Got an EOS R as an addition to my 5D4. I know the R has been out for some time but I would like to share my experience here just to add one more data point for people on the fence. Please note that this is just my own personal experience which may not align with the majority.
Latest 1.2.0 firmware.
1. The body is lighter, smaller. Nice in the hand.
2. All old DSLR lenses work perfectly. No appreciable difference in focusing speed, etc when compared with my 5D4. (Except horizontal lines as the dual pixel sensors on the R are horizonal, not cross-type as on the 5D4. This is also true for my Fuji and probably many of the other mirrorless. However, occurrence of such a situation is relatively rare.)
3. Focusing is accurate and reproducible. Eye focusing is great. Now my large aperture lenses have a new lease of life.
4. There are complaints about the lack of buttons, joystick, etc. I found this to be true at the beginning. But after I have gotten used to this new layout, I actually like it a lot. I have programmed the buttons to allow me to control everything I need with the press of a button or one button/thumbwheel combination, all without taking my eye away from the viewfinder. The controls including ISO, exposure comp, eye detect on/off, selecting faces and L/R eyes..... etc. This is much more than what I can do with the 5D4.
5. Control of the focus points using touch and drag on the back screen is much faster and direct than using the joystick (for me), not to mention now all the focus points are edge to edge instead of clustered at the center. There is no interference from my nose probably because I wear glasses. No difference in whether I shoot with left or right eye.
6. There is also complaint about the lack of a mode dial. On my 5D4, there are 9 settings on the mode dial. On the R, there are additions of the new FV mode, video modes and 3 new user memories for video; a total of 18 settings, double that on the 5D4. A mechanical mode dial would be very large. I do think this new electronic mode setting mechanism is well thought out and for a good reason. Once you know where those settings are, there is no problem in quickly selecting the right one.
7. The touch bar is a pain to use as widely reported. For me, it is also hard to reach. I have programmed it for some not frequently used functions with a lock. I think if we can lock/unlock the bar with a double tap instead of a one second delay then its usefulness would improve.
8. There is eye tracking in video shooting. That is great. I do not do much video and certainly not 4K, so cannot comment.
9. Only downside for me a lower frame rate than my 5D4. Shutter lag also appears longer but this is just an impression. I cannot measure it.
10. No bugs and no crashes ...... yet.
Shii
Latest 1.2.0 firmware.
1. The body is lighter, smaller. Nice in the hand.
2. All old DSLR lenses work perfectly. No appreciable difference in focusing speed, etc when compared with my 5D4. (Except horizontal lines as the dual pixel sensors on the R are horizonal, not cross-type as on the 5D4. This is also true for my Fuji and probably many of the other mirrorless. However, occurrence of such a situation is relatively rare.)
3. Focusing is accurate and reproducible. Eye focusing is great. Now my large aperture lenses have a new lease of life.
4. There are complaints about the lack of buttons, joystick, etc. I found this to be true at the beginning. But after I have gotten used to this new layout, I actually like it a lot. I have programmed the buttons to allow me to control everything I need with the press of a button or one button/thumbwheel combination, all without taking my eye away from the viewfinder. The controls including ISO, exposure comp, eye detect on/off, selecting faces and L/R eyes..... etc. This is much more than what I can do with the 5D4.
5. Control of the focus points using touch and drag on the back screen is much faster and direct than using the joystick (for me), not to mention now all the focus points are edge to edge instead of clustered at the center. There is no interference from my nose probably because I wear glasses. No difference in whether I shoot with left or right eye.
6. There is also complaint about the lack of a mode dial. On my 5D4, there are 9 settings on the mode dial. On the R, there are additions of the new FV mode, video modes and 3 new user memories for video; a total of 18 settings, double that on the 5D4. A mechanical mode dial would be very large. I do think this new electronic mode setting mechanism is well thought out and for a good reason. Once you know where those settings are, there is no problem in quickly selecting the right one.
7. The touch bar is a pain to use as widely reported. For me, it is also hard to reach. I have programmed it for some not frequently used functions with a lock. I think if we can lock/unlock the bar with a double tap instead of a one second delay then its usefulness would improve.
8. There is eye tracking in video shooting. That is great. I do not do much video and certainly not 4K, so cannot comment.
9. Only downside for me a lower frame rate than my 5D4. Shutter lag also appears longer but this is just an impression. I cannot measure it.
10. No bugs and no crashes ...... yet.
Shii
