Canon EOS R: Its First FullFrame Mirrorless Camera

The two biggest names in photography—Canon and Nikon—sat on the sidelines and watched as Sony became the hottest player in the full frame mirror less world.

- Jim Fisher

That changed in late summer, with both companies debuting new systems. We’ve already looked at the Nikon Z 7, which is a solid first effort for the company. The Canon EOS R isn’t as polished or as featured, but it does have one big advantage for Canon users: It works with your existing SLR accessories and with lenses via an inexpensive adapter. Despite offering a little bit more resolution, though, the EOS R is no threat to the Sony a7 III, our Editors’ Choice in this category.

CANON’S DESIGN CHOICES

The EOS R’s silhouette looks like a Canon—it has the gentle, sloping lines we’re used to seeing in the company’s industrial design, a contrast to the more angled feel of the Nikon Z 6. It’s a similar size to an entry-level SLR minus the extra space for the mirror box. The EOS R measures 3.9 by 5.3 by 3.3 inches (HWD) and weighs 1.5 pounds (without a lens attached). Canon states the EOS R is protected from dust and splashes.

The EOS R’s handgrip is very comfortable. It’s the first thing I noticed, and a big plus—but the EOS R falters in other ergonomic areas. For one, its power switch is on the top plate, to the left of the EVF and hot shoe. It’s a simple two-stage design and takes up a good amount of space that I’d prefer to see dedicated to a different control—a programmable dial, perhaps. Missing are any front control buttons; they can come in handy.

The front control dial sits perpendicular to the top of the handgrip, with the M-Fn button right next to it and the shutter release ahead. M-Fn brings up an on-screen menu to quickly adjust ISO, drive, auto focus, white balance, and flash power settings. The latter are only for an external Speedlite—the EOS R has no builtin flash, a feature absent from almost all modern full frame cameras.