Canon EOS R mirrorless camera review

Laserless cameras are no longer new in the digital world. And many have been waiting for the first mirrorless camera from Canon. More than once I’ve heard that with Canon’s capabilities, why is it taking so long? Even me when I packed heavy backpacks with my gear I wondered when it would be time to go to the mountains. At least I expected weight to be the deciding factor for me. Still, I didn’t quite get it right.

The Canon EOS R mirrorless camera appeared in September 2018. In December I got it for a test. And in this article I will talk about the camera and my impressions.

Body and ergonomics

The camera has changed the size and is now comparable to cropped-size snappers, weighing about 580g which is also close to a junior DSLR. . And that’s fine, considering the camera is full frame. Ergonomics and grip have also changed with the change in size, for those who have worked with Canon for a long time will be unaccustomed. For those who work with large DSLRs, it might be uncomfortable to. But it’s just a matter of time, I got used to it in a day.

The large control dial has shrunk and moved up. The dial under your index finger is in its usual spot. No familiar control buttons, such as ISO, access these functions with the M-Fn button. Now you can program any buttons for different functions. For example, even the display backlight button is reprogrammable for any function. You can also use third control dial on usa lenses or with special adaptor. There is a completely new and unknown in other models touch panel under the thumb. You can use it to change parameters with a touch of your finger which can also be set as you wish.

Viewfinder and screen

All functions can be accessed through the onscreen menu. The touch screen control is very fast. The screen rotates and it’s very comfortable. It is true that there is a disadvantage when you work with gloves. But all touch screens have this disadvantage. Same problem with the small buttons. When you work with large gloves, it’s difficult to operate.

Canon EOS R electronic OLED viewfinder – this is the point which a little confuses professionals, because you can’t control the picture with your own eyes. But the Canon EOS R has a beautifully implemented viewfinder. Its resolution is 3.69 million pixels, the picture looks very lively and natural. You see the image with current exposure settings and white balance. I only noticed the flicker when I shot maximum bursts in reportage. But this did not affect the operation in any way.

A very neat trick is to be able to change the focus point by sliding your finger across the screen while looking through the viewfinder. Canon EOS R screen features the ability to focus at any point. That is 5,655 autofocus points. And it’s very convenient.

New mount and lenses

Canon EOS R has a new mount and new lenses. And this is the most important novelty, which is the future. The short working distance of the lenses and the change in diameter makes it possible to produce quality optics, minimizing the problems of aberrations and chromaticism.

Number of pins changed from 8 to 12. It had an effect on the speed of the focus. It became faster. Lens processor got extra functions, in fact now the lens processor does most of the functions and not the camera as in other Canon cameras.

Accordingly, there are new lenses, but the line is currently presented only three Canon usa 50mm f/1.2L USM, Canon usa 28-70mm f/2L USM, Canon usa 24-105mm f/4L USM. But the future lies in the new range. It is known that in terms of image quality, usa lenses will be better, they are faster, have no breathing effect, zooms have a parfocal optical scheme ie, does not change focus when changing the focal length . It enhances the video shooting experience.

For using EF and EF-S lenses you have three kinds of mounts: a normal mount, one with an extra function ring and one with the option to attach filters.

Sensor and processor

The camera has the latest DIGIC 8 processor. The sensor is full frame Type 36 x 24 mm CMOS with approximately 31.7 megapixels. Sensor with proprietary Dual Pixel technology.

And now let’s have a look at the camera’s capabilities at different ISO settings.

Canon EOS R + Canon usa 24-105mm f/4L USM ISO 100, f/4, 1/4s

Canon EOS R + Canon usa 24-105mm f/4L USM, ISO 200, f/4, 1/8s

Canon EOS R + Canon usa 24-105mm f/4L USM, ISO 400, f/4, 1/15s

Canon EOS R + Canon usa 24-105mm f/4L USM, ISO 800, f/4, 1/40s

Canon EOS R + Canon usa 24-105mm f/4L USM, ISO 1600, f/4, 1/80s

Canon EOS R + Canon usa 24-105mm f/4L USM, ISO 3200, f/4, 1/160s

Canon EOS R + Canon usa 24-105mm f/4L USM, ISO 5000, f/4, 1/200s

Canon EOS R + Canon usa 24-105mm f/4L USM, ISO 6400, f/4, 1/250s

Canon EOS R + Canon usa 24-105mm f/4L USM, ISO 12800, f/4, 1/500s

Noise is noticeable in the photos after ISO 1600. Before this value, if there is any, it is not critical. And it can be easily corrected by means of processing. Noise above ISO 5000 already has a big impact on image quality. And if using such values, only when quality is not crucial.

Now let’s see how much you can stretch the picture in the editor.

Canon EOS R + Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM, ISO 100, f/11, 1s

2-stop brightening

2.5 stops of lightening

3-stop brightening

Noise in the dark areas becomes noticeable with lightening above 2.5 stops.

2-stop darkening

2.5 stops of darkening

Up to 2 stops it was possible to recreate the detail in the highlights, but after 2 stops there is no noticeable difference in the highlights anymore.

Autofocus and high-speed shooting

Canon EOS R autofocus is a work of art. It’s so fast and accurate, there’s no problem at all. All with Dual Pixel technology. Despite the fact that the focus is phase only, it does not affect the performance in any way. Any point on screen can be selected for focus. Also has face detection and autofocus by eye. When focusing through the viewfinder, you can select the focus point or group of points as before. In short, switching to a mirrorless system hasn’t made focusing worse, but rather focusing has become easier, faster and more accurate. I worked with the Canon EOS R in difficult conditions with little light and the autofocus did not fail.

Canon EOS R + Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM, ISO 640, f/2.8, 1/125s

Canon EOS R continuous shooting speed of 8 fps. That’s enough for a reportage shoot. But there are a few nuances, 8 frames is the speed with focus locking on the first frame. When using trailing focus, the speed drops to 5 fps. You cannot follow the subject in a sequence, because you see frames with a slight lag, not a live image.

Continuous shooting at Canon EOS R

Canon EOS R + Canon usa 24-105 mm F4 L IS USM, f/4.5, ISO 200, 1/160

Shooting video

There was a change in shooting video in Canon EOS R in comparison with other Canon cameras. There are several important improvements for video: C-Log 8 bits when recording on a memory card, 0 bits – to an external recorder AF pickup the ability to work with the electronic viewfinder when recording video support for usa optics with stepless aperture control and compensated breath effect separate adjustment of all camera functions for photo and video mode, Time-Lapse shooting.

All the autofocus features are preserved for video. Including focus tracking and face-focusing in the frame. And here autofocus works as well as when shooting stills. For video, there’s digital stabilization.

Those who are serious about video may be disappointed that there is no 4K full frame recording and high speed Full HD recording.

Shooting Full HD

4K shooting

Time-Lapse photography

Conclusions

Canon EOS R is a great camera, but like all cameras, you should choose it based on your needs and goals. The compact size of the camera is very good. But, for example, I already not so convenient to work with small buttons in gloves on the street.

Fast autofocus and its precision were a pleasant surprise. But then again I don’t really feel comfortable with gloves on to choose the focus point, and it’s impossible to do that with the touch screen. But unless you’re doing serious outdoor shooting in the winter, it’s not a big deal for you.

The camera weighs less than other Canon full-frame cameras, but if you use the new usa lenses the weight gain isn’t as significant, if at all.

In Canon EOS R perfectly managed to realize the electronic viewfinder. The picture looks alive with no lag or flicker. But sometimes you have to judge a picture with your own eyes, and with this camera you can’t. But if you don’t do photography professionally, you don’t need it.

Electronic viewfinder requires different battery consumption. The LP-E6N lithium-ion battery is about 370 shots at 23 °C and about 350 at 0 °C according to the passport. Overall, if you don’t shoot a lot and you have a charger or extra battery with you, it’s not bad. But for me, it’s very little, especially when I’m out and about on autonomous trips.

In general, it is clear that the usa system is the future. And the Canon EOS R is just the first camera to incorporate Canon’s experience, new technology, and come out balanced. With Canon EOS R you can get excellent quality photos, so this camera will suit professionals, but, however, with limitations if the camera will not be used in harsh conditions.