Canon Too!

Canon EOS R with the smaller of the two new zooms

As expected, Canon (which is actually much bigger than Nikon) has released its own first salvo in the upcoming FFM Wars. The elegantly named R System* consists, to begin with, with a mid-level body intended to compete with the Nikon Z6 and Sony A7III, plus four lenses rather confusingly designated "RF."** 

The camera is a nonstarter for me personally, because unlike the Nikons and Sonys it has no IBIS, plus it has a flip-out screen. But there are no doubt more variants to come. And that might not matter to you.

Without doing the metrics, this launch seems much quieter and more cursory to me, with less furor at the major news sites than accompanied the Z System launch. C|net isn't circumspect about it: its headline is "The EOS R is official and it's a big leap for Canon / But the company's long-anticipated full-frame model seems a small step for mirrorless."

However, the R does feature an all-new lensmount, and, as with Nikon, the structure of the mount is going to open up new possibilities for Canon's lens designers. So the most exciting thing about the new system are the rather glorious initial lenses, which include a seemingly rather compact 35mm Macro with IS, a utility 24–105mm slower zoom, and, as I mentioned yesterday, two all-out pride-of-ownership efforts: the RF 50mm ƒ/1.2L and the RF 28–70mm ƒ/2L zoom. Although the latter has a somewhat limited range, it's already beginning to receive glowing praise from early field testers.

Canon has a long and distinguished history with superfast lenses.

All in all there are two takeaways. The first is simply that Canon is the biggest bear in the woods and seems likely to grab gobs of market share like a bear pawing honey, and, that the promise of this new system remains largely in its future. As Canon apparently wants to have emphasized.

The best overview of the new equipment I found—easiest to read, most to-the-point, and best-illustrated—can be found, oddly enough, at B&H Photo. It's called "Canon Launches R Mirrorless System with Spectacular Glass." The article is by Shawn C. Steiner.

The next launch in the FFM category—allegedly, according to rumors hither and yon, for a version of the Panasonic GH5 with a full-frame sensor and possibly even a Leica SL lensmount—should be a good deal more interesting.

Mike

* At one point, Leica would have objected to that, but then, Canon already calls its smaller mirrorless cameras "M." Leica's not using "R" any more anyway.

** I had kinda thought those letters were reserved for "rangefinder," but guess not.

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

emptyspaces: "I’m with you, Mike, on a couple of key features here. First, I really dislike flip-out screens. I much prefer the flip-UP screen of my Olympus camera, because I have young children and the combination of waist-level shooting and the near-eye priority face recognition AF let me get shots of them at head level rather than overhead shots. If I had to flip that screen out every time it would drive me nuts. Second, IBIS is wonderful, even the simple three-axis version my camera has. My hands are rock steady, but I still love that IBIS. Those two features have become more important to me than almost anything else when considering a camera system."

Jim Richardson: "Count me among those who were scratching their heads when I read 'No IBIS!' Huh? Isn't that about half the reason you buy a mirrorless camera? What were they thinking?"

Eolake (partial comment): "Though I changed to Canon when the first 5D came out (I can’t believe how long it took for Nikon to even start to compete with that), in this case the Nikon seems much more appealing to me. I’m not so sure why actually."

Josh Hawkins: "For those who remember Canon’s initial digital offering, the D30, this seems like the same idea. Start with mid-upper level and go from there."

[Working photojournalist Josh H. was the manager of an old-line city camera store in his youth. —Ed.]

c.d.embrey: "IBIS falls into the not-invented-here category—it's beyond my comprehension why folks expect Canon to abandon their invented-here [in-lens] IS. In a former life I did a lot of tripod-mounted vertical shots, so I luv flippy-screens!"

David Bateman: "Well it will be interesting to mount those Canon R lenses on the Nikon Z to gain IS. The 4mm difference and slightly larger mount of the Nikon will allow for it."

Kshapero: "Wasn't the whole idea behind mirrorless, that it would be much lighter? So now we are getting lighter bodies with enormous humongous lenses. Waiting to see what Pany brings us."

KeithB: "Ken Rockwell answered the 'I thought mirrorless was supposed to be smaller' question: 'Full frame mirrorless systems will be the same size and weight as DSLR systems have been. The bodies are smaller, but the lenses and flash and everything else is just as big. It's the same thing in television. Professional TV cameras in the 1950s were the size of VW buses and today are the size of a DSLR, but the big 100x zoom lenses we use to televise sports are still as big as your leg. Cameras get smaller, but asking lenses to get sharper and sharper means they will keep getting bigger and bigger.'"

 

Comments

[Dan Khong]

Where there is a war, there is much to write about.

To put in another way, war is good for some people but bad for others.

To put it even further, when there is a real war of attrition, usually human beings lose.

In the camera world, when there is a war, human beings who call themselves photographers generally win.

[Eolake]

Thank you! I agree, both the non-IBIS and the flip-out screen are negatives for me. I like my Olympus Pen F a lot, but the flip-out bothers me. I don’t really see the upside, and the camera gets so unwieldy when it’s out.

And though I changed to Canon when the first 5D came out (I can’t believe how long it took for Nikon to even start to compete with that), in this case the Nikon seems much more appealing to me. I’m not so sure why actually.

[Eolake]

Consider starting a Facebook page related to ToP. It need not be much work. I can see two reasons:

1: you could post various small tidbits which are too trivial for the main blog.

2: Also a good place for off-topic posts (except the best ones).

3: It would be a good place for people to get into discussions, which are not practical on the blog, due to no linking between comments, and no notifications of reply-comments on people’s comments. You need not get into moderating, just let it run wild.

4: I also like to simply leave a “like” to support a post. (Or other labels, as “Love” or “Laughing”.)

5: you’d not need to make an Fb post for every ToP post. Instead if you like you could let people just post there if they want to start a discussion about a post.

6: it would relieve you of a big percentage of the moderation.

Hmm, that was more than two. I think too much for my own good.

Yours, Eolake

[s.wolters]

Honey, they shrunk the camera! Fortunately the lenses are still considerable, so I won’t lose my masculinity. But what worries me is that now I can’t make noise at press conferences anymore.

[Peter Gilbert]

It used to be Nikon made the best (film) lenses, Minolta made the best (film) bodies, and Canon made the best compromises. Now it seems Canon makes the best (mirrorless) lenses, Nikon makes the best (mirrorless) bodies and Sony makes the best compromises.

[Rick]

Mike,
all the current PR/social media push for full frame reminds me of the film "Reefer Madness". Only full frame is good enough..... Well, for my needs, "lesser formats" are more than enough. I guess all the excitement will pass in a few months and we can return to image making.

[robert e]

"The elegantly named R System..."

Aar(gh)! Canon missed a marketing coup by not releasing the new system on Talk Like a Pirate Day.

'... plus four lenses rather confusingly designated "RF."'

Perhaps they're cutting corners by eliminating the marketing department altogether. Besides the lack of release date synergy, there's also the recycling/appropriating of film era acronyms. We may see FTM flash units and TLR bags for the new line.

;) (wink)

[hugh crawford]

The LCD flip out screen looks like it would be good for vertical, but otherwise this seems pretty uninspiring.

I think the point of this camera is to keep Canon users from switching to another brand.

[Kodachromeguy]

Nice equipment indeed!! Already the usual "experts" on photography, marketing, and industrial design at the infamous Dpreview have weighed in with their cheesy prognostications that the new EOS R is doomed to fail, the lenses are too heavy, the prices are "absurd" (which means the writer can't afford it), the lenses are not suitable for the target audience, that Sony already does it better, that mirrorless lenses are supposed to be compact and light, etc., etc. Theatre of the absurd...

[Roger Bradbury]

There doesn't appear to be a focusing scale on any of these lenses. This seems like a backwards step to me, as I use the scales on my AF lenses regularly.

I want creative control and the ability to put the focus distance where I want it. I hope this idea will not become common; I miss depth of field scales as it is.

[Stephen Scharf]

Its really interesting. While Fuji X-T series LCD screens are much more useful and practical for photography, virtually all of the YouTube and review site talking head pundits are 100% consistent on the requirement for a "flippy screen" for video use.

The fact that the Canon EOS R has this is a big plus, but the fact that Canon once again 'gimped" the camera with a 1.7X crop factor (smaller than even Canon's APS-C) is a big turn-off for said talking heads.

Whether these features will actually impact sales is one thing, but there is also a reason by Canon, Nikon & Sony are flying all these talking heads out to corporate launch events at the company's cost. When all they are literally up at midnight making videos from the launch event in their hotel rooms, you know its because they are viewed by Canon, Nikon and Sony as major influencers.

[Tom Burke]

As an amateur Canon user, this is interesting to me, althoughI won't be rushing out to switch to the new system. I think its main advantage over my 5D4 will be that it's lighter. However, I'm not about to change in the near future because I've had the 5D4 less than a year, I'm still enjoying it, and I can still handle it.

I'm pleased at the way that Canon are ensuring the compatibility of EF lenses on the new system - I've counted not just one but three adapters, with varying functionality. This means that if I ever do move to the R system I can continue to use my existing lenses. I'm not bothered about the absence of IBIS - pretty much all my current EF lenses feature IS, and I think that would be true for most EOS users. And of course for serious shooting (which I sometimes do - honest...) the camera would be on my tripod anyway, in which case the method of stabilisation becomes moot.

I'll be interested to read the reviews of the new lenses, especially as they continue to arrive. I'm not sure how much improvement in IQ the R will provide over the 5D4 - the resolution is the same, of course, and we don't yet know if Canon have improved the dynamic range on the sensor. (I'm pretty happy with the DR from the 5D4 - it's markedly better than my previous 6D or the previous generation of APS-C Canons, e.g. the 750D.) There are also things such as weather sealing, etc, to consider. And I'm also seriously getting into smartphone photography anyway.

Perhaps in a few years, by which time I'll be into my 70s, I'll switch to the new system for the ease of handling, so it's good to know now that that path will be available if I want it. And I'm also pleased that persuading myself over the last year or two to not spend humungous amounts of dosh on a Sony system was indeed the right thing to do.

[Doug C]

I am no optical expert, but how the heck to they get f1.2 worth of light through that tiny front element? It looks no bigger than the 41.67mm aperture should be. (yes I know that 41.67mm is theoretical or effective or something)

[anthony reczek]

I've been using a flip-out screen (Canon 80D) for 2 years now, and while it's not the most elegant screen solution out there, it is quite practical. LiveView of course is crucial to extending the PoV fairly easily. No need to carry a step ladder or kneeling pad in your kit.

[Jim Richardson]

Count me among those who were scratching their heads when I read "No IBIS!" Huh? Isn't that about half the reason you buy a mirrorless camera? What were they thinking?

[GKFroehlich]

Not only the eventual demise of DSLRs, but perhaps the demise of dual card slots, and maybe the demise of diminutive lenses?

[Roberto]

Really, a 35mm with IS and a 28-70 without? I don't understand, but then why should I?

[Simon Grosset]

OMG! Only one card slot! What were they thinking!!!

[jh]

YAWN......

[c.d.embrey]

I think that Full-Frame is a dead-end. From my rather biased non-enthusiast POV the future is either sub-APS-C/DX or MFD. All I've ever seen in the-middle-of-the-road is road-kill ...YMMV. Camera-companies find it easy to separate the me-generation-enthusiasts from their children's inheritance—but what's next? If I was still working I'd own M4/3 and rent MFD when needed.

Will Panasonic clone Leica's SL? I sorta doubt it, but I've been wrong before ...often.

[Phil Aynsley]

Well Canon couldn't use "R" for the mount as they have already had an "R" mount, introduced back in 1959 for the Canonflex bodies.

[Stan B.]

I'm sure it's a very capable performer- it sure ain't nothing to look at...

[Mahn England]

EXTRA, EXTRA, Canon invents a new chisel!

[Gaspar Heurtley]

Unless I’m missing something, one strange thing about the new Canon R is that despite beeing (kind of) an ‘upper middle range’ model with twin control wheels loses the big vertical one every Canon DSLR has in favor of a small, more traditional one (Nikon style?), located on the top right shoulder.

Could this be the beginning of a new design language from Canon, that makes a departure from what we’ve seen for decades?

[Mahn England]

Mike: "the upcoming FFM Wars"

Seriously there are bigger battles to fight. Cameras are not weapons...photographers have the power for good and for evil, not their hardware.

[A. Dias]

@Tom_Burke - could not have stated it any better! Just one add-on: the weight advantage of a mirrorless body vanishes quickly when serious lenses are attached. Better to keep fit and carry the load. :) And I am not convinced that an EVF will ever satisfy as much as a proper optical viewfinder does.

[Moose]

"Canon has a long and distinguished history with superfast lenses."

Long, certainly, with the 1961 design 58/1.2.

Distinguished? I have the same glass in FL mount. If one is interested in sharpness and low aberrations, they are not to be found north of f5.6. Then again, it was the fastest standard lens made at the time of introduction.

I love it for the soft look for some of my Alt work, but even then, f1.2 tends to be an aperture too far.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

What does the “R” stand for?

Reflex?

miRRoR?

Retro (as in prior to mirrors)?

[Michael Eckstein]

As usual, Canon is underwhelming in their adding new features to their camera bodies. They may be first place in sales, but continue to be near last place in adding features already available in competing brands.

[Sharon]

I thought the whole idea behind mirrorless was the lack of vibration from mirror slap - not the weight. I like a bit of lens weight as it helps me steady the camera.

Sharon

[Ilkka]

To me it looks like Canon has lost the ball. But so did Leica with the big SL and it's even bigger lenses.
The two 'benefits' mirrorless brings are smaller size and electronic viewfinder. EVF helps to get a bright finder image even with slower lenses. SLR needs fast glass to get a bright finder image.