Canon introduced the EOS R, its first full-frame mirrorless camera, in September 2018. The EOS R also debuted the Canon RF mount, a full-frame lens mount that enables faster communication between the camera and lens than is possible with the EF and EF-S mounts. This mount is used on all of Canon’s EOS R cameras.
The EOS R was followed by the Canon EOS RP in February 2019, then the Canon EOS R6 and R5 in July 2020 and the Canon EOS R3 in September 2021. That means that are now has 5 mirrorless EOS R-series cameras, or 6 if you include the Canon EOS Ra which is a variation of the EOS R and designed for astrophotography. It has a new IR filter array over the sensor to enable it to capture the reddish colour of nebula.
With the switch towards mirrorless technology in full-swing, many DSLR photographers are considering their options and looking at all brands, but a Canon EOS R-series camera makes a good choice for Canon DSLR users because of the similarity in their controls and menus and their ability to accept EF and EF-S mount lenses via an EF-EOS R adapter.
In this post we’ll take a look at which Canon EOS R cameras are best suited to particular uses, budgets and upgrade paths.
Best Canon EOS R camera for travel and budget
Canon EOS RP
Specification
- Camera type: Mirrorless
- Announced: February 2019
- Lens mount: RF
- Sensor: 26.2Mp full-frame (35.9 x 24mm) CMOS
- Processing engine: Digic 8
- Autofocus system: Phase detection using Dual Pixel CMOS AF with 4,799 focus positions
- Sensitivity range: Stills: ISO 100-40000 expandable to ISO 50-102400, Video: 4K Auto: 100-12800, H2: 102400, Full HD/HD - Auto: 100-25600, H2:102400
- Maximum continuous shooting rate: 5fps until card full with Jpegs or 50 raw files or 4 fps with AF Tracking
- Key video specifications: 4K (3840 x 2160) at 25/23.98fps, Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 59.94/50/29.97/25fps)
- Viewfinder: 0.39-inch 2.36-million-dot OLED
- Screen: Vari-angle 3-inch Clear View LCD II touchscreen with 1.04 million dots
- Dimensions (WxHxD): 132.5 x 85.0 x 70.0mm
- Weight: 485g with memory card and battery
Although there are rumours of one or two APS-C format Canon EOS R cameras coming in the not too distant future, currently, all Canon EOS R cameras have a full-frame sensor. However, with dimensions of 132.5 x 85.0 x 70.0mm and weighing 485g with a memory card and battery, the Canon EOS RP is comparatively compact and lightweight. That makes it an attractive choice for travel photography.
The EOS RP is also Canon’s most affordable EOS R-series camera, so it’s a good choice for anyone on a fairly tight budget.
Inside the EOS RP is a 26.2Mp CMOS sensor that’s very similar to the Canon 6D Mark II’s. The feature set is also fairly similar, but naturally there’s an electronic viewfinder rather than an optical one.
Despite having the Expeed 8 processing engine and a UHS-II compatible SD card slot, the RP has a maximum shoot rate of 5fps (frames per second). However, that’s only possible in One Shot AF mode, you have to drop to 4fps if you want to use continuous autofocusing.
Those figures mean that the EOS RP is not the natural choice for sport, but it has a pretty nippy AF system that delivers a high hit rate when you keep the active AF point over the subject.
£1049
$999For
- Compact full-frame body
- Vari-angle touchscreen
- Attractively priced
Against
- No joystick for setting the AF point
- Poor battery life
- 1.6x crop applied to 4K video
Best Canon EOS R camera for landscape photography
Canon EOS R
Specification
- Camera type: Full-frame mirrorless
- Announced: September 2018
- Sensor: 30.3-million-pixel full-frame CMOS
- Viewfinder: 0.5in, 3.69-million dot electronic viewfinder
- Screen: 3.15-inch 2.1-million dot vari-angle touchscreen
- Autofocus system: Dual Pixel CMOS phase detection with 5,565 points
- Sensitivity range: ISO 100-40,000 (expandable to 50-102,400)
- Shutter speed range: 30-1/8000sec, bulb
- Maximum continuous shooting rate: 8fps continuous shooting, 5fps with AF tracking
- Key video specifications: 4K/30P video with 1.7x crop factor, 4:2:2 10-bit HDMI output, 3.5mm mic and headphone ports
- Storage: Single SD/SDHC/SDXC UHS-II card slot
- Battery: LP-E6N rechargeable Li-ion Battery
- Dimensions: 135.8×98.3×84.4mm
- Weight: 580g (body only), 660g (body with card and battery)
With an effective pixel count of 30.3Mp, the Canon EOS R is capable of resolving more detail than the EOS RP, which makes it a good choice for landscape photography, without incurring the expense of the 45Mp Canon EOS R5.
Canon paired the R’s sensor with the Digic 8 processor to deliver a sensitivity range of ISO 100-40,000 with expansion settings taking it to ISO 102,400. That means there’s good scope for low-light photography.
Like the EOS RP, the EOS R’s continuous shooting rate is a little underwhelming, hitting just 5fps with continuous AF and 3fps with AF Tracking. In addition, the Eye detection only works in Single AF mode.
£1599
$1799For
- Excellent touch-control
- Good AF system
- High-quality electronic viewfinder
Against
- No mode dial or mini-joystick
- 1.7x crop in 4K video mode
- Single memory card slot
Best Canon EOS R camera for low light
Canon EOS R6
Specification
- Camera Type: Mirrorless
- Announced: 9th July 2020
- Sensor: 20Mp Full-frame Dual Pixel CMOS AF II
- Processor: Digic X
- Lens mount: RF
- Sensitivity range: Stills: ISO 100-102,400 expandable to ISO 50-204,800, Movies: ISO 100-6,400, expandable to ISO 204,800
- File formats: Raw + Jpeg/HEIF, MP4
- Maximum continuous shooting rate: Mechanical shutter: 12fps, Electronic shutter: 20fps
- Maximum video resolution: 4K video at up to 60fps, Full HD at up to 120fps. 4K video crop: 1.07x at 25p (1.19x with the Digital IS on), 1.52x at 60p
- Autofocus system: Dual Pixel CMOS AF II phase detection with 6,072 points in stills and 4968 points in movie mode
- Viewfinder: 0.5-inch 3.69million-dot OLED electronic viewfinder with 120fps refresh rate
- Screen: 3-inch 1.62-million dot vari-angle touchscreen
- Autofocus: Dual Pixel CMOS AF II with Advanced Animal AF (recognising dogs, cats and birds) supported in all video modes with 100% coverage and up to 1053 'AF segments'
- Stabilisation: In-body image stabilisation (IBIS) that works with lens IS and enables up to 8-stops of shutter speed compensation
- Storage: Dual slots, 2x SDXC UHS-II
- Dimensions: 138.4 x 97.5 x 88.4mm
- Weight: 598g / 680 g with card and battery
The Canon EOS R6 was introduced at the same time as the EOS R5 and together they signalled that Canon had got really serious about mirrorless technology. It wasn’t just trying to match its DSLRs, it was building on them to produce even more capable cameras.
As such, the Canon EOS R6 combines the speed of Canon EOS 7D Mark II with the full-frame sensor appeal of the Canon EOS 6D Mark II in a mirrorless body.
Inside the Canon EOS R6 is a 20Mp full-frame sensor that is similar in design to the one in the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III, the company’s flagship DSLR. That comparatively modest pixel count enables a native sensitivity range of ISO 100-102,400 with expansion settings to ISO 50-204,800 for stills. In addition, the AF system is sensitive down to -6.5EV, making the R6 a great choice for low light photography.
Further good news is that AF system is superb and the Face + Tracking AF system is astonishingly good. It’s brilliant when it’s combined with the Subject detection (which can be set to Human, Animal or Vehicle) and Eye detection.
While the EOS RP was seen as akin to the Canon EOS 6D Mark II, the EOS R6 is perhaps the natural mirrorless step-up.
£2500
€2899.99For
- Similar 20Mp full-frame sensor to the Canon EOS 1D X Mark III
- 12fps/20fps continuous shooting
- Superb autofocus system
Against
- Slight crop in 4K video mode
- 6Mp lower resolution than the Canon EOS 6D Mark II
- Serious heat generation issues with 4K video
Best Canon EOS R camera for portraits and commercial photography
Canon EOS R5
Specification
- Camera Type: Mirrorless
- Announced: 9th July 2020
- Sensor: 45Mp Full-frame Dual Pixel CMOS AF II
- Processor: Digic X
- Lens mount: RF
- Sensitivity range: Stills: ISO 100-51,200 expandable to ISO 50-102,400, Movies: ISO 100-25600, expandable to ISO ISO 51,200
- Metering: 384-zone metering with Evaluative metering (linked to All AF points), Partial metering (approx. 6.1% of viewfinder at centre), Spot metering: Centre spot metering (approx. 3.1% viewfinder at centre), Centre weighted average metering
- Shutter speed range: 1/8000sec-30 seconds and Bulb
- File formats: Raw + Jpeg/HEIF, MP4
- Maximum continuous shooting rate: Mechanical shutter: 12fps, Electronic shutter: 20fps
- Maximum video resolution: Uncropped, internal raw recording 8K video at up to 29.97fps in 4:2:2 10-bit in Canon Log (H.265) or 4:2:2 10-bit HDR PQ (H.265), Uncropped internal recording 4K video at up to 119.88fps in 4:2:2 10-bit in Canon Log (H.265) or 4:2:2 10-bit HDR PQ (H.265) 4:2:2 10-bit in Canon Log or 4:2:2 10-bit HDR PQ, 4K output over HDMI at up to 59.94fps
- Autofocus system: Dual Pixel CMOS AF II phase detection with 5940 points in stills and 4500 points in movie mode
- Viewfinder: 0.5-inch 5.76million-dot OLED electronic viewfinder with 120fps display and 0.76x magnification
- Screen: 3.15-inch 2.1-million dot vari-angle touchscreen
- Autofocus: Dual Pixel CMOS AF II with Advanced Animal AF (recognising dogs, cats and birds) supported in all video modes with 100% coverage and up to 1053 'AF segments'
- Stabilisation: In-body image stabilisation (IBIS) that works with lens IS and enables up to 8-stops of shutter speed compensation
- Storage: Dual slots, 1x CFexpress, 1x SDXC UHS-II
- Dimensions: 135.8 x 97.5 x 88mm
- Weight: 650 g / 738 g with card and battery
If the R6 is the upgrade to the 6D Mark II, the Canon EOS R5 is the mirrorless replacement for the Canon 5D Mark IV.
Inside the Canon EOS R5 is a 45Mp full-frame sensor with Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF II design which helps it deliver some impressive autofocus performance.
Like the R6, the Canon R5 gained the ability to detect and track Vehicles following a firmware update. This works well, but its the Human and Eye detection that is of specific interest to portrait photographers while the Animal (and Animal Eye) detection is a huge bonus to wildlife and pet photographers.
The combination of the superb AF performance and the maximum continuous shooting rates of 12fps with the mechanical shutter and 20fps with the electronic shutter makes the R5 a powerful camera for capturing fleeting moments and expressions.
It’s also worth mentioning that the R5 can capture 8K video internally and stunning-quality HQ 4K video, all with the full AF and subject-detection functionality.
£4199
$3899For
- 45Mp full-frame sensor with full AF coverage
- 12fps/20fps continuous shooting with continuous AF
- Uncropped internal 8K video recording for up to 20 minutes
Against
- 8K video will require lots of storage capacity
Best Canon EOS R camera for sport
Canon EOS R3
Specification
- Camera Type: Mirrorless
- Announced: 14th September 2021
- Sensor: 24.1Mp Full-frame BSI stacked CMOS
- Processor: Digic X
- Lens mount: RF
- Sensitivity range: Stills: ISO 100-102,400 expandable to ISO 50-204,800, Video: ISO 100-25,600 expandable to 100-102,400
- Metering: 384-zone metering with Evaluative metering (linked to All AF points), Partial metering (approx. 5.9% of viewfinder at centre), Spot metering: Centre spot metering (approx. 2.9% viewfinder at centre), Centre weighted average metering
- Shutter speed range: Mechanical shutter: 30- 1/8,000 sec and Bulb, Electronic shutter: 30-1/64,000 sec
- Still file formats: Raw + Jpeg/HEIF
- Maximum continuous shooting rate: Mechanical shutter / 1st curtain electronic: 12fps for 1000+ Jpeg or 1000 raw, Electronic shutter: 30fps for 540 Jpegs or 150 raw images
- Main video resolutions: 6K DCI (17:9) 6000 x 3164 (59.94, 50, 29.97, 25, 24, 23.98fps) raw, 4K DCI (17:9) 4096 x 2160 (59.94, 50, 29.97, 25, 24, 23.98fps) intra or inter frame / light inter frame 4K UHD (16:9) 3840 x 2160 (119.9, 100, 59.94, 50, 29.97, 25, 23.98 fps) intra or inter frame Full HD (16:9) 1920 x 1080 (119.9, 100, 59.94, 50, 29.97, 25, 23.98 fps) intra or inter frame Full HD (16:9) 1920 x 1080 HDR (29.97, 25 fps) inter frame
- Video conatiner formats: MP4, raw (CRM)
- Colour sampling: 6K raw 12bit, 4K/ Full HD - 4:2:0 8-bit or 4:2:2 10bit
- Log: Canon Log 3
- Autofocus system: Dual Pixel CMOS AF II phase detection with 1,053 points
- Viewfinder: 0.5-inch 5.76million-dot OLED electronic viewfinder with 120fps display and 0.76x magnification
- Screen: 3.2-inch 4.15-million dot vari-angle touchscreen
- Stabilisation: In-body image stabilisation (IBIS) that works with lens IS and enables up to 8-stops of shutter speed compensation
- Storage: Dual slots, 1x CFexpress, 1x SDXC UHS-II
- Dimensions: 150x 142.6 x 87.2mm
- Weight: 822g body only, 1015g with card and battery
While Canon says that the EOS R3 sits below the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III in the company’s line-up, there can be little doubt that the new 24.1MP full-frame mirrorless camera will attract the attention of many of the flagship DSLR’s users. It’s aimed at the same pro sports and news photographer audience and has a fabulous feature set to keep them happy.
Canon used a full-frame backside-illuminated stacked CMOS sensor inside the Canon EOS R3 and paired it with the Digic X processing engine to deliver quick data readout and minimise rolling shutter. It offers an excellent blend of resolution, noise control and file size with blistering AF performance.
What’s more, the R3 can shoot raw or Jpeg files at up to 30fps with full exposure metering and autofocus (AF) tracking when the electronic shutter is selected. It’s a great choice of camera for sport, action and news photography.
The R5 and R6 were significant introductions for Canon when they launched in 2020. They gave significant depth to the EOS R system. But the addition of the EOS R3 takes things up a notch with its ability to shoot at 30fps, Eye Control AF and a high-resolution vari-angle touchscreen. It’s also the first double-gripped mirrorless camera, and while Canon says that it sits below the EOS-1D X Mark III, the R3 looks set to poach a few flagship DSLR sales and convert more professional photographers to mirrorless technology.
Canon has shown us a vision of the future for mirrorless cameras and while the R3 is beyond the budget of many photographers, the AI that it employs will trickle down to more affordable cameras.
Find the latest deals on the Canon EOS R3 at Amazon UK and Amazon US.
£5880
$5999 / €6689.99For
- 24Mp full-frame sensor with full AF coverage
- 12fps/30fps continuous shooting with continuous AF
- Eye Control AF
Against
- 6K raw video requires lots of storage capacity
- Control layout different from EOS-1D X mark III and existing R-series cameras
- Less durable buttons than on the 1D X III