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How is the RP in 2025?

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boldcolors

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I currently use an EOS R8 and an R7 as backup. Been thinking about adding something small and light FF as backup instead (will still keep the R7)

How is the RP in 2025? I used to own one years ago but I have forgotten about its performance. I remember it felt a bit sluggish on the trigger but overall great files. Is the eye AF reliable? 90% portrait work for me.
 
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boldcolors said:
I currently use an EOS R8 and an R7 as backup. Been thinking about adding something small and light FF as backup instead (will still keep the R7)

How is the RP in 2025? I used to own one years ago but I have forgotten about its performance. I remember it felt a bit sluggish on the trigger but overall great files. Is the eye AF reliable? 90% portrait work for me.
Click to expand...
It's not a camera I would consider now. I bought the original R in preference to the RP five years ago because of its superior manual focussing and viewfinder and for full control of its silent shutter. Last year I bought an R8 at an irresistible sale price and it's far better for eye AF and portraits than the R. An RP next to your current R8 would be very frustrating.
 
boldcolors said:
I currently use an EOS R8 and an R7 as backup. Been thinking about adding something small and light FF as backup instead (will still keep the R7)

How is the RP in 2025? I used to own one years ago but I have forgotten about its performance. I remember it felt a bit sluggish on the trigger but overall great files. Is the eye AF reliable? 90% portrait work for me.
Click to expand...
For posed portraits I think it will be fine.

Everybody tells you the R8 is better, which is true, but used RP bodies can be found at crazy low prices.
 
thunder storm said:
boldcolors said:
I currently use an EOS R8 and an R7 as backup. Been thinking about adding something small and light FF as backup instead (will still keep the R7)

How is the RP in 2025? I used to own one years ago but I have forgotten about its performance. I remember it felt a bit sluggish on the trigger but overall great files. Is the eye AF reliable? 90% portrait work for me.
Click to expand...
For posed portraits I think it will be fine.

Everybody tells you the R8 is better, which is true, but used RP bodies can be found at crazy low prices.
Click to expand...
There are a couple of reasons for that, and as an only camera, or a cheap full-frame camera it's almost unrivalled. But as a backup or companion body to an R8 I think it would be an unreasonably frustrating buy.
 
thunder storm said:
boldcolors said:
I currently use an EOS R8 and an R7 as backup. Been thinking about adding something small and light FF as backup instead (will still keep the R7)

How is the RP in 2025? I used to own one years ago but I have forgotten about its performance. I remember it felt a bit sluggish on the trigger but overall great files. Is the eye AF reliable? 90% portrait work for me.
Click to expand...
For posed portraits I think it will be fine.

Everybody tells you the R8 is better, which is true, but used RP bodies can be found at crazy low prices.
Click to expand...
Right, that is what I am thinking. I believe there was a firmware update and after that the eye AF got pretty good. I have the R8 and was looking for a backup. Where I live the R8 is almost twice the price so there is that...
 
Sittatunga said:
thunder storm said:
boldcolors said:
I currently use an EOS R8 and an R7 as backup. Been thinking about adding something small and light FF as backup instead (will still keep the R7)

How is the RP in 2025? I used to own one years ago but I have forgotten about its performance. I remember it felt a bit sluggish on the trigger but overall great files. Is the eye AF reliable? 90% portrait work for me.
Click to expand...
For posed portraits I think it will be fine.

Everybody tells you the R8 is better, which is true, but used RP bodies can be found at crazy low prices.
Click to expand...
There are a couple of reasons for that, and as an only camera, or a cheap full-frame camera it's almost unrivalled. But as a backup or companion body to an R8 I think it would be an unreasonably frustrating buy.
Click to expand...
The R8 is great, no doubt about it. I just wonder how much worse the RP really is? Sensor tech is fine, I know that. I don't remember the RP ever missed focus? Or maybe it did.

Again, no sports. Just portraits and weddings
 
boldcolors said:
Again, no sports. Just portraits and weddings
Click to expand...
Posed portraits >> RP

Weddings >> R8

I believe the RP was accurate for AF, but a bit slow. That's fine for posed portraits, but not great for other wedding stuff imo.
 
boldcolors said:
thunder storm said:
boldcolors said:
I currently use an EOS R8 and an R7 as backup. Been thinking about adding something small and light FF as backup instead (will still keep the R7)

How is the RP in 2025? I used to own one years ago but I have forgotten about its performance. I remember it felt a bit sluggish on the trigger but overall great files. Is the eye AF reliable? 90% portrait work for me.
Click to expand...
For posed portraits I think it will be fine.

Everybody tells you the R8 is better, which is true, but used RP bodies can be found at crazy low prices.
Click to expand...
Right, that is what I am thinking. I believe there was a firmware update and after that the eye AF got pretty good. I have the R8 and was looking for a backup. Where I live the R8 is almost twice the price so there is that...
Click to expand...
Same here. The RP is still available here new for less than the second-hand price of an R8 and both new and second-hand the R8 is nearly double the price of the RP. I still think that its more fun and better value for money than the RP. However, I use the match-triangles manual focus aid a lot and silent shutter almost all the time, nether of which I could do with the RP.
 
Last edited:
Sittatunga said:
boldcolors said:
thunder storm said:
boldcolors said:
I currently use an EOS R8 and an R7 as backup. Been thinking about adding something small and light FF as backup instead (will still keep the R7)

How is the RP in 2025? I used to own one years ago but I have forgotten about its performance. I remember it felt a bit sluggish on the trigger but overall great files. Is the eye AF reliable? 90% portrait work for me.
Click to expand...
For posed portraits I think it will be fine.

Everybody tells you the R8 is better, which is true, but used RP bodies can be found at crazy low prices.
Click to expand...
Right, that is what I am thinking. I believe there was a firmware update and after that the eye AF got pretty good. I have the R8 and was looking for a backup. Where I live the R8 is almost twice the price so there is that...
Click to expand...
Same here. The RP is still available here new for less than the second-hand price of an R8 and both new and second-hand the R8 is nearly double the price of the RP. I still think that its more fun and better value for money than the RP. However, I use the match-triangles manual focus aid a lot and silent shutter almost all the time, nether of which I could do with the RP.
Click to expand...
In the US, a used RP is about half the price of a used R8. They take the same battery and are the same size. I think I have had three of them over time.

As a backup to the R8 with no expectations for high performance, it could be OK. I don’t remember if it has eye autofocus but it can definitely detect faces. But using an f/1.4 or F/1.8 lens wide open would not be advisable because it requires very precise autofocus.

I very briefly owned an R8 last year. But I had it only a couple days before I returned it. As far as I remember, the R8 had significantly better image quality vs. the RP. Specifically, you had a much better ability to raise shadows in post without excessive noise. The RP can still take very good pictures and it could be a low cost temporary backup for the R8. But you need to review some raw files to really see how it will perform for you.
 
boldcolors said:
Sittatunga said:
thunder storm said:
boldcolors said:
I currently use an EOS R8 and an R7 as backup. Been thinking about adding something small and light FF as backup instead (will still keep the R7)

How is the RP in 2025? I used to own one years ago but I have forgotten about its performance. I remember it felt a bit sluggish on the trigger but overall great files. Is the eye AF reliable? 90% portrait work for me.
Click to expand...
For posed portraits I think it will be fine.

Everybody tells you the R8 is better, which is true, but used RP bodies can be found at crazy low prices.
Click to expand...
There are a couple of reasons for that, and as an only camera, or a cheap full-frame camera it's almost unrivalled. But as a backup or companion body to an R8 I think it would be an unreasonably frustrating buy.
Click to expand...
The R8 is great, no doubt about it. I just wonder how much worse the RP really is? Sensor tech is fine, I know that. I don't remember the RP ever missed focus? Or maybe it did.

Again, no sports. Just portraits and weddings
Click to expand...
In which case, you’re asking the wrong questions. Yes the sensor is fine (though it’s the same as 6D2, which was not given much love). AF is OK, but tracking is poor. And burst rate is poor. The whole UX is way behind the R8. Having said that, I am looking for a low cost used RP body, to convert for IR landscape photography. They are down to about £500 in the UK.
 
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I have mine, and use it when I want to use a prime or L zoom. Eye focus works fine for posed shots. The controls are a bit on the clunky side after using my R7, but nothing that's a deal breaker. You can get them cheap, and they take lovely photos, even at high ISO.



d106e6ba7149477881409c6785bf093a.jpg
 
boldcolors said:
thunder storm said:
boldcolors said:
I currently use an EOS R8 and an R7 as backup. Been thinking about adding something small and light FF as backup instead (will still keep the R7)

How is the RP in 2025? I used to own one years ago but I have forgotten about its performance. I remember it felt a bit sluggish on the trigger but overall great files. Is the eye AF reliable? 90% portrait work for me.
Click to expand...
For posed portraits I think it will be fine.

Everybody tells you the R8 is better, which is true, but used RP bodies can be found at crazy low prices.
Click to expand...
Right, that is what I am thinking. I believe there was a firmware update and after that the eye AF got pretty good. I have the R8 and was looking for a backup. Where I live the R8 is almost twice the price so there is that...
Click to expand...
I had the RP for a long time and after the firmware updates I actually ended up liking the camera. I did replace it with a R8 and after I had used the R8 for a few months and had gotten used to it I saw a deal for a RP that was too good to pass up so I got it thinking it would be good to have as a backup. When I got the RP and started using it again it quickly became obvious what a huge leap the R8 actually is. I decided that I wouldn’t really be happy using the RP anymore and sold it and have pretty much been using my R7 as a backup/second body.
 
BirdShooter7 said:
boldcolors said:
thunder storm said:
boldcolors said:
I currently use an EOS R8 and an R7 as backup. Been thinking about adding something small and light FF as backup instead (will still keep the R7)

How is the RP in 2025? I used to own one years ago but I have forgotten about its performance. I remember it felt a bit sluggish on the trigger but overall great files. Is the eye AF reliable? 90% portrait work for me.
Click to expand...
For posed portraits I think it will be fine.

Everybody tells you the R8 is better, which is true, but used RP bodies can be found at crazy low prices.
Click to expand...
Right, that is what I am thinking. I believe there was a firmware update and after that the eye AF got pretty good. I have the R8 and was looking for a backup. Where I live the R8 is almost twice the price so there is that...
Click to expand...
I had the RP for a long time and after the firmware updates I actually ended up liking the camera. I did replace it with a R8 and after I had used the R8 for a few months and had gotten used to it I saw a deal for a RP that was too good to pass up so I got it thinking it would be good to have as a backup. When I got the RP and started using it again it quickly became obvious what a huge leap the R8 actually is. I decided that I wouldn’t really be happy using the RP anymore and sold it and have pretty much been using my R7 as a backup/second body.
Click to expand...
+1 Sometimes it takes a good amount of time spent with a new body or other piece of equipment to truly recognize and appreciate the differences/ improvements. And revisiting the former often is what makes the picture clearer (scuze the pun ;-) ).

I've done that with a couple of EF/RF lenses in fact. You go back to the old, and end up just going yuck! And furthermore evaluating something much more complex like one of these new bodies can be even trickier.

R2
 
BirdShooter7 said:
boldcolors said:
thunder storm said:
boldcolors said:
I currently use an EOS R8 and an R7 as backup. Been thinking about adding something small and light FF as backup instead (will still keep the R7)

How is the RP in 2025? I used to own one years ago but I have forgotten about its performance. I remember it felt a bit sluggish on the trigger but overall great files. Is the eye AF reliable? 90% portrait work for me.
Click to expand...
For posed portraits I think it will be fine.

Everybody tells you the R8 is better, which is true, but used RP bodies can be found at crazy low prices.
Click to expand...
Right, that is what I am thinking. I believe there was a firmware update and after that the eye AF got pretty good. I have the R8 and was looking for a backup. Where I live the R8 is almost twice the price so there is that...
Click to expand...
I had the RP for a long time and after the firmware updates I actually ended up liking the camera. I did replace it with a R8 and after I had used the R8 for a few months and had gotten used to it I saw a deal for a RP that was too good to pass up so I got it thinking it would be good to have as a backup. When I got the RP and started using it again it quickly became obvious what a huge leap the R8 actually is. I decided that I wouldn’t really be happy using the RP anymore and sold it and have pretty much been using my R7 as a backup/second body.
Click to expand...
That's interesting info. Thanks for sharing. What was the main reason you returned it? I mean, yes the R8 is miles ahead but was there an obvious dealbreaker where you felt it just wouldn't work or more a general feeling that is was so old compared to the R8?

If I remember correctly what really annoyed me with the RP was the sluggish response when pressing the trigger. It's not the AF performance, not the frame rates...it just felt slow and tired when pressing the release. But that was about it really...I believe the AF was fine for portraits and events (but not sports obviously).

The R8 is of course sooo much better. But I wonder how much I will notice it for portraits and wedding stuff as a backup. Oh well...decisions decisions :-) Maybe I'm better off finding a used EOS R. But I am not so sure that one is better than the RP.

Money is an issue right now so that is why I am checking for these old dinos :-)
 
As it's only intended as a backup and you already have an R7: why not use the R7 as backup? Maybe you would need to add an RF-S wide angle.
 
StefanD said:
As it's only intended as a backup and you already have an R7: why not use the R7 as backup? Maybe you would need to add an RF-S wide angle.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that was my original plan but I find the FF+APS-C combination a bit inconsistent in terms of "look". Or maybe it's just in my head, I don't know. Mainly I think it's because I don't have any good RF-S lenses. And using my fullframe lenses on APS-C is always a compromise.

I've been playing with the idea to just get a good zoom lens for the R7, like the Sigma RF 18-50/2.8. Sure, it's not a sexy lens but gets the job done in case something goes wrong. It would be cheaper than getting the EOS RP. And I have the RF50/1.2 which would become a very useful 80/1.9 for portraits on the R7.
 
Last edited:
boldcolors said:
BirdShooter7 said:
boldcolors said:
thunder storm said:
boldcolors said:
I currently use an EOS R8 and an R7 as backup. Been thinking about adding something small and light FF as backup instead (will still keep the R7)

How is the RP in 2025? I used to own one years ago but I have forgotten about its performance. I remember it felt a bit sluggish on the trigger but overall great files. Is the eye AF reliable? 90% portrait work for me.
Click to expand...
For posed portraits I think it will be fine.

Everybody tells you the R8 is better, which is true, but used RP bodies can be found at crazy low prices.
Click to expand...
Right, that is what I am thinking. I believe there was a firmware update and after that the eye AF got pretty good. I have the R8 and was looking for a backup. Where I live the R8 is almost twice the price so there is that...
Click to expand...
I had the RP for a long time and after the firmware updates I actually ended up liking the camera. I did replace it with a R8 and after I had used the R8 for a few months and had gotten used to it I saw a deal for a RP that was too good to pass up so I got it thinking it would be good to have as a backup. When I got the RP and started using it again it quickly became obvious what a huge leap the R8 actually is. I decided that I wouldn’t really be happy using the RP anymore and sold it and have pretty much been using my R7 as a backup/second body.
Click to expand...
That's interesting info. Thanks for sharing. What was the main reason you returned it? I mean, yes the R8 is miles ahead but was there an obvious dealbreaker where you felt it just wouldn't work or more a general feeling that is was so old compared to the R8?
Click to expand...

Really it’s the camera as a whole. The R8 is so fast and responsive, AF is a big improvement. After getting used to the R8 the RP just felt slow and laggy.

boldcolors said:
If I remember correctly what really annoyed me with the RP was the sluggish response when pressing the trigger.
Click to expand...
Yes that’s definitely part of it.

boldcolors said:
It's not the AF performance,
Click to expand...
I found the AF on the RP to be plenty accurate, just not nearly as good at tracking or speed. I think the Digic X really made a huge difference.

boldcolors said:
not the frame rates...it just felt slow and tired when pressing the release. But that was about it really...I believe the AF was fine for portraits and events (but not sports obviously).

The R8 is of course sooo much better. But I wonder how much I will notice it for portraits and wedding stuff as a backup.
Click to expand...
I don’t really do people portraits but for bird portraits the tracking of the R8 makes a big difference. I would guess it would also be really helpful for wedding photography but my experience in that area is very limited.

boldcolors said:
Oh well...decisions decisions :-) Maybe I'm better off finding a used EOS R. But I am not so sure that one is better than the RP.
Click to expand...
The R is the only Canon camera I’ve owned that I truly didn’t like.

boldcolors said:
Money is an issue right now so that is why I am checking for these old dinos :-)
Click to expand...
Hey I’m right there with you and that’s why I’ve been really trying to make each purchase count.
 
boldcolors said:
StefanD said:
As it's only intended as a backup and you already have an R7: why not use the R7 as backup? Maybe you would need to add an RF-S wide angle.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that was my original plan but I find the FF+APS-C combination a bit inconsistent in terms of "look". Or maybe it's just in my head, I don't know. Mainly I think it's because I don't have any good RF-S lenses. And using my fullframe lenses on APS-C is always a compromise.

I've been playing with the idea to just get a good zoom lens for the R7, like the Sigma RF 18-50/2.8. Sure, it's not a sexy lens but gets the job done in case something goes wrong. It would be cheaper than getting the EOS RP. And I have the RF50/1.2 which would become a very useful 80/1.9 for portraits on the R7.
Click to expand...
I don’t think it’s just in your head or maybe we both suffer from the same delusion 😁
 
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