Canon

Why r/BuyItForLife recommends Canon

53 mentions from real owners

• #1Dec 30, 2025

  Anyone Still Daily-Driving a 20-Year-Old LaserJet? Mine Won’t Quit

  I have a Canon MF-4350 laser printer that is about 20 years old that I rescued from recycling 15 years ago. I am pretty sure the company had it for at least 5 years before that. Still works fine including the scanner.

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• #2Dec 30, 2025

  Recommendations for a printer that DOES NOT have any subscription requirements to use ink cartridges?

  I am in UK and I remember cancelling Instant Ink and my printer basically gave me the silent treatment. Super annoying. I moved to a simple Canon Pixma because it doesn’t care what cartridges you use.

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• #3Dec 5, 2025

  printer for an artist

  The definitive BIFL choice is an Epson EcoTank (or Canon MegaTank). The CISS system is key

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• #4Nov 1, 2025

  What is the equivalent of "Apple removed 3.5mm jack" of your favorite products ?

  Color lasers are a good option for someone who prints only occasionally too.  No ink to dry up.  I have a Canon color laser still on its original toners after 5 years.

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• #5Oct 4, 2025

  No BS printer with cheap prints

  Brother is B/W specialized and Epson ecotank shines after A3 size. If you just need A4 size but with absolutely low maintenance and low ink cost, Canon g550 or similar is the answer.

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• #6Oct 3, 2025

  No BS printer with cheap prints

  Canon 6030 atm.

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• #7Oct 2, 2025

  Need a color printer that's non subscription based and has cheap ink

  I bought a Canon color laser years ago and will never go to anything else. I don't do photos though, so that might matter to you.

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• #8Oct 1, 2025

  Need a color printer that's non subscription based and has cheap ink

  I got a Canon ink tank a year ago. We chose this for photo printing quality. It's halfway through the first batch of ink. My wife is a teacher so we print a lot. Our previous HP would use a dozen of the XL cartridges in a year. It's already paid for itself in ink savings in just one year.

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• #9Sep 7, 2025

  Subreddit decline in quality

  Anything computer related won't be. I do have a 20 year old scanner that still works on my new machine but 20 years isn't buy it for life either lol. (Old school Epson it still manages to work with its old ass drivers). I consider 20 years pretty hood for a scanner though. My 15+ Canon printer is still going too although I refill my ink myself lol. Most stuff however is planned to be obsolete.

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• #10Sep 6, 2025

  Inkless printer for max $200CND or under?

  Get a brother or canon black and white (toner) printer. We’ve had ours for probably 5-6 years and still haven’t replaced the original toner.

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• #11Sep 4, 2025

  Looking for a printer

  The Canon mf650c let's you continue printing when it thinks the toner is gone. Good for general purpose office printing

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• #12Jul 7, 2025

  Ever Bought Something That Quietly Changed You?

  I bought a Canon AE-1 Program from 1980s, it still takes amazing photos and it had made me enjoy my walks way more. This has helped alot with my health and weight loss, it also made me way more passionate about photography as an art form. So, not only BIFL as in value for money, probably extended my life with a decade.

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• #13Jul 4, 2025

  What purchase changed your habit?

  I bought an analog Canon AE-1P because I wanted to shoot film. It's really expensive to develop so I borrowed a older Canon 550d to see if I enjoyed digital, which I did. A few months back, I decided to get a Fujifilm X-T30II which has become my main camera. I still shoot film, but since it's more expensive, I am a bit more selective with what I want to shoot. Still prefer to shoot analog. Head over to /r/analog to get some inspiration.

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• #14Jul 1, 2025

  Name your top 5 BIFL items

  oh my canon camera and all of its lenses.

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• #15Jun 10, 2025

  non subscription printer, ideally in color?

  I’ve had a canon TR7520 since 2017 and it’s never given me any issues! It also doesn’t do that annoying thing where it won’t allow you to print if one (of 4) of the ink cartridges is low and needs replacing. I hate those printers

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• #16Jun 9, 2025

  non subscription printer, ideally in color?

  Canon Pixma iX6820. They're cheap and can run on refillable cartridges. It's a staple in the screenprinting community. I have like 2 back ups in case they ever stop production.

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• #17Jun 5, 2025

  What’s one item you bought that way outperformed its price?

  There are so many things that come to my mind: – my yoga mat from Decathlon – it’s been with me for years and still feels perfect! – shelfy, a little fridge purifier that actually works: it keeps everything fresher longer, and I waste so much less food now. – my Canon camera – after all these years, it still works perfectly and never let me down. – a lamp I bought on AliExpress (yes, not the most sustainable choice, I know…) but it’s still there, shining and working like day one. – can I say my air fryer? It’s used all the time and has completely changed how I cook. Totally worth it.

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• #18Jun 2, 2025

  Color laser printer that prints good quality photos?

  If you only want the occasional small print, check out the Canon Selphy line. Laser printers don’t do a great job with photos and ink has the known issues of liquid ink.

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• #19Jun 2, 2025

  Color laser printer that prints good quality photos?

  I've got a Canon PIXMA Pro 100 that I've been using for over a decade. It puts anything from Shutterfly to absolute shame. I get all of my printing paper from Red River, which also makes a big difference when comparing to the online print places.

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• #20May 4, 2025

  Digital Camera - any forever cameras?

  Sony ZV-1, Sony RX100m7, or Canon Powershot V1

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• #21May 4, 2025

  Digital Camera - any forever cameras?

  A few things I would suggest looking for. I'm not especially into cameras, but I do use a lot of older tech: * Make sure third party batteries are available * Make sure third party lenses are available * Bonus points for lens mounts that have been around a relatively long time like Sony E (2011), Micro 4/3 (2008), Fujifilm X (2012) Canon RF and Nikon Z should also be great options

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• #22May 4, 2025

  The best printer for home use to buy? What do you recommend right now?

  Whatever printer where the ink isn’t SUPER SUPER expensive to replace. When I was looking, I looked at available models on sale then looked replacement ink costs. I have the canon mg3650. Works. Prints via wifi. Ink is cheap on eBay. I print on the back of stuff that has been mailed to me and the back is largely blank. I also print at work if it need it to look nice.

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• #23May 4, 2025

  Digital Camera - any forever cameras?

  One big factor is your budget. Fujifilm makes excellent cameras. The X100V and X100VI get over-hyped on social media. Neither is an ideal camera for a beginner: there will be a learning curve to use either one appropriately. I have owned em both. [https://flickr.com/photos/186162491@N07/albums/72177720307718079/](https://flickr.com/photos/186162491@N07/albums/72177720307718079/) The previously mentioned Ricoh GR cameras are also a challenge to use... and they get dust inside them. This can show up as spots on images. Since the lens does not come off, you would need to send the camera to Ricoh for cleaning. Despite those drawbacks, they can shoot wonderful images. I sold mine. Canon cameras are fairly user friendly for beginners. Canon R10 is one good choice. R7 is a little better and a little more expensive. I would not buy the standard kit lens with either one. I would consider the Canon RF-S 18-150 lens if u want one that 'can do almost anything'. That lens would not be ideal in low light. The Sigma RF (for Canon) 18-50 f/2.8 lens would be a bit better in low light but that zoom range is not as versatile. [https://flickr.com/photos/186162491@N07/albums/72177720323278949](https://flickr.com/photos/186162491@N07/albums/72177720323278949) The Canon RF 50 f/1.8 or Canon RF 35 f/1.8 would be very good in low light but it doesn't zoom. You 'zoom with your feet'. In theory you could stick to just one lens and get lots off use out of it once you learn how to use it. Canon USA Refurbished, MPB and B&H all sell quality used camera gear. B&H also sells new gear. Although I have no direct experience with them, Panasonic makes some very nice all in one zoom compact cameras, according to the reviews. MPB has a section at their website "Panasonic compact cameras". My most compact camera is discontinued but is available at the same website, used, for more than it cost new. Among lovers of good photography, it is in demand. Canon G5X Mark II. [https://flickr.com/photos/186162491@N07/albums/72177720309953986/](https://flickr.com/photos/186162491@N07/albums/72177720309953986/)

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• #24May 4, 2025

  Digital Camera - any forever cameras?

  In today’s cameras I’d buy either a Sony ZV-1 or a Canon Powershot V1. Both are pocketable/jacketable, and shoot great video and stills for your needs. If you want more lens reach , there is also the Sony RX100 mark VII, but it’s about 1.5-2 times as expensive right now….

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• #25May 3, 2025

  Digital Camera - any forever cameras?

  Digital cameras last a long time, probably bifl if you treat them well. I have had a couple die from abuse but never just normal wear. I really like the Sony point and shoots, but most Nikon and Canon are going to be nice and in budget. Assuming you want a moderate zoom, Canon powershot, Nikon coolpix, Sony alpha 6100, or old/new old stock point and shoot are all solid options. Most will take better raw images than a phone, newer ones will be more competitive with processing the image data into better looking shots.

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• #26May 3, 2025

  The best printer for home use to buy? What do you recommend right now?

  Always laser, never inkjet! I have a b&w Canon multifunction (scanner/copier/printer) laser that’s been going strong for almost 20 years, not bad.

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• #27May 2, 2025

  The best printer for home use to buy? What do you recommend right now?

  Depends on what you use if you often print photos ink is the way to go. I have a canon pixma 8720 that rocks for color and 3rd party ink is like $15 for a set. if you primarily print documents I would just go with a brother color laser or any color laser you can find on craigslist/marketplace.

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• #28May 2, 2025

  Printer for at Home use and Photo printing???

  Something like a cannon cp1500 for the photo prints.

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• #29May 2, 2025

  The best printer for home use to buy? What do you recommend right now?

  I would recommend an eco tank printer either Epson or Canon. I have the Canon G650 and it’s fantastic, printed over 5000 pages in three years about half of that is photos and barely spent £100 ok ink. The ink that came with it did about 2000 pages (half photos). No problem with leaving it a week between prints, it will do a clean and never had a blocked nozzle or any issues.

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• #30Apr 14, 2025

  What's the best home printer 2025?

  Honestly the *type* of printer you get might be more important. Inkjet printers are only good if you use them constantly. Otherwise the ink dries to the heads and causes issues. Laser printers have nothing to dry out as the toner is a powder and the printer uses heat to fuse it to the paper. So if you are a seldom printer, go laser 100% and you won't have to worry about ink. I bought a cheap black and white canon laser printer around 13 years ago and I have just replaced the toner and the thing has been flawless the entire time. I've heard excellent things about brother printers as well

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• #31Apr 13, 2025

  What's the best home printer 2025?

  No specific recommendation from be but this. Used ink printers for my whole life until about 5 years ago I switched to a canon toner printer. Ya the thing is huge and has vast capabilities I will never use. However. I’ve not had one single printing issue with it in this time. And no nonsense of ink drying up or clogging or smearing or any other crap like that.

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• #32Apr 11, 2025

  Any Good Printer For Home Use?

  Canon G650 ink tank printer (photo printer with scanner) I’m 4000 pages in and only about £100 on ink. The ink that came with the printer did about 2000 pages of which about 300 were full A4 colour photos and about 500 6x4 photos. I honestly don’t even think about ink now it’s so cheap to print.

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• #33Apr 10, 2025

  Any Good Printer For Home Use?

  ANYTHONG BUT HP! I have had good luck with both Brother and Canon

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• #34Apr 10, 2025

  Any Good Printer For Home Use?

  I’ve also had a pretty good experience with my Canon printer, though I don’t print too often!

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• #35Apr 10, 2025

  Any Good Printer For Home Use?

  Color laser printer Brother or Canon both work great for me. Also F*** HP

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• #36Apr 10, 2025

  Any Good Printer For Home Use?

  Got an HP from Amz which was a complete piece of shit. In a time crunch, went to BB and got an on-sale, lower-end Canon Pixma with very low expectations. It's actually pretty great for about 200, a chunk less than the loser HP. And it takes bottled ink (no cartridges), including generic (though wait til warranty is passed to use generic, some say). Read reviews of everything in your price range, and account for user error in complaints (lots of those). Save receipts and don't hesitate to return anything.

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• #37Apr 10, 2025

  Any Good Printer For Home Use?

  I got a good canon laser printer. Brother is good too. 🤞for a framework printer.

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• #38Apr 10, 2025

  Any Good Printer For Home Use?

  Do not buy HP. If your printer stops working, for any reason, and its out of warranty their support response is "well must be time for a new printer!" That was my experience anyway. After I threw away my HP I got a Canon. Its still new, but working very nicely, and it doesn't require a subscription for purchasing ink like HP does! (A subscription that charges you monthly, regardless of if you buy ink or not, btw.)

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• #39Apr 3, 2025

  Recommend me a printer/scanner

  Agree with this advice, I went down the route of Brother laser colour printer (HL-L3220CDW) and a Canon USB C flatbed scanner. The scanner was $81, the printer $250, and I am almost daily glad I purchased them. I've had Brother laser printers before and they are near indestructible. I've done a lot of printing from this one actually and still haven't needed to replace the toners. The scanner is fine. I prefer it separate to the printer because I can set it up right next to my computer for scanning sessions (so I can see what I'm scanning) instead of walking back and forth between printer and computer. It's pretty compact so it can then be tucked away between sessions. No idea about Linux compatibility, sorry.

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• #40Mar 4, 2025

  BIFL, but also BISecondhand. What are some things that everyone should keep an eye out for, but can commonly be found for cheap when preowned.

  Shit, I buy most big ticket stuff used, I'll do a quick list of the things that comes to mind: **Electronics:** * Laptop - refurb Dell Precision * Desktop - used HP Z2 G4 plus RX 5700XT * Terra master NAS and surplus HGST hard drives * Xbox controllers * Camera - Canon 5D MkII + Tamron 28-75mm f2 * Watch - Pebble Time **Household stuff:** * Kenmore laundry center * Frigidaire dehumidifier * Panasonic microwave * Swing-a-way can openers * Cuisinart food processors * KitchenAid mixers * pots and pans * bakeware * Clothes, mostly Eddie Bauer, Chacos, LL bean **Tools:** * Toro lawnmower (from the side of the road) * Used spare parts for lawnmower * Bosch jigsaw * DeWalt router * Milwaukee weedeater * Pole saw attachment * Sawzall * Impact wrench * JBC soldering station * HP oscilloscope * Tektronix power supplies * Kikusui DC loads * REED LCR meter * surplus RF cables and connectors Most of these didn't require any fixing beyond some light cleaning, and in most cases I would say that I got a good deal. Even paying the upper end of market value for the used market, you still get a much nicer product than what the same money would buy new, and you get to help keep more unnecessary stuff from being produced Its a bit intimidating to start buying expensive stuff online, but once you get a feel for how sellers in a particular niche tend to advertise and document things, you can get a very good idea of how the things will function.

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• #41Mar 3, 2025

  What type of printer have the lowest per-page cost? (Laser, Inkjet, ..)

  Canon Megatank (With Replaceable Heads & Inkpads) & Epson Ecotanks (With replaceable Ink pads). No laser printer comes close to the per page cost of 0.3 cents per page, not even monochrome lasers. One refill will give you close to 7000 pages b/w or colour; original refills cost you around 60$ for 4 genuine bottles. If you buy aftermarkets from reputed brands (such as LD), the cost is halved 20-30$= 7000 pages. These are the best printers for bulk printing. Only suitable if you use it regularly (at least twice a week, all colour print(CMYK)). If you must replace a head, its easily replaceable and you don't have to replace ink pads often as long as you don't do a lot of head cleanings. Besides that its much cheaper to run continuously (15W vs 1000W for a laser), no toner waste other than small plastic bottles, and the printers generally cost about 1/2 or less than that of a laser printer.

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• #42Feb 8, 2025

  Good and reasonably cheap color printers?

  A few things to keep in mind... Make sure if you buy a color laser printer that the toner they include is full. When I was researching color laser just a few months back, the price was high PLUS it seems like a lot of companies don't give you a full toners. They don't want someone to buy a color laser, do a huge print job, return it within 30 days, and now you have a used printer that needs a lot of toner. The price for each color laser toner insane. When you are out of toner, you are spending hundreds to get the full set. Also keep in mind, the cost of color print per page for a laser is really high as well. I finally went with a Canon Megatank printer for cheap. I would say print quality is fine but not amazing for what I do. I also have a 15 year old monochrome B/W printer that just keeps going and going. Parts of it are discolored it is so old. LOL

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• #43Feb 8, 2025

  Good and reasonably cheap color printers?

  I remember the early Epson printers were the original lost leader printers and the butt of many a joke. The included ink was always worth more than the printer. I guess they've improved a lot since then. My Canon laser printer has been going strong since 2019 and prints on both sides. I suppose it matters which model you get though.

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• #44Feb 8, 2025

  Good and reasonably cheap color printers?

  I completely understand. Try one of the Canon tank printers. They run between $100-$200 depending on what functions you need. They aren’t as reliable as a laser and cheaply made but at least with a tank printer, you won’t be constantly replacing ink. Hope this helps.

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• #45Feb 7, 2025

  What brands do you trust to always deliver a high quality product?

  Canon. I currently use about $12,000 of Canon gear professionally, and have been shooting Canon since 2009. I'm also helping set up a few podcast studios using refurbished entry level models (R100) and they are far better than they really should be for the price. The cameras I was previously recommending were 3x the price. Refurbished ones are indistinguishable from brand new. I also recently found the Canon point-and-shoot my parents gave me in high school. It must be 20 years old, probably cost $200 in the mid 2000s. I threw in a pair of AA batteries and it fired right up and worked perfectly. I've also got several vintage Canon film cameras that all work flawlessly. So I've really used the entire range of their photo products for 20 years and firmly believe my current cameras will be working flawlessly in 20+ years based on my lived experiences. Oh, and obviously they are just excellent cameras in general. I wouldn't have stuck with them so long if I didn't think they're among the best available.

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• #46Feb 7, 2025

  What brands do you trust to always deliver a high quality product?

  Apple, Costco (store), seki/ suwada nail clippers, omega (watch), Casio, Casio g-shock, REI (store), leatherman, shinola leather goods, canon, Sony, Anker, fenix (flashlight), Patagonia, lamy…

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• #47Feb 4, 2025

  Not exactly BIFL, but at least a better ink cartridge?

  I’ve been using refillable Canon cartridges for nine years, and they’ve saved me a ridiculous amount of money. They last longer, don’t dry out as fast, and I don’t feel like I’m funding a printer cartel. Have you looked into refillable options for HP?

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• #48Feb 2, 2025

  I inherited this NikonD50 from 2006 from my dad as a kid and still use it over a decade later

  The early 00s were an interesting period where DSLRs exploded on the consumer market. Everybody (including myself) were bought in on DSLRs. Comparing my current Canon M50mk2 (considered an 'oldish' camera in some circles) with the original Canon Rebel XT (released 2003) or 7D (2009) there isn't much of a difference in terms of pictures for the everyday consumer (meaning almost everybody). The biggest difference, IMO, was the ability to make videos, and then things like autofocus. I marvel at how beautiful the images are when I use my trusty EF-S 17-55 f2.8 lens. I think it's now, like, 20 years old. I do hate the constant upgrade itch. I definitely advise any photographers to completely tune out from online gear discussions. The camera companies constantly push changing ecosystems in order to make money.

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• #49Feb 2, 2025

  I inherited this NikonD50 from 2006 from my dad as a kid and still use it over a decade later

  Great man, nikon and canon are the best I would say

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• #50Jan 10, 2025

  What did you buy not realizing you bought it for life?

  I have this ancient laser printer (Canon MF4550) that has never had a single problem in its life. It's no longer sold. It's gotten to the point where each new computer I get I worry I will no longer be able to download the driver for it. The IT guy at my work warned me about it the last time I had him set up my home printer to my work laptop.

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• #51Jan 10, 2025

  All Hail My Printer - She turns 13 this year

  I have the same one and it also prints like a treat! A few years ago I modded it to make the cartridges refillable with a syringe and ink bottles I got off Amazon. I admit that we also have the B&W brother printer that is our old reliable (I sent my husband to the store with the instructions to ask for the dumbest-ie not smart printer they had. 10/10 printer) but when I need to print stickers or photos on fancy paper, my Canon is worth the effort I put in to it.

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• #52Jan 9, 2025

  Buying a laser printer - is Brother not good anymore?

  I only buy and recommend Canon printers, now. They function great, no subscription bullshit, toner lasts forever, DPI is good and images/colors are spot on if you go that route.

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• #53Jan 9, 2025

  Buying a laser printer - is Brother not good anymore?

  I have Canon which has been outstanding. I also have a Brother which is also very good but it’s using more toner than my Canon does. I get almost 1500 more sheets with the Canon before I need to change the toner.

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