Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

Personally I have a Canon R, but I also own several Canon EF L lenses and Sigma EF Art lenses. What I have observed from Canon is that they are rolling out some significant RF lenses that are optically superior to their EF counterparts however at the same time the Canon R has not had near the success that the 5DMkIV has enjoyed, already Canon has dropped the price of the R in what I can only assume is an effort to attract more sales.

The problems I see are several, one is that many photographers are just not ready to make the move to mirrorless especially those who shoot sports action or action in nature because of the focus tracking and momentary loss of the EVF during shooting. The R is not considered to be a professional level camera because of a few missing features such as a second card slot and dials. And lastly the expense of the new RF line, so far only one lens has been produced in the $500 range, one in the $1000 range, and the others are between $2000 and $3000 and we are not even talking about their big Whites yet as they have not been yet produced and probably will be the last lenses they produce in that line because of the tracking problems.

I guess my question is that with so much emphasis being placed on the RF lenses, where does that leave the Canon faithful who are dedicated to their DSLRs?

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Good points. Not an issue for me if Canon doesn’t introduce any more EF lenses as the existing line is so extensive that I can find what I need. The quality of their latest DSLRs and their lenses is good enough that I am always the limiting factor, not the camera/lens.

Cheers

RRS Loc: Not sure

Damn good question! I plan on buying one more Canon lens and will have all the bases covered. At my age my gear will outlast me. I switched from Nikon to Canon when I moved to digital. I feel that Sony has a head start (mirrorless) on all others and if I did make a change it would most likely be to Sony. Sony already has a "big white" 600mm f.4.0. I don't like the idea of having to use an adapter to be able to use the Canon lenses that I now own. Canon is moving ahead with the wave of new mirrorless lenses and could alienate a strong following if they don't pay attention to what got them to where they are today. I understand where they're going but unless they come up with a strong pro body and new technologies to overcome some of the short comings of mirrorless they may have entered a race they can not win.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

Thanks Trix, the reason I have an R is because I traded for it, I also have a 5DSR that I use for nature (birds) and a 5DMkIV that I am not sure where it will fit in as I become more comfortable with the R because for still photos I find it very hard to beat a mirrorless system.

Like you I do have a full line up of EF lenses and don't see myself buying any of the RF lenses other than the 35mm f/1.8, the $500 lens. I do have the 24-105 RF lens that came with the R body and it is good enough for me let go of my Tamron 24-70 f/2.8. I don't need the speed of the f/2.8 and the IS on the 24-105 is good enough for low light, I have 3 portrait primes that I would use for portraiture if blurry backgrounds were my objective.

MrBob Loc: lookout Mtn. NE Alabama

As with everything else " Rome was not built in a day ". A lot of folks are heavily invested in EF lenses and DSLR bodies and see no need to make the switch now... Technology marches forward and the new RF lenses should move the bar upward but at the same time the EF lenses work just fine with the R and from reports from the grapevine the adapter is not a problem. Don't forget this is the first iteration of FF mirrorless from Canon. Professionals and others got along just fine with one card slot previously. As far as the dedicated Canon faithful why are they being left anywhere ? Are there not enough EF lenses available to suit any appetite ? I have numerous bodies and L lenses but see no reason to make a switch in the near future. I think you will be amazed at what Canon has in the works for future R releases. Focus tracking is not an issue with my DSLR's as I do scenics with mirror lockup and remote release. My Olympus picks up the slack on action shots with CF. Yes, I know, I have 2 mistresses.... Canon and Olympus and each serves a particular need. I know, don't say it; Crazy, but I like it !

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

Do you feel Canon's line up of DSLR lenses isn't huge enough?

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

Canon has recognized the shrinking market for digital cameras in general. They seem to have identified the growth market as mirrorless. Back in the 0's and early teens, there was a lot of extra R&D cash flowing in from the growth of the entire digital camera market. That is being cut off by the shift of the low end camera market to cell phones. So there is less development money. As a result they need to focus development on the market they think will grow. And that is not DSLRs.

In short, I think it is not only the right move, it is the only move.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

The adapter for EF lenses on the R are seamless, you will not notice them other than having to attach prior to mounting the lens, the EF lenses possibly work better on the R than they do on your DSLR because of the better focusing ability of not having to reflect off the mirror onto a focusing screen.

I suspect that the R MkII will be a beast of a camera, that is what I was waiting for when this trade opportunity came along... Rumor is a 75mp camera with the dual card slots and a few other improvements over the R. Still, the newer lenses are expensive.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

So, let's consider one historical comparison: were the professionals and trend-setters / market-leaders ready for an all-electronic auto-focus camera system in 1987? Their voices are dying out (literally) now 40-years later, but the words sound hauntingly familiar: many photographers are just not ready to make the move to EOS (or now mirrorless). Canon is moving ahead with the wave of new lenses (80/90s - EF and 2020s - mirrorless) and could alienate a strong following if they don't pay attention to what got them to where they are today (the 1980s change was a complete abandonment of the FD platform, now in 2019 we have an EOS transition).

I believe Canon is doing the only thing they can do to be successful: releasing superior lens technology that requires their EOS-RF cameras. The sensor technology is reaching a level of maturity that the sensor might be considered a commodity with little or no differentiation between camera vendors. Is a 24MP sensor different between Nikon, Sony or Canon? Is there a difference in the resulting images whether that 24MP sensor sits behind a mirror or not?

Releasing a new series of professional-grade lenses that are insanely sharp wide-open at uniquely wide aperatures is a way to maintain their industry leadership position that Canon obtained shortly after the 1987 EOS revolution. And this time, the legacy lenses (both EF and EF-S) maintain full compatibility with cameras of the RF mount. Those EF / EF-S lenses are just as fast and accurate in AF performance where there is no visual difference in the image whether it came from a DSLR or a MILC. There are some situations, such as using extenders creating maximum apertures smaller than f/8, where the R-bodies can autofocus and the DSLRs cannot.

The lenses and images coming from Sony / Zeiss are visually stunning. Their accomplishments have set a very high bar for Canon / others to reach to maintain differentiation between the mirrorless systems, not just between selected lenses or bodies or sensors.

The new Canon lenses are clearly superior wide-open for the same / similar focal lengths and zoom ranges, both compared to Canon EF lenses and to competitor offerings. They also cost a lot more than the comparable EF lens, even L to L versions. This expense, and lack of a 1-Series professional model, will slow the up-take of the mirrorless platform. Once that 1-series model is available and established as the de facto standard for professional work coupled with visually stunning images at f/1.2 - f/2, the world will recognize there is a new mouse trap in town....

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

The big whites have been produced already and will soon come to the market!

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

I thought the great whites would be last, particularly with the v III of the 600 f/4L released as 'EF'. But now, their 'core' 300mm f/2.8L will be the first great white on RF. The 300 was the EF that lead the sports photographer migration to EOS. Is there magic in the lens case yet again, now 32-years later?

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Taking your final question first, I am not too worried. The Canon DSLR line is pretty robust and full featured, so it can handle a year or so of neglect while Canon concentrates on getting the R-series camera and lens system "up and running".

However, personally I think Canon made a big mistake coming up with a whole different mount for the R-series. In my opinion, they'd have been better served simply using the EF mount for the mirrorless, so that buyers could use EF lenses they already had directly on the camera. Canon could have implemented all the other mirrorless features of the R-series (and maybe a few more), without changing the mount at all. Then they could have created great new lenses compatible with both the full frame mirrorless and their entire DSLR line. While Canon has done a brilliant job "adding value" to the EF to RF adapters by offering them with a control ring or drop in filters, it would have been so much better - they'd have had a huge, well established pool of potential buyer and would have sold a ton more R-series cameras - if they'd simply used the EF mount on them instead!

The EOS R and RP are wonderful cameras... but IMO would have been even better if they'd had an EF mount fully compatible with every existing EF lens (EF-S in crop-mode, too). The RF lenses are great, too... though wouldn't it be great if they could also be used on, say, a 5D Mark IV or 7D Mark II. Obviously, there would be less need, since most of the RF lenses to date are already represented in the approx. 90 lens EF/EF-S system. Perhaps new, improved versions of EF lenses instead... such as an EF 85mm f/1.2L "III" that could be used on both DSLR and mirrorless, instead of an RF 85mm f/1.2L that can only be used on R-series cameras.

What Canon is really neglecting now appears to be their M-series mirrorless system. They haven't done very well developing anyway, but now with the R-series it's gotten even less attention. It took them five years to make an M-series with a built in viewfinder and they've only developed a total of eight EF-M lenses... which are mostly "consumer grade" zooms, all of which use STM focus drive and are incompatible with both EOS/EF AND R-series/RF-mount cameras. There was so much potential for the APS-C mirrorless. Unlike the R-series, which will never be all that much smaller and lighter than DSLRs, the M-series and their lenses can be quite compact.

Now between the EOS/EF/EF-S, R/RF and M/EF-M Canon has three parallel systems with limited cross-compatibility. I have a nagging feeling something is going to have to give and suspect it's most likely that it will be the M-series/EF-M to get orphaned sometime in the future. I wish it were otherwise, because I still think that system has a ton of potential for someone who truly wants to "downsize" or is looking for a compact camera with great image quality for travel, hiking, etc.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

I agree Alan. There are literally dozens of threads every month for users looking to downsize to smaller/lighter systems for a variety of reasons, and while I’m nowhere near giving up my FF for critical work, my “little” APC Fuji is awfully seductive for travel and casual use. I would have liked to go with the M series instead of Fujifilm, but as you said...

User ID

Leaves them right where they've been all along.
Canon's success in the market place tells us that
this "right where they've been all along" is a very
fine place to be. No problem. Why invent one ?

You could always offer Canon your services, as a
seer in the photo marketplace ... but do NOT quit
your current job prematurely ;-)

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

The 300? I have the 300 MkII and it is good enough to make me give up my 500 f/4. In my opinion the 300 with a 2X TC is sharper than the 500mm MkI with or without the 1.4X extender.