"A big step forward": master the move to mirrorless

While Canon EOS DLSRs and EOS R System mirrorless cameras have a lot of features in common, such as similar intuitive control layout and familiar menus, the EOS R System is more advanced. Cameras in the range are crammed with cutting-edge technology, such as highly responsive electronic viewfinders (EVF), In-Body Image Stabilisation (IBIS) and intelligent AF that can identify different subjects and track them automatically.

If you're new to the system, it can be hard to know where to start when first exploring its possibilities. So we asked Canon Ambassadors from a range of genres – wildlife, portrait and travel photographer Pie Aerts, adventure sports pro Samo Vidic and wedding photographers Carmen and Ingo Leitner – to explain how they got to grips with the new features and customised their cameras to realise their full potential.

Canon EOS R System cameras offer a tremendous degree of customisation, enabling you to tailor the buttons and dials to the way you want to shoot stills or video. The Custom Functions menu lets you fine-tune an even wider range of camera features to save time when you're shooting.

With the introduction of Canon's hybrid RF lens range, even more control is available for stills and video shooters. For example, the RF 50mm F1.4L VCM hybrid prime lens features an Iris Ring, Control Ring and customisable Lens Function button to offer intuitive control over key settings, such as manual 1/32-stop adjustments while filming movies. Both the RF 35mm F1.4L VCM prime and RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z zoom lenses feature a switch on the lens to mechanically lock the Iris Ring in the ‘A’ position, enabling electronic adjustments of the aperture to be made via the camera when shooting stills.

You can manually select an AF point by using the physical controller on the back of an EOS R System camera, or by tapping on the vari-angle touchscreen display. You can also activate Touch & Drag AF to turn the rear display into a large trackpad, moving the AF point with your thumb while you look through the EVF. With Eye Control AF activated on the Canon EOS R3, EOS R1 and EOS R5 Mark II, you can select the object you want to focus on just by looking at it.

The subject detection and tracking autofocus available in the more advanced EOS R System cameras can identify the subject you've preselected in the AF menu and track it with precision as it moves through a scene. "It's completely changed the way I focus," says Pie. "I always used to work with a single focus point, but I use the animal detection in the Canon EOS R5 all of the time now." By pressing the SET button, Pie is able to reset the focus point to the centre. "But I never use my thumb to move the focus point around," he continues. "I just quickly switch between the animal eye tracking mode and centre spot focus.

"When this worry about getting a pin-sharp eye is absent, there is more freedom to explore different compositions. You just have more time to think about creating something that is unique."


Discover how other Canon photographers are maximising the potential of the EOS R System

You're able to preview images in real time in the electronic viewfinder of a Canon EOS mirrorless camera, complete with your exposure, white balance, Picture Style and other effects applied. "Unlike in the optical viewfinder of a DSLR, you can customise the information that's displayed in an EVF via the setup menu," explains Canon Europe Product Marketing Manager John Maurice. "You can also access the camera menus and play back images directly in the viewfinder. This is particularly useful when you're shooting in very bright conditions."

Samo uses this feature to review images when there's a lull in the action. "I review my images in the viewfinder when I have five or 10 minutes to spare," he says. "I can go through 20-50 images in that time, blowing them up to check they're sharp and then rating them. It saves me a lot of time later on."

Canon EOS R System cameras are equipped with cutting-edge tools for video. "The autofocus technology makes filming much easier," John says. "The RF lenses are better for video than their EF counterparts too, and our range of hybrid RF lens range now includes primes and zooms and are built with filmmakers in mind." More recent cameras such as the EOS R1 and EOS R5 Mark II support the Iris Ring for both video and stills.

The Canon EOS R7 and EOS R6 Mark II are equipped with dials that let you instantly toggle the camera between stills and video. You can also set up individual Custom modes for both stills and video using the C1/C2/C3 settings on the Mode dial.

Taking it a step further, the Dual Shooting function on both the EOS R1 and EOS R5 Mark II allow you to capture stills and video concurrently. Pressing the shutter release while shooting Full HD video will enable the capture of a burst of jpeg images at the same time.

Pie recommends pre-programming settings to save you time. "I constantly switch between stills and video when shooting wildlife," he says. "I've pre-programmed my go-to video settings of 4K/50fps and 1/100 sec shutter speed, which makes it very easy when I switch to video. Even when I'm shooting video, I'm using the Movie Frame Grab option a lot. It might only give you 45MB images that are not RAW, but it's still a very cool feature to work with."

All EOS R System cameras enable you to shoot 4K video, but some bodies enable you to shoot at a higher resolution that is then 'oversampled' to produce a better quality 4K image. For serious filmmakers, the EOS R5 Mark II shoots up to 8K RAW up to 60p, in camera.

The high-speed electronic shutter in an EOS R System camera makes it easier to capture the decisive moment. For instance, the Canon EOS R7 can shoot at up to 15fps with its mechanical shutter, and up to 30fps with its electronic shutter. The EOS R1 allows photographers to shoot up to 40fps with its electronic shutter. The ability to shoot at the intense speeds offered by an electronic shutter opens up new opportunities for creative photography.

"If I'm shooting a slightly slower sport, such as motocross, I will use the electronic shutter to catch the brief moment that riders are in the perfect position on a corner or a jump," says Samo. Being able to shoot at 30fps with his Canon EOS R3 means that he always gets the shots he needs. "Before this, it was a little bit of a lottery," he says.

With the introduction of Pre-continuous shooting on advanced mirrorless cameras such as the EOS R1 and EOS R5 Mark II, photographers like Samo will now be able to capture moments that happened prior to even pushing the shutter release button.

Many EOS R System cameras are equipped with IBIS that can deliver up to 8-stops of stability, depending on the lens. It also brings the benefits of image stabilisation (IS) to non-IS lenses. And for video recording, IBIS can be combined with both lens IS and Movie Digital IS to give footage a gimbal-like smoothness.

"IBIS is a game-changer for video compared to previous cameras," says Ingo, who now shoots everything handheld, rather than having to use a monopod as he would when working with a DSLR.

It's a similar story with Pie, who describes the Canon EOS R6 Mark II's stabilisation for video as extraordinary. "I love working with tripods and monopods, but you have a lot of moving variables when you're shooting animals from a vehicle," he says. "But the Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS III USM and the RF 600mm F4L IS USM lenses that I use are so light, and the IS performance so impressive, that it's encouraged me to work more handheld now."

Canon EOS R System cameras offer such a wealth of time-saving technology and creative features that it's worth setting aside some time to explore the functions and customisation offered by your new kit.

"I've been shooting Canon all my life and EOS DSLR cameras had essentially become an extension of my body, so I was hesitant about moving to the EOS R System," admits Pie. "But it's proved to be such a big step forward that I would encourage people to keep their minds open to the possibilities."