Canon EOS R Hands On Review

Canon's first full frame mirrorless camera has some awesome new features, great design, and stunning lenses. But can that make up for some big misses and massive competition from the Sony A7III?

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[mrdamiansingh]

Shot a wedding on my EOS R and had the images automatically downloaded to my phone also so that’s a pretty much great backup

[travisharrisphotography]

Hey guys! Great job at the event, and taking the time to make the video! I remember your initial video, and noting a negative tone in your voices LOL. I do think that now, all the video of the camera are starting to sound the same after awhile.. not anyone fault, your all coming to the same conclusion. As a working pro in the wedding market, and having used the 1DX for the past 6 years.. I am anxious to get rid of the weight, and get a smaller body. I will likely need to order one to test and make a practical review for my own fan base based on how I use the camera. For weddings I never use fast FPS, nor do I ever shoot in burst modes. So, I would only care about single shot AF performance.. which, based on my little 80d (that I use for some video) I think the EOS R will be very impressive to me. As a matter of fact, I got sick of holding my big 1DX over my head at my last wedding, and transferred over to my 80d at the reception. It was amazing, and the AF was stunning. JUST like my 1DX! So, if the EOS R can match or be better than that.. I am sold LOL. I dont want a 5D4.. because I know this is now old tech, and I want to move with the future. I think the biggest issue I have with most of the reviews of the camera, is the fact that everyone is speaking and comparing this to what Sony has done. Sony saw a BIG gap in the market.. and they decided to make a "power play" with the A73. they went nuts, and "gave away the farm" to gain as many users as possible because they KNEW the gap would close quickly. The EOS R is the start of that closure. Sony, now is not going to be able to keep doing that over and over again, and I predict in the next year with the next release of the Canon.. things will be very level in the playing field again. I hear ya on the one SD card tho.. thats a worry I have too, and I want someone to test the auto transfer feature the EOS R has with the Canon connect ap. I know, I know.. it's a PITA.. and not the "best" option, however.. with my Samsung S8+ I can load in a 128gb SD card.. and use this to contain 100% of the captured images on the EOS R in realtime acting like a second card slot. The EOS R, and the M50 allow for INSTANT automatic image transfer. So, the phone can be in your pocket.. and all images are transferred as you shoot over wifi. I think this, and using smaller cards to help mitigate risk (like we did when all we had was the 5D, and 5D2) maybe a workaround until the next announcement if needed. Anyway, I will need to experiment, review, and post soon. So, in a way if I bought the EOS R now.. I would be basically be buying my "backup" camera now.. LOL, and then using it until the "real" one comes out "pro version".

[frankfernandez]

Great video Dan and Sally, finally people who are not scared to say what they really think! I currently shoot with the 6D (I'm not a pro just an amateur) and don't really see myself changing to the R, I was expecting something more from Canon, not just a rehashed 5D IV with a swivel screen. It seems as if Canon are content to just do the bare minimum instead of trying to put out something to challenge the other brands and be proud of.

[johnleftwich]

Very good review you guys. If I were considering the EOS R I would definitely rely on this review. As a avid amateur more interested in photos than videos then I would probably go ahead and buy it but as a professional event photographer I would not buy it unless I just wanted to have one to play with.

[kennychow]

Been following you for awhile now. Love the editing style! And you’re more comfortable in front of the camera! Rock on! 🤟🏻👍🏻🤙🏻

[MegaLeonidovich]

For me best thing about this new Conon EOS R is the full frame 4K video auto focus but price is a little to much for me at the moment so definitely will continue to enjoy my Canon 80D with L series glass and of course my favorite Sigma Art series lenses 👌 good review Dan 🤟

[MrBorderman]

Finally, someone states the obvious. This camera was never meant to be a flagship to compete with the other better option brands. This was meant as a complimentary to help ensure existing Canon customers dont bolt to the competition. That is why now we are hearing rumors of a PRO version that might have all the missing elements all have been complaining about. But it will be at a steep price. Great vid Dan. I might wait for the PRO version and see what it offers. However what this does mean is that the other previous canon camera will drop in price. So I picked up a 6D at a very good price. I am now looking at the 5DIII or IV.

[ToddBaughPhoto]

Touch and drag AF sounds like it works, but my questions is...do you have to take your finger off the shutter button to reach the screen? Even if I use my left hand thumb then I've taken my had off the lens for changing zoom range. Possible solutions:

Option 1 - let us choose number of AF points or select-able AF points and bring back the joystick. (and make cluster of AF points in many varying sizes, like the XT3) ...moving a small AF point over hundreds or thousands of AF points is painfully slow. Although the coverage of AF points on the 5dIV is nothing compared to the "R"..I can move AF points like nobody's business on it.
Option 2 - put a small "touch" pad where the joystick was for touch and drag AF...instead of using the screen itself as our thumb natural falls there anyway
Option 3 - on demand face or eye detect (does it have this?)...like that I can hit a button on the Sony if I want Eye AF....not just it's on or it's off

Other thoughts on the "pro" version:

-- dual card slots, will be ultimate fail if they don't
-- better Dynamic Range and better high ISO performance (high end APS-C cameras and other full frame cameras are killing Canon in this aspect) I know, I shoot both
-- better FPS is a given
-- haven't seen many people that like the new multi-bar....stop making stuff different when it doesn't have to be

[kwesty]

Thank you for the great review. I have been shooting a MKIII for several years now and was waiting for canon to make the move to a mirrorless system. I think I will wait until their next body before making the switch.

[rjacob]

A very fair review of the EOS R, one of the fairest I have seen so far. It is not a perfect camera, but it is a step in the right direction for Canon. I feel it is quite friendly for novices like me despite its flaws. The EOS R system is clearly something that will grow on a person with time and patience.

[FirstNameLastName-sfzg]

I want this camera for the 20-70 f2. I'm really happy Canon showed us the potential of there new lenses right off the bat. The adapters are really well done as well.

[barbaraolk]

Great video. You are one of the few reviewers to comment on the very slow fps speed, which for my shooting is more significant than the video issues.

[jorgemartinez]

Thanks guys for being honest. Great video. I like the wedding point of view. Love the balance between Dan and Sally.

[fintanmctiernan]

Did Sally try setting the AF to servo with continuous AF disabled and disable AF from the shutter button and use back button focusing with high speed shooting ? If she did not I would respectfully suggest she try it and see does she think the lag is any less.

[jaimeduncan]

Supreme review. We know the camera is not a sports camera and was not testes as such, but the the strengths and weakness of the system were explored without compromise and with a non partisan approach. Also valid professional experiences and good pictures. Are you planning to test the Nikon? I am not planing to move to it, but it could be a good addition for video for Nikon shooters.

[fintanmctiernan]

You can set the Multi function bar to view the level indicator in the evf and also set it to the x5 focus point and if accidentally operated will not matter.

[maxhoh]

I think a lot of people who aren't as tech engineer wouldn't understand why Canon decided to put a single card slot. I can't say for other brands but Canon's card reader, they only use the best. The card slot in EOS R is also high speed SDXC UHS-II. It also comes down to the firmware itself. So, there's a lot more than "urgghh single card slot only?".

Like everyone said, this isn't meant to be your primary camera if you're a pro.

[hioe]

Great review. I think the exclusion of IBIS, FF4k, and so forth are disappointing and may be tech limited but the upside I think is great battery life which for a casual shooter probably matters more

[Marcus-llbt]

The EOS R is clearly not what Canon was focussed on when going into mirrorless, it’s the lenses. Canon wanted to make a statement which was to say, “hey, we are committed to mirrorless, here is a new lens mount and here are some high quality new lenses”. The lens adaptor makes it a little easier for DSLR folks to move over. It’s all too clear the EOS R will not make or break their efforts because it’s really not Pro tier. Canon mark my words will launch something in the 3 grand price range that will be their Pro oriented camera. Canon should have come out of the gate with that and skipped the R. The R is bad press and shouldn’t exist. They needed to roll out an A7R3/D850 tier mirrorless because it’s in that space where Canon tends to actually care. Unfortunately, a CHEAPER Canon full frame always ends up being a crappy outing, the 6D Mark 2 being a perfect example. The apathy they have shown with the R highlights this perfectly.

[stephanieperry]

Do you like the FN-Bar?
Is it you see young photographers liking? It seems to me like a good idea. Do you think it was a good idea just a poor implementation or just a bad idea?