Canon’s entry into high-end mirrorless camera gear industry with their first EOS R was not too big of a surprise. Mirrorless cameras are the future and Canon must step in and make a small dent to stay relevant too. What was surprising though was how much of an impact Canon is making in the mirrorless camera segment.
When they introduced their current flagships, the super powerful Canon EOS R3, the Canon EOS R5, and the brilliant EOS R6, it seemed like they got the formula right. They did what Sony did not do with the EOS R5 in introducing 8K video recording capability to it. While early reports suggests that the 8K video recording on the Canon EOS R5 is still a little finnicky, it gave us a glimpse of what Canon can really do when their stretch their legs and pull all the stops with their high-end camera.
They are not market leaders in the mirrorless segment, Sony still is the king of mirrorless cameras with the support system that they have built over the years. To be market leaders again, Canon cannot just stop at their high-end EOS R3, EOS R5 and EOS R6 full-frame shooters. They need to cover all their bases. That is where their APS-C mirrorless cameras come in.
To be fair, Canon did have a mirrorless compact camera. They had the EOS M series that is highly regarded by many still. Unfortunately, the EOS M series was short-lived with highly limited lens and accessory support. But it will be different this time with the new Canon EOS R series and the RF-S lenses.
They introduced two brand-new cameras in the EOS R7 and the EOS R10 mirrorless APS-C cameras. Alongside the new APS-C interchangeable lens cameras, Canon also launched new lenses that caters specifically to the APS-C format cameras called the RF-S range. In this case, you get the power of Canon’s brilliant EOS R series at a fraction of the price.
Canon EOS R7
Meet the new all-rounder that is the Canon EOS R7. It is powered by the same processor as the flagship class EOS R3, the DIGIC X image processor made for professional grade cameras. Thanks to the new image processor, the EOS R7 inherits the same fast autofocus system that the EOS R3 gets.
Thanks to the same processing power as well, the EOS R7 can shoot at up to 15fps in high-speed burst mode in mechanical shutter mode. In electronic shutter mode it can shoot at up to 30fps continuously. You can even shoot at RAW formats in that speed.
The Canon EOS R7 feature an impressive 32.5-Megapixel on tap. They also managed to fit a 5-axis in-boy Image Stabiliser mechanism within the body with up to eight stops of image stabilisation. The result for that is not just better still images, you also get much better and steady videos even if you are shooting without an external stabiliser rig.
The 32.5-Megapixel sensor captures videos at 4K with 7K oversampling for high-quality and detail rich videos at up to 30p. If you prefer to get more frames out of your videos though, you can switch it down to 4K UHD Standard mode that shoots at 4K resolution still but at 60p. For even better details and more freedom in colour grading, you can switch your camera to Canon Log 3 gamma profile.
Canon EOS R10
The Canon EOS R10 also packs the same DIGIC 3 image processor that allows it to also shoot at 15fps continuously in mechanical shutter mode. In electronic shutter mode it shoots at a slightly slower rate of 23fps. You still get 24.2-Megapixel out of the camera though, which should still prove to be mighty clear and detailed.
While it does not pack an in-body stabilisation mechanics, it has a built-in Movie Digital image stabilisation algorithm that allows the camera to simulate a 5-axis body stabiliser to allow for better and steadier video recordings even with lenses that does not come equipped with Optical Image Stabiliser. You still get to record videos at 4UK UHD at up to 30p with 6K oversampling in UHD Fine mode, no Canon Log 3 gamma colour profile to work with here though.
Canon RF-S lenses
Alongside the two new APS-C crop sensors, Canon also introduces two new lenses for crop sensor mirrorless cameras. They introduced the RF-S18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM and RF-S18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM lenses. Both are technically made as kit lenses that should come with either camera choices.
The RF-S18-150mm kit lens offers an equivalent of 29-240mm in effective range. Meanwhile, the RF-S18-45mm lens will offer 29-72mm in equivalent range to full frame cameras. Technically as well, you can use the RF-S lenses with other EOS R cameras, since they have the same RF mount anyway.
Availability
There is currently no confirmed availability date for the camera and the lenses. Canon says that the products will be available later in 2022. In terms of price, there are no confirmed local prices just yet as well. The Canon EOS R10 will be available in the North American region for US$ 980 (MYR 4,305*) for body only and up to US$ 1,380 (MYR 6,062*) with the kit RF-S18-150mm lens on it. The R7 is a little more expensive at US$ 1,500 (MYR 6,589*) for the body only. Buying it together with the RF-S18-150mm lens will set you back US$ 1,900 (MYR 8,346*). You can find out more on the new Canon EOS R APS-C cameras and RF-S lenses on their website.
*Approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.39 as of 25/05/2022 on xe.com
