Canon EOS R
Announced September 5, 2018
PixelMeter The PixelMeter is our 1–100 aggregate of reviewer scores from trusted publications and creators. Weighted by source tier — not a raw average, and not PetaPixel’s own review.
Reviewer Consensus
Good
Canon EOS R is a capable full-frame mirrorless camera that provides excellent image quality and a reliable autofocus system within a comfortable, ergonomic body. That said, it struggles to match competitors due to its lack of in-body image stabilization, a single card slot, and a significant crop when recording 4K video.
Weighted from 47 reviewer scores
Pros
- Fast, precise, and reliable autofocus performance
- Excellent image and color quality
- Comfortable, well-designed body with a deep grip
- High-quality electronic viewfinder and fully-articulating touchscreen
- Seamless lens compatibility via innovative adapters
Cons
- Single memory card slot
- Awkward ergonomics, including the Multi-Function bar and lack of a joystick
- No in-body image stabilization
- Substantial crop factor and limitations in 4K video
- Uncompetitive burst shooting speeds and autofocus tracking
- Launch price $2,299 (USD)
- Sensor 30.3MP Full-Frame CMOS
- Video 4K 30p
- Burst 8 fps electronic
What the Reviewers Say
All 47 expert reviews, weighted into the PixelMeter score.
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- DPReview 80/100
With a 30MP sensor, fantastic color reproduction and on-sensor autofocus, the EOS R can produce some beautiful photographs with pinpoint-accurate focus. But it's Canon's first mirrorless full-frame camera, and in many ways, it shows.
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By itself, the Canon EOS R is a very nice camera. It feels great in the hand, it’s compact, it offers solid weather-sealed construction, and it takes excellent photos and very good 4K video.
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Ultimately the EOS R is a version one product entering a market where Sony is comfortably selling its third generation bodies and an extensive range of native lenses. As such, the EOS R inevitably struggles to compete, but still shows promise in some key respects.
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If you have a lot of EF lenses and desire to stay within the Canon ecosystem, there is a case to be made for the EOS R; otherwise, the A7 III is the way to go.
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The EOS R’s arrival has been greeted with a great amount of interest from Canon users around the world.
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In the Canon EOS R, we are looking at the future and I like what I see. In addition to being packed full of the latest technology and features, the EOS R comes with a new lens mount, the first new Canon full frame lens mount in over 30 years.
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The Canon EOS R is a very good camera in an absolute sense, and in many ways is a more mature first full-frame mirrorless than what many expected. In a comparative sense, however, it feels a generation behind where Sony is with their third-gen a7 models.
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The Canon EOS R is, quite simply, a window into the future of Canon’s new system, with its impressive lenses and new possibilities in camera functions.
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I personally think these lenses are so good that the EOS R that we're seeing right now is just sort of a good enough camera to kind of get into the market.
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I think I would for Canon's first true full frame mirrorless camera, it's a pretty good camera. The body's smaller, it fits everywhere, it still feels good.
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The Canon EOS R is a great camera with a great lens, capable of delivering excellent image quality.
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The EOS R is a promising first step into Canon's future, mixing together DSLR-design with some new features to create a unique take on what a mirrorless camera should be like.
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Here we are a year out from the EOS R and honestly, it hasn't aged very well. It was already behind the curve when it was announced and a year later it's slipping further and further down the wrong side of the slide.
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The EOS R remains a self-assured entry into the full-frame mirrorless market for Canon.
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Upon launch we called the Canon EOS R capable, customizable, but compromised. Two years later it's a much more appealing proposition, thanks to firmware-improved performance and a more competitive price tag.
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Canon's first full-frame mirrorless camera, the EOS R, offers strong image quality and autofocus, but is held back by its ergonomics and video system.
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The Canon EOS R is a very capable camera, and should satisfy many EOS DSLR owners looking for a solid mirrorless alternative.
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We really liked the Canon EOS R. In many ways, Canon offered innovative and new features that were not yet in the full frame mirrorless market.
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For casual family shooters who don't mind dropping $3,400 bucks on a camera, the EOS R with a 24-105mm might be the best setup you can get.
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As someone that has used and appreciated Canon products, I can find myself liking using the Canon EOS R for stills. Sometimes the best camera is not something that can be quantified by specs and figures alone.
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The EOS R is a solid camera with good performance and despite some quirks, we think that it will appeal to a wide range of pro photographers, particularly in the portrait and wedding fields.
- Digital Trends 8/10
All in all, the Canon EOS R is one of the most thorough first-generation cameras we’ve ever used.
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There is no arguing that the images, the color, the quality of the crispness that we're getting from this Canon and from the lenses are unparalleled. They are fantastic images.
- Photo Review 9.0/10
Canon’s EOS R camera is a fine bit of gear that is very pleasant to use and delivers excellent image and video quality. It has a sensible, well-designed user interface that is straightforward to operate and provides plenty of customisation options.
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In all, the controls on the EOS R are a mixed bag. There are some really good ideas, some standard ideas, and some really bad ideas, but the overall operation of the camera is relatively smooth, save for the M-Fn bar.
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The photos you get from the Canon EOS R are high quality, especially if you’re shooting at night. However, the body’s build and functionality have been eclipsed by rivals since its launch.
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If the company's engineers can deliver better optical resolve from this lens system then, well, in 30 year's time we'll be reminiscing about this pinnacle camera.
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A good first attempt, but it doesn’t blow us away – Canon will need to up its game for the next iteration of the R series.
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The Canon EOS R is the first step in the right direction, but it’s so far behind Sony that I wouldn’t recommend it to another professional photographer.
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The Canon EOS R was designed as Canon’s first entry-level full-frame mirrorless body. It’s missing some features the competition already has, but it’s still the best at many things.
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If you're okay with not having those two things, this is in my opinion right now the best vlogging camera just because it's so easy to use and the image is so nice.
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For all of the above reasons, this becomes a camera that I cannot in good conscience recommend to anybody.
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I prefer the EOS R because the pictures look better and it's so much more pleasant to use.
- ExpertPhotography 80/100
While it has flaws, recent firmware updates have improved the camera’s speed and ease of use. And price drops have made it a desirable choice for professionals and amateurs alike.
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While the EOS R just doesn’t work for some photographers, there are others for whom it’ll be an absolute dream to use.
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I really hesitate to fully recommend this camera. At this price point, there are a lot of really good options.
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OK, so we'll wrap up this review for now, and continue next week with the second part.
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All of the output from the EOS R, photo, video is just higher quality than the other cameras. It does look it just looks so good.
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[T]he Canon EOS R absolutely a delight to use, absolutely impressed with the quality and the outcome of it, but that's me.
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Ultimately, I chose this camera because it fit into my workflow, it fit into my post workflow, and also it matched all the other cameras that I had in my system, so the footage looked great. I was able to play with it and post easily and it matched my C200.
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I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention the fold-out tiltable screen; it's so good. I love this kind of screen on cameras; I actually wish it was on every camera.
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[T]his is a solid camera from Canon and is great for anyone looking for a hybrid solution that is lightweight that gives out great quality.
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[T]he entire package of the Canon EOS R when it comes to photography as well as filmmaking, for traveling, for using it for commercial clients, overall after a year has so far been the best camera that I can imagine that is out today.
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It's very powerful, it's lightweight, and it takes absolutely amazing pictures.
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Canon incorporated substantial innovation into the full-frame mirrorless system. The camera offers a comfortable design to the avid photographer, assimilating a sleek aesthetic and premium user experience into the modern device.
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This camera can do basically anything at a average or above-average level. I don't really think it's the best camera for any one particular thing, but it's very good at almost everything.
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[T]he Canon EOS R is like a highly rated freshman college basketball player who has a lot of potential but doesn't necessarily have their game together quite yet.
