Canon EOS RP ergonomic evaluation and score 9 April 2019

Ergonomics is about the experience of using the camera.

When evaluating this I look at the external user interface which consists of the body, holding and viewing arrangements and controls and the internal user interface which refers to various large and small menus from which the user makes selections.

With their first full frame MILC the EOS-R, Canon surprised and disappointed potential buyers with a distinctly unfamiliar user interface which turned out to be dysfunctional as well.

The EOS-RP is not quite as odd as the R but has several idiosyncrasies which make it less enjoyable to use than it could have been.

Having used the EOS-RP intermittently for a month or so I am now able to evaluate the user interface and make a formal ergonomic score.

The RP seems to me a bit like a hastily arranged marriage between not-altogether-willing partners.

There is something old, something new, something borrowed and ….yes…something with blue trim in the form of an optional grip extender.  This by the way can be regarded as a thoughtful offering by

Canon to improve grip when using larger lenses (all of them but the RF 35mm are HUGE) or a failure of the original design in not providing a full five finger grip on the handle.

Both internally and externally it feels like a mixture of old EOS menu themes and elements from the Powershot line mixed together in a not entirely harmonious fashion.

This evaluation and score follows my usual schedule which you can read about here.

Here we delve into the menus to set up the camera to personal preference.

And here we find the first disappointment in the form of  old style EOS menus the layout and content of which are frankly a muddle.

Canon (and Sony and Olympus)  really needs to conduct a root-and-branch review of its menus so as to convert them from the existing muddle into a coherent system with subheadings meaningful to photographers.

There are 9 screens of red Shoot  menus, with stills and video items scattered in together  (there being no Movie menu) in no particular order. Likewise the Setup menu which really needs to be better arranged in photographer friendly subcategories.

Then we have that old Canon meme the C.Fn menus which really should be unpacked into more photographer related categories and put in the setup menu.

Thankfully there is a My Menu.

My suggested menu layout goes like this:

Setup:  Submenus> General/Controls/Viewing/files/other

Capture:  Submenus > Image/Focus/Exposure/Drive/other

This refers to the few minutes before making pictures when we need to re-configure the camera for a new situation for instance moving from general hand held work to long zoom sport/action.

The optimal interface here is a single control point which takes the user to such items as focus mode, autofocus mode, drive mode and so forth.

On the RP this is the Q-Set button in the center of the D-Pad. 

Press this and lo and behold we see an old fashioned Powershot screen with non selectable items lined up on either side. Not only does the user have no say in the items displayed but there are more streamlined ways to manage layout and navigation.

There are items on this screen which I never need to use and others which are not there forcing me to go to My Menu.

I reviewed the RP with the smallest RF lens available which is the 35mm f1.8. The other RF lenses are MUCH larger and heavier. 

I rate holding arrangements on the  RP adequate for the small (well small-ish) prime but likely inadequate for the larger lenses.

The handle is quite small. See the photo comparing the EOS-RP with the Powershot SX70. The two camera/lens combinations are about the same size but the handle on the SX70 is deeper and better shaped to fit the hand with a nice implementation of the inverted L design which is very comfortable and secure.

Why is the RP handle so small ? Ergonomically it makes no sense to me. The big RF lenses are crying out for a deeper better shaped handle which would also permit inclusion of a larger battery than the little LP-E17 which is really inadequate for a camera of this type.

Maybe the reason for the small handle is cosmetic. My guess is that the designers wanted a full frame mirrorless camera body which is about the same size as a micro four thirds body. They achieved that but the price has been the in built flash had to go, the battery is very small and the handle is not up to the task of holding the camera securely with a big lens attached.

Here is another handle oddity: Notice that the shutter button is very front-facing.  On a deep handle this works well because the right index finger falls naturally into the alignment of a front facing shutter button. But as the handle becomes shallower the index finger swings back until with very shallow handles like those you see on compacts the index finger falls most naturally onto a shutter button pointing straight up.

The SX70 has got the shutter button angle just about right.

The button on the RP is serviceable but oddly angled forward for no reason that I can determine.

Around the back the RP has a decent thumb support which is well positioned and angled.  The fly in this particular ointment is the AF-ON button which is entirely in the wrong place.

I found that I repeatedly pressed this button  when picking up or carrying the camera and had to disable it. The strange thing is that Canon has been doing AF-ON buttons for years. Check out the button location on a 6D.2 or 5D.4. On these models it is further to the left where it is less likely to be bumped accidentally but is correctly positioned when you need it.

So, having gotten the thing in the correct location on the 6D.2 they changed it on the RP.   Why ??????

The thing which intrigues me about this is that the makers appear not to understand when

a) they have gotten something wrong but

b) even more curious they don’t seem to know when they have it right.

Viewing arrangements are mostly good. There is a decent EVF with good specification, a nice fully articulated touch screen and a mostly good graphical user interface.

In portrait orientation the EVF can display camera data near the bottom of the view although unfortunately overlaid on the preview image.

There are a few issues.

The EVF and monitor screen do not present the same layout. The monitor always overlays camera data on the lower part of the preview image. The EVF uses the much easier-to-see system of data on a black background beneath the preview image.

Neither offers adjustment beyond brightness although to be fair neither appears to need it.

There is no EVF/monitor blackout after each shot which is welcome but Canon’s implementation of this includes a curious little sideways jump in the image preview about a second after each shot. 

There has been discussion about this on user forums but to date I have not seen an explanation for the phenomenon.

There is a nice but fussy level gauge but no zebras.

Overall a decent viewing experience but without several features routinely found on less expensive APS-C and M43 models.

Operation of the RP is generally straightforward for a user who has become accustomed to standard Mode Dial + twin dial function, which takes care of most adjustments required to aperture, shutter speed and exposure compensation.

Without the need for a top plate LCD panel Canon was able to move the Mode Dial over to the right side of the EVF hump where it can easily be reached by the right thumb.

They were also able to move the rear control dial from the back up to the top where it too is easier to reach and operate.

All this plus moving AF area with the cross keys on the D-Pad is readily accomplished while continuously looking through the viewfinder and without having to release grip with either hand.

The M-Fn button is well located between the shutter button and front dial giving access to quick control of ISO, AF operation, Drive Mode, WB and Flash EC.

Unfortunately these options are not user assignable.

Overall the RP is decently user friendly to operate. It lacks the bells and whistles of some other makers’ cameras but it gets the job done without fuss.

The RP handles all the tasks expected in this phase competently. One nice touch is that the AF area used is superimposed over the review image. Unlike some Sony cameras however this is not centered in the enlarged review image.

Otherwise scrolling between enlarged review images is easy and navigating around in Playback is easy.

This is quite a low score for the latest model  full frame interchangeable lens camera from the number one producer.

Canon’s future as a camera maker depends heavily on buyers’ reception of the new full frame mirrorless models the R and RP.

Knowing this you might think they would have gone all out to make the initial offerings top rate in every respect.

But in what I believe to be yet another sign that Canon has morphed from being a camera maker into a marketing company we see the RP pitched at the low end of the full frame mirrorless market with numerous features and capabilities missing. 

Some might think this low score is a bit tough on Canon but all the camera makers need to move with the times.

Camera sales are falling year-on-year and one of the reasons is that cameras are, in my view correctly, perceived by many potential buyers as too complicated and too difficult to use while delivering little real picture quality benefit over the better smartphones for most users.

Start using the RP and you soon discover that its inner and to some extent outer workings are an amalgam of legacy features several of which are in my view in urgent need of complete overhaul.

The EOS RP manages the dubious distinction of lacking the features, specifications, performance and capability of a mid range Micro Four Thirds model but also lacking the simplicity of operation of a smartphone.

Thom Hogan describes the RP as an example of a Minimum Viable product which I interpret as the lowest level of specifications, capabilities, performance and connectivity which the makers think buyers will pay for.

I think that is entirely the wrong way to go about things. Steve Jobs got it right. Aim for the best possible product and the best possible user experience.

People like to enjoy using their gadgets.  They do not like to spend frustrating hours trying to figure out how they work.

If all the camera makers continue to treat the experience which users have when trying to operate their products as an afterthought at best then they will all fail and deserve to do so.