My experience with the EOS R

[shii]

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

 

[ThomasK]

Thanks for posting your observations shii. I've been on the fence for some time about upgrading from my 5D MkI. I've read all the bad press this camera has received and realize that comments (good or bad) are based on a particular set of user expectations as you stressed. For me, the upgrade path was either the EOS R or 5DMIV. Based on published comments and articles, my skill level and expectations, I ordered an EOS R believing it will be the right choice. Going from a 5D MkI to an R will be a exponential leap for me. Can't wait to get the camera. Cheers!

 

[ZX11]

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.

Shii

Was focusing with large aperture lenses an issue with the 5DIV?

I figured it had a more advanced AF than the R. I bought the R as a cheaper way to get the 5D sensor but have been very happy with it's AF too. Servo mode in video has been way more accurate than I expected.

--
"Very funny, Scotty! Now beam me down my clothes."
"He's dead, Jim! You grab his tri-corder. I'll get his wallet."

 

[Sittatunga]

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.

Shii

Was focusing with large aperture lenses an issue with the 5DIV?

I figured it had a more advanced AF than the R. I bought the R as a cheaper way to get the 5D sensor but have been very happy with it's AF too. Servo mode in video has been way more accurate than I expected.

With the tiny depth of focus from fast lenses and the simpler, more elegant autofocus sensor arrangement of mirrorless versus DSLR I'd expect the R's autofocus to be much more consistent. The way it will focus on a star right at the edge of the frame makes a shocking contrast to the nine autofocus points in my 5D II viewfinder.

I use the Mf-n bar unlocked to control the viewfinder - swipe for magnification and the end buttons to toggle the histogram and the level. That way I get no unexpected photographic results if it's triggered by accident and it always works immediately.

 

[shii]

Was focusing with large aperture lenses an issue with the 5DIV?

In a controlled experiment using 50mm f1.8 at a subject distance of 2 ft and on a tripod, 100% pixel peep, all 10 shots from the EOS R were in focus and identical. At least 2 shots from the 5D4 were out, though not by much. Remember this is just an f1.8, not the most critical.

--
Shii

 

[cwall64]

I definitely agree with your points. I just find myself reaching for it more than my 5DIV when I go to do something... and with the RF lenses and “High-speed display” enabled it shoots a heck of a lot faster than I expected - I went to my grandsons 2 year birthday party and was catching kinds coming done slides and jumping off the park toys in mid air easily! It is a very fun camera to use!

 

[Larawanista]

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

Looks like you're enjoying your new camera! I have similar observations from almost six months ago when I bought the R. In fact I just sold my 5DMIV. Part of the proceeds I used to fund the RP. So from 5DMIV with R as back up, I've now gone full mirrorless with the R as main camera and RP as back up.

 

[shii]

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.........

Shii

Looks like you're enjoying your new camera! I have similar observations from almost six months ago when I bought the R. In fact I just sold my 5DMIV. Part of the proceeds I used to fund the RP. So from 5DMIV with R as back up, I've now gone full mirrorless with the R as main camera and RP as back up.

Yes, I am thinking of selling my 5D4 also. From what I can tell, the only area the 5D4 is more superior than the R is higher frame rate and the more responsive OVF for tracking (I do not yet have RF lenses.) I think the 5D4 will be better for bird-in-flight which I do sometimes. For everything else, the R is better. Would you have any comment on using the R for actions and birds?

 

[Larawanista]

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.........

Shii

Looks like you're enjoying your new camera! I have similar observations from almost six months ago when I bought the R. In fact I just sold my 5DMIV. Part of the proceeds I used to fund the RP. So from 5DMIV with R as back up, I've now gone full mirrorless with the R as main camera and RP as back up.

Yes, I am thinking of selling my 5D4 also. From what I can tell, the only area the 5D4 is more superior than the R is higher frame rate and the more responsive OVF for tracking (I do not yet have RF lenses.) I think the 5D4 will be better for bird-in-flight which I do sometimes. For everything else, the R is better. Would you have any comment on using the R for actions and birds?

I have no tried it for birds in flight. For action, my comment it - it's fast. As long as you are not so glued to the joystick, it's easy to shift focus or just consign it to AI Servo, at least for basketball, which may not be the fastest of all sports, but it's one of the trickiest consider how players pivot from one frame to another. With an RF lens, you can enjoy the high display refresh rate which helps a lot in tracking moving objects on EVF.

 

[ZX11]

Was focusing with large aperture lenses an issue with the 5DIV?

In a controlled experiment using 50mm f1.8 at a subject distance of 2 ft and on a tripod, 100% pixel peep, all 10 shots from the EOS R were in focus and identical. At least 2 shots from the 5D4 were out, though not by much. Remember this is just an f1.8, not the most critical.

Quoting a post in another forum that I thought was alternate world style from my EOS R experience:

"the problem is that canon failed with eos-r af; ef-mount glass works better on some dslrs, and even on some sony milc bodies, than it does on eos-r... that isn't "seamless functionality"."

Thought it was funny. It's gotta be something about how it performs with some camera settings or in very specific situations. I think Tony Northrup got the R to fail to AF somehow. Or, got the R to be so super critical of its focus that it's frame rate got very low or refuse to take the shot.

 

[shii]

Was focusing with large aperture lenses an issue with the 5DIV?

In a controlled experiment using 50mm f1.8 at a subject distance of 2 ft and on a tripod, 100% pixel peep, all 10 shots from the EOS R were in focus and identical. At least 2 shots from the 5D4 were out, though not by much. Remember this is just an f1.8, not the most critical.

Quoting a post in another forum that I thought was alternate world style from my EOS R experience:

"the problem is that canon failed with eos-r af; ef-mount glass works better on some dslrs, and even on some sony milc bodies, than it does on eos-r... that isn't "seamless functionality"."

Thought it was funny. It's gotta be something about how it performs with some camera settings or in very specific situations. I think Tony Northrup got the R to fail to AF somehow. Or, got the R to be so super critical of its focus that it's frame rate got very low or refuse to take the shot.

Yes, I saw that post.

Well, I guess if we ask 100 people to review a camera, we will surely end up having at least 101 opinions. All I can say is I have no problem with any of the EF lenses I own.

I bought the 5D4 after reading many negative reviews. Many of the complaints were not true, exaggerated or did not apply to me. As far as I am concerned, the 5D4 is great. The R is the same. This is why we need to get firsthand experience ourselves. Reviews are just data points for reference only.

Don't know what Tony did but, according to one of his videos, he eventually bought an R.

Another YouTuber also bashed the R but he bought one months later because he wanted to use the RF lenses.

--
Shii

 

[RDKirk]

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.

I tamed the touch bar by leaving its own lock turned off. I programmed the top panel Lock button to lock only the touch bar. It's easy to find with my fingertip and it operates immediately to toggle the touch bar on/off. I use the touch bar for white balance.

 

[shii]

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.

I tamed the touch bar by leaving its own lock turned off. I programmed the top panel Lock button to lock only the touch bar. It's easy to find with my fingertip and it operates immediately to toggle the touch bar on/off. I use the touch bar for white balance.

Great idea. I like that. Thanks.

 

[ZX11]

Was focusing with large aperture lenses an issue with the 5DIV?

In a controlled experiment using 50mm f1.8 at a subject distance of 2 ft and on a tripod, 100% pixel peep, all 10 shots from the EOS R were in focus and identical. At least 2 shots from the 5D4 were out, though not by much. Remember this is just an f1.8, not the most critical.

Quoting a post in another forum that I thought was alternate world style from my EOS R experience:

"the problem is that canon failed with eos-r af; ef-mount glass works better on some dslrs, and even on some sony milc bodies, than it does on eos-r... that isn't "seamless functionality"."

Thought it was funny. It's gotta be something about how it performs with some camera settings or in very specific situations. I think Tony Northrup got the R to fail to AF somehow. Or, got the R to be so super critical of its focus that it's frame rate got very low or refuse to take the shot.

Yes, I saw that post.

Well, I guess if we ask 100 people to review a camera, we will surely end up having at least 101 opinions. All I can say is I have no problem with any of the EF lenses I own.

I bought the 5D4 after reading many negative reviews. Many of the complaints were not true, exaggerated or did not apply to me. As far as I am concerned, the 5D4 is great. The R is the same. This is why we need to get firsthand experience ourselves. Reviews are just data points for reference only.

Don't know what Tony did but, according to one of his videos, he eventually bought an R.

Another YouTuber also bashed the R but he bought one months later because he wanted to use the RF lenses.

That is interesting. By the time I looked at FF, the 5DIV was well established as a leader in its price range. It was the camera to get for lots of people. However, it was out of the range of what I thought was reasonable to spend on a camera.

Surprising to me that it too had negative reviews. Meh, to each their own.

--
"Very funny, Scotty! Now beam me down my clothes."
"He's dead, Jim! You grab his tri-corder. I'll get his wallet."

 

[shii]

Was focusing with large aperture lenses an issue with the 5DIV?

In a controlled experiment using 50mm f1.8 at a subject distance of 2 ft and on a tripod, 100% pixel peep, all 10 shots from the EOS R were in focus and identical. At least 2 shots from the 5D4 were out, though not by much. Remember this is just an f1.8, not the most critical.

Quoting a post in another forum that I thought was alternate world style from my EOS R experience:

"the problem is that canon failed with eos-r af; ef-mount glass works better on some dslrs, and even on some sony milc bodies, than it does on eos-r... that isn't "seamless functionality"."

Thought it was funny. It's gotta be something about how it performs with some camera settings or in very specific situations. I think Tony Northrup got the R to fail to AF somehow. Or, got the R to be so super critical of its focus that it's frame rate got very low or refuse to take the shot.

Yes, I saw that post.

Well, I guess if we ask 100 people to review a camera, we will surely end up having at least 101 opinions. All I can say is I have no problem with any of the EF lenses I own.

I bought the 5D4 after reading many negative reviews. Many of the complaints were not true, exaggerated or did not apply to me. As far as I am concerned, the 5D4 is great. The R is the same. This is why we need to get firsthand experience ourselves. Reviews are just data points for reference only.

Don't know what Tony did but, according to one of his videos, he eventually bought an R.

Another YouTuber also bashed the R but he bought one months later because he wanted to use the RF lenses.

That is interesting. By the time I looked at FF, the 5DIV was well established as a leader in its price range. It was the camera to get for lots of people. However, it was out of the range of what I thought was reasonable to spend on a camera.

Surprising to me that it too had negative reviews. Meh, to each their own.

You made the right choice. If you do not need a little higher frame rate, dual card slots and GPS, the R is a better camera at 2/3 the cost.

 

[Rock and Rollei]

I would agree with that, except for me, the touch bar works really well and falls perfectly to hand.

I often think that Canon designs its cameras personally for me, as things that many people complain about often seem right to me.

 

[Rawpaul]

I would agree with that, except for me, the touch bar works really well and falls perfectly to hand.

I often think that Canon designs its cameras personally for me, as things that many people complain about often seem right to me.

That is exactly my sentiment too