The 10 Most Important Canon EOS Digital Cameras of All-Time

[Old Man FL/FD]

My first DSLR was the 10D in 2003. I was using a PowerShot S50 at the time. The purchase receipt of my ‘kit’ walking out of the camera store is attached.

I then upgraded to a 1D MkII in 2005. A photo of my kit back then, taken on my S50, is attached. Pretty decent for a 20 year old image. The EXIF data from that image is also attached.

In 2017, I upgraded to a 1DX MkII. APS-C to APS-H to Full Frame – never going back!

I plan on upgrading next to a R1 MkII when it comes out in two years.

A couple comments:

Note in 2003, a 128MB CF card was $70 USD!

My EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L lens I sold to KEH in 2022 for $565 USD. It retained 47% of its original cost (in constant USD) 19 years later!

 

[P-visie]

My list of the most influential EOS digital camera’s:

1. 10D - my first digital camera. I bought mine in May 2003. The store asked me if I was on the waiting list, I said Yes and skipped a very long list. I quickly sold my EOS 3 and EOS 5 camera’s after I got the 10D.
2. 5D - first ‘affordable’ full frame, 5D Mk III, first Canon consumer DSLR with good AF, 5D Mk IV for the improvements in DR and noise performance.
3. 5Ds R - I’ve made some of my best landscape pictures with it.
4. 1D Mk IV - built like a tank and the APS-H crop factor was a good compromise between FF and APS-C.
5. R5 - The (eye) AF is so good it felt like cheating when photographing birds in flight for the first time with it.

 

[P-visie]

Note in 2003, a 128MB CF card was $70 USD!

I paid 300+ Euro’s for a 1 GB CF card in July 2003.

 

[Keithf2.8is]

Great article! I'd like to point out one correction though, the EOS 10D was announced in February 2003 and started shipping in March 2003. When I shot film I was on the Nikon system(N90 & F100), then switched to Canon when I went digital in December 2003, with the 10D.

I captured my first event, a nordic race in Ketchum, Idaho, in Feb 2004, with the EOS 10D. A 1GB card back then cost $220(YIKES!!). I liked the camera so much I bought a second one a few months later. Since then I've owned(always in pairs except for*), 20D, 30D, 40D, 7DM2, *1DX, *1DXM2, *R6, *R6M2. I didn't use the R6 bodies long before upgrading to the R3. Which, I'm currently using a pair of. I've always use 2 cameras when capturing events. I also still have a 40D and 7DM2, but that one is listed on Gear Focus.

 

[Sporgon]

The big issue was the strange noise in shadows, and I'm not talking about underexposing, at higher ISO it fell off a cliff.

Fun thread

Most of my use of the 5DS has been landscape, but I did use them at relatively high iso - 1600 to 3200 - when shooting weddings, necessary for dim British churches in dim British light ! Can’t say I found anything that I’d call ‘strange noise in the shadows’ or at least no more strange than other cameras of that era. From my experience it was substantially better than the 5Diii at those ISOs, especially so when reduced to that camera’s output size. I think sharpening can be the enemy of the 5DS due to emphasising the increased photon noise, and as such I only ever sharpen midtones, avoiding shadows and skies in an image.
Just on a side note, I contemplated a Sony A7S and adapting my Canon lenses for using in dimly lit churches, but found that after reducing the output of the 5DS down the 12mp (and avoiding sharpening) there wasn’t enough difference to make it worthwhile, for me at any rate.

Agree - fun thread !

 

[Bob Howland]

I have never used my 5Ds at 12MP but I have used it JPEG at 22MP, the same resolution as the 5D3, several times. The highest "normal" ISO for a 5Dx is 6400 and I don't use it above 3200. Interestingly, the Nikon D8 and D9 resolution can be reduced to 24MP and I wonder how many sports photographers and photojournalists use it at that resolution.