Canon EOS R Review by Fashion Photographer Emily Abay

Professional fashion photographer Emily Abay has shot for many of the world’s most prestigious brands and publications. In this video she gets hands-on with the new Canon EOS R, a revolutionary 30.3MP full-frame mirrorless system. Hit play to hear Emily’s thoughts and insights after putting the camera through its paces on a fashion shoot at the revered SUNSTUDIOS in Sydney.

Hands-on with the Canon EOS R

One of the most obvious advantages of the EOS R is its compact form factor. It’s significantly smaller and lighter than other Canon DSLRs, but it continues to offer ultra-intuitive control, along with revolutionised feel and functionality. The EOS R is also highly customizable, allowing you to set up the camera’s dials and buttons to perfectly match your specific shooting style.

“The functions are all the same, but they’re just in different spots. We customized the camera to what would suit me best, which makes it a lot easier to use. The aperture now is on a ring on the lens, which is also really nice to use.”

Weighing in at just 660g / 23.28oz. (with a battery and memory card), the EOS R is an attractive option for photographers of all styles, whether shooting in a studio or out on the road.

“There’s such a huge difference in weight from my EOS 5D Mark IV,” says Emily. “When you’ve shot a full day, 10 to 12 hours, you often go home with aches and pains from working with your camera. But it doesn’t feel like I’m shifting my body too much with the EOS R, and I did feel like I was standing a little bit straighter during the shoot.”

Exploring the New Canon RF Series Lenses

For this particular editorial fashion shoot, Emily’s aim was to create edgy and bohemian images, while playing around with the light and shadows to emphasise her model’s glowing complexion.

To get started, Emily used the Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM lens, which she says is a really beautiful lens for portraiture. “The quality was phenomenal. You could just see every single grain and the images look absolutely gorgeous.”

With its large f/1.2 aperture, the RF 50mm provides seriously beautiful bokeh, making this an obvious lens for shooting portraiture work. It also features Canon’s new multi-layered Air Sphere Coating (ASC), which allows you to shoot into direct light without having to worry about flare, ghosting or reduced contrast.

As with all of the new RF lenses, the RF 50mm f/1.2L USM features Canon’s new lens control ring, delivering intuitive and fully-customizable control over aperture, shutter speed, ISO or exposure compensation (depending on your personal preference).

Emily says that she often employs 24mm to 70mm focal length lenses on her fashion shoots because she likes the distortion and flexibility they offer. The equivalent lens for the EOS R is the RF 28-70mm f/2L USM, a powerful constant f/2 aperture lens which Emily also put to the test during her shoot.

“I like the flexibility. Going from 35mm to 70mm, for example, it was so fantastic. And the mount is super-easy to latch onto as well.”

Additional Lenses for the EOS R

The new RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM, RF 50mm f/1.2L USM, RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, RF 28-70mm f/2L USM lenses have all been designed specifically with the mirrorless EOS R in mind and all feature the revolutionary new control ring. In addition, the EOS R can also be paired with over 70 additional lenses by using Canon’s EF-EOS R adaptors.

Emily’s Verdict?

“The Canon EOS R has really impressed me today. Often I don’t get to travel with an assistant, so for me having something that is so light and more compact is just going to suit my lifestyle so much better. And especially now that I’ve familiarised myself with all of the functions. It’s just going to be a no-brainer.”

The Canon EOS R opens up a whole new world of shooting possibilities for photographers and filmmakers alike.

Get your hands on a Canon EOS R mirrorless camera today, available to rent at SUNSTUDIOS. 

Follow Emily Abay on Instagram to see more of her fashion photography.