Clearly you were capable of correct exposure. The camera wasn’t for those that habitually underexposed !
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The 10 Most Important Canon EOS Digital Cameras of All-Time
- Thread starter Canon Rumors
- Start date
I think the 1D MarkII deserves a place on the list. That was the camera that really got serious wildlife photographers to switch over to digital from film. That was a very productive time in my life for photography and I still go back to those files and reprocess them and make great looking prints. I had the 1D Mark III for a couple of years and I never had any focusing issues with it. The 1D Mark 4 was my all time favorite DSLR and the the last one I owned before going 100% mirrorless. Canon to this day still hasn't offered a gripped body that can power the big whites with a bigger pixel density than the 1D4, which would be about 27mp if it was full frame.
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A good read but I must disagree with your view on the 5DSr. It was made for big scenes and/or fine detail. Many studio shooters product/fashion still use this body as the later offerings don't improve their results. I wish I had not sold mine but it was a heavy beast and I'm not getting any younger!
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Looking back at the 6D, we should be grateful for what we have today. That camera was actually pretty overated back then, totaly unsoficient by modern standards. I’m fully aware that many photographers literally built their careers on it, but considering that it could barely autofocus using anything other than the center point, it’s no surprise that people often relied on its Live View, before the dual-pixel era Live View instead. In today’s money, body would cost roughly $2,920.
I know the technology wasn’t fully mature yet, and large sensors were objectively expensive, but there’s also another side to the coin. Smartphones were still largely irrelevant in 2013, so dedicated cameras had a clear path to whatever value manufacturers assigned to them.
I know the technology wasn’t fully mature yet, and large sensors were objectively expensive, but there’s also another side to the coin. Smartphones were still largely irrelevant in 2013, so dedicated cameras had a clear path to whatever value manufacturers assigned to them.
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Most impactful...
5DII (video + 1Ds3 resolution)
300D first DSLR under $1000
20D (first under $2000?)
D30 (first DSLR?)
1Ds (first fullframe)
Maybe M series after that...
Verdict is out on R1/R5-2 with AI autofocus.
I think you could get away wth just a top 5.
The top 5 listed here changed the marketplace. The R1/R5m2 have not changed the market place or at least not yet.
5DII (video + 1Ds3 resolution)
300D first DSLR under $1000
20D (first under $2000?)
D30 (first DSLR?)
1Ds (first fullframe)
Maybe M series after that...
Verdict is out on R1/R5-2 with AI autofocus.
I think you could get away wth just a top 5.
The top 5 listed here changed the marketplace. The R1/R5m2 have not changed the market place or at least not yet.
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The R3 should have the R1’s spot on the list as a trailblazer and milestone camera—it’s where Canon figured out how to implement stacked sensors and re-introduced eye control focus into the line-up.
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For me, it was initially the 10D - my first DSLR. I kind of stumbled into the situation when the back door latch (the one that keeps the film in the camera and not exposed) broke and my sister was getting married in a couple of weeks. The 10D was out of stock everywhere - Canon's first serious non-pro DSLR, but Adorama got some in stock so I ordered one, along with the 50 mm f/1.4 lens. The camera and lens arrived, and that was my start into real digital cameras.
I've had a number of bodies since then. The 5D was one of them and it was a groundbreaking body. I sold a 1D II and bought the 5D, much to the dismay of others on the various forums that thought I was nuts for doing so (they may have been right about that, but still, it was a great camera). The 5D was Canon's first plunge into bringing full frame to the masses (well, it wasn't cheap, but much cheaper than the 1Ds or Kodak's full frame offer). It changed the trajectory of cameras going forward.
I've had a number of bodies since then. The 5D was one of them and it was a groundbreaking body. I sold a 1D II and bought the 5D, much to the dismay of others on the various forums that thought I was nuts for doing so (they may have been right about that, but still, it was a great camera). The 5D was Canon's first plunge into bringing full frame to the masses (well, it wasn't cheap, but much cheaper than the 1Ds or Kodak's full frame offer). It changed the trajectory of cameras going forward.
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10D, so I could stop scanning film shot with an EOS-3
Replaced with 5d, ordered 2 days before introduction because somebody at Canon Spain leaked a sell sheet
Added 40D and started shooting race cars and motorcycles
Replaced with 5D3 and 7D
Added 5Ds the day Canon lowered the price by 60%, in anticipation of making 40" X 60" landscape prints, especially of waterfalls
Added R6-2 and R7, so I could take 30FPS or 40FPS
Waiting impatiently for the R7-2
I'm still using lenses that I bought for the EOS-3.
Replaced with 5d, ordered 2 days before introduction because somebody at Canon Spain leaked a sell sheet
Added 40D and started shooting race cars and motorcycles
Replaced with 5D3 and 7D
Added 5Ds the day Canon lowered the price by 60%, in anticipation of making 40" X 60" landscape prints, especially of waterfalls
Added R6-2 and R7, so I could take 30FPS or 40FPS
Waiting impatiently for the R7-2
I'm still using lenses that I bought for the EOS-3.
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- 5D mk II (by far!)
- 1Ds (1st ff camera)
- 5D (as the 1st affordable ff)
- R5 (1st serious milc)
- D30 (as the 1st Canon dslr)
None so as the 5DmkII. That camera was an industry disruptor and legacy of it lives to this day in every single modern digital camera. Canon had no idea what they did. They were completely caught off guard launching a dslr with that could do shoot fullhd low light video with less noise than pro-level cameras of the time at a fraction of the cost.
It was mindboggling. I vividly remember getting it, slamming a 50 f1.2 onto it and taking the first video tests. It felt like magic. It looked like magic. It was like a cheat code.
Then came the endless creative ways of trying to rig it into an actual usable tool, all the silly early Zacuto accessories, various gimmicky shoulder rigs, Magic Lantern firmwares... Man. Crazy times. That camera singlehandedly created a whole video-dslr accessory industry.
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I started in 2011 or so with the 550D and then had two of your List: 70D and 6D. My son still has a 7D Mk. II. The 6D was the first DSLR with which i was realy happy. It had reliable AF and great IQ. The sensor of the 6D is crazy good and the primitive AF-Modul - inherited from the 5D Mk. II - was never failing.
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Interesting read and an intriguing list. Since didn't shoot with most of these cameras and wasn't in photography when the "digital revolution" happened, I can't really comment about.
I am a bit suprised about the R1 making the list. For me, the R1 is more an evolution then a revolution. The R3 brought usuable eye-controlled AF and finally a stacked sensor design. Sounds like it did more for the "flagship tier" camera than the R1. Sure, the R1 has all the parts in the right place, but it doesn't seem to make as huge leaps as the other cameras on the list.
I am a bit suprised about the R1 making the list. For me, the R1 is more an evolution then a revolution. The R3 brought usuable eye-controlled AF and finally a stacked sensor design. Sounds like it did more for the "flagship tier" camera than the R1. Sure, the R1 has all the parts in the right place, but it doesn't seem to make as huge leaps as the other cameras on the list.
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My personal "journey" is quite simple:
2007-2018: Canon EOS 1000d
2018-2019: Canon EOS 1300d --> and several "test drives" 750d, two Sonys and Nikons.
2019 - 2024: EOS R
2024 - present: R5
Dec. 2025: second body R8
Lenses would be a whole different story. I honestly how many lenses I've purchased and sold again
2007-2018: Canon EOS 1000d
2018-2019: Canon EOS 1300d --> and several "test drives" 750d, two Sonys and Nikons.
2019 - 2024: EOS R
2024 - present: R5
Dec. 2025: second body R8
Lenses would be a whole different story. I honestly how many lenses I've purchased and sold again
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Totally agree with you. Currently I use the R5II as my main body and the R5 for slower subjects, landscapes and timelapse. Still keeping my trusty 5DsR as I took with it some of my best images from all over the world. I always loved and still love the image-look of its high resolution sensor. For me the 5DsR merits at least an honorable mention in your list of the most important Canon bodies.
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Dishonorable not good enough?
It wasn't important because the Nikon's blew it out of the water by every metric.
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To be honest - for me personally not.... It´s not all about specs. Compared to Nikon (I owned the D-800) I like Canon´s colors more and with the 5DsR I never had any issues with sensor dust, in contrast to various Sony´s and the Nikon D-800.Dishonorable not good enough?
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Sure, colours are subjective to what you like. My favourite sensor ever from a colour standpoint is the CCD in the Leica M9. I'm sure it wouldn't win any awards for IQ, but man it's beautiful.
From a technical standpoint in color reproduction, the Nikon was a lot better, especially once ISO started to creep up. The big issue was the strange noise in shadows, and I'm not talking about underexposing, at higher ISO it fell off a cliff.
Dust? Didn't know that was a thing. I'll put that in the consumer concern metric bin. Learning new things is cool.
Fun thread
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