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| Sydney harbour Canon EOS R10 with RF-S 18-150mm lens |
Canon’s first foray into the mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILC) market was with the crop sensor EOS M of 2012. This used the new EF-M mount which delivered a line of crop sensor bodies and lenses. This line has now effectively ended with no new bodies since the M6.2 and M200 of 2019.
Canon did not enter the full frame mirrorless market until the EOS R was announced in September 2018. Sony at that stage was five years ahead in the full frame MILC space, having released the A7 in 2013. Even Nikon beat Canon into this market although only by a few weeks, announcing the Z6 and Z7 in August 2018.
So Canon had a lot of catching up to do in the mirrorless market while at the same time trying to keep faith with their large cohort of DSLR users and encouraging them to make the move across to the RF mirrorless system. There have been no new EF mount bodies since the EOS 1DX.3 and EOS 850D of 2020 and no new EF mount lenses since 2018.
Now all new Canon interchangeable lens cameras and lenses use the RF mount.
Having freed themselves from the Burden of EF, EF-S and EF-M research and development Canon has released an impressively large number of RF mount bodies and lenses in rapid succession over the last two years.
This post is a round-up of the ergonomic characteristics of RF mount cameras to date.
Overall Canon cameras tend to have very good ergonomics. Several long established Canon signature design features represent on my evaluation industry best practice.
The ergonomic precursor of most full frame Canon cameras today was the T90 of 1986. In particular we can see that the general shape, viewfinder hump, handle, shutter button, function button, front control dial and rear thumb buttons on the T90 are replicated in many current model Canon EOS models.
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| SailGP Sydney February 2023 Canon EOS R10 with RF-S 18-150mm lens For readers unfamiliar with SailGP the Canada craft in the foreground is travelling at about 80 kph powered by wind and lots of sponsor money. |
Let us look at the RF mount cameras to date in order of their release.
EOS R
The first RF mount camera gets the basic body size and shape just right, as are the handle, index finger controls, fully articulating monitor, EVF and most of the rear controls. But the never-seen-before-or-since Function bar is a complete ergonomic failure, there being hardly any users who have managed to find a use for it. Worse, the Fn bar occupies the place where a joystick wants to be. The only other real ergonomic fault on the R is the badly located AF-On button. This is too far to the right. When I had the EOS R I was forever pressing the AF-On button inadvertently while holding or picking up the camera yet pressing the button when I wanted to required my thumb to make an awkward scrunch over to the right. So both the Fn bar and the AF-On button had to be disabled.
The cross-keys end up being the primary means by which the position of the AF box is moved. This is not bad just not as good as a joystick.
EOS RP
The RP was introduced as the entry level model in the RF full frame catalogue. As such it does a pretty good job. The body is very light and compact yet has a decent set of controls and good handling. The Fn bar has gone but unfortunately no joystick has taken its place. In addition the AF-On button is in the same wrong place as it is on the EOS R. Otherwise the RP is very much like the R but a bit smaller. It does have an optional accessory grip which when fitted makes the RP one of the most comfortable cameras to hold that I have ever encountered.
It would appear that the R8 will probably replace both the R and RP but at a considerably higher price than either. As I write this in February 2023 I rate either the R or RP good buying at run-out prices. After a series of firmware updates both cameras perform better than early reviews might have you expect and both are now very good value for money.
R6.1
This is the third RF mount camera to re-use an existing sensor, no doubt enabling Canon to keep control of R&D costs. The R uses the sensor from the 5D.4, The RP uses the sensor from the 6D.2 and the R6.1 uses the sensor from the 1DX.4. This works for Canon and also for users who get cameras with good sensors of known capability.
The R6.1 is the first RF mount model to get the whole ergonomic package right. The size is just right for adult hands, the handle and thumb support are optimally shaped and all the controls have been positioned and designed for optimum effectiveness. There are lots of buttons and dials but I have read no reports of anyone having difficulty finding and operating the controls or of inadvertently pressing a button.
R6.2
Incorporating a new 24Mpx sensor, the R6.2 utilises the same basic body and controls as the R6.1. The On/Off switch has been relocated to the right side adjacent to the rear control dial presumably in response to requests from some users for this. On the left side of the EVF hump we now see a Video/Stills switch. This arrangement works well enough although I am not convinced about the desirability of locating the On/Off switch on the right side. I find it actually easier in practice to operate the On/Off switch on the left side of the hump.
Overall the R6.2 is a very attractive package with very good image quality, performance and ergonomics.
R5
The R5 is the first RF mount model to use a completely new sensor and it’s a really good one. The R5 is the same size and shape as the R6 with the same rear controls. The top is a bit different with an LCD panel like the R and a mode/ rear control button/dial arrangement. The LCD panel allows us to check some basic camera settings without having to lift the camera up to the eye. Some users prefer this arrangement, others like me are happy enough with the more straightforward setup on the R6 with a standard Mode Dial.
I give the R5 the highest ergonomic score of all the cameras which I have rated to date.
The R5 is a very compelling product, still in high demand 3 years after release with no price drop yet other than in occasional short term sales promotions.
I sure hope they don’t mess up the R5.2 when it eventually appears.
R5C
This is a dedicated video version of the R5 with a built in cooling fan which adds considerable bulk to the back of the camera. I have no experience with it and have read few reviews of it.
R3
This is the first Canon RF mount camera to use a stacked, back side illuminated high speed sensor as befits the intended use of the R3 which is professional high speed sport/action. I have not used this camera myself but user reviews of its ergonomics have been very favourable. This one has an integral vertical hold battery grip and a build quality suitable for regular professional use in all kinds of conditions.
R7
This is the first RF mount model to incorporate an APSC crop sensor in this case the 32 Mpx chip already seen in several models including the 90D and M6.2.
From the ergonomic perspective I see the R7 as a fine example of schlimbesserung which is a wonderful German word meaning to make things worse while trying to improve them.
I would very much preferred Canon to simply use the R6 body for the R7. This would have suited all the bird and wildlife photographers who bought the R7 for more reach with their existing RF and EF lenses.
But no, they blessed the R7 with a completely new body, narrower than the R6 for reasons unknown. They also grafted the rear control dial around the joystick for reasons unknown to users and not stated by Canon. This arrangement is not only un-necessary (check out the arrangement of controls on the R10) it is also a kludge which is more awkward to use than the tried-and- tested arrangement on the R6 and all the rest of the RF bodies.
Sometimes Canon just gets some part of the ergonomic realisation wrong and this is one of those times.
R10
This one was released with the R7. It uses the well known Canon 24 Mpx sensor previously seen in numerous Canon DSLRs and M system models.
I find the user experience of the R10 more pleasing than the R7. The handle is smaller but is still well shaped and all the dials and buttons are in their optimal locations with optimal haptics for a camera this size. Although entry level the R10 still has a joystick and twin control dials (three dials if you count the one on RF mount lenses) and is quite suitable for the professional or enthusiast photographer wanting a compact kit for those times when lugging around the big gear would be inappropriate. With either the RF-S 18-45mm or RF-S 18-150mm the R10 becomes an interchangeable lens alternative to a compact camera but with considerably greater potential.
R8
Question: What do you get when you mate an RP with an R6.2 ?
Answer: The R8.
I can see that from a marketing perspective the R8 probably has a lot of appeal. We get the sensor and most of the inner workings of the R6.2 but at a considerably lower price point.
What’s not to like ?
That would be the RP part of the formula. You see, we can live with the ergonomic limitations of the original RP because of its attractive price and accept that it is not a high performance model but an entry point to the RF system.
In the R8 we have the same RP body with the same ergonomic limitations but now it costs a lot more money. Worse, the limited controls on the RP body are not really well suited to the high performance capabilities of the sensor and processor.
So we have a product which looks to me like a price point management exercise with a result which is too expensive to be an entry level full frame mirrorless model and is not ergonomically satisfactory as a high performance model either.
R50
Last in this little roundup we have the R50. In this case the product development people at Canon know exactly what and who the R50 is for. That is the legions of EOS M50 users who made the M50 (and the slightly updated M50.2) one of the most popular models in recent times. I have not bought or used an R50 and probably will not as I have an R10. However from all reports and my perusal of product photos the R50 appears to fulfil its intended purpose very nicely.
I think we can also be confident that this model signals the end of the EOS M series.
I think the R50 will be an enjoyable little camera to use and serve as the least expensive entry point into the ever expanding world of RF mount photography. The small size and low price do however bring substantial limitations to the R50’s performance and ergonomics which will make it less attractive than the R10 or R7 to enthusiasts and experienced MILC users.
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| Canon EOS R10 with RF-S 18-150mm lens. A very capable and appealing kit for many use cases. |
Summary and recommendations
We can see that there are some hits and misses in the list above.
I rate the R and RP as near-misses with respect to ergonomics and performance but they are solid, well built cameras which function well within their limited range of capabilities. At run-out low prices either of these models is worth buying and will reward the owner with excellent photos.
The R6 and R6.2 are price point alternatives to the R5. There is nothing wrong with the R6 or R6.2 but the R5 is a step up from either and in my view worth the extra money.
The R6.2 has an updated AF system derived from the R3 which might give it an edge over the R5 in some use cases.
The R5 is still the best all purpose, do anything and everything camera you can buy for stills and video and is still my number one recommendation for best all round camera in the RF mount system.
The R3 is a specialist professional sport/action model which by all accounts is unbeatable for that purpose.
I count the R7 as a miss. The ergonomics are not best implemented and there are problems when we try to use it as an alternative to the R5 for birds and wildlife. These mostly relate to shutter shock with the undamped mechanical shutter and distortion with the electronic shutter. Both these issues are manageable but this involves alternating between EFCS and ES depending on the shutter speed and frame rate required.
I find the R10 more appealing than the R7 as the ergonomic package is better realised.
However the R10 has the same shutter issues that we see with the R7. The R10 can hold focus on fast moving subjects but rolling shutter is even worse on the R10 than the R7 due to the slower sensor scan speed. The R10 can still be used for sport/action/wildlife/birds but careful management of shutter type and speed is required together with shooting strategies to manage the small buffer.
The R8 looks like a miss to me, neither fish nor fowl. It lacks the control set for a high performance model but is too expensive to be seen as an entry model.
Early indications are that the R50 could be an ideal entry point into the RF mount system and a decently enjoyable camera in its own right. It is however very much built down to a price and as such lacks some of the features, capabilities, performance and controls of the R10.