Canon EOS RP
As churches continue to embrace the power of media to communicate their mission and message, the need for strong video and communications ministries grows exponentially. When it comes to building these types of ministries, one common hurdle is finding the budget to equip teams with the tools they need.
Those first gear purchases for a media team have to count. The tools need to be both affordable, yet powerful enough to provide room for the natural development in an artist’s abilities. In other words, the gear needs to be slightly aspirational, giving a media team something to grow into.
For many years Canon DSLRs were the gateway default for startup church film and communications teams looking for a way to get started without breaking the bank. A whole generation of artists cut their teeth on cameras like the T2i and 70D. With the mirrorless revolution, a number of other manufacturers have stepped up to compete for that same user who's looking for a mid-range camera to shoot both great stills images and cinematic video.
Rather than jump into the mirrorless revolution in a reactionary way, Canon instead chose to develop an entirely new type of lens ecosystem that could take advantage of the new technology before bringing its first professional mirrorless camera, the EOS R, to market in the fall of 2018. While the EOS R debuted to mostly positive reviews, its price point definitely positioned it solidly in the pro market.
With the introduction of the EOS RP, Canon is aiming to bring a lot of that same mirrorless technology directly to the more budget-conscious segment of the market. In this write up, we’ll explore what’s under the hood of the new camera and how it might empower churches and ministries.
The big picture
The good news about the Canon EOS RP is that it retains a lot of the same technology and features of the EOS R, packaged in a smaller form factor. At the heart of the EOS RP is a big 26.2MP full-frame CMOS sensor. This is the same sensor size boasted by Canon’s industry standard 5D Mark IV and 1Dx, and will be a very big deal for photographers wanting to take advantage of the wider field of view and light-gathering abilities.
The EOS RP also boasts a DIGIC 8 image processor, which is capable of 5fps stills capture and Canon’s Dual Pixel auto focus. And speaking of auto focus, the EOS RP also packs advance focus assist tools like touch-to-focus and eye tracking auto focus. The touch focusing is facilitated by a 3-inch touchscreen LCD on the back of the camera, which can be flipped out and rotated around for photography, video and vlogging applications.
Just as importantly, the camera features an RF lens mount, allowing it to use the newest lenses and features from Canon’s newest line of lenses. Shooters who already have a collection of EF and EF-S lenses will still be in luck as Canon is selling a $99 adapter that allows those lenses to be easily used on an RF mount.
... stills can be filmed in JPEG, RAW, Canon’s C-RAW and JPEG+RAW simultaneously.
And finally, stills can be filmed in JPEG, RAW, Canon’s C-RAW and JPEG+RAW simultaneously. If shooting stills is the primary purpose of this camera the Canon EOS RP is probably going to be a very competitive choice for church communications and marketing teams.
Filmmaking and the Canon EOS RP
When it comes to filmmaking, it’s possible that the experience with the EOS RP may prove to be something of a mixed bag. On paper it looks to be a solid choice for video production, with features like 4K at 24fps, HD at 60fps, Dual Pixel auto focus and Canon’s beloved color science. Shooting video crops the sensor by 1.74x, a crop factor similar to the popular Canon C100 MkII cinema camera.
What's most puzzling about the video side of the EOS RP is the artificial limitations placed on what some would consider essential features. For instance, Dual Pixel auto focus is the kind of outstanding feature that drives a purchasing decision. Unfortunately, Dual Pixel auto focus doesn’t work when filming in 4K. In the same vein, for some reason the EOS RP films in 60fps in HD, but not the industry-standard 24fps.
While the omission of things like higher filming bit rates and Canon LOG makes some sense since this is a budget-level camera, Canon has a history of limiting new products so as to make sure they don’t compete with other products in their line, and this certainly seems to be what happened with the EOS RP. That being said, if these features aren’t essential for you, this camera may still be a solid choice for developing film teams.
Speaking of budget, the EOS RP is being pitched as entry level, but compared to where it sits in the market it’s probably more accurate to think of it as a budget-friendly full frame camera. At $1,299 for the body only, and $1,699 when you buy a kit that includes a basic 24-105mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, it’s not the cheapest option on the market. It’s likely still a good value though considering that you’re getting a full frame mirrorless camera from a top tier manufacturer, but it’s an investment.
A smaller form factor is a good thing, especially if portability and a low profile matter for your shooting style.
In conclusion
There’s a lot to like about the approach Canon’s taken with EOS RP. A smaller form factor is a good thing, especially if portability and a low profile matter for your shooting style. We’ll need to see how it feels in the hands, but for photographers with larger hand’s, Canon has developed grip extensions to make shooting more comfortable.
Having a full-frame mirrorless camera at an accessible price point is fantastic news for stills shooters.
Having a full-frame mirrorless camera at an accessible price point is fantastic news for stills shooters. In fact, the EOS RP may be more than enough camera to meet the needs of many professional photographers for years. For video we’ll have to see if this is a case where the quality trumps some of the imposed limitations. Either way, there’s more than enough with the approach Canon’s taken with the EOS RP to get our attention. Stay tuned for an official CPM hands-on review in the coming months.
