As an enthusiast that takes portraits, travel, some macro, some wildlife, and a desire to do more sports and birding; I’ve always wanted to upgrade my SL1 to a full frame sensor/mirrorless.
Price is a big deal for me, and I want to buy once cry once–i want a camera that will last me the next 8+ years. Reviews on the RP look great, and I don’t pretend to be an expert–im confused though, because while the R6 mkii has a few nice features I can’t see why it costs twice as much. Is the R6 mkii worth the upgrade, and/or will it be more future proof?
Being price-sensitive, I would suggest looking really hard at the lens ecosystem. Canon has blocked the production of third-party autofocus lenses for RF mount with legal threats, and the more desirable first-party options tend to be pricey. Nikon allows some third-party lenses on Z-mount, and Sony of course has a huge selection on E-mount.
Nikon has a somewhat comparable option in the Z5, but with Sony, the budget option is used. Both the A7 III and A9 are selling for a bit over $1000 on Ebay if you’re patient.
They did what now?! Source?
With that in mind I know I won’t be buying Canon…
It was pretty well-documented - here’s one source. Most of the manufacturers have some sort of limits or controls on third-party lenses, usually with patents that should have failed the obviousness test. I believe the state of the mirrorless ecosystem is:
Third-party AF lenses forbidden:
- Canon RF
Third-party lenses approved on a case-by-case basis:
- Fuji X
- Fuji GFX
- Nikon Z
Open (some may charge a license fee):
- Sony E
- Micro four-thirds
- L-mount
Make sure the glass you want is available.
I came close, and like you want full frame, but the lack of glass i want just isn’t there. I got a newer eos m, i like the 22mm pancake so much for 35mm equiv and the fast 50mm equiv primes.
M system is pretty much EOL’d, so it may not be the best choice for future proofness as the OP wants.
It’s a good point about lens availability, though. The best selection in the mirrorless world will be Sony, due to the system being more mature and Sony not being hostile to third party makers like Canon and Nikon are.
I agree on the smaller sensor. I’m not so sure about the R10 due to the closed lens ecosystem and the smaller format in a multiformat mount usually being a second-class citizen. It seems like Fuji is the only camera maker that really puts effort into its APSC system.
M43 is also particularly good at both macro and birds, with lightweight telephotos and high-magnification macro lenses - the new 90mm from Olympus has 2x magnification, or 4x with a teleconverter.
There’s also the added familiarity with Canon that shouldn’t be underestimated.
As a tech nerd who tends to pick up new user interfaces quickly, I may underestimate that factor for other people. I think any newer mirrorless is going to be vastly different from a decade-old entry-level DSLR though.
Spending more of your budget on lens to compliment the cheaper rp would be a good call. If you get the right lenses it’ll def last you a long time. A body less so.
Just think twice about investing in full frame system. Everything is a lot more expensive and heavy for benefits you might not see depending on what type of photography you’re shooting.
I have an RP and an original R6, and they are very different cameras. The RP’s compact size and light weight are excellent features that, for me, go a long way to offset its limitations, but to that end If I were buying today, I would go for the R8 over the RP.
The RP’s sensor was already showing its age a year or two ago, and that’s more true now, I’m sure, in terms particularly of dynamic range. And for wildlife and sports, the improved autofocus on the more recent Canon models will be a significant benefit, as will the in-body stabilization.
In terms of “will the camera work in the future”, I have no reason to worry about the longevity of any Canon camera. But if you’re at all averse to owning an “outdated” camera, skip the RP in favor of either the R8 (lightweight and much better for travel, but no IBIS) or a used R6 or an R6 MKII.