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30.30 Megapixels	Canon RF	35mm size sensor

Canon EOS R Review

by William Brawley, Jeremy Gray, Jaron Schneider and Zig Weidelich
Preview posted: 09/05/2018
Last updated: 05/19/2019

Player Three has entered the game. Yes folks, here it is, as Japanese camera giant Canon follows Nikon into the modern full-frame mirrorless fray, debuting the all-new Canon EOS R camera and RF lens mount. Also new are four RF lenses -- two zooms and two primes -- to kick off the new Canon R system.

(A quick side note: Yes, the Leica SL and M series are full-frame mirrorless cameras, but they are basically in a class all their own, especially when it comes down to pricing. And so we're not grouping them into this "mainstream" full-frame mirrorless arena dominated now by Sony, Nikon and Canon.)

 

Main Specs & Features

• New RF lens mount
• 30.3 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor
• Dual Pixel CMOS AF with 5,655 selectable AF points
• ISO range: 100 - 40,000 expandable to 50 - 102,400
• Up to 8fps continuous shooting rate; 5fps with Servo AF
• 4K UHD video at up to 30fps at 480Mbps
• HD video: 1080p60 & 720p120
• OLED EVF with 0.76x magnification
• Single SD card slot with UHS-II compatibility
• Weight: 660g (1.5 lbs.) with battery and memory card
• Uses LP-E6N battery pack (same as 5D Mark IV)
• CIPA-rated for 350 shots with EVF or 370 with LCD, higher in power saving modes
• Optional BG-E22 battery grip
• 3 mount adapters for EF and EF-S lenses (excluding EF-M)
• USB 3.1 with in-camera charging support

Optics

The Canon EOS R features a new lens mount dubbed RF mount, which features a 54mm inner diameter and a flange-back distance of 20mm. That's the same throat diameter as EF mount, but it's some 24mm shorter in flange depth which should allow for better illumination in the corners and lenses with fewer elements. The Canon RF mount also features a new high-speed 12-pin electrical interface that provides faster and more in-depth communication between the camera and lens over existing Canon mount systems. Unlike the Sony A7 II/III and Nikon Z-series, the Canon EOS R does not offer in-body sensor-shift image stabilization, however electronic IS is available for video which can be combined with a lens' optical image stabilization.

Alongside the EOS R body, Canon has announced four new RF lenses, two of which are primes:

• RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM
• RF 50mm f/1.2L USM
• RF 28-70mm f/2L USM
• RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM

All four of these lenses have customizable control rings that let you assign features and quickly change settings without having to use the dials on the camera body.

To make full use of your existing EF, EF-S, TS-E and MP-E lenses (EF-M lenses are not supported, since they are designed for a shorter flange-back distance of 18mm), Canon has developed an EF-EOS R mount adapter; three of them, in fact. There's a basic one, plus two variants that have a control ring or support a drop-in filter between the body and lens. The Canon R has a 1.6x crop mode which produces 11.6-megapixel files and supports JPEG, RAW and C-RAW capture.

Design

Much like the Sony Alpha and Nikon Z-series mirrorless cameras, the Canon R sports a streamlined, angular and an all-around significantly smaller body design than a traditional full-frame DSLR. Compared to a typical EOS DSLR, such as the 5D Mark IV, the EOS R is much more compact and lightweight, yet still provides a nice, large handgrip for a comfortable and secure hold. As expected, in pretty much all aspects, the Canon R is smaller and lighter than a full-frame EOS DSLR, even the 6D Mark II -- Canon's most compact and lightest full-frame DSLR model yet. The EOS R weights 660g (1.5 lbs) whereas the 6D Mark II tips the scales at 765g (1.7 lbs), yet it still features a magnesium alloy chassis and weather resistance.

Design-wise, the Canon EOS R takes a more angular and "smooth" approach compared to the Sony A7 III or Nikon Z6, or even the Canon EOS M5, for example, when it comes to external buttons and dials. Looking at the front of the camera, there's very little in the way of protruding buttons and dials; everything's nicely recessed into the camera body itself, which creates a sleek, minimal appearance. From the top and back, however, the story is entirely different; there is, in fact, quite an array of physical controls, including dual command dials, a rear multi-directional control, AF-On button and a dedicated video record button.

There are a few unorthodox-looking controls on the EOS R. For starters, there isn't a standard PASM mode dial. Instead, the "MODE" selection is assigned to a button located inside the top/rear thumb control dial, and there's a separate lock button. With this, you simply press the mode button once and then rotate the dial to change shooting modes. Press it again, and the dial's function returns to a second control dial. Although a bit different than your standard "PASM" dial, it allows Canon to keep the controls smaller while still providing a locking mode dial that isn't prone to accidental changes if you bump the camera.

5D IV with EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM versus EOS R with RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM.

Speaking of the mode dial, there's a new “Fv” (Flexible-priority) shooting mode. It basically lets you switch rapidly between Tv, Av, exposure compensation and ISO using the top/rear dial, then make adjustments within each via the front/top dial. (Thing is, though, it seems like if you adjust Tv and Av separately, you’re basically in M mode; it doesn't auto-switch the discarded parameter back to auto when you leave it.)

Also, on the rear of the camera, there's a new touch bar-style "M-Fn Bar" control to the right of the EVF. You can swipe left or right to control or adjust various settings and simply tap to select/confirm. This button is customizable, too, allowing for quick control of a number of settings, such as ISO speed, white balance, movie shooting, AF and more.

Much like many of Canon's EOS DSLRs -- and a differentiating point compared to Sony's Alpha mirrorless cameras -- the EOS R sports a top-deck status display that shows shooting modes and exposure information. Unlike the current Sony Alpha and Nikon Z-series mirrorless cameras, the Canon R also features a flip-out, fully articulating rear LCD screen instead of an up/down tilting display. The EOS R uses a 3.15-inch touchscreen TFT LCD that offers approximately 2.1-million dots of resolution and provides 100% field of view coverage.

The electronic viewfinder, meanwhile, has an 0.5-inch OLED display with 3.69 million dots. The EVF features 100% field of view coverage, 0.76x magnification, an eye point of approximately 23mm and an eye sensor.

Sensor and Image Quality

The new Canon R centers around a 30.3-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, which puts it on-par resolution-wise with the 5D Mark IV and above the 26MP 6D Mark II. When it comes to mirrorless competitors, namely the Sony A7 III and Nikon Z6, these two cameras sport 24MP sensors, so the EOS R bests both of these at least when it comes to pure megapixel count. Of course, as many are aware, pixel-power isn't the end-all and be-all of image quality, so the real test is comparing output from all these cameras side by side in our test lab, which you can do here.

The image processor used inside the EOS R is the DIGIC 8, a first for a full-frame camera, though it has been used on the EOS M50 crop-sensor mirrorless camera. (The latest-generation DIGIC processor used for a full-frame EOS DSLR camera is the DIGIC 7, which powers the Canon EOS 6D Mark II as well as a whole slew of current APS-C cameras, from the M100 to the 77D.)

Regarding ISO performance, the EOS R has a native range of 100-40,000, which is similar to that of the 6D Mark II. The ISO range can be expanded down to ISO 50 or up two levels to 51,200 and 102,400.

In addition to standard RAW file capture, the EOS R offers Dual Pixel RAW functionality, a feature that debuted in the 5D Mark IV. With Dual Pixel RAW, you have the ability to make subtle micro-adjustments post-capture to focus, bokeh and ghosting properties. (To read more about what Dual Pixel RAW is and what you can do with it, check out our in-depth Dual Pixel RAW Insights page of our 5D Mark IV review!)

Autofocus and Performance

Similar to the recent Nikon Z-series introduction, the Canon R's autofocus system is a critical feature if it has any hope to compete against the mirrorless juggernaut that is the Sony Alpha series, especially the A7 III and A7R III -- both of which have fantastic, high-performance autofocus systems. Given Canon's legacy with their DSLR cameras and vast EF lens lineup, the EOS R's ability to perform with adapted EF lenses is a key aspect to this new camera system for advanced photographers, and real world shooting situations will soon begin to answer the question of how good AF will be from this new line.

As for the EOS R camera itself and its native RF lenses, Canon's already proven itself quite capable of top-notch mirrorless AF performance with its Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology, so we expect great AF performance from the Canon R, for both stills and video. The EOS R’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF system features a maximum of 5,655 manually selectable AF points and its focus area covers about 88% of the frame horizontally and 100% vertically when using RF lenses and select EF lenses. AF working range is said to be -6 to 18 EV at ISO 100, but that's with an f/1.2 lens.

Shutter speeds range from 1/8000 to 30 seconds, plus bulb. X-sync speed is 1/200 sec. The Canon R also features a silent shutter option when shooting in single-shot mode, and an upcoming firmware update will enable silent shutter in continuous shooting mode as well.

When it comes to burst shooting performance, the Canon EOS R is relatively quick, but not class-leading by any means, with only 5 frames per second continuous shooting with Servo AF (continuous AF). You can ramp-up the burst rate to 8fps if you don't need continuous autofocus. By comparison, the Nikon Z6 offers up to 12fps with full continuous AF functionality. However, the Z6 drops down to a similar 5.5fps rate if you want continuous AF and auto-exposure functionality. Further, the Sony A7 III offers a 10fps rate with full-time AE/AF.

When it comes to buffer capacity, the EOS R offers respectable performance based on Canon's specs, besting the 6D Mark II's specs for example. With RAW shooting at the highest burst speed, the EOS R has a claimed buffer depth of 47 frames with a fast UHS-II card, while C-RAW (Canon's lossy compressed raw format) increases that to 78 frames. For JPEG, RAW+JPEG and C-RAW+JPEG shooting, the maximum buffer depths are 100, 39 and 56 frames respectively. (In our lab tests, the EOS R managed deeper buffers. See our Performance page for details.) As mentioned, the Canon R offers a Dual Pixel RAW mode (in both RAW and C-RAW) with an unlimited (card capacity) buffer depth, but that's because the camera slows down when shooting Dual Pixel RAW, similar to the 5D Mark IV.

Video

For video shooters, the Canon EOS R offers a host of advanced features, including 4K UHD capture, but it doesn't go all-out with professional-level specs. Unlike the 5D Mark IV which captured 4K DCI (4096 x 2160) video using Motion JPEG, the EOS R offers 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) recording using H.264 but still only up to 30fps -- no 4Kp60 unfortunately, and there is still an approximately 1.7x crop factor (even higher with digital IS enabled) when shooting 4K video. 4K bitrate is rather decent, though, at 480Mbps. However, the EOS R does offer C-Log recording internally and externally to an HDMI recorder. Clean HDMI output is 10-bit 4:2:2 and uses the BT.2020 color matrix rather than BT.709.

Full HD recording is also, of course, supported and offered in frame rates up to 60p (59.94). For higher-speed shooting at up to 120fps (119.9fps) you'll have to drop down to 720p HD resolution. For all video resolutions and frame rates except 720p30, the EOS R offers a choice of compressions schemes: higher-quality ALL-I or space-saving IPB compression. Internal video recording format is limited to MPEG-4 AVC / H.264, while audio is recorded in Linear PCM for ALL-I or AAC for IPB.

A UHS-II V60 (Video Speed Class 60) SD card is required for ALL-I recording at 4K, while a UHS-I U3 card is sufficient for IPB or lower resolutions. The maximum sustained video recording time is limited to 29:59, after which point video recording will stop and must be restarted manually.

Connectivity, Storage and Power

When it comes to wireless functionality, the EOS R provides the standard array of modern features, including both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, though no NFC nor built-in GPS. Using a connected smartphone, you can transfer images as well as remotely control the camera using the Camera Connect app. Images can also be transferred wirelessly to a computer using the EOS Utility application.

Wired connections include a USB-C SuperSpeed USB 3.1 Gen 1 port that supports in-camera battery charging with the optional PD-E1 USB Power Adapter, a Mini Type-C HDMI port that outputs clean 10-bit 4:2:2 4K video, a remote release jack compatible with the RS-60E3 remote switch, and of course, a flash hot shoe. The camera also provides 3.5mm stereo microphone and headphone jacks. A PC sync terminal is not located on the body, but is provided on the optional battery grip.

Images and videos are stored on SD cards in a single slot, with support for SDHC, SDXC, UHS-I and UHS-II types.

The EOS R derives its power from an LP-E6N battery pack (LP-E6 battery packs are also supported, but in-camera charging via USB is not supported with the older battery). CIPA battery life with the LP-E6N is rated at 350 shots per charge with the EVF and 370 shots with the LCD, though a Power Saving mode can boost those figures to 430 and 450 shots respectively by reducing the displays' refresh rate from 60 to 30fps. There is also an Eco mode which further boosts battery life to between 540 and 560 shots per charge when using the LCD by dimming the display after 2 seconds and turning it off after 10 seconds when the camera is not in use.

An optional BG-E22 battery grip doubles battery life with two LP-E6N battery packs installed. And with an AC adapter and DC coupler the EOS R can be continuously powered. (The PD-E1 USB Power Adapter cannot power the camera.)

Canon EOS R Pricing and Availability

The Canon EOS R began shipping in October 2018 at a suggested retail price of US$2,299 for the body only. It is also sold in a body-and-lens kit with the new RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens for US$3,399.

The Canon RF 50mm f/1.2 L USM is available for a suggested retail price of US$2,299. The RF 28-70mm f/2 L USM, RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM and RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM lenses began shipping in December 2018 for a retail price of US$2,999, US$1,099 and US$499 respectively.

The Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R and Control Ring Mount Adapter EF-EOS R became available for purchase in October 2018 for a retail price of US$99.99 and US$199.99 respectively. The EF-EOS R Drop-in Filter Mount Adapter will be available for purchase in February 2019 for an estimated retail price of US$399.99 with a variable ND filter, or US$299.99 with a circular polarizing filter.

Also announced is the new Canon Speedlite EL-100 flash unit which features a GN of 85 ft./26m at ISO 100, tilt/swivel, 24mm coverage and an optical wireless flash function (sender and receiver). The EL-100 became available for purchase in October 2018 for a suggested retail price of US$199.99.

 

In the Box

The Canon EOS R 24-105mm kit retail box (as tested) ships with the following items:

• Canon EOS R body
• RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens
• Front and rear lens caps
• Lens hood
• Lens case
• LP-E6N battery pack
• LC-E6 battery charger
• Body cap
• Neck strap
• IFC-100U Interface cable
• Cable protector
• Camera Instruction Manual booklet