MIRRORLESS REFLECTION
The Canon Magazine 85
EOS S.O.S
Reflecting on a year
of mirrorless EOS
How does the Canon EOS R mirrorless camera hold up one year on?
F
Ask Brian!
Confused with
your Canon DSLR?
Email EOSSOS@
futurenet.com
or the last year I’ve been using
the EOS R alongside my EOS
DSLRs, it’s been an interesting
and challenging time adapting to new
and different things in the camera
world. I’ve not purchased any RF
lenses, as I still have my DSLRs and I’m
using both cameras. I’ve been fortunate
to be able to use most of the RF lenses
over the year, but none have resulted in
a purchase. What that means is EF
lenses work well on the EOS R so you
can change bodies and consider lenses.
The biggest change has been the
control layout and dealing with the
viewfinder and LCD switching. I’m using
the touchscreen LCD less than Canon
planned. I’ve taken an extended journey
in to the camera’s customized buttons,
optimizing the camera for how I like tooperate. I now feel more comfortable,
and with controls similar to my DSLR.
The M-Fn button with a choice of five
settings was confusing, so I’ve reduced
it to be an ISO button only. I still want a
joystick for AF point selection.
The electronic viewfinder and LCD
frustrate and delight in equal measure.
I like to use the viewfinder when
shooting, but the lag with auto
switching annoys me. I’ve tried using
manual switching with a custom button
to change between EVF and LCD. That
only works if you’re not already playing
back a photo or in the menu. I’d like to
have a live EVF all the time, and
playback on the LCD, like a DSLR. That
being said, in bright light, it’s nice to be
able to review photographs with the
help of the viewfinder.One plus point is the absolutely
amazing battery life; I’ve had over four
times the expected number of shots
from my camera on most shoots.
Focussing takes time to get
comfortable with, and I’ve reduced the
AF methods to just two: face detection
and 1-point AF for most of the time. For
sports I add AF point with expansion.
Initially I found tracking moving
subjects with face detection a big
challenge, partly due to the large area
of the viewfinder frame that AF covers.
Also if you turn the camera in portrait
orientation it has a preference for
horizontal lines of contrast. Touch
and drag AF helps when working with
a single AF point, however it’s
unfortunately not as quick as a joystick
for rapid repositioning.Fast action sport took time to optimize the
AF for consistent results. AF point with
expansion proved effective for motocrossThe vari-angle screen and 1-point AF
assures precise focus where you want,
and high ISO performance is good too