Best Canon Portrait Camera (Top 11 Picks in 2024!)

The Canon R5 and R3 full frame mirrorless cameras are neck-and-neck for action photography. But the R5’s larger sensor gives it the advantage in portrait photography. You don’t get some of the bells and whistles from the R3, such as Eye Control AF. But it still has impressive features.

The sophisticated and customizable autofocus system covers the whole frame. The Dual Pixel CMOS AF II gives you fast and accurate autofocus. It also offers human and animal (plus bird) eye detection based on machine learning. This is very helpful in capturing beautiful portrait photography.

Frame rate, buffer size, in-body image stabilization (IBSIS), and CFexpress support are excellent. Of course, these are more important for sports or wildlife. But they’re still very handy for portrait photography.

You can also take 10-bit HDR portraits in HEIF format. This “high efficiency image file” offers more colors, tones, and editing options. And the fully articulating touch screen and 4K and 8K support are great for videos behind the scenes.

It has a decent 5.76M-dot OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF). But it has only half the resolution and refresh rate as the one on the Sony a1. But it’s still good enough for portrait photos. Finally, there are a few nice touches typical of most Canon cameras:

• Weather-sealing for outdoor portrait shooting
• Microphone and headphone ports for video
• 2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-FI with Bluetooth and FTP connectivity for fast image uploads and sending them to clients

The only slight downside is that it has a short battery life and no integrated grip to supply an extra battery. Otherwise, this is the best camera for portraits!

If you’re curious how this holds up against competitors from other camera brands, check these trending comparisons:

• Canon EOS R5 vs Nikon Z9
• Canon EOS R5 vs Sony a1
• Canon EOS R5 vs Fujifilm X-H2
• Canon EOS R5 vs Sony a7R V
• Canon EOS R5 vs Sony a7R IVA

The Canon EOS R6 is a full frame mirrorless camera. It’s aimed at enthusiasts rather than portrait professionals. But it’s an excellent hybrid portrait camera for stills and video. (It does have some problems with overheating when recording video.)

The sensor and EVF have lower resolution than the R5. And you can’t shoot video in 8K or use CFexpress cards. But you get the same frame rate, Dual Pixel CMOS AF II, and IBIS system to take sharp studio portraits.

You also have the same ability to take 10-bit HDR portraits in HEIF format. Plus, you get a bit longer battery life for longer portrait shooting.

After that, there’s a long list of shared features:

• Wireless and Bluetooth connectivity
• Microphone and headphone ports
• Weather-sealing
• A touch screen… and dozens of others

It’s a step down from R5. But it’s still excellent for portraiture photography.

The Canon EOS R3 has an integrated grip, so it’s a bit chunkier and heavier than the R5 or R6. But the grip is ideal for vertical shots and perfect for portrait photography. Plus, only the R3 has Eye Control AF. It allows you to direct the focus point around the viewfinder by moving your eye!

The R3 is designed for sports and wildlife photography or photojournalism. So the resolution is slightly higher than on the R6. But it’s much less than on the R5. This means it can’t shoot video in 8K.

But because of the lower-resolution sensor, the R3 has larger pixels. So it beats the R5 on dynamic range, ISO limit, and minimum focus sensitivity. Plus, it has illuminated buttons. So it’s ideal for close-up beauty portraits and high-quality images in low light.

It offers blackout-free shooting, a faster shutter speed, and high-speed CFexpress card support. So you can easily take action portraits or fashion shots on the runway.

A recent firmware update brought a Custom High-speed Continuous mode. It lets you capture RAW or JPEG images at an astounding 195 fps. But the focus and exposure are locked after the first shot.

It also shares several other features with the R5. These include wireless and Bluetooth connection, microphone and headphone ports, and weather-sealing. It also has the same Dual Pixel CMOS AF II system. But the R3 has fewer than a fifth of the focus points as the R5.

Finally, it offers unlimited video recording. And it has a long-lasting battery for extended portrait studio shoots.

The Canon EOS 5DS is getting on a bit now. But its big advantage remains the size of the sensor. That makes it not just Canon’s highest-resolution full frame DSLR camera. It’s Canon’s highest-resolution camera of all time!

Do you want even more detail (at the expense of greater risk of moiré)? You can buy the more expensive 5DS R model. It has no anti-aliasing filter. Either way, a very high resolution is best suited for printing portraits commercially or on large scales for fine art photographers.

Apart from the very high resolution, the specifications are a little disappointing:

• There’s no Dual Pixel autofocus sysytem
• The ISO range is only 100 to 6,400
• The frame rate is very low.

The highest video resolution is only 1080, there’s no touch screen, and the LCD resolution is low too. There’s no wireless connection, clean HDMI output, or headphone jack. And it only accepts slower CompactFlash and SD cards.

But you get “scene recognition” for precise portrait exposure and metering. There’s an anti-flicker mode to minimize uneven colors or exposure under portrait light. And it has an autofocus system with 41 cross-type points for accurate autofocus.

It also has what’s called an Intelligent Viewfinder II. This can show cropped shooting frames, composition grids, and an electronic level. It helps you take the perfect portrait photo.

The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is an all-around semi-professional camera for portraits. It’s 19 months newer than the 5DS. Apart from the lower-resolution sensor, the specs are much improved. That means better color depth, dynamic range, low light ISO, and image quality.

You can compare the Mark IV and 5DS. The Mark IV bodes well as a portrait camera. You get 61 autofocus points at f/8, a higher frame rate and ISO limit, and a 4K Photo mode.

The 5D Mark IV also has higher-resolution video footage and touch screen LCD. Finally, you get built-in wireless and NFC connections, a headphone port, and a smartphone remote control.

Apart from that, the two models share quite a few features. But they’re only “nice-to-haves” rather than “need-to-haves” for portrait photography.

They include microphone and flash sync ports, time-lapse recording, a top LCD panel, and weather-sealing. You also get AF micro-adjustment, anti-flicker modes, auto-exposure (AE) bracketing, an electronic level, and a webcam.

The Canon EOS R7 is Canon’s flagship APS-C mirrorless camera. It has a relatively large sensor. (ironically, it’s larger than the one in the full frame R6!)

The AF system is also excellent. But you might have to play around with custom settings to get the most out of it. Its face-detect autofocus system is perfect for portraiture.

Like the R6, it has sensor-shift IBIS to reduce camera shake when shooting handled portraits. It has a weather-sealed body for outdoor shoots. And dual memory card slots ensure you have plenty of room for a portrait session.

But it has far fewer focus points, a much lower ISO limit, and no flash sync port for studio setups. Plus, the viewfinder has lower magnification and resolution, and there’s no Bluetooth.

It does offer continuous shooting at 30 fps, double the fastest shutter speed, and double the battery life. The body is also a little lighter. So it does well for action portraits or portraits out on location.

The video performance is excellent. And it includes microphone and headphone ports. The only problem with the oversampled 4K footage is rolling shutter. That leads to a “Jell-O” effect if you do fast pans or use telephoto lenses.

You can switch to a subsampled format to avoid rolling shutter. But you get less detailed, noisier footage.

There are a couple of other problems. The first is the lack of native APS-C lenses to go with it. This is especially at the ultra-wide-angle end. That may change over time as Canon brings out new RF lenses.

The second is ergonomics. The new hybrid autofocus joystick and exposure compensation dial are hard to use. And the on and off switch is also responsible for the video. That means you can easily select the wrong option by accident.

Finally, the exposure mode dial doesn’t have a lock button. So it’s easy to end up in the wrong mode! But this is the most affordable DSLR camera for portraits on our list.

Check out our full Canon R7 vs R10 comparison next!

The Canon EOS RP is an updated version of the Canon EOS R (See full specs comparison here!). The RP weighs a bit less and offers focus bracketing and better low light performance due to the larger pixels. But they both have face detection and eye tracking as portrait cameras.

The RP has a smaller sensor and fewer focus points. Though its AF system still shines. But it has a slower shutter and continuous shooting speed, and worse color depth and dynamic range.

It also has no top LCD or anti-dust shutter mechanism. And it has a lower-resolution LCD and viewfinder and shorter battery life. The two models both lack IBIS and built-in flash.

The EOS RP and EOS R do share several other Canon features. These include anti-flicker mode, time-lapse recording, and wireless and Bluetooth connections. And they both have a vari-angle touch screen and microphone and headphone ports.

This is a more affordable camera for portraits with fewer bells and whistles.