Whether you’re an amateur, a professional or somewhere in between, you may have considered picking up a Canon EOS R — especially if you’re an existing Canon DSLR user. So at $1799, is the EOS R still a good value for the money almost four years after its release? Let’s take a look.

Pros

  • High resolution 30.3MP sensor
  • Ergonomics
  • Dual pixel AF/ Eye autofocus
  • Full rotating touch LCD screen
  • Weather sealed

Cons

  • Slow FPS (8 FPS or 5FPS with servo AF)
  • Single memory card slot
  • No IBIS

Canon EOS R — Technical specifications

All technical specifications were taken from the B&H product page:

  • 30.3MP Full Frame Sensor
  • DIGIC 8 Image Processor
  • UND 4K30 Video; C-Log & 10 Bit HDMI out
  • Dual Pixel CMOS AF, 5655 AF Points
  • 3.69m-Dot OLED Electronic Viewfinder
  • 3.15” 2.1m-Dot Swivel Touchscreen
  • Expanded ISO 50-102400, 8 FPS
  • Multi-Function Bar, Dual Pixel RAW
  • Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, SD UHS-II Card Slot

Canon EOS R — Ergonomics and build quality

Canon really nailed it out of the park with the ergonomics of the EOS R. It has a substantial grip that feels good in the hand.

The buttons are well laid out and easy to reach. The touch screen is bright and responsive. Having the fully articulating screen makes taking those low down street shots a breeze, and the programmable buttons ensure that everything you need is where you need it when you need it.

Canon also introduced the programmable control ring with the RF lens line-up which adds even more options to customize.

Build quality

The Canon EOS R is built very well. The body is weather sealed and also has another handy feature — when the camera is turned off, a dust shield covers the sensor so it can’t get dirty when switching out lenses.

I’ve owned my EOS R for a year now and it isn’t showing any signs of significant wear and tear. It has seen sun, snow, mountains and many motorcycle rides. While it may be on the slightly heavier side, this camera body is up for anything.

Canon EOS R — In the field

In the field, the Canon EOS R performs admirably. The ergonomics feel good, plus, the button placement is intuitive and easy to use.

The fully articulating touch screen ensures that you’ll reach any angle you’d like and makes navigating the menus on the EOS R a breeze.

While there isn’t any in-body image stabilization, Canon does offer stabilization on all of their L series RF lenses. Use one of those lenses paired with the EOS R and you will be treated with amazing image quality. The stabilization works well and even allows for some hand-held long exposures or panning shots.

Canon EOS R — Battery life and media

In my year with the camera I’ve found the battery life to be good. While the EOS R is only rated for 370 shots per battery, I find that it often lasts much longer than that. Especially if you leave off the wifi and bluetooth functions.

As far as media is concerned, the EOS R only has one SD UHS-II card slot. That hasn’t been a deal breaker for me but it might be for some.

Canon EOS R — Autofocus performance

The autofocus on the EOS R is superb. The touch screen makes it easy to move your focus points where you need them, though I’d still prefer to have a joystick in place of the touch bar.

The eye autofocus is quick and accurate, but, it should be noted the EOS R will only do human eye autofocus. It doesn’t include animal autofocus like its big brothers the R6 and R5. Also, the lower frames per second don’t make this an ideal candidate for sports photography.

Canon EOS R — Image quality

As you might expect, the EOS R provides fantastic image quality. The 30.3MP CMOS sensor cranks out incredible images and delivers those great colors we’ve come to know from Canon. Dynamic rage is also quite good. If you find yourself missing an exposure, there is a lot of information available to recover shadows or find some detail in the highlights. 

The RAW files are easy to work with and don’t take up too much space. Canon also offers several in-body profiles for shooters out there that like to shoot JPEGs.

Editor’s note: We welcome this post from Kris Kinsey. Kris is a Grand Rapids, MI photographer specializing in architecture and street photography. He works to show the beauty of cityscapes through unique angles and perspectives. You can find more of his work on Instagram, @exposuretrianglephotography.