Canon Unveils Its New Mirrorless, Full Frame Camera, the EOS R

Canon Introduces Its First Mirrorless Full-Frame Camera — EOS R

By Jessica Stewart on September 10, 2018

Canon EOS R - Mirrorless, Full Frame Camera

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At long last, Canon has thrown its hat in the ring when it comes to mirrorless, full-frame cameras. On the heels of Nikon's announcement regarding their new Z series system, Canon released information on the EOS R. This mirrorless, full-frame camera will hit the market in October, along with four RF lenses and mount adaptors, for a system that “increases the degree of lens design freedom and expands the possibilities of optics.”

The EOS R system boasts a revised lens mount that allows for greater freedom in designing lenses and greater possibilities with optics. The RF mount keeps the same 54 mm diameter of the EF system, but reduces the flange focal length to 20 mm for superior optics. Four new RF lenses are being released in conjunction with the EOS R—the RF 24-105mm f/4L IS, RF 50mm f/1.2L, RF28-70mm f/2L, and RF 35mm f/1.8 MACRO IS. But if you've invested heavily on one of Canon's other systems, don't worry. All of the EF, EF-S, TS-E, and MP-E lenses are compatible with the system thanks to four different mount adaptors.

The Canon EOS R has a 30.3 megapixel Full-frame CMOS sensor and an ISO range of 100 to 40000 (expandable to 50-102400). It's been rumored that Canon has been working on two mirrorless, full-frame models, but it appears that it's holding back its professional-grade release for later. The EOS R is comparable to the Nikon Z6 and Sony a7III, with Canon pushing the new mount system as a major point of distinguishing itself in the mirrorless market.

With the EOS R, photographers are getting a DIGIC 8 Image Processor that can shoot ultrahigh definition 4K video at 30 fps and still images at up to 8 fps. Accurate focusing is done in just 0.05 seconds thanks to the Dual-Pixel CMOS AF system and 5,655 manual focus points mean you'll always have sharp images. Photographers who often shoot in low-light settings will enjoy the EOS R's capabilities in this area, as the autofocus system is built to operate in dim settings where other cameras fail.

The entire system is available for preorder from September 12, 2018. It's possible to get the EOS R body for $2,299 or bundled together with the RF 24-105mm f/4L lenses for $3,399. The Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R ($99) and Control Ring Mount Adapter EF-EOS R ($199) will also be available in October 2018. The Drop-in Filter Mount Adapter EF-EOS R, either with a polarizing filter ($299) or variable ND filter ($399), will hit the market in 2019.

In terms of lenses, the RF 50mm f/1.2L ($2,299) will be the first to market (unless you purchase the bundle) in October. You'll have to wait until December for the other three lenses—RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro ($499), RF 24-105mm f/4L IS ($1,099), and RF 28-70mm f/2L ($2,999).