Honestly, would you buy ...

jwilliams wrote:

Honestly, would you buy an R, RP or R6 over the new Nikon Z5 camera if primarily a stills shooter with no existing camera gear or brand loyalty?

I have a hard time seeing why one would spend the extra money on the R or R6. Is the RP cheaper enough to forgo IBIS, AF joystick, 2 card slots, and better EVF?

Now let's assume one is looking at this starting from scratch.

I own an R and RP. Love them both, but this Z5 seems like the perfect balance of capabilities and pricing. IBIS which both the R & RP lack. Better EVF than the RP. AF joystick and 2 card slots which are missing on the R/RP. Considerably cheaper than a R6 and similarly specified for stills.

It seems to me the R6 either has to come down in price drastically or Canon has to update the RP to compete.

Regardless, this has to be good from a camera buyers perspective as pricing on the lower/middle range has to get more competitive. Surely Sony will have to come out with a lower priced model and not just sell older models cheaper.

So, put all loyalty aside and look from the perspective of a first time buyer.

Canon currently has
$3900 R5
$2500 R6
$1800 R
$1000 RP

Nikon:
$2800 Z7
$1800 Z6
$1400 Z5

Sony:
$4500 A9ii
$3200 A7r4
$1800 A7iii

I wonder if Canon will have 4 lines or 3 lines range from RP and R5. Your desire seems to go for not RP replacement but R replacement. IMO, RP would better remain under Z5 as a real entry level and the position of R must be adjusted. If Canon had 3 lines, both R and RP would be gone altogether and a new one would be a counter to Z5.