EOS R first impressions - post your hands-on impressions here

Yesterday I attended a local Canon EOS R presentation.

If you are interested, here are my first impressions, I won't repeat usual things covered elsewhere. I'm heavy manual focus lenses user (Zeiss ZE serie), so I focused on some niche details. For about 3 years I use first A7 as my travel camera next to my 1DsIII and 1DIV. For small lenses I actually prefer the first generation Sony bodies, over II and III.

On the positive side:
  • I've been told (by Canon representative), that the updated firmware with Eye-AF with Servo AF and silent shutter in burst mode will be released in February 2019
  • the ergonomics of body is superb, much better than newer Sony bodies, especially with big lenses. Even with the mighty RF 1.2/50L and adapted 1.4/35L and 1.4/85L, it feels very comfortable in my hand (I'm used to 1D bodies). There is enough place too for my little finger on the body grip. There is enough space between lens and fingers too.
  • to me the body aesthetics refers to original EOS 600 series, it was even indirectly emphasized in few slides
  • there is basically no EFV blackout with silent shutter
  • the EF-R adapter is built very well, no wobbling and no play between body and lens. EF lenses feel really like native lenses.
  • control ring on adapter is really nice idea and...wait for it... INNOVATIVE ;)
  • AF with my old 1.4/35L was fast, snappy and always spot on at f/1.4, same with 1.4/85L and RF 1.2/50
  • the button customization looks endless in comparison to my 1D bodies
For MF lenses use:
  • focus peaking is much finer and looks usable even at wide apertures in comparison to Sony implementation
  • the focus assist is GENIUS! I was able to focus with Planar 1.4/85ZE wide open precisely on eye WITHOUT zooming in! And the focus was always spot on. Well I call this ...wait for it... INNOVATIVE o_O
  • it is now possible to map the zoom function to any button (it was not possible with EOS M and M3 - only via touch scrreen), I have no experience with newer Ms)
On the negative side:
  • the battery grip is ...umm... just another Canon non-1D battery grip, they could do better
  • AF point selection with thumb on touch screen doesn't work very well. It's nice with small body (I tested it on M50 at same event), but on bigger R I can't reach the display with thumb without removing my index finger from shutter button and losing grip :confused: And I don't have small hands, I'm perfectly fine with 1D bodies....
  • ^^^^Canon, can I please get the prototype where instead of the F-word touch strip is plain old joystick? The strip operation was little clumsy and I have bad feeling, that in real world use, there will be lot of accidental "touches". But it's a perfect place for joystick!
  • the On/Off only wheel on left side is little waste of space, it could do something more useful...
Neutral:
  • as I don't do VLOGging and video, I'm not sure about the swivel screen... It's nice, that it allows more angles, but for most use (shots from low perspective) the tilting screen is faster to operate and "safer" because you just "clamp" the screen back to body.
I forgot:
  • test sensor flares - this is the biggest flaw of first A7
  • try to setup AF point selection with FOCUS button tap + scroll wheels - like on my 1DIV
Well overall I'm pleased, I was looking for some time to upgrade my 1DsIII, but the 5D path was not for me, as I was spoiled by ease of use of my Zeiss ZE lenses with mirrorless A7. Looks like R will be my next camera :)
 
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bod

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Dec 5, 2013
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Thanks for posting your first impressions. I also use MF lenses frequently and have been waiting for Canon to produce a mirrorless body with good ergonomics for EF/ZE sized lenses and an EVF with strong MF capabilities. Your comments are both helpful and encouraging therefore.

What does the touch strip do? I assume you can assign different functions to it? If you have accidental problems with it as you suggest can you disable it?

Thanks
 
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Yes, the touch strip function is user defined, on one camera there was slide ISO selection, on other AF mode. And "end points" of strip can be assigned as any other buttons. But the ISO "scrooling" was very slow with strip. Unfortunately I hadn't enough time to explore all the fine settings of camera controls. But you could surely keep the strip without assigned function to prevent accidental changes. Or there is the Lock button on top of camera.

On the other side, I have the accidental problems with EOS M, when the camera is hanging on my neck and screen touches my body. The strip is located on "safer" place.
 
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Did you get to test any 3rd party AF lenses with the adapter? Curious how the performance of my 3rd party Sigma lenses will be compared to Canon EF glass on this new body.
Unfortunately not, but there was a question about compatibility with 3rd party lenses. Officially Canon doesn't care, of course, but the Canon guy told us, that on another presentation someone tested 1.4/35 ART without any obvious troubles.
 
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vaotix

EOS R, 80D
Sep 4, 2018
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Unfortunately not, but there was a question about compatibility with 3rd party lenses. Officially Canon doesn't care, of course, but the Canon guy told us, that on another presentation someone tested 1.4/35 ART without any obvious troubles.

If this is the case, I'll buy an R asap. But I need to see verification from a reviewer first probably. Thanks for the info.
 
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bod

CR Pro
Dec 5, 2013
55
7
I got to use an EOS R yesterday for a short walk around with a group of photographers (Thanks Canon Australia for doing this). The lens used was the new RF 24-105 Zoom. In the time I had with the camera I concentrated on aspects that are important to me (Ergonomics and the EVF for MF):

Grip and handling – Great. I found the body a really good size and comfortable to hold (my existing bodies are the 6D and 7DII). The grip is nice and deep and much better to get my fingers around – much better for me than the smaller grip on the M series. The camera felt nicely balanced with the kit zoom lens.

Controls – The layout feels pretty familiar to me as a Canon user and I found the dials easy to change settings with when shooting. I like the added functionality of the multi-function bar and the lens control ring and agree with the OP that this is innovative. I shoot mainly in Manual mode so the ability to also control ISO using the lens control ring is great (also can use multi-function bar to control ISO but I did not customise this to test it).I really like the joy stick on the 7DII which I will miss but I did not spend enough time using the EOS R options for adjusting the AF point to really comment on this – when I needed to move the focus point the touch screen worked.

MF - Focus Peaking in EVF – I agree with the OP that the focus peaking works well.

MF – Focus guides in EVF – Wow do I like this feature! Having not only an in focus green light but markers which help you judge how close to focus you are and whether you are currently focused closer or further away are great and another really innovative feature. Just as with focus assist on the DSLR the green light remains on for small rotational movements of the focus ring but the added feedback in the EVF is very helpful for judging fine focus. Note also that the size of the focus spot can be adjusted from “normal” to “small” to assist in fine focusing.

MF – Zoom in EVF – I could not test this as my interest is in finding out how it works with an EF lens/adaptor attached. I assume that the implementation is similar to that in the M5. The “AF + MF” function as found in the M5 where half pressing the shutter button initiates a magnified image after AF (to allow fine adjustment of focus) will likely only work with an RF lens. From reading the manual it is possible to magnify the image in the EVF with any lens by pressing the "magnify" and "info" buttons.

Overall I was impressed. I was told that the EOS R will be in stores in Sydney next week. Hopefully the local hire companies will add them to their inventory and I can then hire the EOS R for a day and spend more time using it later this month.
 
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I've got my camera today and i discovered that it has:
  • No stabilization in camera stabilization. OK, so when using one of the 3 adapters to use your existing Canon glass, if the lens doesn’t have IS then you have zero access to IS. Compatibility factor just took a hit here.
  • One SD card slot.
  • No joy stick to set AF.
  • No continuous shooting in silent at launch – however we’re told it will be addressed in future firmware update.
  • You can shoot 8 FPS in one shot, the only issue is ….that is in one shot…in continuous IAF to 5 frames upto 47 raw files in a row.
  • Video: Not Full Frame 4K video. The 4K is cropped.
I Should Have Known Better that something was not right because it was not back-ordered at all :)
 
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bod

CR Pro
Dec 5, 2013
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  • What is the touch and feel of the manual focus ring on the RF lenses?
  • Is there any noticeable lag between the ring and the optics?
This is a good question. I am not interested in getting the 24-105 RF zoom so did not examine this carefully when I used the EOS R body but used the time I had to focus on the aspects I noted in my earlier post.
I own the 40 pancake and whilst it is a good lens optically I find manual focus of the pancake a pain so always use it in AF. With the RF lens I did not notice any similar issues when using manual focus but will look at this more carefully the next time I get the opportunity.
 
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Mar 25, 2011
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I've got my camera today and i discovered that it has:
  • No stabilization in camera stabilization. OK, so when using one of the 3 adapters to use your existing Canon glass, if the lens doesn’t have IS then you have zero access to IS. Compatibility factor just took a hit here.
  • One SD card slot.
  • No joy stick to set AF.
  • No continuous shooting in silent at launch – however we’re told it will be addressed in future firmware update.
  • You can shoot 8 FPS in one shot, the only issue is ….that is in one shot…in continuous IAF to 5 frames upto 47 raw files in a row.
  • Video: Not Full Frame 4K video. The 4K is cropped.
I Should Have Known Better that something was not right because it was not back-ordered at all :)
This has been known and discussed since it was announced. Did you really buy the camera without reading about it first?
 
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Maximilian

The dark side - I've been there
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Nov 7, 2013
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Thank you all for your first impressions.
It looks like Canon has made a more than decent job in setting a base in this new mirrorless system.
Now I really impatiently wait for the more professional camera body/ies and how and how fast Canon will expand their RF lens lineup.
Exiting times.
 
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I picked up my EOS R last night and had a chance to take it on a walk an do a little still and video testing. I found that the video quality is on par with the 5DIV but I found that using the digital stabilization, while amazing in combination with the RF 24-105 lens IS, It had a softening effect and really caused jitter while filming and walking. 4K was also good but seemed soft with digital IS on. Skip digital IS if you want sharper video, but otherwise it allows you to handhold at 105mm and look like a tripod. I'm going to experiment with the sharpening settings and Noise reduction settings to see if they make a difference in sharpness. I expect the best thing to do is turn all of the correction algorithms off for maximum detail.

The ergonomics are perfect, I had no problems using the camera and didn't find any quirks that bothered me about the controls. I did have to go into the menu and turn on focus point selection using the screen and had to make a settings adjustment to speed up moving selection around the screen so it was more like a touch pad. I didn't find any problem reaching the screen with my thumb with my finger on the shutter.

IQ of the EOS R is on par with the 5D IV. I'd say if you are in the market for a canon camera, skip a new 5DIV. Buy a used one or an EOS R, both will get you a solid imaging and video camera.

Autofocus is fantastic, perhaps better than the 5DIV. Never searching for the subject and picks them back up after they go behind an obstacle. Eye AF is excellent, studio shooters will like this with some of that big glass.

The size of these new mirrorless bodies is amazing regardless of manufacture. Such a compact powerhouse.

While using the new lens ring, I did notice a slight lag from turning the (aperture) ring on the lens and it reporting which aperture I landed on in the viewfinder.

The touchbar is useful, it really is like another dial but with the advantage of having 2 buttons to program.

The strap it came with was a bit narrower than the 5DIV strap. I want to get a 3rd party one anyway.

I absolutely can't wait until we get some more RF glass. I've started selling some of my EF glass now...

Let me know if you have any questions!
 
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I've got my camera today and i discovered that it has:
  • No stabilization in camera stabilization. OK, so when using one of the 3 adapters to use your existing Canon glass, if the lens doesn’t have IS then you have zero access to IS. Compatibility factor just took a hit here.
  • One SD card slot.
  • No joy stick to set AF.
  • No continuous shooting in silent at launch – however we’re told it will be addressed in future firmware update.
  • You can shoot 8 FPS in one shot, the only issue is ….that is in one shot…in continuous IAF to 5 frames upto 47 raw files in a row.
  • Video: Not Full Frame 4K video. The 4K is cropped.
I Should Have Known Better that something was not right because it was not back-ordered at all :)
Such a strange post. Petty sure I saw the exact same post on another forum. You are posting the same text on various forums?

In essense, this says you pre-ordered the camera without knowing anything about it. All of these details have been widely publicized and discussed for about a month.
 
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After a 2 day delay in receiving my EOS R..I have spent half a day shooting with it. And, well..I am absolutely blown away. It is more than I had hoped for.
It's intuitive like all Canons - the fact I now feel completely confident shooting with it after just half a day speaks for itself.

The touch bar: wow. I heard people saying they were hitting it accidentally while shooting. Nope, this didn't happen once with me. Not only is it amazing while shooting (I have it set to scroll through AF point selection methods), it makes reviewing photos way easier/quicker too.

This is where it gets interesting, and completely surpassed my expectations. I was shooting motorbikes screaming down a hill near my place. AI servo, continuous focus. It did not feel slow at all. 3 frames/sec is just not true. If I had to guess, I would have said that it shoots more frames per second than my 5DIV's. That's what it felt like to me. I bought a new SanDisk 300mb/s card with the camera, so maybe that has something to do with it. But AF speed and frames per second are not an issue with this camera (unless you're shooting the Olympics for a major publication..and even then it would absolutely cut it).

The screen is a ripper. So nice to shoot and review with. I think there's more going on with the sensor than the 5DIV too. Not by heaps, but this feels more accomplished in low light.

People saying they cannot reach the screen for AF point selection with their thumb...what? How? Set it to top right corner of the screen and you're good to go. I don't have massive hands, but had zero issues "reaching" the screen". You can fine tune the crap out of how you want this to work.

Apart from having to learn to shoot with a new system (which took half a day), I don't have anything bad to report yet. If you are on the edge, you will simply not regret buying this camera. I'm shooting with the control ring adapter and my EF lenses. I don't have any RF lenses, nor will I for a long time. I have, however, just listed one of my 5DIV's for sale. I will sell the other one as soon as the next "R" camera is released. This new system destroys the old one.
 
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