Canon EOS R10 24.2MP Mirrorless Digital Camera with RF-S18-150mm Kit Lens (APS-C Sensor, 23 FPS, Next Gen Auto Focus, Next Level Image Stabilisation, 4K) – Black

Hi, I had complained about this in December itself but no response till date.

Very good camera with all the nesscesary controls and features.

Good

Found broken seal

You can probably tell from the title I have somewhat mixed feelings about this camera. Lets get into it.

First the good, and honestly there is a lot of good. Canon’s APS-C sensor is very nice, and allows for sharp images with good dynamic range, the camera is light weight but still feel quality in the hand. It is comfortable to hold even for someone like myself with very big hands (This was something I was very worried about before receiving it, given it’s compact frame, but no issues). Canon’s menu system is easy to get into and navigate and the controls for the R-10 are pretty intuitive. Canon also has one of the best auto focus systems in the industry which has trickled down to the R10. Add to that a 15 Frames /sec mechanical shutter, which is class leading at any price point, and you have a pretty nice camera, particularly for around 950.00 USD.

All that sounds pretty good, and it is, so why did I not only return the camera but jump brands as well? There are a few issues with the camera as you would expect for a beginner level camera, and of course there was the stake through the heart. First, I should probably point out that I’m not your typical beginner in that I use to shoot a lot, and I was pretty good… back in the film days. Things have changed a bit and I wanted to see how I felt about all this new fangled tech, ergo, the R10. To my surprise, I really like the new digital work flow but onto the issues with the camera.

First, the canon colors look slightly off to me straight out of the camera and while that is easy enough to fix in post, the Nikon’s just look better to my eye, before any image processing is applied. While we are on the subject of the sensor, the APS-C sensor isn’t ideal for low light (dawn, dusk) shooting. I should point out that this isn’t a Canon issue it is a technology issue which will persist across manufactures. If you are going to be shooting primarily early morning or late in the day, I would suggest looking at a full frame body.

Second, while 15 frames/sec is very good for a mechanical shutter, you aren’t going to be able to get more than that with out switching to the electronic shutter, which suffers from massive rolling shutter effect. (If you don’t know what that is, I would recommend looking it up before you buy any camera.) It is bad enough that in my opinion it renders the electronic shutter modes useless for anything you would want to use it for. Add to that, the 1/4000 max shutter speed is very marginal if you are shooting a fast moving subject, like say a humming bird, it is going to be tough to freeze the action. Also, the R10 has a pretty small buffer, you are going to fill it up fast (think a couple of seconds in RAW… and you are likely going to want to shoot in RAW) then you will have to wait 3 -7 seconds for it to clear, depending on how fast your SD card is.

Other niggly things, the battery life is Meh, you’ll need to carry a second or third, maybe even a forth battery if you are going to be out shooting all day. Probably not a hug deal, but something to be aware of. A bigger problem for me, anyway, is the lack of weather sealing on the camera. If, like me, you shoot primarily in the early morning where there is frequent mist and due and evening where I have light showers, then you will find yourself scrambling to protect your camera gear more than you will find you self shooting and enjoying your subjects. Dust is also going to be an issue. It is a big enough issue that I would argue, with out some sort of weather casing, it is an indoor only camera body.

So, why did I choose to leave the Canon system all together? After all, these issue can be address simply by stepping up to one of their more advance bodies. It actually has nothing to do with their equipment at all, frankly their camera’s are top notch and will compete blow for blow with any other manufacture out there. Rather, the company philosophy is the issue for me. Now, before you get your dithers up, I will say that Canon has a right to conduct business (with in the bounds of the law) as they see fit. It also stands to reason that we consumers have a right to do business with them on their terms, or not. I’ve chosen ‘or not’ and it really has nothing to do with ethical concerns but rather the practical consequences. I am of course talking about Canon’s refusal to allow third party lens manufactures to create lenses for the RF mount (that is the lens mount on all their R line cameras). This of course means that Canon does not have to compete with anyone when building their lenses, which will not lead to anything good for consumers, but more over, it means there are massive gaps in their available lenses that likely won’t be filled for years… if ever. As it stands as I write this, your choice with Canon is affordable, quality, but entry level lenses that lack features (which usually translates to slow, less sharp and lacking weather sealing) or professional, top notch, no compromises lenses, but is out of the price range of all but the wealthiest enthusiast and even some pros (think 15k USD and up). This is particularly true in the lens range I needed, which is telephoto, where their beginner lenses are great but lack the mid level apertures I need (say a 400mm, 500mm or 600mm at maybe f5.6). That is why I’ve sold or returned all my Canon equipment in favor of Nikon and so far it is working well for me.

Of course this can be mitigated by buying an EF to RF adapter and buying EF glass to fill in the gaps but then you miss out on all that RF goodness… plus you do have to be a little careful as not all the EF glass will work properly on the RF mount… even with the Canon EF to RF adapter.

I know this was long, but hopefully it has helped some make the decision that will work best for them. I will leave you with this, choosing a camera brand is a little like getting married. You CAN change out your brand in the future but it is going to be very expensive and likely more than a little painful. Best to choose the partner that is not only what you need / want today but will still be what you want in the future as well.