Pro video blog…Produced by Philip Johnston DoP/Editor

Another full frame mirrorless camera that can’t produce 4K 50p nor 422 10bit internally, did they not read the specs for the Panasonic GH5 at 4K 25p producing 422 10bit internally at 150 Mbps !!!

Ask the majority of camera operators if they enjoy using an external recorder the answer is NO as its a further link in the chain that can go badly wrong and is cumbersome. External recorders are fine in studio environments but not for run and gun.

Mini HDMI is no longer acceptable for serious video work in my opinion when Panasonic prove that with a bit of design savvy you can get a full size HDMI socket on a small camera body. How many times does the mini HDMI connector break after a only few shoots.

How much are you willing to spend on a mirrorless camera for video work certainly not £5,398 if you include the RF 28-70mm f2 lens.

The one thing going for this camera is the fast autofocus.

Canon PROS:
– World’s fastest autofocus
– Full compatibility with existing EF lenses
– A new adapter with drop-in filter
– The new EOS-R lenses are focus by wire and have an extra customizable ring
– SD card slot

Canon FLAWS:
– lack of IBIS
– single slot card
– Low battery life: 370 shots
– The EOS R does have eye-AF but only S-AF.
– It uses the same 30MP sensor from the 5D IV (with more phase detection pixels added)
– The new lenses are very expensive: RF 50mm f/1.2L £2,349, the RF 28-70mm f/2L £3,049
– The dial on the left is just an ON-OFF button
– Canon will not be opening up the RF mount specs to third parties
– No AF-C in continuous high drive (slower FPS compared to Sony cameras)
– Still a huge crop in 4K recording. Looks the same as 5D IV. Heavy rolling shutter as well.
– 1080p does 60fps and not 120fps
– It has 10 bit 4:2:2 output only.

author

Having been working in the video business since 1988 I have amassed a great amount of knowledge of both the kit and production values over the last 30 years.

7 thoughts on “Canon EOS-R at a glance £2349 body only

  1. Even though I believe Nikon lacked some features at least they pushed some others very nice ones.
    And the Z6 is quite attractive.

    Canon – with their heritage of both film and photography knowledge – appears to just have given up.

    I’m disappointed.

  2. A dead on arrival camera like the Nikon mirrorless

    It’s like they haven’t seen the Sony A7 iii or A7 R iii

    They certainly should have given Sony outsold both Canon and Nikon full frame cameras in both units sold and value this year.

  3. For me the new Canon and Nikon offerings don’t come up to my expectations. The lenses are large, heavy and expensive. 4K crop and no IBIS kills it right there. I’d prefer to adapt my lightweight, small and inexpensive FF Canon FD glass to a new Panasonic FF body.
    Some are saying that Panasonic going FF will eventually kill m43. Even if this happens, I’m holding onto my m43 gear.

  4. Remember that Sony only holds a 12-13 percentage market share while Nikon have 25 and Canon dominates with 50% share for cameras. Sony share have marginally grown by 2-3% market share since they bought Konica Minolta 12 years ago.

    And even though Nikon and Canon were late to the party – the wider mount both have adepted they will always be ahead of Sony when it comes to lens and image quality performance.
    Unless Sony starts over with a new mount.

    Anyway the future is looking bright for us consumers as we will have more to choose from.

  5. It’s better to have a smaller share of a growing market than a larger share of a dying market. Nikon’s large lens mount is a total red herring – you only have to look at Nikon’s own lens “road map” AKA how many years you’ll have to wait before catching up with Sony 2018, to see only one large aperture lens f0.95 that takes advantage of that large mount. That lens is never going to sell well. Manual focus, difficult to use with such a narrow depth of field, heavy and most importantly very very expensive. Good luck if you want that, start saving now. Sony have a good selection of great native lenses , their own and now, and so importantly, third party suppliers. I wanted competition for Sony because without it they might turn into Nikon and Canon. But the good news is Fuji and Panasonic. They at least are looking to compete.

  6. Well the narrow Sony mount forces the leneses to be constructed with an added teleconverter at the rear. Exactly like the 60 year old Nikon F mount.
    Which is why the system size (body + lens ) of a mirrorless Sony is pretty much the same as a DSLR from Nikon or Canon.

    With the new wider mount N and C will be able to construct shorter, lighter and optically superior lenses then Sony.
    It does not even matter if Sony would manufacture the best ever lens – it would still show more CA, vinjetting etc then a lens from C or N.
    You can’t beat physics no matter what you do.

    The new Z body with an added ftz converter on an old F mount lens are pretty much the same package you get with an A7 plus a native lens.

    That put everything in a different perspective.
    Sony kind of paved the way but C and N just won the future with their mount designs.

  7. Petter Nikon might not even get to promised land and Canon well just keep waiting a few more years, maybe a decade or two. Sony’s native lenses are stunning and rated very highly by independent testers. I doubt many will find them wanting. As for larger mounts,well I am sure they have their place but maybe that will be in a new medium format camera line from Sony.

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