Thanks to the new processor, the EOS RP has a very decent eye- and face-tracking system (Canon calls it pupil detection) for a budget full-frame camera. It now works in continuous mode, rather than just single-point autofocus as before. Provided I stayed pretty close to my (human) subjects, I found it locked on to their eyes and face very well. And if their eyes disappeared from view, it picked right back up again when they turned around. So Canon’s updated AI system looks very promising.
The only problem is that the RP slows to a lethargic 2.5 fps in pupil-detection mode, with a blackout between shots that makes it hard to follow fast-moving subjects. Still, for simple photo shoots or weddings, where the subject isn’t flying around, I found it tracked them and gave me a very good hit rate of in-focus shots.
I said that the EOS RP would make a good street-photography or vacation camera because of its size, but there’s a large issue with that. If you want to shoot with a silent shutter, as many street photographers do, it only works in Canon’s “scene” mode. That means you have little manual control over the setting, making it essentially useless for the unusual lighting situations that happen all the time on the streets. I can’t figure out for the life of me why Canon did this, and I really hope they rectify it with a firmware update.
Video
There’s a lot to dislike about video on the Canon EOS RP. Yes, it does 4K, but like the EOS R, only with a 1.7x APS-C sensor crop, which limits the low-light benefits and shallow depth of field of that big sensor. Worse still, the Dual Pixel autofocus system only works at 1080p, so you’re limited to the much slower, more erratic contrast-detect system for 4K.
But wait, there are more (bad) things. At 1080p, I could shoot at 30 fps and up to 60 fps, but not 24 fps — the most commonly used video speed. Meanwhile, at 4K, you can shoot at 24 fps but not 30 fps. That makes it impossible to mix and match 4K and 1080p, something that I do all the time. The problem doesn’t exist in Europe’s PAL land, as 25 fps is available in both 4K and 1080p, so switching the camera’s frequency is a possible workaround in North America. Still, this makes absolutely no sense — why, Canon, why?
With the flip-around articulating display, the Canon would make a good vlogging camera. However, it has terrible rolling shutter that, combined with the lack of in-body stabilization, makes handheld video too shaky. Finally, you can only shoot video internally and externally at 8-bit, not 10-bit, and the camera has a pretty poor dynamic range in the first place. That limited my color-correction options when editing later.
With all those issues, I can’t recommend the EOS RP for video. Canon’s EOS R is a better option, though it’s not ideal either. For around the same budget, I’d recommend Fujifilm’s X-T3, which offers phase-detect autofocus, 10-bit internal video and more. If you want full-frame and are willing to spend more, get Nikon’s Z6.
Image quality
I’ve always liked how Canon’s cameras reproduce colors, thanks to the excellent color science. The EOS RP continued in that vein, producing pleasing skin tones and colors, especially in JPEG mode. However, the dynamic range isn’t the greatest at lower ISOs, so when I shot in RAW mode and tried to push the shadows (make them brighter), I got a lot more noise than I expected.
