SUPERTEST
THE CONTENDERS
There’s an EOS R mirrorless that’s perfect for you, but which one will it be? We test eight of the latest cameras
Canon EOS R100 £669 (kit) $479 (body)
Canon EOS R50 £789/$679
Canon EOS R10 £899/$979
Canon EOS R7 £1,499/$1,499
Canon EOS R8 £1,699/$1,499
Canon EOS R6 Mark II £2,779/$2,499
Canon EOS R5 £4,299/$3,399
Canon EOS R3 £5,499/$5,499
The Canon EOS R system has come a very long way since the launch of the original EOS R back in 2018. More revolution than evolution, this camera took 30 years of EOS heritage and shoehorned it into a ground-breaking mirrorless full-frame body. The same goes for its companion RF lenses, which set new benchmarks in terms of image quality and all-round performance. And while RF lenses were thin on the ground to start with, mount adapters ensured compatibility with Canon’s back-catalogue of EF and EF-S lenses. Indeed, unlike with full-frame DSLRs, you can use EF-S lenses on full-frame EOS R system bodies in crop mode, giving yet more options for compact, lightweight shooting.
There are now ten EOS R camera bodies and around 35 lenses to choose from. While many EOS DSLRs, EF and EF-S lenses are being phased out, new RF and RF-S lenses are ramping up, so there’s something for everybody. The only downside is that, with so much choice on offer, it can be hard to choose the EOS R system camera that’s right for you. To some extent, the perfect fit will depend on what kinds of photography you’re into, and your level of expertise. ‘Hybrid’ has definitely become a buzzword in the camera market so, for some, video specs can be just as important as stills performance.
Nowadays especially, budget has become the bottom line for many, so the price tag is a major consideration. And nobody wants to spend more than they need to. Let’s take a closer look at what all the EOS R system cameras in the range have to offer, as well as touching base with some old favourites from the EOS DSLR and M system line-ups.
APS-C
CANON EOS R100
£669 (Kit) $479 (Body)
The price of this camera is cut to the bone, aiming to entice photographers and content creators wanting to move up from a smartphone. It’s an R system replacement for the likes of the entry-level EOS 2000D/EOS Rebel T7 DSLR. It’s very compact, with the same dimensions as the EOS R50, and even lighter in weight at just 356g. The body-only price is $200 cheaper in the USA but, in the UK, it’s currently only available as a kit, complete with an RF-18-45mm zoom lens. With an older-generation DIGIC 8 image processor, the EOS R100 is also the only camera in the main test group to lack Dual Pixel CMOS II deeplearned AI autofocus. As with the original EOS R and RP, it can ‘recognize’ hu
