark II at almost 3x the price and it is much larger and bulkier. It also can’t shoot as fast as the Mark IV, but does have the same nicer focusing system. So before I would buy the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III I would buy both the 5D Mark II and the 1D Mark IV for just a bit more money and have the best of quality and speed.

Best Choice for Sports and Wildlife

This category of camera requires first the ability to shoot frames very fast and the ability to accurately focus all of those frames as well. So here are our choices…

  • Best Overall Deal: The Canon EOS 7D is probably the best deal in this category for people that really need fast focusing and frames per second (it does 8 fps). That being said, most people don’t really need a camera that can focus and shoot this fast. They are probably missing shots because they haven’t gained the skill to use their slower cameras to their fullest ability. I have captured almost all my bird pictures using a camera that can only shoot 4 fps and is often noted as one of the worst focusing cameras available (it sucks, but can sometimes get the job done). So don’t go assuming that you just need a better camera when there are other problems.
  • The Best Camera: Canon EOS 1D Mark IV. It has the best focusing system available, and can shoot at 10 fps. It is the super sports car of the photography world that most people drool about! You get about everything with this camera!

Choice For Best Overall Image Quality

  • Full Frame Sensor Choice: Canon EOS 5D Mark II. This camera has great ISO control, and an image sensor with not to many pixels packed in to still have high quality in each pixel and picture. The big negative is that this camera will expose all flaws in lenses, and in poor shooting habits; it captures all the gory details!
  • APS-H Sensor Choice: Canon EOS 1D Mark IV. Okay this camera is Canon’s only APS-H Sensor Camera. So hard to make in on the list in this category…but it is still a great camera, at a price.
  • APS-C Sensor Choice: This is a draw. You can argue that in the APS-C Sensor size having 18 MP is a negative. For image quality concerns only you may have a tie between the Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Canon EOS Rebel T2i, Canon EOS 60D, and the Canon EOS 7D.

Best Camera for Everything

  • For Taking Great Picture in General: The Canon EOS Rebel T1i, or the Canon EOS Rebel T2i gets the nod here because they really can do everything and come home with good pictures.
  • The one camera that can do it all: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III. Kind of sad to pick this one here but it has the full frame quality, great focusing, and other things that allow it to do it all. It doesn’t have light weight or super shooting speed but does have about everything else. Close up in second would be Canon EOS 5D Mark II, and tied for second would be the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV and it would get the first spot if you didn’t need full frame quality and super wide angle views. The best camera possible from canon would be to blend the 5D Mark II and the 1D Mark IV into one camera taking the 5d’s size and image sensor and quality and the 1d’s super focusing and shooting speed. A dream, but it would be a sweet one! This would also be the only camera I would ever need or want…

Well there is the Canon Camera Review. It is hard to nail down what one camera is the best for everything. There are so many different things that you can do with cameras and needs that may arise that you will honestly never be able to have one camera that will solve the needs of every single photographer in world. Oh well..