Canon EOS RP Review

Say what you want about the Canon EOS RP – I love it! Though it is far from being perfect, I was totally satisfied with what it is.

It’s compact when compared to DSLR models, and it’s a bit smaller than the EOS R as well.

The button and dial placement is pretty much as what you can expect from a a Canon product, I’m happy that the touch sensor button from the RP is absent from the RP but I do wish there’s a top LCD like the EOS RP.

The EOS RP comes with hotshoe but no built-in flash.

The grip on the EOS RP is nice, for a person with smaller hand I prefer the grip on the EOS RP than the EOS R.

The EOS RP is with Canon’s RF Mount, and the 26.2 full frame CMOS sensor is as what you see and not covered like in the EOS R.

I like it that the battery door is at the side and the battery is aligned with the grip. In cases where battery isn’t aligned with the grip, you’ll have the door extend closer to the center and resulting in difficulty to access battery and memory card when mounted on tripod or have anything mounted at the bottom. Try cameras like the EOS M50 for example, you can’t access anything in the battery compartment without first removing the tripod mount.

I do wish the EOS RP is taller, mounted with even a compact lens like the RF 24-105 F/4 L I was unable to use the camera on my fluid video head like how I did with my Nikon D750 DSLR with a 24-120 lens. This hampered A LOT of potential work.

Make it taller and let it house side-loaded memory cards, I’ll be willing to part my $$$$ for a better system with those.

Another disappointment is the LCD where it flips out but not to a perfect 180 angle, I don’t remember my EOS 60D having this issue but the RP disappoints me here.

User Experience

GOOD – that’s my experience, though I must say Canon is very primitive on aspects like battery life indication.

Even my smartphone of a decade ago is able to show me % of battery life left. C’mon Canon, people are paying good money for an EOS RP and you can’t even get your user interface (which I must say is one of the better ones around) to show battery % indicator.

I don’t think I need to show you the % display for my Nikon and Sony units. My Nikon D750 doesn’t show % on screen but you can shortcut to the menu to see the % number. My Sony A6400 on the other hand shows the % number right on the screen.

Canon – if you want to stay in the game, please WORK ON RELEVANT items as such.

That being said, I was pleased at how the EOS RP is able to deliver. Check out this video, it captured my voice clearly even in a place that’s not that silent.

Below are some other images that I took, each scene I will show you the main photo (resized) and then followed by 100% crop from the original.

All of them were taken with the RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro STM, last image (event) is with the RF 24-105 f/4L

I lugged both RF 24-105 f/4L and the RF 35mm along with me on my work trip and I spent most of my time with the 35mm as the setup is compact, light and does the job.

The RF 24-105 on the other hand – heavy, larger footprint and above all, doesn’t work with my tripod so it got shelved.

And yes I did use the Canon EOS RP in the rain and it did not break down. 😛 More videos coming as I did timelapse and such and can’t place it here.

The Verdict

The SRP for Canon EOS RP body is RM 5,999 of which I think is very high a price tag to command for a body as such. As you can see I didn’t touch on matters like 4K and the various complaints you probably seen from other reviews.

I’d say case by case, and depends on what you need. I’ve even heard of some (non-professional) user regretted purchasing the RP and should’ve went for the R.

From my experience even the humble EOS M50 delivers well, an EOS RP does even better with the better sensor and processor will do even better. However without doing a controlled test comparing M50 vs RP vs R, there’s really no way one can tell which photo is from which, after all images are further enhanced during post.

All in all I’d say with confidence that the EOS RP is a great product, I like it so much that it almost got me to buying it but price is the hindering factor – If it was RM 3,999 I’d buy it with a heartbeat. At RM 4,999 then perhaps it’ll take me a little to consider. At RM 5,999 it is tough, even with freebies thrown in.

Remember that the body alone isn’t enough, the mount converter is often bundled but then you still need a lens and they don’t come cheap either.

The RF35mm f/1.8 MACRO IS STM is lovely, SRP Is RM 2,288 while the RF24-105mm f/4L IS USM comes at a whopping RM 4,800. Hopping on the system sets one back almost RM 10,000.