The Canon EOS RP is Canon’s lightest and least expensive full frame camera ever

Canon has now officially announced the new 26.2MP Canon EOS RP full frame mirrorless camera, doubling their RF mount camera lineup to 2. The new camera is a fairly basic entry level body, but not only does it set a new standard for full frame entry level mirrorless, but it’s also the lightest and least expensive full frame camera that Canon has ever made, costing a mere $1,299.

Photographer Matt Higgs got to check one out and have a play with it in the studio and for an entry-level model, and it doesn’t look too bad at all, when you consider the market it’s aimed towards.

The leaked specs from yesterday were pretty accurate. It has a 26.2-megapixel sensor, Dual Pixel CMOS autofocus with Eye AF, a 2.36 million dot EVF, and a 3.0″ 1.04 million dot capacitive touchscreen LCD. And it’s probably not much of a surprise that as a relatively inexpensive entry level body, it contains a single SD card slot.

• Sensor: 26.2-megapixels CMOS
• Format: Full-frame
• Lens mount: Canon RF
• Autofocus: Dual Pixel AF with Face Tracking and Eye AF
• Continuous shooting: 5 frames per second until card full (JPG) or 50 raw images (4 fps with AF tracking)
• Shutter speeds: 30 – 1/4000 sec
• Flash sync: 1/180 sec
• Photo aspect ratio: 3:2
• 4K Video: 4K UHD 23.976/25fps 1.6x crop
• 1080p Video: 29.97/59.94fps full frame
• Video codec: 120Mbps, 8-Bit h.264
• Video aspect ratio: 16:9
• Viewfinder: 2.36 million dot EVF
• Storage: SD Card Slot
• Connectivity: WiFi
• Dimensions: 132.1 x 83.8 x 71.1mm (5.2 x 3.3 x 2.8″)
• Weight: 485g (1.07lb)

Overall, it’s essentially a mirrorless 6D Mark II, but with 4K video, a faster processor and $200 knocked off the price. It comes with the EF to RF mount adapter included as well as the Canon EG-E1 extension grip (in Black, Blue or Red). Whether these freebies are a permanent fixture or just a launch promotion is unclear, but right now that’s $180 worth of stuff you don’t have to buy. This further brings down the cost of the camera itself if you were planning to buy those accessories anyway.

Even though it has a 1.6x crop when shooting 4K video, that’s actually not too bad for some users. It means that it’s essentially Canon APS-C sort of size at 4K. This combined with the very light 485g weight means it could become ideal for vloggers. Combined with the EF to RF mount and the Canon 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS, you’re only looking at a total of around 835g, which isn’t that unreasonable to carry around with you. For comparison, the EOS M50 + EF to EOS-M adapter with the same lens weighs 737g.

One notable missing feature, though, is any kind of real slow motion on the video front. Even at 1080p. At Full HD, it maxes out at 59.97fps. So, at best, with a 23.975fps project, you’re playing back that footage at 40% speed (1/2.5x). So, you’re not going to get the super slow silky smooth clips that 120fps can offer.

I know a lot of more serious photo and video shooters will not be happy with this camera (I’ve already seen them posting all over Facebook this morning), but this isn’t a camera aimed at those people. It’s for those who want an inexpensive entry into the world of full frame, and maybe those who fancy shooting a bit of video talking to the camera.

The Canon EOS RP is available to pre-order now for $1,299 with a free EF to RF mount adapter & grip, $1,699 with the EF 24-105mm f/4 lens, or $2,199 with  RF 24-105mm f/4 lens. Shipping is expected to begin on February 27th.