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:
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
- 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
- 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)
- 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 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...
- 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.
- 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