Real world review: Canon EOS R by Fro

padam · Oct 29, 2018

At this point the 6D Mark II can be had for less than half of an EOS R (plus adapter if one wants to use the cheaper lenses), that is not a small difference, and the controls are still more logically laid out, battery lasts longer, weight (with adapter) is basically the same, although technically there has been a considerable amount of advancement both in terms of photo and video quality and it is definitely smaller.

The EOS R interview shows very well who they are targeting with this camera. Someone who is an enthusiast and does not mind being an early adopter of a new system.

LesC · Oct 29, 2018

Watched this last night on my 48" 4K TV - the video filmed on the EOS R looked excellent to me...
I'm very tempted to get one to go along with my 6D MKII , just a shame no GPS inbuilt. May wait to see what the lower spec EOS R rumoured for next year turns out to be. If it has a 6DMKII type sensor with GPS, I'd be sold on it...

Larsskv · Oct 29, 2018

LesC said:
Watched this last night on my 48" 4K TV - the video filmed on the EOS R looked excellent to me...
I'm very tempted to get one to go along with my 6D MKII , just a shame no GPS inbuilt. May wait to see what the lower spec EOS R rumoured for next year turns out to be. If it has a 6DMKII type sensor with GPS, I'd be sold on it...

The GPS from your phone via the Canon APP works very well on the EOS R. It is very simple to connect in real world use. Once it is set up the first time, all you need to do is to open the Canon APP in your phone, and GPS data is communicated automatically.

I have very brief experience with it, but didn’t notice a big hit on battery drain on either my phone, or camera.

andrei1989 · Oct 29, 2018

i got bored after 13 minutes...too long...does he like it or not?

Fred Strobel · Oct 29, 2018

LesC said:
Watched this last night on my 48" 4K TV - the video filmed on the EOS R looked excellent to me...
I'm very tempted to get one to go along with my 6D MKII , just a shame no GPS inbuilt. May wait to see what the lower spec EOS R rumoured for next year turns out to be. If it has a 6DMKII type sensor with GPS, I'd be sold on it...

The GPS lack is not that big of a deal. I am getting better accuracy and not getting photos that not finding the gps because you have not had it on long enough with the blue tooth phone connection then with my 6d. You just open the camera connect app on your phone after one time pairing you camera with the bluetooth connection and select smartphone on the GPS.

KrisK · Oct 29, 2018

andrei1989 said:
i got bored after 13 minutes...too long...does he like it or not?

Yes; quite effusive, actually. He feels Canon did such a good job, he hopes Canon ditches the 5D V (and their entire dSLR lineup) and goes all in with R.

(Here's the tail-end where he sums it up):

TTran · Oct 29, 2018

I always like Matt Ganger and Jared Polin camera reviews. Instead of basing the camera off specs and unrealistic lab test they actually use the camera in real life scenarios. Glad to see that the 5.5fps continuous auto focus is solid and acurate. Only time the camera couldn't keep up was when the bird started flying around.

aceflibble · Oct 29, 2018

Haha, good joke, CR.
But seriously, have some dignity and don't give Jared the views or attention. The guy goes out of his way to misinform people for the sake of maintaining his cult of personality, not to mention is generally a gigantic dick to the majority of the industry unfortunate enough to come into direct contact with him. There are a hundred other more respectable, more helpful, more sincere, and less damaging YouTubers doing reviews of the EOS R you could feature instead.

bdeutsch · Oct 29, 2018

andrei1989 said:
i got bored after 13 minutes...too long...does he like it or not?

Agreed. Though I did get far enough to see him struggling to remember whether the EF adapter was needed for each lens. That would definitely be me.

Deutsch Photography, Inc: NYC Wedding Photographer | Actor and Executive Headshots NYC | Family and Baby Portraits

AlanF · Oct 29, 2018

I watched some of it and then it morphed into Tony Northrup comparing Canon, Nikon, Fuji and Sony mirrorless for sports. I have to admit that TN actually looked good in comparison, but everything is relative. He claimed that the actual fps in AF-C mode were in practice about 50% of that claimed for all models apart from the A9, with the R at about 2.5/s.

mirage · Oct 29, 2018

While it’s not as good as the Sony A7 III, Canon appears to have done a fantastic job on their first iteration of the EOS R system.

"fantastic job". LOL.

I'd rather use the term "half-assed" and give Canon grade "C" at best [or 3 out of 5 stars].

Canon managed to launch a
* mirrorfree 6D III
* at twice the price of 6D II with
* lacklustre Servo-AF tracking/fps performance
* "less-than-optimal" changes to UI
* crippled 4k video (not that I personally care, but some potential buyers do)
* no IBIS
* and a single card slot

And 25% more expensive than Nikon Z6 and Sony A7 III. oO

As far as "compelling system" goes ... 2 fancy "irrelevant to most" pink unicorn lenses [albeit a bit more useful than a manual focus Nikon f/0.95 lens]. Plus RF 24-105 kit zoom not significantly smaller, lighter or better than existing EF versions. And one 35mm f/1.8 lens, weirdly enough with "1:2 pseudo macro" and little working distance from front lens. Not much of a system there (yet).

Only major upside are the "really right" chosen R-mount parameters.

Mt Spokane Photography · Oct 29, 2018

I bought the R as a upgrade for my SL2. I really think its best potential is for that type of upgrade, people who own APS-C cameras, have EF-s lenses, and want to go FF. They can get the R, keep using their EF-S lenses while adding RF lenses as they become available.

As Canon has found out, sales of DSLR's took a dive while people were waiting to see what Mirrorless looks like. With rumors of both a higher end and a lower end model, it looks like Canon is going all out.

A $1500 FF entry level mirrorless might turn the industry on its head. I think Canon can do that if they want.

mirage · Oct 29, 2018

Mt Spokane Photography said:
A $1500 FF entry level mirrorless might turn the industry on its head. I think Canon can do that if they want.

they will do it. (If) they have to. I am hoping their next quarter is down another -22%. Because then I will get my 999 "Mirrorless FF EOS R-ebel"!

gbc · Oct 29, 2018

This tracks pretty closely with my experience with this over the last 2 and a half weeks. The biggest annoyance so far is definitely the banding issue, though I've done some unscientific tests with my 5dm4 and most of the banding visible from lights in the R is also visible in shots from the 5D, so I can't knock it too much for that I guess (How I miss old "real" light bulbs).
The biggest difference between specs and real-world usage for me is definitely battery life. I've gotten over 1000 shots each time I've used it, and the battery level only reaches a bar or two down from full.
And as Jared mentions, the touch screen focus point sliding alleviates some of the problems from no joystick, but you do have to move your face away from screen a bit. Even if you have the focus slide area set to the button corner, it seems like and contact to the rest of the screen makes it harder to drag the focus. And since my nose is usually touching the left side, this has been a (minor) problem.

I do wish that you could just set the function bar for straight-up AF, because the placement of the back AF button is now too close to the right side, which basically negates the better ergonomics of the bigger grip size. My hand get particularly sore after just five minutes of continuous shooting because I have to pinch my thumb in unnaturally far.

but bottom line... I started using this side by side with a 5Dm4 at first, but my last shooting sessions I've taken this by itself and I'm not missing the 5D. I usually had two cards in the 5D but I never shot to both at the same time since the SD card slowed things down, so one card isn't that big a deal for me. The burst rate/buffer are great, and I'm using a mid-level SD card. If I only need one body during a shoot, I'm totally comfortable taking this as my sole body (with a couple backup SD cards).

padam · Oct 29, 2018

Mt Spokane Photography said:
A $1500 FF entry level mirrorless might turn the industry on its head. I think Canon can do that if they want.

It's pretty much confirmed that it is going to be the next model that is coming before the higher-end model with a sensor more similar to the 6D Mark II.

https://www.canonrumors.com/two-canon-eos-r-series-bodies-coming-in-2019-cr2/

I don't think it will be anything earth-shattering and other manufacturers can also respond, but it will definitely further encourage people to enter into the system and just makes a bit more sense for the 'enthusiast' market. I just hope they don't cripple the EVF down to M50 level, other downgrades I can live with.

Mbell75 · Oct 29, 2018

I am a 15 year Canon fanboy who sold my 6D and Canon glass and bought an a7iii and Sony lenses after seeing enough reviews of this camera. Its a fine camera if you are a casual shooting amateur taking pics at renaissance fairs. However, not so much if you are a pro portrait, wedding, sports or wildlife photographer thanks to the poor face tracking/eye AF, ridiculously slow FPS rate, one card slot, no IBIS and inferior 4k video. Not only is the competition from Sony and others better, its also cheaper. Zero reason to purchase this camera over the superior and cheaper competition unless you have about $10k worth of Canon glass laying around.

mirage · Oct 30, 2018

Jethro said:
we won't need to hear from you again?

Up to him/her to decide. Not to you. Being a Canon Fanboy is no prerequisite to post on this forum. Luckily.

I always like getting direct, first-hand information and feedback from Non-Fanboys.

Mbell75 · Oct 30, 2018

Jethro said:
Well I guess you are affirmed in your decision to 'go Sony', and we won't need to hear from you again?

Not necessarily. I have no issues owning multiple systems and I might be interested when Canon releases a real FF mirrorless. However, I am not paying $4k just to get dual card slots, 10fps, full 4k video, a joystick and a wheel when the competition delivers all that for half the price. The prices on the insanely expensive RF lenses needs to come down quite a bit too IMO.

RayValdez360 · Oct 30, 2018

Jethro said:
Well I guess you are affirmed in your decision to 'go Sony', and we won't need to hear from you again?

What a crybaby? If there are other options out there I would think it would be smart to hear about them. Yall act like you have stock in Canon or something.