4 Tiles Showing the 4 Recommended Canon DSLRs for 2022

The Best Canon DSLR Cameras for 2022

Mirrorless has really taken over the scene but we still wanted to check in on the state of Canon DSLR cameras for 2022 to make some recommendations. Many still prefer the feel and operation of DSLRs over mirrorless cameras. Perhaps you have a heavy investment in lenses and want to stick to EF mount systems. Canon has announced they will not be creating successors for their flagship models. However, the DSLRs they have out now are still very popular and good choices for many shooters. Read on to learn about them.

Canon 5D Mark IV, Canon Rebel T8i, Canon 1D X Mark III, and Canon 90D on a desk with a printer, some pencils, and a book.

#1 Canon 5D Mark IV: The Best All-Around Canon DSLR

The Canon 5D Mark IV is a powerhouse suitable for just about every kind of shooter there is: fast enough for some action/wildlife situations, a great upgrade for portrait and landscape shooters, and a robust, approachable system for videography. The 30.4MP is enough for most portrait needs while the 7 FPS shooting speed is quick enough to cover your basic events, like weddings and parties (though it may be too slow for wildlife and sports shooters). The 3.2″ touchscreen is nice but in a fixed position. The card slots are feeling a bit dated, accepting one CF card and one UHS-I SD card. Most would prefer UHS-II or CFexpress but if you are already invested in some sizable CF cards from prior models, this might be a bonus to you.

Canon 5D Mark IV on a desk with a Petzval lens mounted.

Overall, the ISO is good, it shoots 4K, and offers a good amount of ports (microphone, headphones, PC Sync In – but does not offer full size HDMI, just Mini HDMI). It has Movie Servo AF and Dual Pixel CMOS AF but no IBIS. If you loved the form factor and layout of the 5D Mark III then your only real upgrade option is the 5D Mark IV unless you want to make the jump to mirrorless. There are pro shooters still using their 5D Mark IIIs on gigs – or at the very least as backup cameras – so the Mark IV is still a viable option, even in the face of the much-flashier EOS R lineup.

#2 Canon 1D X Mark III: The Best Canon DSLR for Video and High-Speed Photograpy

The Canon 1D X Mark III is Canon’s last flagship DSLR. Fortunately, it was set up for staying power, thanks to a cutting-edge image processor that is 380x faster than the Canon 1D X Mark II and processes imagery 3x quicker (and the 1D X Mark II was no slouch to begin with). Sports shooters will enjoy continuous shooting speeds up to 16 FPS with the viewfinder and up to 20 FPS in Live View mode with both AF and AE tracking. Causal videographers will appreciate Dual Pixel CMOS AF with 3,869 manually-selectable AF positions that are complemented by a sophisticated Touch AF system for intuitive rack focusing. More serious videographers will get a lot of mileage out of 5.5K raw out. This camera also rocks the same electronic stabilization system as the Canon EOS R. Overall, in the Canon DSLR world you can’t do better than the 1D X Mark III.

Canon 1D X Mark III next to notepad and pencils.

#3 Canon 90D: The Best Budget Canon DSLR

The Canon 90D is kind of like the crop sensor version of the 5D Mark IV. It offers a 32.5MP APS-C (1.6x crop) sensor, UHD 4K recording, Dual Pixel CMOS AF, and 11 FPS shooting speed. The ISO is decent and is equipped with a UHS-II SD slot. The touchscreen is fully articulating. The 90D is the perfect all-around camera for anyone not married to owning a full frame sensor. It is suitable for a wide range of subjects but is particularly ideal for travel, vlogging, multimedia projects, and simple everyday shooting.

Canon 90D on top of a copy of Dune on a desk with a Petzval lens mounted.

#4 Canon Rebel T8i: The Best Travel Canon DSLR

The Canon Rebel T8i is very similar to the 90D but just less souped up. It’s a bit slower (7.5 FPS vs 11 FPS), offers only UHS-I SD slot (slower write speeds, smaller buffer), and overall offers smaller file sizes. But it’s incredibly travel-friendly, is equipped with vlogger-friendly vertical video (the first Canon DSLR to offer it), records UHD 4K, has Movie Servo AF and Movie Digital IS, and sports an articulating touchscreen. The T8i has a simple layout and is a very approachable system for any new shooter.

Canon Rebel T8i laying on a notepad.

Conclusion

Picking the best DSLR from the Canon lineup can be a challenge and things get even trickier when the industry is very strongly trying to convince you to go mirrorless. While we love our new mirrorless offerings, there are a lot of reasons to maybe stick with DSLR. By and large, the battery life is good (no EVF to have to power). Composing on a pentaprism/pentamirror is more natural for some – it’s hard to beat having the light essentially directly reflected to your eye, especially when shooting low-key-lighting scenes. Lastly, the Canon EF mount ecosystem has a long history – so you just have a massive selection of native lenses to choose from vs the RF mount counterpart. Of course there are adapters, but those have their own drawbacks.

As everyone shifts to mirrorless, you may enjoy some of the resale pricing of DSLR gear. Whatever your photography goals are, the perfect camera is out there for you. We hope that this guide made finding your next camera a little bit easier!

Mark has been passionate about photography for over ten years and has photographed subjects ranging from fine art landscapes and portraits to commercial and product photography. Mark studied photography at Parsons: The New School For Design and earned his Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Photography from the San Francisco Art Institute studying under photographic legends like Jack Fulton, Henry Wessel Jr, and Darcy Padilla.

8 Comments

  • Argiris Eskitzis

    very nice

  • Yusuf

    This is a great article. Very insightful. Thanks for the post.

  • AKlassen

    Thankyou for your help. Many of my questions answered and it gave a clear description on the differences between the cameras. Thanks again!

  • RentOclicK

    Your post was really helpful and most of my doubts were cleared.

  • Tanya Boggs

    I’m curious why you don’t think the 5d Mark iv is best for video seeing that it’s 4k and why it’s listed in the Professional Listing at the top yet never discussed in detail. Any thoughts about the Mark iv?

  • Deep Singh

    Really. It’s a good brand (Canon) for camera.

  • Lucy

    I hardly ever bother leaving comments on articles, but I felt that I owed it to the author for this wonderful article. I’m an intermediate-level photographer and I’ve been trying to find the best camera for my next steps (I’ve been using an EOS Rebel T5i for a while). Your article provided the detailed explanation of the differences between 6D and the 80D that I’ve been looking for. Thank you very much!

  • Daniel Sifuentes

    I really like the breakdown of which camera is best for which purpose.

Comments are closed.

Get 20% your first rental with promo code BLOG20

Cameras
Mirrorless, Medium
Format and more.

Lenses
Anamorphic, Cinema,
Wide Angle and more.

Lighting
Aputure, Manfrotto,
Profoto and more.

About BL

BorrowLenses is an online camera gear rental service that started in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2007. We offer a wide selection of camera gear ranging from camera bodies, lenses, lighting and accessories. We make it easy to rent gear by shipping your order straight to you.