First look at Canon EOS RP mirrorless camera

Canon is the fourth company after Sony, Leica and Nikon to enter the full-frame mirrorless camera market, introducing the EOS R last September. Continuing to develop a new direction for itself, Canon releases the second camera in a line – EOS RP. While the EOS R is a more professional model, the EOS RP is an entry-level camera, offering a compact body, simple menus, intuitive controls and, not least, the most affordable price of any full-frame camera on the market today.

Full review of the Canon EOS R mirrorless camera

Key Features

In terms of features, the new camera’s sensor is very similar to the one in the EOS 6D Mark II: 26 megapixels, Dual-Pixel AF system, ISO 100-40000 expandable to 50-102400 – the similarity is obvious, although Canon claims that the sensors in these cameras are not identical. The shorter focal length of the EOS RP necessitated a redesign of the microlenses above the sensor photodiodes in order for the required amount of light to reach them.

The new camera does not have a full-fledged electronic shutter. True, there is a “Silent” option among the SCN modes, but this is just a variant of the autofocus operation, eliminating the ability to control exposure parameters. Mechanical shutter offers the shortest shutter speed of 1/4000s., The flash sync time is 1/180 s. Continuous Shooting Speed is quite slow by today’s standards: 5 fps in AFS mode and 4 fps in Servo AF mode. The camera is clearly not made for particularly fast action shots.

Dual-Pixel phase-assisted autofocus system in the new camera has been slightly simplified, compared to the EOS R. Although the focus points cover the same area of the frame 88% horizontal and 100% vertical , their number has been reduced from 5655 to 4779. Nevertheless, the eye detection feature of the EOS RP has been improved, and it can now work with continuous autofocus Servo AF . It is not yet known whether Canon plans to introduce a similar feature in the EOS R.

In the case of the EOS RP, Canon has dropped its dust-proof shutter, which covers the sensor when the camera is turned off.

Body and ergonomics

The body dimensions of the new mirrorless camera are 132.5 x 85.3 x 70 mm – meaning it’s 3.3 mm narrower, 13.3 mm lower and 3.65 mm smaller than the EOS R. The most appreciable difference is in weight – RP weighs 485 grams with battery and a card that on 175 grams lighter, than EOS R or on 280 grams, than 6D Mark II .

The difference in weight is not surprising, since in the case of the EOS R the body was made entirely of magnesium, while the EOS RP uses magnesium only for the front panel and the rest of the body is made of polycarbonate. The exterior coating looks good and resembles the material used in the EOS 80D or 6D Mark II. Also it is necessary to underline presence of the seals protecting the camera against penetration of a moisture or a dust.

The shape of the grip isn’t bad, and the rubberized coating noticeably improves grip. However, the camera lacks height, so the little finger of your right hand is left unsupported. Foreseeing this, Canon developed an optional small grip EG-E1 for the EOS RP that solves this problem. It doesn’t have any controls and provides easy access to the battery and memory card, and allows the camera to be mounted on a tripod.

Screen and viewfinder

The EOS RP screen is the same as the 6D Mark II, at 3 inches and 1.04 million resolution. points. The screen supports touch control menu navigation, focus point setting and the ability to change its position – tilt and turn. Viewfinder parameters in new camera were slightly reduced in comparison with EOS R. The system used has a resolution of 2.36 million. dots and 0.7x magnification in EOS R -3.69 million. and 0.76x , so don’t expect almost optical quality from it, but it has detail and brightness that are more than enough for shaping and evaluating exposures.

Ports and battery

Battery capacity is 250 photos or 210 with EVF according to CIPA standard , which is a bit disappointing. This is the result of using a lower capacity LP-E17 battery, which can be found in the EOS 800D. The battery compartment is on the bottom of the body, and there’s a slot for a UHS-II SD card

Five communication ports, all located on the left side, underneath the covers. On the screen you’ll find the following: a wired remote control socket, a microphone jack, a headphone jack, an HDMI output, and a USB 2.0 Type-C which, while it allows you to charge the battery directly in the camera, is unfortunately not the fastest in terms of data transfer.

Controls

It is worth noting that the size of the body allows you to place the camera controls freely enough. On the left side of the hot shoe is the power on/off dial. On the right side is the classic mode dial. In addition to the standard modes scene selection, auto, shutter priority, aperture priority, etc. , the aperture priority is set in the.e there is a new Fv mode flexible priority known from the EOS R, as well as three custom modes C. Further there is a button of activation of video shot and the disk with the lever which operates a lock LOCK . Above that are the shutter button, the M-Fn programmable button and the front auxiliary control dial.

The controls on the back of the body, with the exception of the touch panel, are similar to the EOS R. There is a menu button to the left of the viewfinder, an AF ON button in the upper right corner, the EOS-specific * button, and a zoom/ focus point selection button. Closer to the screen, you will find the following group of elements: a button for changing the type of information displayed on the screen, a five-position navigation joystick, a button for playback control, and a button for deleting images.

Video recording capabilities

The video mode is noticeably cut down and is definitely not the EOS RP’s strongest point. But perhaps this will be enough for most users.

In 4K, the image is recorded at a maximum rate of 24 fps and a noticeable cropping of the sensor approximately 1.7x . The camera switches to contrast AF, which is less efficient than phase AF. In addition, using not the full area of the sensor will clearly result in unnecessary noise, as well as making it difficult to find a lens with a wide enough angle of view. Maximum bitrate for 4K is 120 Mbps, which is four times lower than the EOS R.

The camera also supports FullHD at 60 fps, for which, compared to 4K, phase autofocus is still available. The length of the video in both modes is limited in time to 30 minutes. The video mode in EOS RP is deprived of a high-speed shootings at frequency of 120 f/w. At 1280 × 720 and the C-LOG recording capabilities that were present in the EOS R

On the positive side, face and eye recognition and Focus Peaking still work. Also retained is Dual Sensing IS digital stabilization, which is capable of pairing with stabilized lenses.

Asking price

The camera is currently priced at $1300 without the lens, which is the lowest price on the market. Set with lens usa 24-105mm f/4L IS USM will cost $2200, also there is a set with adapter EF-EOS R and lens EF 24-105 mm f 3,5-5,6 STM, which price is slightly cheaper – $1700. Another affordable option is to buy the camera and the usa 35mm f/1 lens separately.8 IS Macro STM – in this case you will have to spend $ 1750

Conclusion

Canon EOS RP does not set any new standards, but rather fills the gap between the EOS R and EOS M, and at first glance looks more like a step back than a further development of the line. But perhaps that was Canon’s strategy – to create a camera for aspiring photographers, while most competitors have their sights set on the professionals.

From that point of view, the EOS RP has a future. The camera is well assembled, has a dust moisture resistant body, a simple menu and intuitive controls, a relatively small size and light weight. Of course, the functionality in some cases markedly cut down, but it’s a kind of compromise between the affordable price and a full-frame sensor. Although from the point of view of an entry level camera – it looks more like an optimal balance between these three components price, functionality, full frame

The most obvious barrier to buying the EOS RP is the range of existing at the moment lenses with native usa mount, of which only the usa 35mm f/1 is affordable.8 IS Macro STM and usa 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, forcing the purchase of an additional EF-EOS R adapter.

The most potential buyers here will be owners of budget full-frame DSLR cameras Canon, as well as owners of EOS M cameras, who want to switch to a flat frame sensor. But it’s possible that its affordable price will be the deciding factor in the choice for a wider range of aspiring photographers.