Looking back at 2019

I've seen a lot of photographers posting several similar subjects. 1) what piece of new gear made your life easier in 2019  2) the switch from DSLR to Mirrorless.

Well I'm going to combine these two into one post because for me they are related.

I've always been a 2 camera shooter for about 90% of the things I photograph. So when the Canon R and RP cameras came out in 2019 I was interested. I was attracted by the full frame sensor and the lighter weight but I knew there would be a trade off in the learning of a new system.

I'd tried mirrorless several years ago when I bought a Fuji and loved it, to a degree. The images were great but the Fuji menus and ergonomics of the camera were radically different from what I was used to. So using this camera as my second camera was a problem for me. (Getting my brain to switch from one system to another while shooting an event just slowed me down.)

So I hoped the Canon R/RP line would reduce this. I wasn't very optimistic on this so I decided to start with the Canon RP and upgrade it if I felt there was value to me. Disclaimer: All of the following comments are my opinion based on how I like to shoot. You may find your situation to be completely different and that is great.

So I purchased the RP, the lens adaptor and the grip extender. The grip extender was a great buy for me as I have fairly large hands and small cameras are hard (the Fuji I had) for me to hold. This great made it very easy to hold the RP without adding much weight. 

 I got the lens adapter because I have no intention of purchasing any RF lenses. Too much of an investment for me to even consider. I love my EF glass and will stick with it.

So I used the RP with a DSLR all summer and fall. First thing I found was that I'd rather shoot video with the RP than my Canon 6D Mark II or my 5D Mark III. It was just easier to use. I enjoyed taking photographs with the RP and found the image quality matched my DSLRs. In low light the ISO of 2000 was useable, so that was nice.

But. After many months of use I still struggled with the ergonomics of the camera. I like camera buttons that allow me to quickly make changes. To have to open the touch screen to adjust something is just too much time away from the viewfinder.  I still don't like the feel of it in my hands either, excluding the weight. With longer and heavier lenses the balance is off as well.

So my new camera combo will be my trusty Canon 5D Mark III and a used Canon 5D Mark IV I just picked this fall. The RP is now my walking around camera because it's great for that. I usually have a 40mm pancake lens on it and am ready to grab it and start shooting at a moments notice. Next summer if I think I will need to shoot video I will take it along to do so.

The Canon RP is a good camera under the right circumstances. But as I said at the beginning of this post, these are just my opinions based on how I use my cameras.