The Best Canon Digital Cameras: Which one should you buy?

Canon is one of the best known and biggest-selling camera manufacturers in the world. It makes cameras that are suitable for first-time shooters, serious enthusiasts and professional photographers capturing news events, sport, commercial images and portraits.

There's everything from instant cameras that give you a print wherever you're shooting, to compact cameras with a fixed zoom lens, mirrorless full-frame and APS-C format cameras and an extensive range of DSLRs. So let's take a more detailed look at what's on offer.

The Newest Instant Camera - Canon Zoemini

A great gift and perfect for use at events and occasions. The latest and greatest instant camera available.

Zoemini is the name for Canon's new range of Instant cameras that use ink-free printing technology to give you prints immediately after you've taken your shot.

The cameras are all pocket-sized and lightweight yet have a 10-sheet paper capacity. They're great fun for parties, days out and get-togethers.

Should you buy a Canon Ixus Digital Camera?

This the perfect travel camera for families on the go. Great quality, inexpensive and easy to carry anywhere.

The Ixus range of compact cameras is designed to be slipped in a pocket and taken everywhere.

At under £100, the Canon Ixus 185 is a great alternative to shooting on your phone. It has a 20Mp sensor and an 8x optic zoom, but its digital zoom can take it to 16x.

It's also designed to be easy to use and has a tremendous Smart Auto shooting mode, AiAF (Face Detection) and HD movie recording capability.

Alternatively, the Ixus 285 HS has a 20Mp sensor that's paired with a 12x optical zoom that's equivalent to a 25-300mm lens. It also has Wi-Fi connectivity built-in so it can connect to a smartphone for super-quick image sharing and there's Full HD video recording.

Canon PowerShot Cameras are more full-featured than Ixus cameras

Powershot cameras have more advanced features and improved video recording. Perfect for serious travel enthusiasts and content creators that want to give their Instagram professional curation.

Canon's PowerShot range is more extensive than the Ixus range, and it includes superzoom and bridge cameras as well as models aimed at experienced photographers.

Starting at £179 for the 20Mp Canon PowerShot SX620 (no longer available) HS, which has a 25x zoom, Wi-Fi and NFC, there are models to suit all budgets. Jump up to £299, for instance, and there's the 20Mp PowerShot SX730 HS (no longer available) which has an incredible 40x zoom lens, a screen that tilts upwards through 180-degrees for comfortable selfie shooting, Intelligent Image Stabilisation and Bluetooth to enable a constant connection to your smartphone.

If you want something that gives you even more control, there's plenty on offer but the PowerShot G7 X Mark II is incredibly popular. It has a 1.0-inch type sensor and a bright f/1.8-2.8 lens, a 3-inch tilting touch-screen and a mode dial with PASM options alongside scene and auto mode for less experienced photographers.

For the ultimate in Canon compact cameras, take a look at the PowerShot G1X Mark II. This has a 24Mp APS-C format sensor along with the equivalent of a 24-72mm lens and the type of control you expect from a DSLR.

Canon EOS Cameras are interchangeable lens cameras including DSLRs

This range of cameras is suitable for enthusiasts all the way up to professionals. If you intend on improving your photography as a hobby or a marketable skill, this is where you need to be.

Canon's EOS range of interchangeable lens cameras includes mirrorless and DSLR models with full-frame and APS-C format sensors. The different types of cameras within the range also have different lens mounts, so it's important to be clear about each one.

The Canon EF mount, which is on Canon's full-frame DSLRs like the EOS-1DX Mark III, 5D Mark IV and 6D Mark II, has been around for over 30 years. It means that there's a vast selection of lenses available for it.

Meanwhile, the EF-S mount is used on Canon's APS-C format cameras. You can use EF-mount lenses on EF-S mount cameras, but you can't use EF-S lenses on EF-mount cameras.

The EOS 7D Mark II is the flagship APS-C format DSLR in Canon's range. However, the 24Mp EOS 90D gives it a good run for its money and its 45-point AF system, 7fps shooting rate and flip-out touchscreen make it a popular choice for many enthusiast photographers.

Beneath 7D Mark II, there are models such as the EOS 77D, 800D and 2000D which are aimed at novices investing in their first interchangeable lens camera. Their feature-set varies with the price, but they all have one thing in common, Canon's superb understanding of images quality.

EOS M

Canon EOS M cameras have an APS-C format sensor and the EF-M lens mount. They include models such as the top-end EOS M5 and the more budget-conscious EOS M50.

Thanks to its fabulous image quality, a vari-angle screen, superb focusing and compact size, the M50 has proved a big hit with vloggers, but it's an excellent choice for everyday and travel photography too.

Like the M5, the M50 has mini-DSLR-like handling and controls. You can let the camera do the work in full-auto mode, or you can take complete control and shoot in manual exposure mode.
Should you buy a Canon Ixus Digital Camera?

EOS R

Canon's new EOS R range of cameras, which includes the EOS R and EOS RP, have a full-frame sensor and the new RF lens mount.

The 30Mp EOS R is the more advanced of the two cameras, while the EOS RP is the smallest and most affordable full-frame Canon camera at launch.

As the EOS R range is new, there are only a few RF-mount lenses available, but you can mount an EF-EOS R adapter to use DSLR lenses on these Mirrorless bodies.