We took the EOS RP for street photography
When Canon launched the EOS RP in the Philippines last March, it was not just one of the most affordable full-frame mirrorless cameras in the market, but also one of the most compact one out there. To try out the photography capabilities of the EOS RP, we were invited by Canon to go on a photo walk in Intramuros together with photojournalist Jilson Tiu.
There was one challenge, however: the majority of the current crop of RF lenses in the market is so huge, they are very front-heavy when used with the EOS RP. Even the RF 35mm 1.8 Macro IS STM—Canon’s most compact RF lens in the market right now—feels a bit oversized with the EOS RP. Street photography usually involves using a compact setup, and using big lenses defeats the purpose of the EOS RP’s compact body.
Being a Canon user for over a decade, I asked representatives from Canon that I’ll use my own EF lens (an EF 28mm 1.8 USM) with the EOS RP using an adapter for the photo walk activity. While using adapters is the next best thing if you don’t want to invest in new glass, there are compromises with adapting your old lenses with a new camera body. These include slow autofocus, missing features, and being stuck with manual focus.
That’s not the case with the EOS RP: like Canon’s EF-M to EF adapter for its EOS M cameras, the RF to EF adapter for EOS R cameras lets you use your EF lenses seamlessly and retain all of the EOS RP’s functions—especially if you use the control ring-equipped version of the RF to EF adapter.
We used the unconventional setup as we walked through the streets of Intramuros, and the EOS RP performed very well even if we were using a 24-year-old EF lens (the EF 28mm 1.8 USM came out in 1995). Autofocusing is snappy and accurate, Dual Pixel was getting its job done, and colors came out great out of the camera—the EOS RP’s 26.2-megapixel sensor and DIGIC 8 Processor made the most out of the EF 28mm 1.8 USM’s glass even if the lens uses an older design.
Check out the snaps we took during the photo walk:
While people may hesitate to get the EOS RP because there are only a few RF lenses in the market (not to mention they are very expensive), Canon’s affordable full-frame mirrorless camera is very ideal for Canon users who want to shift from a DSLR system while being able to use their existing glass.