Canon EOS R – A Film Wedding Photographer’s Wishlist
Canon’s mirrorless EOS R along with a host of newly minted RF lenses is out in the news now. For a brand there’s almost synonymous with professional cameras, it definitely took Canon quite a while to foray into the mirrorless camera market. As a long-time Canon user (a good 10 years and counting), just how excited am I with this announcement?
Well, I’ve not used the EOS R yet (let’s just call it the R from now on), so I can’t say how excited I should be but it’s definitely something I was secretly hoping Canon would embark on. Let me just answer this question by stating what I’m hoping and looking for in the R.
What’s In My Camera Bag?
EOS 5D Mk 3 for digital and a whole bunch of EOS 3s for my analogue film needs. Some people say it’s an odd choice as film photographers are normally associated with the Leicas and Nikons. The simple reason is that I started on an EOS system. As a hobby that quickly turned in a profession, it just grew along with me and it’s a system that has proven to be very reliable for me and countless of my wedding couples whom I had the privilege of working with.
The Thing That Swivels
When we discuss about mirrorless cameras, we can’t help but talk about Sony’s. I’ve only had a very brief experience with Sony’s mirrorless (my Associate Photographer is a Sony fella). In the very short time I had with this beautifully crafted and lightweight camera, the thing I love most is the swivel screen. Those who have known me for a while know that I’m very accustomed to Canon’s own “swivel screen” – the Angle C finder. If you had to ask, the Angle C finder is an attachment that fits on any Canon EOS cameras’ viewfinder that allows low angle shots, although not in a very intuitive way for photojournalism work.
Self portrait of myself with the Angle C finder in action
It’s probably one of those strange attachments that’s very hard to get used to but expands the creative possibilities on an otherwise straight-on perspective of a pentaprism viewfinder. I’ve experimented with third party electronic viewfinder attachments and they simply don’t make the cut. Despite all the quirks of the Angle C, it’s still by far the most practical and versatile for my kind of work (and I’ve grown to love it), that is before the R came along.
I Still ♥ My EF Lenses
With the R, came along a set of RF lenses and yet, I have a very practical reasons for sticking my guns with the tried and tested EF lenses. Firstly, my EF L lenses are still going strong and more importantly, my EOS 3 film cameras uses only EF lenses and like the L lenses, they are hardy as hell.
My Dream R
What I’m looking for in the new R? Well, all the good things in my 5D Mk 3 + swivel screen. What’s important to me are things like image quality (not pixel count), auto focusing speed, superior low light handling and double-slot memory card support (for redundancy). These are things that I have come to expect from Canon’s professional EOS series. To add to that, support for EF lenses and of course a swivel screen are absolute must-haves!
If EOS R is all of the above and more, then I’ll have no qualms turning over to the R side, while still keeping my film cameras.
Now, if only I can get my itchy hands on an EOS R. *Hint* *Hint* Canon Singapore.