EOS R5 in hand. The size and shape of the handle and thumb support make the camera comfortable and secure to hold. The right index finger lies naturally on the shutter button with unobstructed access to the M-Fn button and top/front dial. The thumb can easily reach and operate the thumb stick, AF-On button and AE-L button without having to shift grip with the other fingers.
Canon began to incorporate ergonomic concepts into camera design in the 1980’s. The T90 of 1986 is a well known expression of this.
Unfortunately the T90 gave forth no direct successor as the breech lock FD mount used in the T90 was replaced by the electronic EF bayonet lock mount in 1987, first seen in the EOS 650 camera.
I was a relatively early adopter of the EOS system with a 630 body and standard 50mm lens in 1990.
The basic concept and layout of EOS cameras has been fairly consistent over the years and remains so to the present. We see the basic body shape, handle with top/front control dial just behind a forward mounted shutter button, pentaprism/EVF hump over the optical axis with viewfinder and in digital models a rear monitor screen.
The Mode Dial made an appearance in the EOS 7/30/33/Kiss/Rebel of year 2000 and has been a consistent feature on all but the EOS1 series pro bodies, which still use buttons, since then although the R and R5 use a modified version of the mode dial which enables the dial to have double function as a mode/control dial and makes space for a top plate LCD screen..
The main features of Canon EOS cameras have continued through changes in lens mount (EF to RF), capture medium (film to digital) and inner workings (DSLR to MILC).
These features acknowledge that the hands and brains which use cameras remain the same regardless of the image capture technology inside the device.
In this regard cameras are like motor cars. It matters not whether the car has front, rear or all wheel drive, combustion, hybrid, fuel cell or electric motor, it has to be safe to operate with all the main controls working the same way.
I regard the R5 as the most ergonomically coherent of the EOS models to date and am happy to report that it is a pleasure to use.
I have not used the R6 but it appears to have the same controls as the R5 with the exception of the Mode Dial. I have used both types of Mode Dial and rate them equally usable. Each has different advantages and disadvantages. So when I refer to the R5 in this post my comments also apply to the R6.
Actually I believe the R5 has the best ergonomic realisation of any camera I have used over a 65 year period of any type and any brand from any maker.
However the path from T90 to R5 has been long and bumpy with some mis-steps along the way.
Canon’s first full frame mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, the EOS-R, almost fell over at the start with several deficiencies in performance and ergonomics at an overly ambitious price point. The never-seen-before-and-hopefully-never-again M-Fn bar managed to alienate just about everybody.
But firmware updates and significant price reductions saved the day, with the R becoming a well priced multipurpose model with good image quality, serviceable ergonomics and decent performance.
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Full five finger grip without accessories. The softly rounded lower rear section of the body fits into the lower palm of the hand. |
Mode Dial + controls dials vs Multi inscribed dials
Canon’s engineers realised years ago that electronic operation means not only can they put buttons and dials where the user’s fingers want to find them but they can also give the user the option to allocate any desired function to those dials and buttons.
This was a radical departure from the constraints of the mechanical era which required that each dial have a dedicated function with a location and operation fixed by mechanical connection to the lens aperture blades, shutter mechanism etc…
The R5 has 4 dials, counting the control dial on RF lenses as the 4th. The function and operation of each of thee dials can be substantially chosen by the user from a list of options.
In addition there are 20 buttons and although most have a default function indicated by letters or pictogram, 11 of them can be repurposed to the user’s wishes.
Some cameras offer a type of control layout which tries to blend the dials and aperture ring of a mid 20th Century mechanical SLR with electronic operation.
This is an ergonomic failure, forcing the designers into ridiculous convolutions.
For instance a shutter speed dial with speeds inscribed thereon can only accommodate about 1/3 of the actual speeds which the camera can deliver. Therefore there has to be an accessory dial to fill in the missing speeds. So we end up requiring two dials when one can do the job better. Not only that but the inscribed shutter speed dial is usually located in the traditional position just to the right of the viewfinder hump where it requires both the thumb and index finger to operate after completely shifting grip with the right hand.
Another example is the aperture ring on the lens barrel. The alert camera historian will notice that Canon FD lenses did have an aperture ring. But with the move to electronic communication between camera and lens, EF and RF lenses do not have an aperture ring because they don’t need it and adjusting aperture with the control dial requires fewer actions each less complex.
Let’s talk about handles.
Various types of mini-handle started to appear on Canon SLRs from the A1 in 1978 and the AE-1 Program in 1981.
But it was not until the T90 in 1986 that the handle became an integral part of the functional design and the shutter button moved forward to the top front of the handle with a control dial just behind the shutter button.
Fast forward to the EOS R5 and we can see that the handle serves several vital functions.
The first, obviously, is that it provides something for the user to get a grip on when using or carrying the camera.
But not just any shaped handle will do. The R5 handle is anatomically contoured so it fits a range of adult hands comfortably. Notice the overhang just below the shutter button. The third finger of the right hand tucks under that to provide a secure grip while maintaining a relaxed and comfortable hand position.
The handle is tall enough to accommodate a full five finger grip without the need for any kind of accessory.
Around the back, the thumb support is an essential part of the holding/gripping/control dynamic. The thumb lies naturally in the desirable diagonal position across the back of the body. The thumb stick is easily engaged by shifting the thumb 10mm to the left. The AF On button is easily operated simply by flexing the interphalangeal joint and the AE-L (*) button is easily engaged by moving the thumb 10mm to the right without having to shift grip with the rest of the hand.
With the right hand holding the handle comfortably the index finger falls naturally right over the shutter button and is free to swing back to the M-Fn button and top/front dial without strain and without having to shift grip.
So we see the handle forms an essential platform on which key controls are optimally located for operation by the right index finger and thumb.
But wait….there’s more.
The handle is also an ideal place to house a battery and two memory cards.
It is also designed with consideration for the wrist deflection angle when using the camera in landscape orientation.
One potential advantage of the mini-handle-shutter-button-back-on-top-of-the-body design is that it allows the wrist to remain straight when holding and operating the device in landscape orientation.
The shutter-button-forward design used on the R5 and similar cameras requires some forward rotation at the wrist which some users might find uncomfortable. But the R5 ameliorates this issue by rounding the bottom rear corner of the body on a large radius. This shape allows this part of the camera to nestle into the palm of the hand near the base of the thumb. This in turn allows the required amount of wrist rotation to come back from about 10 degrees to about 5 degrees, depending on the exact position of the right forearm.
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Holding the EOS R5. This is much more comfortable and secure than the old Pentax below but there is a slight forward tilt at the wrist. On reviewing these photos I realise that when holding the Canon I unconsciously bring my elbows back and inwards to my body. When holding the Pentax I automatically hold my elbows wider and away from my body. |
I like to discuss these things in detail because although the R5 is universally rated as very comfortable to hold and operate not many reviewers are able to articulate why that is so and why the R5 is better in this regard that some other cameras.
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Holding my 1964 Pentax Spotmatic, a camera with no handle. The grip is not secure or comfortable but you can see my wrist is straight. |
Thumb stick, a.k.a. Joystick or in Canon-speak, Multi-controller.
The thumb stick is a wonderful invention the primary function of which is to allow the user to quickly move AF area to any position on the frame.
A thumb stick appeared on the 20D in 2004 and the 5D in 2005. There is no thumb stick on the EOS R or RP but the EOS R5 and R6 have one.
Some cameras like the EOS-M 50 and M6/6.2 are small enough that the right thumb can easily swing across onto the monitor screen without the user having to shift grip on the handle. On these cameras a thumb stick is not required as the focus point is easily moved with the thumb on the touch screen. But larger cameras have a greater distance between the normal thumb position and the screen which makes the thumb stick desirable.
Not all thumb sticks are made equal. Their location, operation and haptics is critically important.
I read a lot of camera reviews which note that camera A has a thumb stick with little further comment, as if any thumb stick is as workable as any other. I do wonder if some of these reviewers actually use the cameras about which they write.
I once owned a Lumix G9, in many respects a good camera and it has a thumb stick. But I find the thumb stick on the G9 is located about 10mm to the left of where my thumb wants to find it, there is only 4-way not 8-way movement, and the response of the camera to moving the thumb-stick is sluggish. So on that camera I just went back to moving the AF area with the 4-way controller because it was more satisfactory.
There are in general two kinds of thumb stick, “grippy” and “pushy”.
Canon ones are grippy type. The module is about 10mm in diameter with sharply raised edges which engage the thumb on gentle pressure. This enables the thumb to move the stick in any direction without having to re-position the thumb on the module.
The pushy type is seen on some other cameras and is less satisfactory. There is a stick with a flat or rounded top. The thumb bears on the side of the stick to move it. To change direction the thumb must be shifted to the other side of the stick. That is not the end of the world but requires more actions each more complex than using the grippy type.
The R5 gets all the elements of the thumb-stick equation right. It is located where my thumb wants to find it, the haptics are just right and operation is fast, accurate and predictable.
Monitor screen
There are endless debates on user forums about the merits of various forms of monitor screen articulation. The R5 uses the fully-articulating-from-the-side type.
Over the years I have used cameras with a variety of monitor articulation systems and on balance I find the type used on the R5 the most useful and versatile. It works with the camera in landscape or portrait orientation, at, above or below eye level and with the operator behind, to the side of or in front of the camera. In addition the screen can be folded in for protection if and when desired.
Buttons
Older style DSLRs typically had a small fixed monitor screen which left space for buttons down the left side and/or below the screen.
The mirrorless RF mount cameras are substantially smaller overall than DSLRs and the monitor screen occupies a large part of the real estate on the rear of the camera.
So the location, number and size of buttons needs to be revised. Canon has done an excellent job of this. Buttons are not large but they are well placed and most offer good haptics.
The only exception in my experience with the camera is the [Q] button which is a bit difficult to locate by feel. So I allocate [Q] to the AF ON button which is easy to locate by feel.
Operation
With so many options for individual interpretations of the best way to set up the camera the early days of ownership can be daunting at times. But once one has all the buttons and dials working as desired and their operation committed to muscle memory the camera is a pleasure to use.
Conclusion
Over the last ten years I have owned, used, tested and published an ergonomic score for 46 cameras. The R5 has the highest ergonomic score, well clear of all other models from all the main makers.
It gains this high score by doing almost everything right and hardly anything wrong.
Most criticisms I have read, and I have to say there are not many, appear to arise from the user’s lack of familiarity with the camera not from any inherent problem with the design or controls.