Canon EOS RP mirrorless camera announced

Thursday 14 February 2019, 05:05 by Elja Trum | 5,259 views | 7 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Last year, Canon announced the EOS R system and the first Canon EOS R full-frame mirrorless camera. Canon has just announced the second full-frame mirrorless camera for the same EOS R system: the Canon EOS RP.

Canon EOS RP specifications

- 26.2-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor
- Sensitivity: 100 to 40,000 ISO (50 to 102,400 ISO)
- 5 photos per second (4 with continuous autofocus)
- Electronic viewfinder: OLED with 2.36 million pixels
- Dual Pixel CMOS AF
- 4K video (24 fps, Full HD at 60 fps)
- DIGIC 8 processor
- SD(XC) card slot
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- Weight: 485 grams (including battery)

The Canon EOS RP is a smaller, and also around a thousand euros cheaper, version of the Canon EOS R (review). Not only is the camera physically a little smaller, its performance is also slightly lower.

When you look at the differences, however, it immediately becomes clear that the Canon EOS RP is a very interesting option for photographers.

Canon EOS RP back

EOS RP versus EOS R

So what are those differences? Well, the Canon EOS RP is already a little more compact to start with. Mainly in height. You can see this in the battery, as it also contains a smaller battery, the Canon LP-E17.

That can be a shame, because officially this battery only has enough capacity for around half the photos that the EOS R can take on a single battery. On the other hand, it is not that difficult to put an extra battery in your bag and swap it once.

There are small details that differ, which may not seem equally important to everyone at first glance. For example, the autofocus can focus down to a maximum of -5 EV, while the EOS R can do this down to -6 EV.

You also miss around a thousand autofocus points.
Not a big deal, because you still have 4,779 left.

In the hand

At Canon's invitation, I was able to take a look at the EOS RP last week. It was a pre-production model and unfortunately I was not allowed to use it either, as it did not even have a battery in it.

The camera is noticeably smaller. I did not find this immediately troublesome, but if you have larger hands, the optional grip is recommended. This grip adds around a centimetre to the height of the Canon EOS RP body.

You only really notice what a pleasant addition it is when you take the grip off again. With the grip, it really does sit more comfortably in the hand. At least with my hands.

The grip is really only a grip. It only adds some height. You cannot put an extra battery in it and it does not have an extra shutter button either.

One thing that stands out on the camera itself is that there is no longer a display on top. It also has a traditional PASM mode dial, as you are used to from Canon DSLRs. Perhaps secretly more pleasant than the alternative on the EOS R, although that is mainly a matter of getting used to it.

The M.Fn touch bar is also missing. Personally, I was not hugely enthusiastic about it, so I will not miss it.

The electronic viewfinder is smaller, but because the EOS RP I held did not have a battery in it, I was unable to experience this. The one on the EOS R is pleasantly large, at any rate, so I can imagine that this may be disappointing with this camera, by comparison.

In terms of video, the EOS RP is slightly less capable than the EOS R, but if that is not so important to you, there actually seems to be little reason not to choose the EOS RP and save a lot of money.

In that respect, Canon seems to be putting an interesting entry-level option for the EOS R system on the market with this camera, at least at first glance.

Price and availability

The Canon EOS RP will be available from the end of February 2019 at a recommended retail price of 1,519.99 euros. The recommended retail price of the EOS RP kit, including the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, is 2,539.99 euros.

With both, the EF-EOS R mount adapter is temporarily included free of charge. The Extension Grip EG-E1, which is also being launched today, costs 80 euros and will also be available from the end of February.

» Order the Canon EOS RP from CameraNu

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About the author

Elja Trum is the founder of Photofacts and online photography course website Photofacts Academy. He has been writing about photography since 2006. Elja is also the author of (Dutch) books on composition, black-and-white photography, flash photography and portrait photography.

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7 comments

guest wrote on Friday 15 February 2019 at 08:12 | reply
This is the Sony A7 II from almost 5 years ago..
Translated from Dutch.

Elja Trum wrote on Friday 15 February 2019 at 08:58 | reply
@Gast; there is something to be said for that. That camera can still be ordered new, by the way, and costs 250 euros less than this one.

If you already have Canon gear, choosing this RP still doesn't seem like a bad choice to me.
Translated from Dutch.

Christiaan wrote on Friday 15 February 2019 at 09:56 | reply
Unless you use an adapter to mount your Canon lenses on your Sony A7 II. With the A7 II, I believe the autofocus is more than adequate with adapted lenses.
Translated from Dutch.

Elja Trum wrote on Friday 15 February 2019 at 10:27 | reply
@Christiaan; that is indeed also a great solution. With the RP you currently get the adapter for free, so that saves a little on the costs.

The Canon system is of course more than just the lenses. You can also continue to use any reportage flashes you have without any problems.

Additionally, you don't have to learn a new system, but as a Canon user you work with a system that is familiar to you. With a familiar 'look' in your photos and such.

I think it's smart to also consider alternatives, but if you're already fully invested in the Canon system, then the Canon R or RP is quite a logical step.
Translated from Dutch.

Christiaan wrote on Friday 15 February 2019 at 10:43 | reply
@Elja: that is of course also true if you have the necessary flashes and such.

I started with photography almost 5 years ago myself and went for Sony and now I won't be so quick to go for something else either. In fact, the upgrade to an A6400 has already been ordered. Although, if my lenses were usable on another brand of camera, it would only be a TTL flash that needed replacing. The Yongnuo flashes can be put on anything, so in that respect, if I could take my lenses with me to another brand, I would only need to replace the Sony TTL flash. But yeah, that's just as a hobby. The pro will undoubtedly have the necessary (more expensive) equipment that you don't switch that quickly.
Translated from Dutch.

Eduard wrote on Friday 13 December 2019 at 02:56 | reply
With both, the EF-EOS R mount adapter is temporarily included for free, what nonsense, free doesn't exist.
Translated from Dutch.

Elja Trum wrote on Friday 13 December 2019 at 10:11 | reply
@Christiaan; Sony is also a great choice indeed, so I can imagine that you won't be switching to another brand anytime soon. Anyone still working with Canon now probably won't want to switch either, just like you.

@Eduard; Well, if you prefer to see it that way, that's perfectly fine too, of course. The fact is that you don't have to pay extra for it when purchasing your EOS R, at any rate. After all, you can also purchase the adapters separately.
Translated from Dutch.

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