Canon EOS RP Review

Canon EOS RP presented as affordable full format mirror lots: Compact mirrorless system camera for full format beginners

Canon’s new, low-cost, full-format, mirror-less system camera EOS RP is designed to expand its customer base. Therefore, the P in RP stands for Popular, just like in the early 60s of the last century, when there was a Canonflex RP. The Canon EOS RP is roughly based on the EOS 6D Mark II, about the 26 megapixel resolution 35mm sensor, and packs it into a particularly compact housing, smaller and lighter than the EOS R. The EOS RP is a compact, compact and lightweight camera with a compact footprint.

Short evaluation

Pros

• Very good handling
• High equipment
• Fast autofocus
• Flexible moving screen with good touch screen integration
• Simple wireless connectivity

Cons

• Limited 4K video function
• “Hidden” functional details
• Selectable USB charging function

Despite Canon’s pioneering role in the spread of digital SLR cameras with 36x24mm full-format sensors, the Japanese flagship company has taken a long break from creating mirrorless KB full-format sensor system cameras. This was not finished until the end of 2018 with the announcement of the Canon R-System. The top model was followed in March 2019 by the EOS RP, a lower-priced entry-level model. And it is precisely this camera that is the focus of this test report, which shows whether the small EOS RP is only in the shadow of the EOS R or whether the camera can fight its way to its rightful place in the mirrorless system cameras with full-format sensors.

 

Canon EOS RP with RF 24-105 mm. The new Canon EOS RP, here with the RF 24-240mm F4-6.3 IS USM, available only in the second half of the year, is particularly compact and light. [Photo: Canon]

The Canon EOS RP builds significantly lower than the EOS R; even the compact cameras of Sony’s Alpha-7 series are higher. Also the weight can be seen with 485 grams (without lens) ready for operation. Nevertheless, the new RP is not cheaply built, the handle is even very ergonomic, we could already try that out. The 35mm camera even has splash water and dust protection, it should be on the level of the EOS 5D Mark III. The housing itself has a light metal cage made of magnesium alloy on the inside and plastic shells on the outside. If you would like the camera to be somewhat more voluminous and prefer more space for the little finger on the handle, the EG-E1 handle extension is available as an option for just under 80 euros. This has its own battery compartment lid. The cover on the camera base is removed before mounting. So you don’t need to remove the otherwise functionless additional handle if you want to change the battery.

The heart of the EOS RP is its 26 megapixel resolution 35mm CMOS sensor with dual CMOS AF support. It is the same sensor as in the EOS 6D Mark II, but with a microlens structure adapted to the R-System. The maximum sensitivity is ISO 40.000 without extension and ISO 102.400 with extension. Data processing is handled by the Digic 8 image processor, which can even compensate for lens errors with the help of the Digital Lens Optimizer (DLO). This applies to all RF lenses and up to five EF lenses that can be registered in the camera.

The Canon EOS RP’s full-frame CMOS sensor resolves 26 megapixels and captures 4K video at 1.6x crop factor. [Photo: Canon]

With the continuous shooting function, however, the buyer has to be content with five frames per second, with continuous AF-C (which is called servo AF with Canon) it’s only four frames per second. After all, the SD memory card slot supports the standards SDHC, SDXC, UHS I and even UHS II, so that a correspondingly fast memory card can be completely filled with JPEG continuous images without interruption. With Raw+JPEG, however, the number of continuous shots drops to a still impressive 90, which corresponds to 18 seconds of continuous shots with AF-S or over 22 seconds of continuous shots with AF-C for 18 seconds.

A new feature is the ability to take continuous pictures silently with an electronic shutter. Not even the EOS R can do this at the moment, but thanks to a firmware update it should be able to do so soon. For single images, however, the electronic shutter is unfortunately linked to the silent mode subject program, which, apart from exposure correction and the optional Raw+JPEG recording, offers hardly any possibilities to interfere with the recording.

In addition to a 2.36 million pixel OLED viewfinder with 0.7x magnification, the Canon EOS RP also offers a 7.5 centimetre rotating and swivelling touch screen with 1.04 million pixel resolution. Further function keys and the control pad are located on the back. The arrangement of the keys is sensible and convenient.[Photo: Canon]

The operation is a bit different than in the EOS R. The controversially discussed touchbar is missing, there is also no status OLED. Instead, the EOS RP offers a classic, beautifully recessed program selector wheel that even offers space for user memory. Even the new Fv mode has made it into the RP. This is a kind of universal mode in which the exposure parameters aperture, exposure time and ISO sensitivity can be set manually or automatically without having to change the shooting program. A built-in help function also shows newcomers a mode description, a creative wizard, and an autofocus function explanation. In addition, the EOS RP features an M.Fn button on the top, which allows five of nine selectable functions to be set using the two dials. Canon has also installed a lock switch to lock certain controls.

The electronic viewfinder is a bit less than the EOS R and offers “only” 0.7x magnification and a 2.36 million pixel resolution 0.39″-OLED. This is not the latest state of the art, but it is enough to work well with it. Canon has in any case thought of a proximity sensor and a diopter correction. The 7.5cm rear screen can even be tilted and rotated, allowing shots to be taken from all angles and satisfying selfie photographers and Vloggers. It is a touch screen with a resolution of 1.04 million pixels and a 3:2 aspect ratio. In contrast to the EOS R, this is also a technical standard stuff, which can be used in a proven way.

The Canon EOS RP has a classic program selector wheel and two dials. Even a TTL system flash shoe is there present. [Photo: Canon]

Thanks to the dual CMOS AF, the autofocus works on almost the entire sensor surface (88 percent horizontally and 100 percent vertically) and can be moved practically continuously over 4,779 fields, for example via the touch screen. But because a more limited number of fixed autofocus fields are more practical to use, the EOS RP also offers this, for example with zone AF. Within 0.05 seconds the EOS RP should be able to focus, which according to Canon is among the full format DSLMs world record. Even an aperture closed at F11 or -5 LW dark ambient light are still operated by the autofocus.

A new feature is the focus bracketing function, which uses the electronic shutter. It can be controlled either automatically or manually. In automatic mode, the camera selects the step size and number of images based on the subject. However, for focus stacking, the images must be assembled with external software, and the new version of the Digital Photo Professional (DPP) software supplied by Canon will support this. Eye autofocus now works in AF-C mode as well as during video recording.

The 80 Euro EG-E1 handle extension improves the ergonomics of the Canon EOS RP for large hands. [Photo: Canon]

Speaking of videos: These are recorded at a maximum of 25 frames per second in 4K resolution or at up to 60 frames per second in Full HD resolution. In 4K, however, the EOS RP works with a 1.6-fold crop. Canon cites unresolved thermal problems as the reason for this and recommends simply adapting an AF-S lens for wide-angle video, such as the fairly new 10-18mm. Unfortunately, the dual pixel CMOS AF does not work during 4K shooting, so only the contrast autofocus is available. After all, the EOS RP offers an external microphone and headphone connection, and external videos can be recorded via HDMI in 4:2:2 8 bit. The EOS RP also features focus peaking, HDR video, five-axis electronic video image stabilizer, interval timer and 4K time-lapse.

The LP-E17 lithium-ion battery, familiar from the EOS-M series and Canon’s mid-range DSLRs, is used for the power supply. It should be sufficient for 270 shots according to the CIPA standard. Thanks to USB-C, the battery can be recharged in the camera on the go. This, however, requires a 3 A USB-C charger (even if the camera in practice requires less current), and it only charges when it is switched off. But since it also comes with a classic external charger, you can also charge the battery in another way.

WLAN and Bluetooth are also on board, so that the Canon EOS RP can transmit images in Raw and JPEG as well as videos wirelessly and can also be remote controlled. It is also possible to tap the smartphone GPS, although Canon also supports the flash-shoe GPS dongle. The Canon EOS RP will be available from the end of February 2019 at a price of just under EUR 1,500. An EF adapter is included.

 

Ergonomics and workmanship

Fresh out of the box, the EOS RP with its dimensions of 132 x 85 x 70 millimetres looks quite small and more like an APS-C camera, if the rather powerful bayonet and the 27 megapixel resolution, 36 x 24 millimetre CMOS sensor on the front would not be visible. With the filigree exterior, however, it is very quickly done if you mount the set lens 24-105 mm F4 L IS USM. With a total weight of about 700 grams, the lens is considerably heavier than the camera, which weighs only about 470 grams, and the size of the lens also appears much more massive than the camera itself. If you place the camera together with the lens on a table, it is easy to see that the lens protrudes quite far above the camera floor and thus creates a skew. This is basically not bad, but it limits the spontaneous use of an object as a tripod for other purposes. Canon has also provided the EOS RP with rubber seals to protect the camera from splash water and dust.

At Canon, 24-105mm lenses are traditionally the set lenses for full-frame cameras and rightly so. They offer a good compromise for many shooting situations and are therefore an ideal “always on” lens. One of the special features of the lens is a locking switch with which the focal length can be set to 24 mm. A small rubber lip on the bayonet also indicates that the lens is also sealed against splash water and dust. The optical performance of the lens on the EOS RP is described in the “Image Quality” section below in the test.

When we took the combination of EOS RP and 24-105 mm into our hands for the first time, we were surprised by the successful feel of the camera. The fingers find a good grip in the moulded handle and the thumb recess on the back is also quite handy. Unfortunately, the camera body is missing a little height and so the average European “norm hand” reaches a little into emptiness. More precisely, the little finger of the right hand grasps something into the void. Canon’s EG-E1 handle extension provides a solution to this problem. This handle increases the camera height by about 1.5 centimeters and thus provides a better hold.

The handle is connected via the tripod thread in the optical axis. All the photographer has to do is remove the battery door with little effort to mount the “handle”. However, the flap removed in this way does not find a place in the handle. When using the EG-E1 handle, there is no major restriction when changing the battery or memory card, as it comes with its own access flap to the battery and memory card compartment. If we mentioned at the beginning that the lens brings the camera into an inclined position to the rear, it is reversed when the handle is mounted and the camera has an inclined position to the front – at least until the lens shade is mounted. This lens hood (EW-83N), which is included in the scope of delivery, has the perfect dimensions to bring the camera into the horizontal position with the handle mounted, so that there is no inclination forwards or backwards.

The EOS RP is powered by a lithium ion battery (LP-E17) with 7.2 Volt and 1,040 mAh. It can be charged via the USB-C interface in the camera, but only if a powerful USB-C power supply is connected. Otherwise the battery can be charged with the supplied external charger (LC-E17E). The battery has a range of about 250 shots according to the CIPA test procedure, which is a little low. The memory card is located next to the battery under the same cover. As expected, the SD form factor is used, whereby the camera supports SDHC, SDXC as well as UHS I and even II. Since the EOS RP 4K can record videos, the motto “faster is better” applies here. On a UHS-II card the EOS RP writes with more than 150 MByte/s after all.

In addition to a 2.36 million pixel OLED viewfinder with 0.7x magnification, the Canon EOS RP also offers a 7.5 centimetre rotating and swivelling touch screen with 1.04 million pixel resolution. Further function keys and the control pad are located on the back. The arrangement of the keys is sensible and convenient.[Photo: Canon]

The distribution of the control elements is – as you would expect from Canon – optimal. In addition to two easily accessible rotating wheels, the top of the camera features the typical mode dial as well as the power switch. So that the camera does not apply too much on the upper side, the horizontal rotating wheels were lowered somewhat in the housing. This suits the camera pretty well and doesn’t tear the lines of the design. Furthermore, the two triggers (photo and video) can also be found on the top as well as a small “lock” switch, which switches the function of the adjacent rotary wheel on or off with a very satisfying click. The trigger has a very soft, well controllable pressure point and the swivels feel very direct and not too tight.

There are no rotating wheels on the back of the camera, but there are lots of buttons and a control pad. Here, too, the relevant operating elements are located in the immediate vicinity of the finger or thumb. Less important functions such as the playback function are further away. The 3″ touch screen is directly involved in the operation. It has a resolution of almost one million pixels and a remarkable maximum brightness of about 880 candela per square meter. The latter makes the monitor easy to use even in strong ambient light. The operation is precise and very comfortable, which is also supported by the clean menu structure. The touch function recognizes gestures such as wiping and pinch in/out to zoom in and out of images. To top it all off, the monitor can also be turned and folded. It can also be turned completely in the direction of the camera to be better protected.

If the monitor is folded down, what should the photographer use as a viewfinder? Excellent question with simple answer. The viewfinder of course! The video viewfinder is also good for spectacle wearers, although it is not perfectly usable and has a dioptric compensation for people without severe ametropia. The viewfinder’s resolution is about 2.3 million dots and it has a high frame rate that allows fast moving objects to be displayed smoothly. However, since this affects the power consumption, you can also “slow down” the viewfinder. Nevertheless one should not forget that a high frame rate can be more pleasant for the eyes. The switching between monitor and viewfinder is controlled by a switchable eye sensor with an unpleasantly large sensor range. This sensor already reacts to objects that are about four centimeters away. So even operating the touch screen is enough to cause an unwanted switchover from the monitor to the electronic sensor.

The top view shows the optimally arranged rotating wheels of the EOS RP.

Since the digitalization of photography, the operation of cameras no longer takes place only on the upper level at the control elements, but to a large extent also in menus that are displayed in the viewfinder or on the monitor. Especially with extensively equipped cameras such as the EOS RP, this menu level is indispensable. Since Canon has a lot of experience in this field, it is not surprising that these photographic menus are easy to understand and use. For example, to call up the quick menu, the photographer only needs to press the Q button in the middle of the control pad and he’s already arrived at the extensive photo menu. The photographer can then use the control pad to navigate through the various functions. These are to be found on the left and right at the edges of the picture. To change the function, the photographer can simply press left or right with the control pad and another option is selected. There is no need to confirm with an additional key.

Alternatively, you can use the camera’s rotating wheels to switch through the options. However, the most convenient way to navigate the menus is with the touchscreen. We particularly liked the graphical marking of the functions whose parameters can be changed. This marking consists of a thin frame with a light grey filling. So you always have an overview of what can be changed and what cannot.

The individual functions of the EOS RP are quite comprehensive. Although there is no possibility to place the focus and exposure memory on one key, thanks to the extensive individual configuration options of the key assignments, both functions can be placed next to each other on two keys, so that the focus and exposure data can be stored very quickly. In addition to the EOS RP’s exemplary configuration options in terms of key assignment, the photographer can also put together his own menu so that all the functions that are individually relevant are quickly accessible.

The RF 24-105 mm set lens also looks quite powerful in the direct front view.

The predestined candidate for a place in this menu is the extensive exposure correction (AEB). The “small” exposure correction already has a place on the touch screen or its own key on the case, but with these two iterations, the extremely well thought-out exposure bracketing function cannot be adjusted. To access the bracketing function, the photographer must navigate to the exposure menu and select the function. This is of course somewhat counterproductive for a quick deployment. For this reason, the storage in the individual menu is simple and faster. Three direct memories on the mode dial allow the photographer to store complex individual camera configurations and quickly select them using the mode dial. The EOS RP is therefore very extensively configurable here, quite different from what one would expect from a real entry-level camera.

However, there are also limits and these are then incomprehensible. An excellent example is the AEB function mentioned above. In principle, the function is excellent to operate. The rear rotary knob is used to adjust the exposure compensation and the front rotary knob is used to adjust the exposure distance of the shots with an easy-to-understand graphic representation. However, at this point there is no way to set the number of shots to be taken. This option can be found in the individualization menu (C.Fn I page 5) rather than in the corresponding recording menu. The C.Fn menus are the deepest configuration options available on Canon cameras, and to accommodate a common option here is surprising.

The side view shows the extensive connection terminal and the two function switches on the lens. [Photo: Canon]

The left side of the camera accommodates the interface terminal and there is a lot going on. All camera connections are protected with semi-soft plastic covers that can be easily lifted and turned to the side. The largest connector is the HDMI mini jack (Type C), which can transmit a maximum of 4K images. The USB-C port is located right next to it. However, it only transmits image and video data at USB 2.0 Hi-Speed. Why Canon didn’t provide a fast USB 3.0 or USB 3.1 interface here is incomprehensible. Additional connectors include two 3.5 mm jack sockets. This allows external microphones and headphones to be connected to the camera. With the latter it is easier to judge the sound of a video recording during recording. There is also a jack socket for the Canon RS-60E3 cable remote release. Invisible inside the camera are WLAN and Bluetooth functions. But more below. Although the EOS RP does not have a built-in flash, there is a system flash connector on the top that allows the mounting of system flashes that are compatible with the Canon E-TTL I and E-TTL-2 flash protocol.

Equipment

In addition to the manual and semi-automatic operating modes, the Canon EOS RP is also equipped with an automatic motif exposure system that selects the appropriate exposure program depending on the subject. If you don’t want to rely on a computerized determination of the scene mode, you can also become active yourself and choose one of the twelve different scene mode programs. The usual suspects such as portraits, night shots, landscapes as well as sports and some more are available here.

On close observation, even the FV mode from the EOS R can be found. This is called a flexible automatic and is not a completely new concept. Some old analog cameras already had similar functions built in. The flexible automatic is basically a program, time and aperture automatic as well as a manual mode. How can that work? Simply put, the photographer can decide to leave the aperture, time and ISO setting to the camera. But if, for example, you want to set a certain shutter speed, the photographer either has to navigate to the corresponding entry with the rear rotary knob or simply taps on the corresponding control panel on the touch screen. The camera is already working in automatic aperture mode. This is exactly how the change to the automatic timer or the completely manual mode works. This concept is so simple and successful that we didn’t even care about the switching between the semi-automatic machines during the test, but only used the flexible automatic system.

The sensor used in the EOS RP is a 36 x 24 mm CMOS sensor with an effective resolution of 26.2 megapixels. Canon has not activated lens error correction in the factory setting, the result shows this clearly. The wide-angle area presents itself with a clearly barrel-shaped distortion, and an equally clear cushion shape is presented in the telephoto area. The strength of both distortions is visible in the marginal area even to the untrained eye. But the vignetting is very low in almost all focal length ranges. The vignetting in the corners may only be visible when the aperture is wide open. Chromatic aberrations are not a problem at any focal length.

The image processing in terms of image sharpness is very good. The sharpness artifacts are low and the resolution is at a maximum of 64 line pairs per millimeter in the upper range. In combination, it can be said that the camera only needs a little sharpening to achieve good resolution values. This is also confirmed by the texture sharpness, which in low ISO sensitivities lies at the optimum value of 1. With higher ISO values the texture sharpness decreases as expected and from about ISO 3,200 images begin to lose fine details and show a visible blur.

 

The EG-E1 handle extension provides a better grip for the Canon EOS RP in larger hands. [Photo: Canon]

The Canon EG-E1 comes with its own battery and memory card cover. The tripod thread remains in the optical axis. [Photo: Canon]

Although the battery and memory card are located a little deep behind the EG-E1 handle, they are still quite easy to remove. [Photo: Canon]

The signal-to-noise ratio, which is meaningful for image noise, is good thanks to the large sensor. Up to ISO 12.800 the critical limit of 35 dB is not exceeded. This also marks the point where the brightness noise becomes visible and steadily increases. Color noise, as usual with modern cameras with corresponding noise reduction algorithms, is not a big problem with the different ISO settings.

The transmission of tonal values shows a very bulbous development in the midtones. This is the usual behavior for cameras whose images are to be used immediately for the presentation. Image editors will use raw data as the basis for image processing anyway. The input dynamic range is high up to ISO 12.800 and the corresponding output tonal range is very high and the image processor delivers very good results up to ISO 800. The EOS RP doesn’t do quite as well with the color deviation. On average, the color deviation is small, but the maximum deviation values are clear. Especially colors in the magenta range are shifted very much into the orange-red color range. The same applies to the yellow-green area.

Bottom line

With the EOS RP, Canon clearly shows that they are not only professionals, but also ambitious amateurs. With almost the performance of a full format professional, the RP offers the photographer an easy to use, extensively equipped and qualitatively beyond (almost) any doubt sublime mirrorless system camera. Unfortunately the smallest details hinder the ascent into the highest spheres. In any case, this includes the very hidden exposure bracketing function as well as the incredibly large and thus very annoying sensor area of the eye sensor for automatic switching between viewfinder and monitor. Also the low housing height is not everyone’s cup of tea and so the small handle is recommended if you have slightly larger hands. The small Canon is also rather suboptimally suitable for 4K video recordings.

There is nothing to criticize about the user guidance, the operating concept is easy to learn and logically structured. The touchscreen function has also been successfully integrated. The simple handling then continues with the connectivity of the camera. What is really surprising is that the RP uses a USB-C interface, but does not offer USB-3.0 speed. All in all, the Canon EOS RP is a clear purchase recommendation for beginners with ambitions, very ambitious amateurs and even as a second body for professionals.

Canon EOS RP Datasheet