A Complete Guide to Canon EOS R Mirrorless Cameras and Their Specifications

Canon EOS R Mirrorless Camera Release Dates

Many people are interested in the latest and greatest Canon products, so seeing a simple chronological list of Canon mirrorless cameras can be helpful. The new Canon EOS R cameras are at the top.

Occasionally, Canon makes a “development announcement” for its EOS R cameras. Usually, this comes as a press release with basic information about the camera and a couple of photos. In those cases, you will see two dates in the second column. The first date is the date of the development announcement, and the second is the official announcement date.

Canon EOS R7

The EOS R7 launched in 2022 as the modern replacement for the 7D Mark II DSLR and sits atop Canon’s range of APS-C mirrorless cameras. The R7’s performance and a 1.6x crop factor make it a compelling choice for sports and wildlife photographers on a budget. The R7’s specification list includes many standout features, but the 30fps continuous shooting speed is the most important for this camera’s target audience.

Pairing the R7 with either the RF 100-400mm f/5-6.8 or the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 makes a formidable combination for outdoor sports and wildlife photography, including bird photography. Aside from the more affordable price point, the primary benefit of the APS-C sensor 1.6x crop factor is that these lenses on the R7 deliver an equivalent field of view to a 160-640mm lens and a 160-800mm lens. Furthermore, they do it in a lightweight and reasonably priced package.

Canon R7 vs R10

The R10 is a cheaper and less powerful APS-C EOS R camera than the R7. Despite being priced at under $1000, the R10 has some excellent specifications, and some are good enough to catch the eye of those considering the R7. I want to caution sports and wildlife photography fans, though. The R10’s buffer will be full after just 21 RAW images. That means you get less than one second of shooting at its maximum burst speed before R10 coughs and splutters. Stick with the R7 for serious wildlife photography.

Should You Still Buy the EOS R7 in September, 2024?

Yes. The R7 is Canon’s current flagship APS-C mirrorless camera. It is a great choice if you want a fast camera with excellent autofocus capabilities but don’t have the budget for an R6 Mark II. Wildlife photographers will appreciate the added reach of their lenses when paired with an APS-C camera compared to the similarly-priced full-frame EOS R8.

Canon EOS R10

Should You Still Buy the EOS R10 in September, 2024

Maybe. Since launching the R10 in 2022, Canon has added the R50 and R100 to its APS-C mirrorless camera lineup, both of which are below the R10 in terms of price and features. The R10 has a mechanical shutter that is not found on the R50 or R100. It also has two control dials for easier manual exposure control and a faster UHS-II SD card slot. If these features are important to you, look to the R10 or perhaps even higher, to the R7 that offers an even faster frame rate, IBIS, and a deeper buffer.

Canon EOS R5 C

In response to widespread industry criticism of the EOS R5’s heat issues during video recording, Canon created the R5 C. Essentially, this is an R5 with an active cooling fan on the back for unlimited record times. On top of the R5 C is a mode switch. In photo mode, the R5 C operates like an R5 and uses the familiar Canon stills camera menu system.

Flip the switch to video mode, though, and the camera boots up an entirely different system derived directly from Canon’s Cinema EOS line of cameras. For the first time, this gave EOS R series camera users access to video-specific functions such as waveform monitoring, false color exposure tools, and the ability to define shutter speed by shutter angle.

On the video specifications front, the active cooling removes issues with 8K record times and allows the camera to shoot at up to 60p in 8K. A downsampled 6K mode and the ability to record Canon’s Cinema RAW Light format to the internal CFexpress Type-B card topped an impressive spec list.

Canon R5 C vs C70

Any professional filmmaker considering the R5 C will be looking at the comparably priced Cinema EOS C70 too. Compared to the R5 C, the C70 features a full-sized HDMI port, built-in mini XLR ports, a full-sized BNC timecode connector, and, most importantly, built-in ND filters that can be engaged at the press of a button. On the other hand, the C70 is limited to 4K, cannot shoot still photos at all and uses a smaller Super 35-sized sensor compared to the R5 C’s full-frame sensor.

I think the C70 is a better choice for most professional filmmakers if you never shoot still photos. Yes, the Super 35 sensor is not quite as capable in low light. Still, suppose you want to pair the camera with professional cinema lenses and not native Canon RF lenses. In that case, there are significantly more Super 35 lens choices on the market or at rental houses. On top of that, the built-in ND filters of the C70 make life so much easier that, once used, it’s hard to go back to a video camera that doesn’t have this feature.

Should You Still Buy the EOS R5 C in September, 2024?

No. The newer R5 Mark II camera is much better than the R5 C. The R5 C was a knee-jerk reaction to the criticism aimed at the original R5’s limited record time, but the lack of IBIS prevented many hybrid shooters from buying it. At the same time, serious videographers all opted for the C70 with its improved selection of ports. Canon has largely solved this issue with the R5 Mark II by including video-centric features such as waveforms, full-sized HDMI, 8K RAW internal recording, and compatibility with an active cooling grip for the camera, the CF-R20EP. There will be no R5 C Mark II-the R5 Mark II is the true hybrid everyone wanted in the original R5.

Canon EOS R3

The Canon EOS R3 is the first pro-sized camera body to join Canon’s EOS R mirrorless lineup. The R3’s blackout-free viewfinder and 30fps electronic shutter were designed to make it the ideal camera for tracking sports action and fast-moving wildlife. The more prominent pro-sized form factor has a significantly increased battery life, and the port selection includes an ethernet port required by wire service photographers at major sporting events such as the Olympics.

With the R3, Canon introduced a new Eye Control AF autofocus system that scans a photographer’s eye to see where they are looking within the frame. Canon said this information improves initial focus acquisition speed and tracking accuracy. However, many photographers reported inconsistencies with its function and issues with initial calibration.

Should You Still Buy the Canon R3 in September, 2024?

Maybe. When it launched in 2021, the R3 was an obvious choice for Canon sports photographers and photojournalists. Now that the EOS R system has evolved to include the R1 and R5 Mark II, the question of whether or not the R3 is a good choice has become cloudier.

The R5 Mark II now features the same EVF and Eye Control AF system as the R3. It also has the same maximum shooting speed of 30fps but does this with a 45MP stacked sensor compared to the stacked 24MP R3. The R5 Mark II also shoots 8K RAW video and has a 0.5-second Pre-Continuous shooting mode. Certainly, for wildlife photographers, the answer is simple: get the R5 Mark II instead of the R3.

Sports photographers and photojournalists have a more complicated decision. While the R1 sits above the R3 as the flagship camera in Canon’s lineup, it’s still a 24MP camera and offers just a few benefits over the R3. Meanwhile, the R3 has seen heavy discounts, often available new for $4500 or refurbished for around $ 3000- less than half the price of an R1.

The R1 is built to be more robust, has a 40fps burst speed compared to the R3’s 30fps, and has a higher-resolution EVF. If you need those benefits, get the R1, but the R3 is still a fantastic camera for sports and photojournalism. Curiously, it even has a higher-resolution LCD than the R1.

Canon EOS R5

The Canon R5 is the spiritual successor to the 5D Mark IV DSLR. Canon’s 5-series cameras have always been top sellers, and the first mirrorless iteration was no exception. With a large 45MP full-frame sensor, 8K video, and up to 20fps continuous shooting speed, the R5 is a great do-it-all camera. Landscape, travel, nature, and portrait photographers will love the resolution and much improved dynamic range from the R5’s sensor compared to older 5D DSLR models. Wildlife photographers will appreciate the animal eye-detect tracking and fast burst rate.

Should You Still Buy the EOS R5 in September, 2024?

Yes. While the newer R5 Mark II has joined the EOS R camera lineup, the R5 remains a great performer and a real workhorse. After the Mark II’s launch, plenty of original R5s can be had on the second-hand market, and retailers carry them at discounted prices. A used, discounted, or refurbished R5 makes a great alternative to a new R6 Mark II or an alternative to the R5 Mark II for those who don’t need the marginally improved burst speed, EVF, and video specifications.

Canon EOS R6

The Canon R6 was launched alongside the R5 to provide a more affordable full-frame option that straddles the line between consumer and professional specifications. Although the 20.1MP resolution might seem a little low, these are 20 of the best megapixels you can buy. In fact, the full-frame sensor in the Canon R6 is almost identical to the 20.1MP sensor from the Canon 1D X Mark III DSLR – a camera that costs three times the R6. And let’s not forget, 20MP is more than enough resolution for large prints or a double-page magazine spread.

The Canon R5 and R6 were the first Canon mirrorless cameras to feature in-body image stabilization, providing up to an impressive 8-stops of reduction. Even if you own a significant collection of older Canon EF lenses for your DSLR, many of which did not include image stabilization, considering the move to one of Canon’s IBIS-enabled EOS R cameras makes a lot of sense. Suddenly, with an EF to EOS R adapter, your old non-stabilized EF lenses can take advantage of up to 8-stops of shake reduction. This level of stabilization is game-changing!

Should You Still Buy the EOS R6 in September, 2024?

No. The R6 hasn’t aged as well as the original R5. The newer R6 Mark II is a significantly better camera and can be readily found in the second-hand market, having been launched just two years after the R6. Since the launch of the R6, Canon has also introduced the R8 to its mirrorless camera catalog. While this sits below the R6 Mark II in the lineup, its specifications beat those of the original R6.

Canon EOS Ra

The EOS Ra is a dedicated astrophotography version of the EOS R. The camera’s sensor features a specialized infrared-cutting filter that makes it 4x more sensitive to hydrogen-alpha (Hα) rays in the 656.3 nm wavelength. This produces more vivid, deep-red hues when photographing nebulae during deep-sky nighttime photography. It also has a unique 30x image magnification feature in the viewfinder or when using live view, allowing for more accurate nighttime manual focus.

All other specifications of the EOS Ra remain identical to those of the EOS R camera. Still, it should be underlined that you should not use this camera for anything other than astrophotography. Attempting to do so will result in photos that contain distorted colors.

Should You Still Buy the EOS Ra in September, 2024?

No. The EOS Ra has been discontinued. While it can still be rented and occasionally found in the second-hand market, you would do better to buy a more modern full-frame camera and send it to one of the many specialists for IR conversion. The R6 Mark II would be a fine candidate as it produces incredible low-light images at a very reasonable price.

Canon EOS RP

The original EOS R camera was essential in Canon’s transition from DSLR to mirrorless. Still, they needed a camera at a lower price point to accelerate the widespread adoption of the new RF mount and the growing lineup of RF lenses. The EOS RP was just that camera. Using lessons learned from the EOS R and pairing them with a lower-resolution 26MP sensor, the EOS RP was a massive hit for Canon, winning praise from reviewers everywhere for its price-to-image quality ratio.

Despite its bottom-of-the-EOR-R-lineup status, it still packed headline-grabbing features like 4K video recording and over 4000 autofocus points. So impressed was I by the EOS RP that I bought one and used it for several years to create the review photos for this website alongside my final Canon DSLR, a Canon 5D Mark IV. Canon’s tactics worked on me and many others.

The cost of the camera was Canon’s clever move. At launch, the EOS RP carried an aggressive price tag of just $1299. Something that was, at the time, completely unheard of for a full-frame camera. At that point, the cheapest Canon full-frame DSLR was the Canon 6D Mark II, which retailed for $1999. Nikon’s most affordable full-frame mirrorless, the Z6, and Sony’s a7 III were $1999. Suddenly, Canon’s new mirrorless camera system looked much more attractive to a broader audience.

Not long after its launch, the street price of the RP dropped even lower and eventually fell below $1000. Although history will remember the EOS R as the revolutionary first camera in the EOS R range, I’d argue that the cheaper EOS RP became more important by accelerating the adoption of Canon mirrorless cameras.

Should You Still Buy the EOS RP in September, 2024?

No. While the RP was a revolutionary step, the much-improved EOS R8 has claimed its place as the cheapest full-frame camera in Canon’s lineup. The difference between the RP and the R8 is night and day—40fps vs. 5fps to take just one data point. Even if you can’t afford a new R8, they have been around long enough to pop up on the second-hand market for under $1000.

Canon EOS R

When it launched in 2018, the EOS R was a revolution for Canon. Although they had experimented with mirrorless cameras in the form of the APS-C-only EOS M platform, the EOS R camera, and the launch of the new full-frame RF lens format signaled their intentions: Mirrorless cameras were the future, and EF-mount DSLRs would not be around much longer. The EOS R’s 30.3MP sensor, 8fps shooting speed, and 5,655-point autofocus system were eye-opening for a camera with such a reasonable price point.

Should You Still Buy the EOS R in September, 2024?

No. The Canon EOS R was revolutionary when it launched in 2018, but it’s time to put it to rest. Mirrorless cameras have come on in leaps and bounds since then. I wouldn’t even bother with one of these if I found it at a garage sale for a few hundred bucks.