If you’re looking for a DSLR, a Canon is usually a very good choice. Pretty much all the models in the Canon range are capable of taking great pictures, and with a great range of lenses – including a huge second hand market – and easy to use controls, it’s easy to see why Canon DSLRs are so popular. However, when looking for your Canon DSLR, you’ve probably noticed that Canon uses a pretty confusing naming scheme for its cameras. To help you work out which camera is which, and what these names actually mean, keep reading.
Canon model numbers explained
All Canon DSLR cameras in the UK at least have the prefix EOS, so you can pretty much ignore that part of the model name immediately. Instead, the first way to differentiate Canon DSLR models is by looking at the amount of digits its its name. Strangely, and rather counter-intuitively, Canon DSLRs with less digits – for example EOS XD, are actually more sophisticated than those with more digits – like the EOS XXXD. Mosre confusingly each range or level, such as the XD range or the XXXD range, has its own set of naming conventions.
XD model names
In the one-digit XD range, the higher the model number, the less advanced the camera. That’s why the 1D is the most advanced, professional grade DSLR Canon sells, while the 6D isn’t as sophisticated. It’s important to note however, that Canon will often update DSLRs without completely changing their names. So the 5D Mark IV represents the fourth, and newest version of the 5D for example.
XXD model names and lower
However, in the XXD range, the larger the model number, the better and newer the camera. For example, the 70D has recently been replaced by the all-new, and rather good 80D, and Canon has recently released the 77D, a newer camera that’s a small step down compared to the 80D.
In the XXXD range, models are named in the same way, so the higher the number, the better the camera; so the 800D is superior to the 700D. The same is true of the XXXXD range too, as the 1300D should be better than the 1200D.
However, it’s important to remember that these rules do not apply between ranges, and only make sense in their XX range. To give an example, the 760D is better than the 750D, but both are superior to the 1000D.
It’s pretty incredible for a technology company such as Canon to have such a strange naming scheme, and it’s clearly confusing for people when choosing which DSLR to buy. However, with this guide, and our extensive Canon camera reviews, you should be able to buy the best camera for you.