What is the best Canon camera for portraits? We have compiled a list of the best canon cameras for portrait photography. You need to check out this list if you are a lifestyle or wedding photographer and take a lot of portraits.
Every photographer, no matter a novice or a professional, likes to capture the best possible images of his subjects. Even an ordinary smartphone can create excellent portrait images in 2022. However, you need to buy a good camera if you want to take your portrait photography skills to the next level. It will also enable you to take highest quality images of your loved ones, clients, or whomsoever you are photographing.
Best Canon Camera Models List for Portraits
The following are the best Canon cameras for portraits. Our experts have selected these cameras after testing them for all the parameters including the number of megapixels, raw format capabilities, and size of the viewfinder, manual configuration options, autofocus, and availability of lenses.
| Image | Model Name | Sensor | Check Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Canon EOS 6D Mark II |
| Check Price |
 | Canon EOS 5DS R |
| Check Price |
 | Canon EOS 5D Mark III |
| Check Price |
 | Canon EOS Rebel T7i |
| Check Price |
 | Canon EOS 250D |
| Check Price |
 | Canon PowerShot G7 X |
| Check Price |
 | Canon EOS 5D Mark IV |
| Check Price |
 | Canon EOS 7D Mark II |
| Check Price |
 | Canon EOS 80D |
| Check Price |
 | Canon EOS-1DX Mark II |
| Check Price |
1. Canon EOS 6D Mark II Digital SLR Camera: Best Camera for Portraits
Available for less than $1500, this is the best canon camera for portraits for beginners who don’t have thousands of dollars to splash on a camera. However, a large number of professionals also use it for its amazing features and qualities.
The camera’s main selling points are a moveable touchscreen display and a new 26.2Mp Full-Frame CMOS sensor with higher resolution. Other important features of the camera include DIGIC 7 image processor and a full HD video at 60fps. The 45 AF cross points in the viewfinder are also quite impressive.
As a result, you can take captivating portraits of the highest quality. The camera is also known for its amazing image quality. All the images have excellent details and extremely pleasing colors, thanks to the excellent color rendering.
Recommend Portrait Lens
We would like to recommend a third party lens for Canon EOS 6D Mark II. The Sigma 85m f/1.4DG HSM Art Lens for Canon EF is a great lens for taking sharp colorful images with fascinating bokeh.
2. Canon EOS 5DS R Digital SLR Camera: Best for Studio Portraits
You must consider the Canon EOS 5DS R Digital SLR camera if you are a fashion photographer. The camera can revitalize your advertising campaigns and magazine shoots as it produces extremely detailed and clear images. The high-quality macro lens coupled with magnificent 50MP CMOS sensor results in maximum details as well. The appearance of the moiré may not be as expected because the camera lacks a low-pass filter. However, it has a much better dynamic range than cameras like 5D Mark III.
Recommended Portrait Lens
For this camera, we would recommend the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens. Fashion photographers wildly use macro lenses in their beauty portrait photoshoots for achieving maximum micro contrast. As a result, even the smallest areas of the skin and the pores are clearly visible. It also makes it easier to edit them.
3. Canon EOS 5D Mark III Full Frame Camera: Best for Wedding Portraits
Canon EOS 5D Mark III is the second best Canon camera for portraits after Canon EOS 7D Mark II in our opinion. The camera has a highly advanced 22-105mm CMOS sensor with 22 megapixels resolution. The 6 frames per second continuous shooting and 61 point autofocus system also helps you get some seriously good portraits.
It is also an ideal camera for shooting weddings in the field as well as in studios thanks to the extended ISO range of 100-25600. The DIGIC 5 image processor and high resolution also offer exceptional sharpness and clarity which are vital for fashion portrait photography.
4. Canon EOS Rebel T7i Digital SLR Camera: Best Budget Canon Camera for Portraits
Canon EOS Rebel T7i is yet another excellent camera for beginners to get going in portrait photography. The camera has a reduced number of mid-tones because of its relatively smaller size. However, it is not much of a problem in portrait photography. The mid-tone range is of secondary importance when it comes to producing fabulous contrasting frames.
Moreover, the camera has excellent autofocus, a prerequisite for portraits. The new photographers will also find the latest version of the touchscreen with a swivel design quite easy to use. The ISO range of up to 3200 also results in high image quality in dimly lit places. Other noticeable features of the camera are 45 autofocus points and a continuous shooting speed of 6fps both of which produce excellent details.
As for shortcomings, the camera only has 95% viewfinder coverage.
5. Canon EOS Rebel SL3/EOS 250D: Best Entry-level Camera for Portraits
Canon EOS Rebel SL3/EOS 250D is an entry-level Canon DLSR camera. It is the ideal camera for you if you are getting started with portraits. The camera comes with a 24.1MP APS-C CMOS sensor and phase-detection autofocus via viewfinder as well.
It is a well-spaced out yet very small camera. You can also use it as a travel camera besides using it for taking wedding and fashion photographs. The camera has a fully articulating touchscreen, perfect for self-portraits also known as selfies. The touchscreen ensures perfect framing by facing all the way forwards.
As mentioned above, you can also upgrade the camera as well as the supplied lens with a vast variety of Canon accessories.
Similarly, the camera also includes a kit lens which will help you get started. However, you can also upgrade to a lens with a long focal length and wide aperture if you are serious about your portraits.
Recommended Portrait Lens
The best portrait lens or Canon EOS Rebel SL3/EOS 250D is the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM. It is a low price 50mm lens that can meet most of your requirements. Furthermore, it is equal to a 75mm lens on this particular camera.
6. Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II Digital Camera: Best Multipurpose Canon Camera
Canon PowerShot G7X Mark II is a very cheap Canon camera. It is a multipurpose camera which you can also use for taking superb portraits. It features a new and large 1.0 inch 20MP CMOS sensor with very high resolution. The wide dynamic range also enables you to take breathtaking images as well as videos. The autofocus system also has the both manual focus and the autofocus.
The universal high aperture lens and DIGIC 7 optical image stabilizer result in high details and contrasts, necessary for producing high-quality portraits. The camera also excels in low light thanks to a high ISO range. It is equipped with full HD capability as well as a continuous shooting speed of up to 8fps.
7. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV Full Frame DSLR Camera: Best Canon Full-Frame Camera for Portraits
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is the best Canon full Frame camera for portraits. It offers an upgraded 30.4MP full-frame CMOS sensor with a wider dynamic range compared to competitive models. The wider dynamic range plays a crucial part when it comes to taking beautiful portraits at night.
Similarly, the camera has a reduced noise which was a big problem with the previous models. Therefore, the skin stays bright and natural, reducing the time you had to spend on retouching and repurposing the photos. The camera produces excellent portraits even at ISO 12,800.
Recommended Portrait Lens
The Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM is the recommended lens for Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. It is a very popular lens among portrait photographers even though it was released way back in 1996. It offers excellent sharpness and magical bokeh. Similarly, there is no chromatic aberration at all.
8. Canon EOS 7D Mark II DSLR Camera: Best Camera for Professional Portraits
The best canon camera for portraits for professionals is Canon EOS 7D Mark II. It has the most advanced 20.2MP APS-C CMOS sensor in the world at the moment. The autofocus is also second to none. The autofocus excels no matter you are using the display or having the live view through the viewfinder.
The camera also has a large buffer and the high burst speed of 10fps is ideal for event photography. The ISO range of 100-16000 and high resolution means you can use this camera in almost every situation from dynamic broadcast to the studio and field photography. More importantly, you don’t require any skills or technical expertise to use this camera.
Recommended Portrait Lens
The camera has a narrow viewing angle of 135mm and therefore, it needs an excellent portrait lens. Thankfully, we have Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 II USM lens. This particular lens is slower, less sharp, and heavier compared to the supplied EF 135mm lens. Similarly, it blurs the background masterfully and draws a soft picture by opening to f/1.2.
9. Canon EOS 80D Digital SLR Camera: Best for Shooting Raw Portraits
Canon EOS 80D is the best Canon DSLR camera for portraits and for good reasons. It has an ergonomic design along with a convenient swivel touch display. It offers high-quality images even at an ISO range of 3200.
The camera features a new 24.2MP APS-C CMOS sensor. The sensor enables you to take brilliant images at high ISOs up to 6400. As a result, you can draw highlights and shadows from the RAW files quite easily. The 45 point Dual Pixel CMOS autofocus allows you to focus the subject both in the live view and video shooting. The high volume of buffer and a continuous shooting speed of 7fps while RAW shooting is what you expect at this price. The speed is over 100 fps while shooting JPEG.
Recommended Portrait Lens
Sigma 35mm F1.4 AT DG HSM is the ideal portrait lens for Canon EOS 80D. 35mm lenses are growing in popularity because of their moderate wide angle. Such an angle makes the lens perfect for portrait shooting, architecture, street portraits, studio portraits, and landscapes. Similarly, the 35mm lens works and offers a beautiful design and 1.4 aperture at a very affordable price.
10. Canon EOS-1DX Mark II DSLR Camera: Best in Class Canon Camera for Portraits
Canon EOS-1DX Mark II DSLR camera is the best canon camera for portraits by a fair distance. It produces fabulous images including portraits in all kinds of lighting conditions. That is why portrait photographers wildly use it for events and street shooting.
Priced just above $3000, it is an expensive camera. However, it is worth its price because of its highly advanced features. Some of these features include continuous shooting speed of 14 fps and 16 fps at full HD RAW and in Live Vie respectively. The DIGIC 6 image processor further enables you to capture amazing pictures.
The 61 points wide-area autofocus system greatly enhances the performance of autofocus. You can also convert your camera into a fully functional high-quality webcam.
Another reason why portrait photographers like this camera is its ability to connect to the network by wire. It not only transmits videos and images but you can also control it remotely. It can also send images via Live View.
Recommended Portrait Lens
We recommend using Canon EF 35mm F/1.4L II USM for this camera. It is the best professional Canon lens mostly used for blurring the background.
Why Canon Portrait Cameras are the Best?
Almost all the companies make portrait cameras. Sony and Fujifilm have introduced some terrific cameras in the market. However, none of them comes close to Canon portrait cameras for four main reasons.
1. Perfect Color Rendering
The first reason canon portrait cameras are so popular is their perfect color rendering. Of course, you can perform color correction on your portraits using professional editing software such as Capture One and Lightroom. The software will considerably enhance the color quality of the images irrespective of the camera you are using. However, Canon offers excellent colors by default. You don’t need to use additional software for color rendering or correction. The only other company that can compete with Canon in this aspect is Fujifilm.
2. Canon Cameras are Popular
Canon portrait full frame cameras are the best-selling portrait cameras in the world nowadays. It means you can easily buy an excellent canon portrait camera from the market. More importantly, all the required camera accessories such as compatible Canon lenses are also available in abundance.
3. Wide Variety of Models
Canon offers a wide variety of models to its customers. Canon manufactures all kinds of cameras including DSLRs, mirrorless cameras, and point and shoot, etc. Similarly, these cameras are available in different matrices, designs, and prices. As a result, they have a portrait camera for all kinds of photographers. On the other hand, Panasonic makes portrait cameras only in 4/3 matrices whereas Fujifilm and Sony have little to no DSLR variety.
4. Wide Variety of Optics
Canon leaves its competitors way behind when it comes to making a wide range of lenses. They do understand that a good lens will dramatically improve the performance of even an average camera. The Legendary L series of lenses is extremely popular among photographers despite their high price because they offer extraordinary images.
Similarly, professional canon full frame portrait cameras also allow you to use a budget lens pricing no more than $150 to a great effect. This is especially helpful for people with a limited budget.
How to Buy the Best Canon Camera for Portraits?
As you may know, there are different types of portrait photography such as studio portraiture, wedding portraiture, street portraiture, fashion portraiture, and even environmental portraiture. The choice of portrait camera depends on what kind of portrait photography you are interested in or plan to do.
For instance, the beauty industry requires you to print portraits and other photos in large format. As the beauty portraits are normally used for advertisement, your Canon portrait camera must have a high number of megapixels.
However, there are also some general factors you need to keep in mind while shopping for a portrait camera.
1. Availability of Lenses
First and foremost, go for the camera which is compatible with your favorite lens and vice versa. For example, Canon EOS R does not support Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM lens because it has an RF lens mount instead of an EF mount. You can use an adapter to mount the lens on EOS R but it is always better to buy a lens and camera which are compatible with each other.
2. Number of Megapixels
The best Canon camera for portrait should always a high number of pixels, especially if you are using it for fashion photography. Go for the camera with at least 30MP because you are going to use the portraits for magazines and other large format printing. It is also easy to retouch high-resolution images to further improve their quality.
3. Viewfinder
You must find a camera with a large viewfinder no matter electronic or optical. It should display everything that gets into your frame. Beware that some cameras don’t have 100% viewfinder coverage.
4. RAW Format Capabilities
Not to mention, the portrait camera should always have RAW shooting capabilities. This is especially important when it comes to editing digital images.
5. The Ability to Focus on Eyes
Eyes are the main focal point or attraction in any portrait. Therefore, every portrait camera should have the capability to exclusively find the eyes and focus on them. Similarly, it should follow the eyes if the subject is moving.
6. Manual Configuration Options
You should be able to manually adjust your Canon portrait camera. Portrait images normally have eyes as the main focal point as well as a blurred background. You can achieve this through the automatic mode. However, the automatic mode will completely ignore the artistic component, producing images only with acceptable colors. Therefore, the camera should have a manual mode for attaining the best result.
Final Thoughts
With this, we concluding our guide to the best Canon camera for portraits. Let us know if you will buy or have bought any of these cameras. We would also like you to share your experience of using these cameras with us in the comment section.