Canon EOS R First Look Review

What is the Canon EOS R?

The mirrorless full-format camera business has changed dramatically. Until now, you had the choice between some Sony models like the A7 III, perhaps a last generation device if you wanted to save money.

There are now alternatives Nikon and Canon. We played with the Canon EOS R to see how that goes.

The EOS R with a mount adapter that allows you to use Canon DSLR lenses costs £ 2349. If you also want the 24-105mm f4 kit lens, you will pay a little more than £ 3269.

Canon EOS R – Design and Handling

Most mirrorless cameras are distinctly different from DSLRs. The design of a Sony Alpha A7 III is closer to that of entry-level Sony CSCs than its traditional DSLRs.

The Canon EOS R looks like a digital SLR. You get a full-frame sensor in a shell quite similar to that of an APS-C digital SLR. And that's fine.

His grip is stocky and ergonomic. As with most DSLRs, I wished there were a few millimeters more before flattening them out in the body, but the grip is big enough for big lenses to feel good.

As you would expect, the Canon EOS R shell is made of magnesium alloy. It is weather resistant, with thick rubber plugs that block the ports.

Until now, digital SLR.

Canon EOS R – EVF, AF and Screen

The EVF is the obvious difference between this and an APS-C or full frame digital SLR. It is a viewfinder at 3.69 million points with a magnification of 0.76x.

It's a reminder that electronic viewers have improved dramatically in the last five years. This is excellent.

Large and bright, the clarity is superb, although the resolution of 1280 x 960 pixels it offers is not very high. I was particularly impressed by his performance in very dark conditions.

The refresh rate decreases slightly in darker situations and noise is introduced. But it is possible to make the preview of the scene much brighter than it appears to you.

It's a brilliant composing tool and it's very fast to tip when you put your face on the viewfinder.

Good low-light EVF performance works well with the new AF system. Canon says it can run up to -6EV and is always reliable in very dark conditions. You will not get anything from the 0.05 second speed announced in the dark, but I was still pretty impressed with the focus in low light.

It's certainly miles better than the FujiFilm X-T10 I use everyday.

I am less convinced by the need for the 5,655 focus points of the EOS R (or positions, as Canon likes to call them). When using the EVF, as usual, use the keypad to select your focal point. I used single-point AF mode to see what the full experience looked like, and it takes frankly too much time to go from one end to the other of the frame.

I ended up using one of the focus area modes, which instead eliminates the point of this ultra-high specification. Still, it is good that AF covers just about the entire frame.

The screen can also be used to select the focus. It is a touch screen 3.15 inches in diameter and a resolution of 2.1 million points.

Unlike the screens of Nikon Z6 and Z7, it is fully articulated. You can remove it and flip it around so you can see the preview in front of the Canon EOS R.

A standard tilt screen is less versatile, but it is faster if you are a photo shooter who only needs to shoot at the top or bottom of the head. It also depends on what you usually do: I am much more used to inclined screens.

Canon EOS R – OIS and sensor

One of the main initial concerns regarding the Canon EOS R is that it does not have stabilization in the body. The Nikon Z6, Z7 and Sony Alpha A7 III all have a five-axis stabilization, which is naturally very handy for shooting freehand.

The lenses of Canon, the ones I used with the EOS R, have their own stabilization anyway. However, this is still a problem when many of you want to use the lens adapter and your old Canon lenses.

This is particularly relevant when the initial lens range is full of fairly expensive models, big and heavy. I've been fortunate to use the 50mm, the 24-105mm and the upcoming 28-70mm, which is a silly one at a time in terms of size / weight and image quality.

What we do not have right now is a light lens that you will want to take for more casual filming. Everything is big and heavy.

Perhaps we should not expect something as affordable as the Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8: affordable, small and optically sound. This is not an entry-level camera, and my preference for relatively small APS-C lenses is probably coming up. But who does not like pancake lentils, at least sometimes?

You will have to wait for the complete review of the EOS R to know the verdict on the quality of the image, but the first impressions are excellent. The sensor has a resolution of 30.3 million pixels.

Even though the camera's sensitivity used in Canon's immersive demonstration allowed us to shoot ISO 12800-compliant photos (which we did not ask for), they are still usable for more casual purposes.

Here are some demonstration photos we took:

Most videographers should be quite happy with the ability to shoot at 4K (30 fps) and 10-bit 4: 2: 2 at HDMI output.

Canon EOS R – First Impressions

Canon did a good job of making the EOS R feel like a companion to its existing full-frame DSLRs, rather than a strange experimental offshoot. Of course, the lens system is new, but this classic character of Canon remains.

The smaller size of the mirrorless format has not been exploited yet. Large, bold "native" lenses may be able to produce great shots, but you probably will not want to take the EOS R out for more casual shots too often. However, Canon will probably complete its range of lenses in 2019.

Regarding the experience that the Canon EOS R currently offers, we will provide you with our full review very soon.