Canon launched the EOS R7 and R10 APS-C RF-S mount cameras earlier this 12 months, lastly introducing lens compatibility between crop-sensor and full-frame mirrorless cameras. That places the way forward for its present APS-C EOS-M line doubtful, nonetheless.

Today’s assessment is all in regards to the higher-end $1,500, 32-megapixel EOS R7. At that value, it goes up in opposition to rival APS-C fashions like Fujifilm’s X-T4 and the Sony A6600, but additionally Panasonic’s $1,700 Micro Four Thirds GH5-II and even full-frame cameras like Nikon’s $1,300 Z5.

Pros

• Fast taking pictures speeds
• Top-notch autofocus
• Good dealing with
• Sharp 10-bit 4K video

Cons

• Rolling shutter
• Not superb in low mild
• A bit costly

Much prefer it did with the pioneering EOS-R, Canon made some attention-grabbing design choices with the R7 physique, and used a non-stacked, non-backside illuminated sensor. The R7 has a powerful function set, although, providing quick burst speeds, highly effective AI autofocus and powerful video capabilities. I checked it out with some assist from my professional photographer buddy, and right here’s what we discovered.

Body and Handling

The EOS R7 has a basic Canon look, and whereas it’s not fairly as fairly because the X-T4, I just like the design greater than Sony’s boxy APS-C cameras. It appears small in hand however is definitely pretty hefty at 612 grams – not a lot lower than the full-frame R6 and significantly greater than the 503 gram A6600. The huge mount helps each RF and the brand new RF-lenses designed for the R7 and R10.

It has a deep grip that’s snug and gives stability, even with huge lenses. There’s a management dial on the entrance of the grip as regular, however Canon tried a brand new strategy with the rear dial. Instead of placing it on the proper the place the on/off/video change is now situated, it’s properly to the left of that and in a vertical place, wrapped across the joystick.

I wasn’t too certain about that once I first noticed it. It didn’t take lengthy to get used to it, although, and Sam observed that it was simpler to alter settings or transfer the main target level one-handed whereas nonetheless preserving a strong grip.

The lack of a 3rd dial for altering issues like ISO is a matter, although. It’s definitely manageable by way of some devoted buttons, and you may reprogram the management ring on any Canon RF lens, together with the 2 new fashions, to alter the aperture or different settings. Apart from that, the R7 handles practically in addition to the X-T4, and lots higher than any of Sony’s present APS-C cameras.

The 54mm RF mount additionally used on full-frame cameras appears cartoonishly huge on the small physique, nevertheless it means you possibly can connect RF lenses just like the $2,300 50mm f/1.2 That’s good, as a result of Canon has solely two RF-S lenses to date, the 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 and the 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3. Neither is quick nor significantly sharp, however they’re cheap and versatile for informal customers.

If you do want a quicker prime proper now, Canon’s $180 RF 50mm f/1.8 or $500 RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro are attainable choices, however each have an equal 1.6 instances focal size because of the crop issue. You can even use any EF lenses you might have mendacity round with Canon’s RF to EF adapter.

The R7 has a completely articulating, responsive 1.62-million dot show that offers you full management of the menu, playback, autofocus and different issues through contact. The menus are typical Canon, which Sam truly prefers to Sony. I’m much less keen on them, as I nonetheless have hassle discovering settings.

The OLED viewfinder is a bit disappointing, although. You get simply 2.36 million dots of decision, in comparison with 3.68 million on the X-T4 and GH5-II. For issues like chicken taking pictures that require a pointy view to evaluate focus, this can be a problem.

Canon made a sensible choice utilizing the identical battery from the R5 and R6, relatively than the smaller one discovered on the R10. It permits for a strong 660 pictures on a cost, or properly over 90 minutes of oversampled 4K 24p video recording.

It has each headphone and microphone jacks, together with a micro-HDMI port that’s unlucky however par for the course with APS-C cameras. Finally, it has a pleasant twin UHS-II card setup for simple backups and comparatively quick taking pictures.

Performance

The R7 is a speed-demon of a digital camera, taking pictures 15 fps bursts with steady autofocus utilizing the mechanical shutter and an unbelievable 30 fps utilizing the digital shutter. Those are the identical most body charges because the $6,000 EOS R3, which makes it nice for sports activities or wildlife taking pictures, significantly because it has a built-in zoom with the 1.6 instances crop issue.

There’s a big caveat on the digital shutter mode half, although. Not being stacked, the sensor doesn’t learn out significantly shortly, so it will possibly produce skewed photographs in digital mode with quick topics or extreme digital camera motion. The mechanical shutter is quick sufficient to be choice, nevertheless it makes a loud clunking noise that might scare away that white-tailed deer or draw undesirable consideration at a high-school basketball recreation.

You’ll get a good variety of frames earlier than they kick you out, although. It delivers 100 pictures at 15 fps with the mechanical shutter or about 70 with the digital shutter earlier than the buffer fills. If you might have a quick UHS-II card, the buffer clears out pretty shortly and you will get again to taking pictures once more.

Like different Canon cameras, the R7 makes use of Canon’s Dual Pixel autofocus with deep studying AI tech. In common single-point steady AF mode, it nails pictures even with fast-paced topics. And the topic monitoring is top-notch, requiring little or no fussing. If you choose a topic in any AF space mode, it’ll lock on and monitor it tenaciously. If the topic is a human, animal, chicken or perhaps a automotive, it’ll monitor their head, physique or eyes.

It labored reliably and quickly for myself and professional photographer Samuel, preserving youngsters, cats, birds and different quick-moving topics in focus. Though it will possibly fail to lock into topics like birds behind a department, Canon has a “foreground” setting that may assist. Canon additionally affords 4 AF circumstances, permitting commonplace photographs, topics that will seem shortly, topics that velocity up or decelerate shortly, and the aforementioned foreground setting. Overall, the AF is true up there with Sony, and superior to Fujifilm and Nikon.

The R7 is among the smaller our bodies accessible with five-axis in-body stabilization, as properly. That system reduces shakes as much as 8 stops with choose lenses, which allowed me to take sharp pictures right down to an eighth or perhaps a quarter of a second.

Image high quality

While the brand new 32.5-megapixel picture sensor isn’t very quick, picture high quality is top-notch due to the up to date DIGIC X picture processor, high-megapixel depend and Canon’s colour science. Compared to the standard 24 megapixels, 32.5 gives a noticeable soar in sharpness and allows you to crop into photographs extra if essential.

JPEG high quality is maybe the perfect of any APS-C Canon digital camera but, with sharper, extra pure photos than the M6 Mark II, which additionally has a 32.5-megapixel processor (although not the identical one, Canon says). Samuel mentioned he took a number of studio photographs that he may have given to the shopper as JPEGs with no processing.

Canon affords each lossy and non-lossy compressed 14-bit RAW information, nevertheless it’s laborious to see the distinction until you actually punch in. Both ship good dynamic vary, with the power to retain element in high-contrast scenes. Dynamic vary doesn’t fairly maintain as much as Nikon’s Z fc, nevertheless it’s not far off.

The R7 has respectable however not nice low-light taking pictures functionality with usable photos as much as ISO 6400 and even ISO 12800 if the publicity is sweet and also you don’t attempt to increase the shadows a lot in put up. Sony’s APS-C cameras are a bit higher in that regard, however the decision can also be decrease.