Canon EOS R: My Test Drive

Thanks to the folks at Hunt’s Photo & Video I got to test drive the new Canon EOS R.  This is Canon’s first entry into the full-frame mirrorless camera market.  I am highly impressed.

The camera has a great feel in the hand.  There’s plenty of room for your hand and right thumb giving a more robust feel than the Canon M-series cameras.

Canon EOS R, Huntsville State Park, Huntsville, Texas, Autumn

Canon EOS R, Huntsville State Park, Huntsville, Texas, Autumn

The swivel screen on the back of the camera is great for ground-level macro photos.

Canon EOS R, Huntsville State Park, Huntsville, Texas, Autumn

Canon EOS R, Huntsville State Park, Huntsville, Texas, Autumn

Hand-feel and ergonomics — give the camera an A+.  The electronic viewfinder is the brightest I’ve seen.  The touch screen on the back is quick and responsive.

Yet, how about the photos.  Last year, I pushed the Canon M-series camera pretty hard when I gave it a test drive so I thought I’d do the same with the EOS R.

Notice in the photos above that there’s no fringing on the leaves when the photo is enlarged to 200%.  The grain structure looks good.

Let’s try another test.

Canon EOS R, Christmas tree, lights, twilight, The Woodlands, Texas, Hughes Landing.

Canon EOS R, Christmas tree, lights, twilight, The Woodlands, Texas, Hughes Landing.

Above is a twilight photo with the Canon EOS R on a tripod.  Enlarged to 200% on the right.

Christmas tree, lights, twilight, The Woodlands, Texas, Hughes Landing.

Christmas tree, lights, twilight, The Woodlands, Texas, Hughes Landing.

Same scene but photographed with a Canon 5D Mark IV.

In low light I can’t see any difference between the photos taken with the Canon EOS R and the Canon 5D Mark IV.

Canon EOS R, Canoes, Huntsville State Park, Huntsville, Texas, Autumn

Canoes, Huntsville State Park, Huntsville, Texas, Autumn

A simple comparison of photos.  The photo taken with the Canon EOS R is on the left.  Canon 5D Mark IV on the right. Both are enlarged to 100%.   I can’t see any difference in quality.

Canon EOS R, starburst, leaves, lens test

Canon EOS R, starburst, leaves, lens test

I like starbursts in my photos.  How does the EOS R’s 24-105mm lens work in the starburst category?  Not bad!

Conclusions:

• The Canon EOS R is a “real” camera on par with the Canon 5D Mark IV.
• There does not appear to be any differences in the picture quality between the two cameras.
• This is not a point-and-shoot or lower quality camera.
• The Canon EOS R is going to make a lot of people rethink their mirrorless options.
• First-time camera owners might skip the DSLR body in favor is this mirrorless.

I’m impressed with the Canon EOS R on static subjects.  How does it handle action?  Stay tuned.

Check out the great deals at Hunt’s Photo & Video on Canon EOS R and other products.

Here’s a video I created on the Canon EOS R.  Take a look.

Author: kathyadamsclark

Professional photographer leading workshops and tours. View all posts by kathyadamsclark