We are often asked which camera is best for a photo booth. Canon cameras have very good live view quality, an important attribute for photo booths. The models below are not the only cameras you can use. Many older Canon DSLR cameras work very well. This table lists the cameras you can use with DSLR Remote Pro 3.12.
At the time of writing* (May 2018) we believe the ultimate photo booth camera is ….. the new (mirrorless) Canon EOS M50.
The standard kit lens ( EF-M 15-45mm STM ) has a flexible 15-45 mm zoom. For a super slim booth, try the EF-M 22mm STM lens
Most first time photo booth builders go for the least expensive digital camera they can find but that may not be the best for your photo booth. First, you need a camera that supports “live view”. Live View mode enables the photo booth software to display on screen “what the camera sees.”. We are often asked which camera is best for a photo booth. For a super slim booth, try the EF-M 22mm STM lens. Photos of Canon EOS M50, 200D and 2000D with kit and pancake style lenses top to.
Best: Canon EOS M50
Update: February 2019 Canon have released firmware version 1.0.2 for the M50 which fixes the issues with triggering external flash. The new firmware can be downloaded from Canon’s UK site
A big thank you to Caroline Winata of Giggle and Riot Funbooth for sharing this example of slow motion video (EOS M50 with DSLR Remote Pro 3.10)
120FPS Slow motion video with no additional processing
Similar performance to the Canon EOS 200D/Rebel SL2 including Canon’s excellent dual pixel auto focus in live view.
Suitable for video with external microphone socket.
Compact, slim and light; the M50 will fit in a smaller housing than Canon’s DSLR cameras.
July 2018 This post has been updated to include cameras supported in DSLR Remote Pro 3.11.2 ie the Canon EOS 1500D (aka Canon EOS 2000D/Rebel T7/EOS Kiss X90) and Canon EOS 3000D (aka Canon EOS 4000D).
The photo below shows the different sizes of the new EOS M50, EOS 200D/Rebel SL2 and new EOS 2000D/1500D/Rebel T7:
[top to bottom] EOS M50 with EF-M 22mm STM lens, EOS M50 with standard kit lens EF-M 15-45mm STM , EOS 200D/Rebel SL2 with 24mm pancake lens, EOS 2000D/1500D/Rebel T7with 18-55mm kit lens
Disadvantages
Access for external power is underneath the camera instead of at the side.
The external power cord connection for the M50 is on the camera base
Update February 2019
Canon have released firmware version 1.0.2 for the M50 which fixes the issues with triggering external flash. The new firmware can be downloaded from the Canon UK site (There was a bug in the original firmware of the Canon EOS M50 which meant that triggering an external flash or studio strobe via the hotshoe could be unreliable. We reported this bug to Canon, who have fixed it.)
Good for video: 200D/Rebel SL2, 800D/Rebel T7i
These cameras do everything the M50 can do except slow motion video. They are larger and heavier than the M50.
Excellent auto focus in live view
Suitable for video & have an external microphone socket
Budget: 1300D/T6
Good for still photos and boomerang and slideshow animated GIFs. Slightly higher resolution live view than 200D or 800D.
Disadvantages
No external microphone socket so not a good choice for video including sound.
Power zoom is not supported.
Old model becoming difficult to source new
New Canon 2000D/1500D/Rebel T7
(Updated September 20118)
Update of the Canon EOS 1300D/Rebel T6 with a higher resolution 24 mega pixel sensor. Unfortunately Canon have removed the center contact on the hotshoe. This means the camera cannot trigger most external flashes or studio strobes so is not recommended for photo booth use.
New Canon EOS 4000D/3000D
Similar to the Canon EOS 1300D/Rebel T6 with the same 18 mega pixel sensor but cheaper build quality (plastic lens mount, fewer buttons, no remote release socket and no cable access for external power). This camera also has no center contact on the hotshoe. This means the camera cannot trigger most external flashes or studio strobes so is not recommended for photo booth use.
Web cameras & iPad booths
This post does not cover booths powered by web cameras or the built-in cameras provided with iPads, laptops and tablets. The new Breeze Booth for iPad will use the camera built into an iPad. Breeze Webcam Photobooth software will run a booth with either a webcam or built in camera in a Windows 10, 8 or 7 PC or laptop.
*This post has been updated in February 2019. As new cameras are introduced this post will inevitably become outdated.