Canon Camera Buying Guide

canon camera buying guide

Canon offers a wide range of photography equipment, from simple point-and-shoot cameras to advanced optical single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras. Furthermore, with a wide range of compatible lenses, flashes, and accessories to choose from, we’re sure you’ll find the camera equipment that’s best suited for you.

Buying a new camera can be both exciting and daunting, depending on whether it’s your first purchase or an upgrade to your current equipment. Buying the newest or most coveted camera on the market isn’t the only way to find the best camera. Canon camera buying guide is all about finding the right camera for your lifestyle with the right size, shape, settings, and features.

Point-and-Shoot Cameras

Point-and-shoot digital cameras can go anywhere, at any time, from day trips and holidays to concerts and sporting events. Their compact design allows them to fit into even the smallest spaces, such as a purse or backpack, making them quick to retrieve. Go for a hike, “zoom in” on the action, or share memories while you’re out there.

Point-and-shoot cameras have a built-in flash and a range of automatic settings, making them ideal for newcomers to photography or advanced amateurs looking for a rugged camera to take on the road.

Features

Creative Settings

Point-and-shoot cameras are ideal for creative expression because of their ultra-compact, streamlined designs that fit comfortably in your pocket. These cameras were created with imagination in mind and feature easy-to-use features that make photography enjoyable. Selfies, innovative filters, and wireless picture sharing are all possible thanks to the built-in Wi-Fi technology.

Large Optical Zoom Lenses

Superzoom (SX) compact cameras help you get closer to the action, whether you’re in the last row of the auditorium or up high in the bleachers. Superzoom digital cameras, so named because of their long zoom range, record incredible close-ups at over 12x optical zoom. This wide range is ideal for sports and wildlife photography, where difficult-to-see subjects and information are common.

Manual Controls

Make no mistake: point-and-shoot digital cameras are suitable for both amateur and professional photographers. For those who want high-quality photos in a tiny, portable package, premium point-and-shoot cameras offer specialized settings. Monitor exposure manually, illuminate dark settings, film in JPEG and RAW, and take advantage of other advanced features.

Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR) Cameras

When image quality, autofocus speed, and creative versatility are essential, digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras are the best option. DSLR cameras have many distinguishing features, such as interchangeable lenses, fast autofocus, and excellent low-light output, making them the go-to camera for both beginners and professionals.

Create bokeh, or background blur, with ease, frame your composition with the optical viewfinder, and produce stunning HD-quality images. DSLR cameras also make for better image quality, more informative HD images, and more innovative decision-making due to the much larger sensor packed into their design.

Photography Lifestyles

Beginner

Canon’s EOS 90D of entry-level DSLR cameras are famous for producing crisp and professional-level images and videos. Entry-level DSLRs are suitable for beginners looking to develop their skills, practice with manual controls, and experiment with various types of photography. They are a step up in both quality and efficiency from compact point-and-shoot cameras. These cameras are also ideal for teachers, friends, and casual photographers who choose to catch the perfect image with interchangeable lenses.

Enthusiast

Advanced beginner, or enthusiast-level DSLR cameras, on the other hand, have more advanced features, such as broader autofocus points, quicker continuous shooting, and a more durable, weather-resistant build quality. This means you’ll learn new techniques for creating eye-catching photographs, as well as dedicated controls to help you improve your photography skills. If you have a passion for a specific type of photography, such as nature, sports, travel, or landscape photography, enthusiast-level DSLR cameras are a good option.

Professional

Professional-level DSLR cameras provide outstanding output that your clients can appreciate, from wedding photography to nature photography. These cameras have full-frame sensors, advanced autofocus and metering systems, and rugged construction to withstand skilled use on a daily basis. Professional-level DSLR cameras also have exceptional video quality, with up to 4096 x 2160 resolution in 4K.

Interchangeable Lenses

If you use an interchangeable lens on your DSLR or mirrorless camera, you’ll be able to see the world from new eyes. An interchangeable lens, perhaps the most significant investment in your camera bag, is designed to accommodate all types of lighting and photographic circumstances.

Invest in a macro lens to magnify the delicate details of a snowflake, a telephoto lens to capture the winning pitch from the stadium’s last row, or a wide-angle lens to capture a breathtaking cityscape in its entirety. There’s a lens for every situation, every perspective, and every location.

There are two types of interchangeable lenses: zoom and fixed focal length (prime). Zoom lenses, such as 24-105mm or 18-135mm, are a must-have in any photographer’s camera bag because they provide a wide range of focal lengths. This versatility makes a zoom lens an excellent option as an all-in-one travel lens, allowing you to “zoom in” or “zoom out” as needed. Prime lenses, on the other hand, have only a single focal length, such as 50mm. While they lack the convenience of a zoom, these lenses are normally smaller, lighter, and have a greater maximum aperture, resulting in clearer images and beautiful background blur.

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Wide-Angle Prime & Zoom Lenses

A wide-angle lens has a broad field of view, allowing you to capture as much of a scene as possible in one shot. If you intend to photograph magnificent landscapes, soaring skyscrapers, or massive crowds where the whole scene is the main subject, bring this lens with you. Wide-angle lenses are also great for playing with various viewpoints and perspectives, as they make close-up subjects look larger and more dramatic than distant objects.

Macro Lenses

Don’t be afraid to get close to the action. A macro lens magnifies even the tiniest subjects, allowing you to magnify just about everything. Capture insects, trees, jewelry, and other small items to see things that would otherwise be difficult to see.

Standard Prime & Zoom Lenses

A standard lens is ideal for daily pictures, portraits, and travel because it is all-purpose and flexible. Standard zoom lenses, also known as “pack” or “walk-around” lenses, cover a useful focal length that is ideal for most shooting scenarios. Standard prime lenses are smaller and lighter than zoom lenses, creating images that are closer to what the human eye sees naturally. While you’ll have to physically step closer or farther away from your subject to get the perfect shot, with a little practice, you’ll be able to compose your images creatively without the use of a zoom. Standard lenses typically include focal lengths such as 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm (as primes), and 18-55mm, 18-135mm, 24-70mm, and 24-105mm (as zooms).

Fisheye Lenses

With a fisheye lens, you can let your imagination run wild. Panorama scenes, starry night sky, and high-impact activities become artistic playgrounds with these ultra-wide zoom lenses. Fisheye lenses add artistic distortions, bends, and curves to your photographs, showing that being bent out of shape isn’t so bad after all, at least with a fisheye lens.

Telephoto Prime & Zoom Lenses

Have you ever wished you could be a little closer to the action? With a telephoto lens, you can reach even the farthest reaches of the sports arena. The long focal length allows you to get up close and personal with a scene, allowing you to catch distant information and difficult-to-reach subjects without interrupting the action. Telephoto lenses, which can reach 800mm in length, are common among sports and wildlife photographers.

Tilt-shift Lenses

A tilt-shift lens opens up a whole new universe of possibilities. This lens, which allows you to manually tilt or rotate an image to create mesmerizing results, is designed to change your plane of focus. Tilt-shift lenses may use perspective correction to straighten tall buildings and other architectural features, or selective focus to miniaturize a life-sized scene. What’s the best part? To produce these captivating effects, you won’t need any special tools.

External Flashes (Speedlites)

It goes without saying that photographing a subject in less-than-ideal lighting conditions will make or break an image. However, if you have an external flash, also known as a “Speedlite,” you’ll be able to monitor your light source in any case, light or dark.

Features

Adjustable Flash Head

An external flash is more efficient than a camera’s built-in flash, provides more customizable settings, and can be taken with you everywhere you go for experienced photographers looking to play with different light sources. What’s better? By tilting the flash head up, down, or side-to-side with a Speedlite flash, you can produce softer, more natural-looking photography, allowing light to bounce off walls and ceilings to illuminate backgrounds, remove harsh shadows, and make your subjects really stand out.

Wireless Controls

To give you even more creative power, some Speedlite flashes can be used wirelessly off camera. Wireless flash units are often used in studio portraits, weddings, and other special occasions where several Speedlites are triggered at the same time. Wireless flash photography allows professional photographers to monitor the intensity, direction, and angle of light in multiple areas to create a more immersive, visually appealing scene.

Accessories

When it comes to optimizing your equipment, what is most important to you? Perhaps you’ll need an extra battery to extend your shooting period or a tripod to increase your stability. Maybe it’s a tough case for extra security. A variety of resources are available to assist you in getting the most out of each shot. To make your photographic experiences more convenient — and eventually more enjoyable — equip your gear with a few “must have” accessories.

Explore the Canon Accessories

Cases & Bags

Let’s face it: life is difficult. Water, sand, dirt, and high temperatures are only a few of the daily dangers that can permanently ruin your camera unless you have a robust waterproof camera. A waterproof case or bag is a vital investment that will not only shield your gear from the weather but will also protect it from everyday wear and tear. Choose from a variety of shapes and sizes, including soft-shelled cases that fit snugly around the camera body and multi-compartment bags that can accommodate several lenses and other important accessories.

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Lens Hoods & Filters

Lens hoods and filters shield your camera in the same way as sunglasses protect your eyes from the light. When used in conjunction, these accessories prevent dust, moisture, scratches, fingerprints, rocks, and fast-moving objects from reaching the front of your lens and causing harm. They also absorb UV rays, which are responsible for haze, glare, and other annoying light reflections. Get a polarizing filter if you’ll be spending a lot of time outside to deepen blue skies, brighten white clouds, and saturate vivid colors that are often lost in the sun’s rays.

Extra Batteries & Battery Grips

The dreaded low battery alarm is any photographer’s worst nightmare. Carry a spare battery (or two) with you everywhere you go to avoid missing that memorable, had-to-be-there shot. An extra battery, which is rechargeable and long-lasting, extends your time behind the lens by allowing you to catch every sight, detail, and moment without running out of juice. Consider the advantages of a mountable battery grip for twice the battery life. This versatile accessory attaches to the bottom of a DSLR camera and allows you to carry several batteries at once for increased power and performance.

Tripods

A tripod helps keep low-light scenes, landscapes, portraits, and group photos in razor-sharp focus when longer exposure times are needed for capturing the perfect picture. Despite the fact that digital cameras have advanced image stabilization technology, tripods allow you to play with tricky angles and difficult lighting situations that can trigger camera shake even in the most steady of hands. To get sharp images and videos of star trails, moonlit skies, crashing waterfalls, and more, mount your DSLR camera to a tripod.