Camera test 34
Photography News | Issue 61 | photographynews.co.uk
Canon EOS R With sales of mirrorless cameras seriously impacting on DSLRs, market leader Canon could ignore the opportunity no longer: its answer is a new system, the EOS R
Specs
Price EOS R body with Mount Adapter EF-EOS R £2349.99; EOS R with RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM and Mount Adapter EF-EOS R £3269.99; RF 50mm f/1.2L USM £2349.99; RF 24- 105mm f/4L IS USM £1119.99; Mount Adapter EF-EOS R £99; Control Mount Ring Adapter EF-EOS R £199; Drop-in Filter Mount Adapter EF- EOS R with drop-in circular polariser £299 Available fromDecember 2018 RF 28-70mm f/2L USM lens £3049.99. RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM lens £519.99 Sensor 30.3 megapixels, CMOS Sensor format 35mm full frame, 6720x4480pixels ISO range 100-40,000 (expandable to 50 and up to 102,400) Shutter range 30secs to 1/8000sec, flash sync 1/200sec Drivemodes 8fps with fixed focus, 5fps with AF tracking Metering system Multi-zone, centre-weighted, spot, partial Exposuremodes PASM Exposure compensation +/-3EV Monitor 3.2in articulating touch screen, 2100k dots Viewfinder 3690K dot EVF Focusing Phase detect with image sensor. Dual Pixel CMOS AF Focus points 5655 points Video 4k 3840x2160@29.97, 25, 24, 23.98p and 480Mbps and 120Mbps Connectivity USB 3.1, HDMI mini, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Other key features USB in-camera charging (with LP- E6N and some chargers), Dual Pixel Raw support, .CR3 (Raw and CRaw) Storagemedia 1xSD slot Dimensions (wxhxd) 136x98x84mm Weight 660g body with battery Contact canon.co.uk
Words and images byWill Cheung
Canon’s assault on the mirrorless full-frame market comes in the form of the EOS R, a 30.3-megapixel camera. But the EOS R is not just a new camera, it is at the vanguard of something very serious from the camera market’s leading player: it’s a new systemwith a newmount. A new lens mount is rarely greeted with whoops of delight from a brand’s loyal followers for very obvious (and expensive) reasons. Yet a new mount opens up boundless opportunities to the camera and lens designers, so while the existing Canon EF bayonet is perfectly good for today’s camera it has limitations too, hence we have the new RF bayonet. The diameter of both mounts is the same at 54mm but the RF mount has the shorter mount flange to image sensor plane distance of 20mm compared with the 44mm of the EFmount and has 12 contact pins (eight on the EF mount). The upshot of this is the opportunity of new lens designs, better optical performance, faster camera-lens communication and the option of using existing Canon EF/EF-S fit lenses via an adapter with no compromises. Canon’s optical designers are already flexing their creativity with the RF 50mm f/1.2 already available and tested in this review, and the RF 28-70mm f/2 which will be in the shops later in the year. Canon, ever mindful of its hordes of existing users, has made available an adapter so that most Canon EF/ EF-S lenses can be fitted and used with full automation and infinity focus. In fact, there’s not one adapter but three, so please check out the panel The EOS R with EF lenses in this review. The camera’s sensor is a 31.7-megapixel CMOS unit giving an
effective 30.3-megapixel resolution with an optical low pass filter to defeat moire patterns and false colours. It is thus very similar to that in the EOS 5D Mark IV, but the EOS R sensor has been updated and works with the DIGIC 8 processor compared with the DIGIC 6+. As part of this review, we took side-by-side comparison shots using the same lens on both cameras just to see if there were any performance differences, so check out the relevant panels on these pages. The EOS R’s control layout and design have a very Canon look, especially when viewed from the back, yet there are significant innovations and changes too. I think Canon users will soon find their way around the body. Physically, the body is slightly smaller than most APS-C DSLRs which of course is impressive considering that the camera is full- frame. However, if you’re going full- framemirrorless with hope of saving space and weight, you’d be wise and check out the size and weight of your prospective lenses first.
The EOS R body is weather sealed and the body deep enough for me to get a firm, four-fingered grip. It feels reassuringly solid. The most obvious design differences compared with other Canon DSLRs are across the top- plate. There’s no exposure mode dial just a MODE button at the centre of a rotating collar. Push the MODE button and the actual mode can be changed with the front or rear input dial. Do this and you will find the usual AV, TV, M settings but there’s more. Three C custom modes, an A+ mode and an FV setting which is Flexible-priority AE. In this mode, you can quickly scroll through aperture, shutter speed and ISO values using the rear command dial and then fine-tune each one with the front command dial. And you can do this easily with the camera up to the eye as each active setting is shown in the viewfinder. These modes are all relevant to shooting stills, but push the INFO button while the MODE button is active and you’re into a similar array of movie shooting modes.
The layout and design have a very Canon look yet there are significant changes too
Left Layout of the EOS R is clean and typically Canon in many ways, with the rear four-way pad and the metering lock and AF zone button on the right side. But there is innovation too, notably the new M-Fn bar placed to the right of the viewfinder eyepiece and for use by the right thumb.
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