The Canon EOS R7 and Canon EOS R10

The Canon EOS R7 has been one of the most anticipated releases. I had both the EOS R7 and the EOS R10 for a weekend and used them both on a commercial shoot as well as for birding and here are my thoughts on them both.

The EOS R10

I was really impressed with the Canon R10, it’s a bang for your buck. If I can compare it to a DSLR I would say it’s about an equivalent of a Canon 80D on steroids. It’s a small light camera, easy to use with 24MP APS-C CMOS Sensor (Crop Sensor), 4K video capability and of course the game changer the Dual Pixel CMOS AF II autofocus system with advanced subject detection, eye detection (humans and animals), in photo and video, the same autofocus system as the EOS R3 and R5. I was particularly impressed with its low light capability and the tracking of subjects while shooting. These days most editing software ( There has been a Canon DPP Software update for both these cameras just off the topic) can reduce noise. People seem to get caught up in the noise debacle but honestly, how many of us post images on social media only, where it’s far more forgiving.

This image below was captured with the Canon R10 and the Canon 800mm F/11 in very low light. You can use the slider to see how well it handled the noise and what noise reduction can do to assist your image.

It delivers 23 frames per second with tracking with the electronic shutter and delivers 15 frames per second using the mechanical shutter.  It also has focus bracketing that is great for close-up photography work, auto-stitching panoramic mode, great for landscapes) as well as multiple exposures for creative photography.

The menu was easy to navigate around as with most Canons, and for RF lenses without a focus switch mode, the focus can be found on the front of the body just to the side of the lens mount.

The camera may not be weather sealed but neither were most of the DSLR cameras in this price range. The video is a cropped 4K 60p, but this is more than adequate for a vlogger or social media content. It has one SD Card slot (same as most cameras in its class) and uses a smaller LP-E17 (same as in the M-Series) battery which may I add had quite a good battery life. Even though the electronic viewfinder resolution is not that great, it’s pretty standard for cameras in this price range and did not bother me that much to be honest.

I took some close-up images with the Canon R10 and the RF 18-150mm F3.5/F6.3 kit lens and was really impressed with how versatile and complete this bundle was. This is a great all-around camera, perfect for pretty much any type of photography. For someone wanting to step into the mirrorless world, a beginner or a photography/birding enthusiast on a budget this camera is great. You can just slip the Canon R10 into your bag, being lightweight and easy to use.  

The Canon EOS R7

The release of the Canon EOS R7 has been a long-awaited one. Many people have been wanting to enter the mirrorless market, or finally, upgrade from their Canon 7Dii’s.

I thought I would do a comparison between the Canon EOS R7 and the Canon 7Dii and then dive into my thoughts and some sample images.

CAMERA	CANON 7DII DSLR	CANON EOS R7 MIRRORLESS
Date Released	Released November 2014	Released June 2022
Sensor	20MP APS – C CMOS Format Sensor (Crop)	32.5 MP APS – C Format CMOS Sensor (Crop)
Processor	Dual Digic 6	Digic X processor
Stabilization	None	5-axis in-body image stabilisation
Video	Full HD up to 60p	4k at 60p Video and full HD and Canon Log 3 is available for grading footage with a hour worth of recording
Autofocus	65 cross-type AF points	Dual Pixel CMOS II AF phase detection with 5,915 positions and 651 selectable points
Frames Per Second	10fps	15fps Mechanical shutter and 30fps Electronic shutter
Min Shutter Speed	Speed 1/8000sec	1/8000sec with the mechanical shutter; 1/16,000 sec with the electronic shutter
View Finder	Optical View Finder	2,360,000 dots electronic viewfinder
Screen	1.036 million-dot LCD	Touch-sensitive variable-angle 2.95-inch LCD with 1.62 million dots (Flip screen is great for many reasons)
Size and Weight of the body	149 x 112 x 78mm at 820g	132.0 x 90.4 x 91.7mm at 612g

My first thoughts on the look and feel of the Canon R7 compared to the Canon 7Dii were light and compact, even paired with my Canon 100-400mm. This is a game-changer especially for travelling, as with most of the Mirrorless cameras these days.  It was comfortable to hold even though the camera itself is a lot smaller I liked the deep grip of the body.

There is no pop-up flash if that was something you may have used with your Canon 7Dii. The top LCD Screen has been replaced by the mode dial, for me personally, it did not bother me at all as I use the viewfinder or back of the screen to change my settings. It also has two SD card slots.

The rear dial and the joystick are now combined so you can control your exposure compensation and your focus point from one place on the camera. I found this extremely helpful and a great new feature, however, I think for people who might already own a Canon R5 or Canon R3 or even the Canon R6 this will take some getting used to as it’s not in the same place as on those bodies, but in saying that, this camera will be most people’s only camera so it really makes no difference to the masses.   

The Camera has IBIS (in-body image stabilisation) and paired with the IS (Image stabilisation) of most lenses makes this camera great for handheld shooting, with up to 8 stops of stabilization with most RF Lenses. This is fantastic for handheld shooting or even for those who are not as stable at hand as they used to be.

Dual Pixel CMOS AF II autofocus system with advanced subject detection, eye detection (humans and animals), in photo and video, the same autofocus system as the EOS R3 and R5 same as its baby brother the Canon R10. The low light capability and the tracking of my subjects while shooting was fantastic. As a birder and nature photographer, this is a game-changer.  It delivers 30 frames per second with tracking with the electronic shutter and delivers 15 frames per second using the mechanical shutter.  It also has focus bracketing that is great for close-up photography work, auto-stitching panoramic mode, great for landscapes), interval Bulb timer as well as multiple exposures for creative photography. Canon has introduced Pro Capture which is such a great addition to Mirrorless, and for you that aren’t familiar with this, it allows you to record a few images in raw mode before you actually press the shutter, this is great if there is a moment you don’t want to miss.

I used the Canon R7 for a portfolio shoot along with the Canon RF- 18-150mm F3.5/F6.3 Kit Lens and even as the light faded late afternoon, I was impressed with both the camera and the lens.

The camera was also tested at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens as well as Strandfontein sewerage works. I paired it with both my Canon EF 100-400mm L Series and the Canon RF 800mm F/11 (Whom BTW I actually really enjoy, the bokeh and quality on this lens are great and 1200mm on a crop sensor) and is outstanding for birding and wildlife.

The performance and the delivery of the frames per second of the camera along with the focusing system really packed a punch. The eye-tracking made capturing moving birds a bliss even in low light and the battery life was fantastic.  The only thing that I did find was, with two UHS-II SD Card slots is that it buffered when shooting high frame rates when shooting raw, but was not as bad as I had thought it was, watching some reviews on the pre-release, but is expected in this price range. There are more than enough images captured during the burst to capture the moment. The resolution on the electronic viewfinder was a little disappointing, again to be expected in this price range, but one of my golden rules is to never delete anything until you have looked at it on your PC screen.

I personally think this camera ticked all the boxes of what people were wanting in this body at this price range. The small niggly things I pointed out, would not stop me from buying one of these and with any new device, there are things that one will need to get used to. Moving from DSLR to mirrorless may seem like a tough decision to make, and I can honestly say I had my reservations too, but I can honestly say that shooting mirrorless will be a game-changer for you. If this is the camera you have been waiting for, there is nothing else in its price class and innovative technology, to assist you on your photographic journey.  

Always remember reviews are based on user experience and based on how and what the reviewer captures. What may be important to them may not be important or needed by you.

I hope this blog will help answer some of the questions that you may have had about these cameras. Please feel free to comment on this blog or drop me a mail if you have any other questions.

Love and Light

Melanie C