To preface this “review” I have to say I’ve fully switched from the Canon 5D Mark IV as my main wildlife camera (read my previous review here). The EOS R image quality is as good if not better, is half a pound lighter, and has several useful features that a DSLR lacks.

The internet seems to be full of “experts” claiming the EOS R is stuck in the paost, or it’s just not as good as its Sony/Nikon/Fuji counterparts. Fortunately there’s much more to a photograph than the camera behind it (and the lens is much more important in the case of these photographs).

This post is not so much a review of technical stuff or how the camera compares to others, but more of proof that the camera is capable of producing great images! All photos below were taken this spring in Yellowstone, since the interior of the park opened on April 19th.

This camera handles high ISO exceptionally well, if not a little better than the 5D Mark IV. They have nearly the same sensor, but with an upgraded processor.

Having a quality lens is important to getting precise autofocus and lower noise, and an f/4 or f/2.8 lens really excels in this regard. The more light you can provide your sensor, the better your autofocus will work.

Autofocus on this camera is fast and accurate. With the right lens (f/1.2), you can autofocus down to -6 EV (night, away from city lights). You can also autofocus with a lens + extender combination that yields a maximum aperture of f/11.

Canon engineers have even said this camera can outperform the 5D4 and 1Dx 2 in some situations.

The RAW files can stand up to heavy cropping when atmospheric conditions are favorable. The wolf above was a few hundred yards away, so I cropped to less than 50% of the original width.

I will soon start comparing these crops to using a dedicated 24MP mirrorless crop sensor camera instead (Canon M50). With the 1.6x crop mode on the EOS R, you are left with 12 megapixels, so a crop sensor should provide better results when I can’t get physically closer.

Autofocus tracking works well for moving subjects, with autofocus “points” covering nearly the entire frame. A variable size box follows the subject around well when it’s visible. It’s more difficult when the subject blends into the background or is obstructed by a foreground, though this is a problem with any camera.

None of these photos were made “better” by using the EOS R. They could’ve been taken with any modern full frame camera and you wouldn’t know the difference. It’s a great camera with a small form, and you should get one if you’re considering it!

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