The EOS R is Canon’s first full-frame mirrorless camera which comes with a brand new RF-mount that was tailor-made for mirrorless users.
The camera reached the store shelves in October of this year, shortly after the release of Nikon’s first full-frame mirrorless models, the Z7 and Z6.
In this Canon EOS R Review, we offer a quick rundown of the camera's primary specs and features.
See my initial thoughts on the EOS R in the video below:
Editor's Tip: Ready to upgrade to a Canon EOS R but don't have the funds? Sell your old gear and use the proceeds to upgrade your camera kit.
Canon EOS R Review
The Canon EOS R was built around 30.3 megapixel CMOS sensor and a DIGIC 8 image processor. This combination allows a native sensitivity range of ISO 100-40000, which can be expanded to ISO 50-102400.
In addition, the Canon EOS R features a Dual Pixel CMOS AF system which uses 5,655 selectable points for smooth and accurate autofocus, fast continuous shooting to 8 fps, and 4K video recording capabilities.
The camera works perfectly in any light conditions. Along with a wide ISO range, the focusing system is sensitive down to EV -6 so it will not lose sight of the target even in a very dark environment.
The EOS R uses a high-resolution 3.69m-dot OLED electronic viewfinder. As it is the case with mirrorless cameras, an electronic viewfinder allows you to see exactly how the picture will look before you shoot including all settings such as contrast, white balance, and so forth.
Get to know some of the must-see features of this camera in my video above.
Moreover, the camera has a flexible 3.15-inch Vari-angle LCD that makes easier shooting from different angles, but there is also an LCD panel on the top of the camera that provides useful information about the camera settings.
The Canon mirrorless EOS R allows shooting 4K video at 30fps but the 1.8x crop is not appealing to many users. The full HD video can either be cropped or not cropped at a maximum 60 fps.
The other thing that is not so good about this camera is that it uses only one SD UHS-II card slot which can lead to very stressful situations if you experience a card failure.
An additional disadvantage is that the EOS R does not have in-body stabilization as most of the cameras of its range do.
New Canon RF Mount
Along with launching the first full-frame mirrorless model, Canon also introduces the RF lens mount and four new lenses.
The new mount has the same diameter as the EF-mount but with a shorter flange back distance. It was designed and optimized for the EOS R camera, but it also gives us a hint that Canon is preparing new mirrorless cameras in the future.
There are four new lenses at the moment – the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM, RF 50mm f/1.2L USM, RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM and RF 28-70mm f/2L USM.
What is good is that you can still use the existing EF and EF-S lenses with full compatibility and no loss in performance with EOS R System adapters.
See what Peter McKinnon thinks of the EOS R system in the video above.
Editor's Tip: Don't want to use your old EF and EF-S lenses anymore? See how much you can get if you trade in your lenses.
Enhanced Connectivity
Like most of the modern cameras, the EOS R has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for remote control.
There are also microphone and headphone inputs, USB-C connector system which allows easy charging without the necessity to remove the battery from the camera, GPS technology, and 10-bit HDMI output.
Canon EOS R Price
The Canon EOS R price is around $2,300.00 (body only) or around $3,000.00 with the RF 24-105mm F4 L IS zoom lens.
For a highly capable full frame mirrorless camera that's literally brand-new on the shelves, that's not a bad price at all if you ask me.
This camera has plenty of features to be excited about, and admittedly a few things that need work.
But overall, if you're looking to invest in a new mirrorless full frame camera, the Canon EOS R is a solid choice.
Have Canon questions? Ask in the Canon Camera Forum.