Upgrading from Canon EOS60D to EOS R
5
I upgraded to the Canon EOS R in March 2019 from the Canon EOS 60D as my first so called full frame body (ignoring all the years I shot 35mm film), so my opinion is based on a comparison with my trusty EOS 60D which I loved to bits and not with other similar FF cameras, although I looked hard at the 5D MkIV. I have to admit my thinking on kit was stuck in the film age where the camera body was less important than the glass or film you were using, so the decision to change the 60D was a hard one for me. I own a lot of good quality Canon fit glass and didn't look at other makes of body, a system change was never on the cards.
The decision to upgrade the 60D was based on the relatively poor low light performance, it’s very noisy above ISO800, and a desire to make better use of the full canvas that my lenses would offer using a 35mm format sensor. The original choice was the 6D Mk2 which is a great camera but would have been a compromise but getting a bonus just before the final decision to buy put the 5D Mk4 and EOS R in my budget.
I could have easily gone for the 5D Mk4, it’s very a capable DSLR and felt ‘right’ in the hand, as an aging ‘dyed in the wool’ SLR/DSLR user it would have been the safe choice. But trying it out, it was very bulky compared to my old APS-C body and lacked a flip screen, something that I loved about my old 60D. Being the wrong side of 35 I saw mirrorless cameras as something alien and unnatural at worst, toys at best, but the R has won me over. It is essentially a 5D MkIV bundled into an APS-C size body and the big plus for me was the flip screen! Initial trepidations over EFV Vs OVF have been largely unfounded, although there are limits to the EFVs these are not usually all that noticeable and the advantages outweigh any such limitations. The EVF takes a few days to get used to but changes the display of shooting information orientation with the camera and can swap between several configurable display modes to show as much or as little information as you need on the EVF or Live view screen. The simulated exposure shown on screen is also a big plus when shooting in low light or with heavy ‘ND Stopper’ filters. The refresh rate and tracking in smooth mode is very fast and works well with wildlife but it is a bit clunky in power saving mode when used with a telephoto lens. In harsh artificial light the EVF can be a bit over saturated (which put me off initially) and can be noisy in low light but is much better than guessing your framing based on the little you can see in a traditional viewfinder.
In the two months that I have used the camera, mostly for landscapes and wildlife, I have been very impressed by the picture quality, dynamic range and resolution, with no problem cropping in on birds etc when needed and still getting a nice sharp and rich image so I’m not missing the APS-C crop factor of the 60D on wildlife. The included EF adaptor works well with EF lenses and my one EF-S lens, but crops down for the latter. Personally missed the 'back wheel' on my EOS 60D to adjust exposure compensation and ordered the version with the control ring to get this back, Canon should just include this version instead of the basic one IMO.
Some niggles, the EVF as noted above can be noisy / over saturated in some harsh conditions but handles most light conditions well. If your lens has IS the R drives this when the view finder / live view is on, not just when focusing I reported this to Canon for a possible firmware fix (Not here as of 1.2.0). It is obviously more battery hungry than a DSLR but I still manage a day out walking and 450+ shots on one battery comfortably, although I have noticed that my third party batteries seem to die quickly, the Canon ones seem to handle the near constant draw a lot better.
If I could point to one winning feature it's the focusing system. Firstly the R seems to have the same focus modes and zones as the 5D Mk4 but these are not restricted to the + grid in the viewfinder, you can put them almost anywhere in the view. Secondly because focus zone selection is virtual you only see the point(s) / zone in use and are not distracted by dozens of active and the redundant points flashing on and off in the focus grid. Finally and crucially, the Dual Pixel AF system is fast and tack sharp accurate. Because you are using the sensor to focus there is no micro-focus adjustment / lens calibration to bother with and it's spot on, with Canon and third party lenses, within f Stop limits it will handle my Sigma150-600mm Zoom plus 1.4x teleconverter, something my 60D couldn't cope with.
Just a brilliant full frame camera in a compact package in my book.
