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Canon EOS RP Review Conclusion
"Full-frame" and
"entry-level" are two qualities that you'd never really expect to see
describing the same camera, and yet, here we are with the Canon EOS RP. Canon's
second full-frame mirrorless camera aims to lower the level of entry into the
world of full-frame cameras, opening up this style of camera for more and more
photographers. While the number of full-frame cameras on the market has
expanded dramatically over the past decade or so, and the prices, too, have
decreased over time, most are still fairly expensive, with prices typically
starting at $2,000 or higher.
The Canon EOS
RP bucks that trend, though it's not the first to do so technically.
Sony's Alpha series of full-frame mirrorless cameras debuted with higher price
tags well above the$1000 mark. Yet Sony cleverly continues to make and sell
new, older-generation models at discounted prices, with one older A7 model at
times dipping below the $1000 barrier.
But with a
brand-new starting price of just $1,299 -- that is now even lower at only $999
(yes, $1000 for a new full-frame camera) -- the Canon EOS RP
is a fantastic bang-for-your-buck camera. Sure, it doesn't have all the bells
and whistles, but it's not designed as such. What it does have is a nice big
sensor inside a relatively small body! If you're looking for a compact,
affordable and easy to use camera that has a full-frame image sensor, the Canon
EOS RP should be right near the top of your list.
So, with
that, let's get the rundown on how this little Canon full-frame mirrorless
camera performed in our testing...
Design
& Handling
As we just mentioned,
the "little Canon full-frame mirrorless camera" is an apt description
of the EOS RP. Despite its large sensor, it's a very small and compact camera,
yet still has a decently-sized handgrip and solid, sturdy build quality that
we've come to expect from Canon cameras over the years.
While there
are still a fair amount of physical controls and dials around the camera, the
RP is much more minimal than Canon's usual full-frame DSLRs. With the
small-sized body comes obvious trade-offs for space and button options. Still,
the camera does feature front and rear control dials, a 4-way directional
button, and a large, articulating display with a responsive touchscreen panel.
The 2.36M-dot OLED EVF is also quite good, though not as large nor as high-res
as the one found on the EOS R.
The RP,
however, does lack several key buttons typically seen on Canon DSLRs, such as
dedicated ISO, White Balance, AF Drive mode buttons, for example -- but those
are all lacking on the R as well. Pleasingly, however, the EOS RP does away
with the unique Touch Bar control that debuted on the EOS R. It was an
interesting experiment, in a way, but the response was pretty lackluster to
this new control, and we don't miss it on the RP. In the same vein, the RP
sticks with a traditional PASM mode dial, which we prefer over the Mode button
system of the EOS R. The classic mode dial is faster to operate, and is simply
more straightforward and easier-to-operate control.
While the EOS
RP is undoubtedly smaller, lighter and perhaps a bit more stripped down
compared to a typical full-frame Canon DSLR, the little RP still has the
characteristic look and feel of a Canon camera. The button layout, the labeling
of controls, the menus, and simply the handling characteristics will be
familiar to those photographers who are used to Canon cameras. And even if
you've never picked up a Canon before, we think the RP is intuitive,
comfortable and easy to use while still offering a fair amount of physical
controls to please those more advanced shooters who may opt for one as well.
Image
Quality
On the image
quality front, the EOS RP is essentially a mirrorless equivalent to the 6D Mark
II (whereas the EOS R was similar to the 5D Mark IV). The imaging pipeline
isn't exactly the same, but the RP and the 6D II share a similar (though not
technically identical) 26.2-megapixel full-frame sensor. The image processors
are also different, with the RP using a newer DIGIC 8 chip while the 6D II uses
a DIGIC 7. Nonetheless, both cameras offer the same ISO range: a native range
of ISO 100-40,000 and an expandable range down to ISO 50 and up to 102,400.
RF
35mm f/1.8 Macro: 35mm, f/1.8, 1/3200s, ISO 100
Overall, image quality from the RP is very good and
indeed very similar to that from the 6D Mark II, despite the newer processor.
Although, like most Canon
cameras, the EOS RP's sensor features an optical low-pass filter, which helps
fend off ugly moiré and aliasing artifacts, it does rob the sensor of capturing
a bit more fine detail. Nevertheless, at lower ISOs, EOS RP images are
pleasingly sharp with lots of detail and vibrant colors that we're used to
seeing from Canon images. High ISO performance is quite good, and again, we see
similar noise performance to that from the 6D Mark II. Noise is quite well
controlled, and images are very pleasing up until around ISO 6400, after which
noise becomes a bit more problematic. Like the 6D II, high ISO performance
isn't outstanding, but it's nothing to scoff at either; it is a full-frame
camera, so expect better performance nonetheless compared to most other
smaller-sensored cameras out there.
RF
35mm f/1.8 Macro: 35mm, f/2.2, 1/60s, ISO 1000
One notable feature lacking on the EOS RP, compared
to many modern mirrorless cameras nowadays, is in-body image stabilization.
It's not a necessary feature, of course, to capture great images, but it's so
commonplace these days that the lack of it can feel notable. It's beneficial for
handheld shooting, helping to keep your ISO setting low, and also almost a
necessity for good handheld video recording. If you're coming from another
mirrorless platform or camera system with IBIS, the lack of it on the RP might
an issue. However, until the forthcoming EOS R5 debuts, no Canon EOS camera has
ever had IBIS -- stabilization for their systems has always been lens-based. If
you're already used to the Canon way of doing things in this regard, the lack
of IBIS might not a big issue.
Autofocus
& Performance
Like the EOS
R, the RP features Canon's fast and reliable Dual Pixel CMOS AF system, which
uses on-sensor phase-detect pixels for swift, wobble-free focusing. Overall,
the RP autofocus performs admirably, with both excellent single-shot and
continuous AF performance. AF is quick and accurate, and an altogether similar
experience to what we've experienced with the EOS R. With the lower-res sensor
compared to the 30MP EOS R, there are less individual AF points in the EOS RP,
but the coverage across the sensor is the same -- 88% horizontal and 100%
vertical. In short, there's excellent AF point spread across the frame, which
provides fantastic versatility for getting the AF point right where you want
it. (Though with the RP lacking a joystick control, it's a bit more cumbersome
to move the AF point around with the 4-way control, but then there's always the
speedy tap-to-focus functionality on the touchscreen.)
RF
24-105mm f/4L IS: 105mm, f/4, 1/1000s, ISO 100
The RP also includes Eye AF like the R and many other
modern mirrorless cameras. In use, we found eye AF worked both quickly and
reliably. At launch, the RP's eye AF did indeed work well, but it wasn't as
sensitive as some competing cameras and needed the subject to be more prominent in the
frame before the system recognized a subject's eyes. However, Canon has
released firmware updates for both the RP and the R, which substantially
increases the detection precision and performance of eye AF when tracking moving
subjects.
Performance-wise,
the EOS RP offers generally good performance considering it's an entry-level
camera. It's not a speed-demon camera by any means, with continuous shooting
speeds only going as high as 5fps with single-shot AF. If you want burst
shooting with AF tracking, speeds will drop to 4fps in Speed Priority (the
camera will fire shots even if the focus isn't 100%) or to just 2.6fps in
Tracking Priority (low speed continuous). Those are pretty meager burst specs,
but the RP, obviously, isn't designed as a sports and action camera. For
general shooting situations that a typical beginner- or intermediate-level
photographer will encounter, the RP is more than capable.
On the other
hand, perhaps thanks to the slower burst rates, the camera has ample time to
crank through your shots and as such, the RP's buffer depths are very good, as
are clearing times. The RP supports fast UHS-II cards in its single SD card
slot, and the buffer capacity is basically unlimted when using just JPEG or RAW
quality modes. RAW+JPEG buffer depth is 130 frames from our testing, while
compressed RAW (C-RAW)+JPEG is over 200 frames. Buffer clearing times, while
not groundbreaking, are quite good for this class of camera, taking a bit over
one second for JPEG or RAW shooting, though it can take over 10s or so to clear
a full buffer of C-RAW+JPEG pairs.
RF
35mm f/1.8 Macro: 35mm, f/2.5, 1/125s, ISO 320
Lastly, a bit about battery life, which is
unfortunately a bit underwhelming. A consequence of its smaller, more compact
size, the EOS RP uses the tinier LP-E17 battery packs -- the same
lower-capacity Li-ion battery as in several APS-C EOS M models and Rebels series DSLRs. The higher-end
EOS R could take advantage of its larger size and use the popular LP-E6-style
batteries seen in a lot of EOS DSLR cameras. According to CIPA ratings, the RP
only manages 210 shots with the EVF or 250 with the rear LCD (this can be
extended slightly with the camera's Power Saving mode). For very casual
shooting, one battery will likely work fine, but for any serious, day-long
outings (or if you plan to shoot video at all) we recommend picking up a couple
of spare batteries. It's worth mentioning, too, that the RP supports in-camera
charging, which is handy as an alternative charging method while away from your
battery charger. However, you'll need to buy the optional PD-E1 USB Power
Adapter or make sure you use a power source that supports USB-C Power Delivery.
Video
Finally,
let's talk about video shooting on the EOS RP. As expected, the camera, of
course, shoots video, but it's nowhere near as full-featured in this regard as
higher-end hybrid cameras. There are only three video resolution choices, only
IPB-based video compression, a single file format choice, not fast/slow-motion
video modes and, of course, no in-body image stabilization. Oh, and yes,
there's still an unfortunate 29:59 recording limit. The camera does offer mic
and headphone jacks though -- which is rare to see on a more beginner-focused
camera.
It does,
however, shoot 4K video as well as Full HD at up to 60p, which is on-par for
today's modern mirrorless cameras. However, there's no 4K/30p or anything at
120fps, so there are some creative limitations. 4K mode also has a heavy crop
on the sensor, at about 1.6x, whereas 1080p uses the full width. Oddly, when
the RP debuted, it only offered 4K recording at 24p, while Full HD was limited
to 30p and 60p. If you wanted 24p at were forced to shoot in 4K, but if you
wanted or needed any other kind of higher frame rate, you'd have to go down in
resolution. However, a firmware update released back in October 2019 added the
option for 1080p at 24fps.
Canon
EOS RP still frame from 4K footage.
Quality-wise,
the RP shoots nice video, particularly at 4K. Here the footage is sharp with
lots of detail as well as great colors. However, we found 1080p footage to be a
bit lackluster, with noticeably less fine detail. If you need your final video
projects to be in 1080p (and you're okay with 24p), we recommend shooting in 4K
and then down-res to 1080p after the fact.
In other
respects, the EOS RP performed nicely when shooting video. The ISO performance
is good, and the autofocus with Dual Pixel CMOS AF was just as fantastic as
we've seen with other Canon Dual Pixel-based cameras. However, Dual Pixel CMOS
AF isn't available when shooting 4K, which is disappointing, particularly since
the EOS R does support this. For 4K, the RP resorts to
contrast-detection.
For serious
videographers, the limitations on features and performance, such as the lack of
Dual Pixel CMOS AF with 4K, might be too much to bear. A camera like the EOS R
or the upcoming EOS R5, if you can wait, will be much better options if you
want to stay with Canon. For more casual video shooters, the EOS RP will likely
make a fine choice.
Summary
All in all,
the Canon EOS RP is not without its limitations and compromises. Still, at the
end of the day, you're getting a surprisingly portable yet durable camera with
that classic Canon look and feel and a big sensor, for a shockingly not-so-big
price. The RP is one of, if not the most, affordable full-frame camera on the
market today, selling right at $999. That's an impressive entry point into the
expansive Canon ecosystem. For most photographers simply looking for that
"full-frame look" or for better image quality and higher ISO
performance that comes with a larger sensor, the Canon EOS RP offers a lot of
good without breaking the bank.
Pros
& Cons
Pros- 26MP
full-frame sensor offers very good overall image quality
- Very
good high ISO performance
- Good
entry-level performance
- Fast
single-shot AF speeds
- Great
C-AF with Dual Pixel CMOS AF
- Generous
buffer depths with swift clearing times
- Eye
AF tracking (plus improvements via firmware)
- Shoots
4K video (but see related Cons)
- Full
HD up to 60p using full sensor width
- In-camera
4K timelapse movie
- Clean
HDMI out
- Compact
& lightweight yet still solidly built
- Weather-sealed
(to a degree; like 6D II)
- Easy
to use with Canon familiarity
- Comfortable
ergonomics
- No
Touch-bar control like EOS R
- Responsive,
articulated touchscreen
- Sharp
OLED EVF
- 3.5mm
microphone & headphone jacks
- UHS-II
compatibility
- Fantastic
price for a full-frame camera
Cons- No
IBIS
- Underwhelming
dynamic range
- High
ISO is good, but not stellar
- Fastest
burst rate only 5fps
- Single
card slot (though understandable for this class of camera)
- SD
card slot located in battery compartment
- 4K
video only offered in 24p due to small size & heat issues
- Dual
Pixel CMOS AF not available with 4K
- ~1.6x
crop factor with 4K video
- No
ALL-I compression option
- Single
video file format choice
- 29:59
video recording limit
- Poor
battery life
source: https://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/canon-eos-rp/canon-eos-rp-conclusion.htm
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