Camera and lens technologies never stop advancing, and today's cameras have features that photographers could only have dreamed of a few years ago. These include innovations such as autofocus systems built on deep-learning artificial intelligence (AI), enabling cameras to recognise and track subjects with new levels of accuracy, or the intuitive Eye Control AF system in the EOS R3, which can set or move the AF point by detecting what you're looking at in the viewfinder.
When you're choosing a camera, your decision is likely to be based on the combination of features, handling and performance you want, rather than any single feature. To help you narrow your search, we'll explore which Canon cameras have certain features you may be looking for.
Which Canon cameras are full-frame?
Which Canon cameras shoot 8K video?
Which Canon cameras have in-body Image Stabilisation (IBIS)?
Which Canon cameras have Animal Eye Detection AF?
Which Canon cameras have focus bracketing?
Which Canon cameras have clean HDMI output?
Which Canon cameras are weather-sealed?
Which Canon cameras have built-in Wi-Fi?
Which Canon cameras have a rotating screen?
Which Canon cameras have which features?
Which Canon cameras are full-frame?
Canon EOS R3
Canon EOS R5
Canon EOS R6 Mark II
Canon EOS R6
Canon EOS R
Canon EOS RP
Canon EOS-1D X Mark III
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Canon EOS 6D Mark II
Canon EOS R5 C
Canon EOS C700 FF
Canon EOS C500 Mark II
A full-frame camera is one with a sensor that has approximately the same dimensions as a 35mm film frame (24 x 36mm). Canon makes both DSLR and mirrorless cameras, as well as Cinema EOS professional video cameras, with a full-frame sensor.
One advantage of a full-frame sensor is that it captures the full field of view of a standard 35mm lens, while a smaller APS-C sensor introduces a "crop factor" of approximately 1.6x, so that a 100mm lens, for example, will have the narrower field of view of a 160mm lens. This in turn means your subject will fill more of the frame on an APS-C camera, giving you greater reach with the same lens and focal length.
A second advantage of a full-frame sensor comes from its greater size. If the sensors have the same number of megapixels, the photo receptors on a full-frame sensor are larger than those on an APS-C sensor. As a result, they capture more light, meaning that images have greater dynamic range and more detail, particularly if you're shooting in low-light conditions. At higher ISO settings, this means less image noise.
Characteristically, full-frame cameras also offer shallower depth of field than cameras with smaller sensors, which is great for separating a portrait subject from the background – but conversely, an APS-C sensor may make it easier to achieve front-to-back sharpness in a landscape shot.
Which Canon cameras shoot 8K video?
Canon EOS R5
Canon EOS R5 C
Canon introduced 8K video recording with the EOS R5 in mid-2020. In early 2022, this was joined by the EOS R5 C, which has many features in common with the EOS R5. As well as allowing incredible levels of detail to be recorded, shooting in 8K gives greater flexibility for post-capture cropping and creative reframing, as well as downsampling to the required output resolution.
Which Canon cameras have in-body image stabilisation (IBIS)?
Canon EOS R3
Canon EOS R5
Canon EOS R6 Mark II
Canon EOS R6
Canon EOS R7
Canon pioneered lens-based image stabilisation, but the EOS R5 and EOS R6 were the first Canon cameras to include sensor-shifting in-body image stabilisation (IBIS), which also features in the newer EOS R3 and EOS R7. This technology compensates for motion in five axes and can deliver up to 8-stops of compensation, depending on the lens being used. With some lenses with a large image circle, such as the RF 28-70mm F2L USM and RF 85mm F1.2L USM, the system can deliver up to 8-stops of IS even though the lenses do not have built-in optical stabilisation. When you use a lens with optical IS, the two IS systems work in tandem, giving enhanced performance against a wider range of vibrations than one system alone would correct.
This level of stabilisation enables you to achieve sharp images at much slower shutter speeds without having to mount the camera on a tripod, and handheld video footage will look much steadier.
The term IBIS conventionally refers to a particular sensor-shifting image stabilisation technology. Several cameras have different IS technologies built-in. The EOS R10, EOS RP, EOS R, EOS 6D Mark II and EOS 90D, for example, incorporate Movie Digital IS to reduce visible camera shake in video footage. Professional camcorders including the EOS C500 Mark II, EOS C300 Mark III, EOS R5 C and EOS C70 have advanced 5-axis Electronic IS, which achieves extremely smooth and stable video performance when the user is walking or panning.
Which Canon cameras have Animal Eye Detection AF?
Canon EOS R3
Canon EOS R5
Canon EOS R6 Mark II
Canon EOS R6
Canon EOS R7
Canon EOS R10
Animal Eye Detection AF was introduced with the EOS R5 and EOS R6 in mid-2020. It is one of a range of advanced autofocus features designed to assist photographers to get sharp shots of moving or elusive subjects such as human athletes in action, racing cars in motion, or birds in flight. On cameras that have this option, you can set Subject to detect to Animals and then enable Eye Detection. With these settings, the AF will look for animals (dogs, cats or birds) in the frame and prioritise these as the main subjects to track, locking on to their eyes if these can be detected.
Without Animal Eye Detection, the photographer would have to select an appropriate-size AF point and then try to keep it over the animal's eye while taking photographs. With Animal Eye Detection AF, however, the camera looks for eyes in the frame and focuses on them automatically, making it much easier to get the most important part of the subject sharp, especially with tricky subjects like birds in flight.
Which Canon cameras have focus bracketing?
Canon EOS R3
Canon EOS R5
Canon EOS R6 Mark II
Canon EOS R6
Canon EOS RP
Canon EOS R7
Canon EOS R10
Canon EOS 90D
Canon EOS M6 Mark II
Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II
Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III
Focus bracketing sets the camera to shoot a series of images in quick succession with the focus distance automatically changing by small increments between each shot. These images can then be combined post-capture, using features such as Depth Compositing in Canon's free Digital Photo Professional (DPP) software, to create a single image with greater depth of field – in other words, more of the shot in focus – than would normally be possible. It's especially useful with macro subjects because depth of field is severely limited when the subject is very close, but it can also be helpful in landscape photography.
Focus bracketing was introduced in the EOS RP in early 2019 and is included in all EOS R System cameras released since (with the exception of the EOS R5 C, because of its primary focus on high production video before still photography). It's also available on the EOS 90D in Live View mode and on some PowerShot models.
The EOS R7 and EOS R10 introduce the further option of in-camera depth compositing and cropping of depth-composite images, enabling you to check the results immediately.
Don't confuse focus bracketing with focus stacking. The two are related, but the latter is another term for depth compositing – combining multiple images with different parts of the subject in focus – and these images could be taken manually. DPP's Depth Compositing feature supports stacking of a set of images shot at different focal distances on the EOS 5D Mark IV, for example, which does not have a focus bracketing function. Focus bracketing is a camera feature that automates the shooting process.
Which Canon cameras have clean HDMI output?
Canon EOS R3
Canon EOS R5
Canon EOS R5 C
Canon EOS R6 Mark II
Canon EOS R6
Canon EOS R
Canon EOS RP
Canon EOS R7
Canon EOS R10
Canon EOS-1D X Mark III
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Canon EOS 6D Mark II
Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Canon EOS 90D
Canon EOS M50 Mark II
Canon EOS M6 Mark II
Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II
Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III
All Canon Cinema EOS cameras
All Canon professional video cameras
A clean HMDI output means that the video feed from a camera to an external recorder or livestream doesn't show any of the information that you see in the viewfinder. That's important because you don't want things like the audio levels and exposure details to be visible in the final video.
All of Canon's current high-end enthusiast and professional-level cameras with HDMI ports are capable of outputting clean video to an external recorder via their HDMI connection. All Canon Cinema EOS cine cameras and Canon professional camcorders can do the same – simply toggle Output Onscreen Display to Off using the menu or DISP button where applicable.
Which Canon cameras are weather-sealed?
Canon EOS R3
Canon EOS R5 C
Canon EOS R5
Canon EOS R6 Mark II
Canon EOS R6
Canon EOS R
Canon EOS R7
Canon EOS-1D X Mark III
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Canon EOS 6D Mark II
Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Canon EOS 90D
Modern cameras, as your camera manual warns, are precision instruments. Complex electronic devices with moving parts, such as dials and removable lenses, can never be made completely waterproof and should never be immersed in water. However, all of Canon's advanced mirrorless and DSLR cameras are designed to be dust- and drip-resistant to some extent. So are selected Canon lenses including the RF 50mm F1.2L USM and RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM.
Professional photographers are more likely to be shooting in a range of challenging conditions, so the higher-spec camera models such as the EOS R3 and EOS-1D X Mark III have the highest levels of dust- and water-resistance, with seals around every joint, screw and opening.
Different lenses and accessories such as Speedlite flash units also offer different levels of water-resistance. Selected lenses have a rubber gasket that marries up with the rubber gasket on the lens mount, but even on these lenses there might be more vulnerable points at the front or along an extending barrel.
In all cases, you should take every precaution to prevent liquids, dust or any foreign objects from getting into the camera. Don't try to change lenses in a sandstorm! As the manual advises, keep the terminal cover, battery compartment cap, card slot cover and all other covers firmly closed. On cameras with a built-in flash, watch out for a potential leak point where the flash unit closes against the camera body. If you're using a weather-resistant Speedlite with a conventional 5-pin foot on the latest cameras with a multi-function hot shoe such as the EOS R3 or EOS R7, use the Canon Multi-Function Shoe Adapter AD-E1 to maintain the Speedlite's weather sealing. When a Speedlite is not being used, ensure that the supplied hot shoe covers for the EOS R3, EOS R7 and EOS R10 are used to maintain weather sealing.
Which Canon cameras have built-in Wi-Fi?
Canon EOS R3
Canon EOS R5 C
Canon EOS R5
Canon EOS R6 Mark II
Canon EOS R6
Canon EOS R
Canon EOS RP
Canon EOS R7
Canon EOS R10
Canon EOS-1D X Mark III
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Canon EOS 6D Mark II
Canon EOS 90D
Canon EOS 2000D
Canon EOS 250D
Canon EOS 4000D
Canon EOS 850D
Canon EOS M50 Mark II
Canon EOS M6 Mark II
Canon XF705
Canon XF605
Canon XF405/XF400
Canon EOS C200
Canon EOS C100 Mark II
Canon PowerShot ZOOM
Wi-Fi-equipped Canon compact cameras
Canon EOS R System cameras, selected DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, plus a number of Canon compact cameras all have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology built in for seamless connectivity with smart devices. They enable the camera to be controlled remotely via the Canon Camera Connect app and images to be transferred to the paired device without a cable connection, then optionally onwards to compatible wireless printers and cloud storage or sharing platforms. On some models you can share directly to your social media accounts, account settings permitting.
Rather than Bluetooth, some models such as the EOS 5D Mark IV have NFC technology to help pair them with a smart device and use the Wi-Fi connectivity for remote control and image sharing.
In Canon's Cinema EOS line of pro cine cameras, the EOS C200 and EOS C100 Mark II have built-in Wi-Fi for FTP file transfer and browser-based remote control. So do Canon's XF Series pro camcorders.
Which Canon cameras have a rotating screen?
Canon EOS R3
Canon EOS R5 C
Canon EOS R5
Canon EOS R6 Mark II
Canon EOS R6
Canon EOS R
Canon EOS RP
Canon EOS R7
Canon EOS R10
Canon EOS 6D Mark II
Canon EOS 90D
Canon EOS 850D
Canon EOS 77D
Canon EOS 90D
Canon EOS 250D
Canon EOS M50 Mark II
Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III
Canon PowerShot G5 X
Canon PowerShot SX70 HS
A fully-articulated rotating or Vari-Angle screen is major bonus when you're shooting at an angle or from above or below head-height, because the screen adjusts laterally as well as vertically, meaning you can twist the display into position to give a clear view from almost any angle. Unlike a tilting or flip screen, which adjusts only in one plane, this is of use when the camera is in portrait orientation as well as landscape orientation and increases your options for creative shooting.
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