My EOS R . . . part two

One week ago today I reviewed the new EOS R, Canons first Full Frame Mirrorless camera.  As a color camera, it was easily as good as my 5DMKIV and with the converter ring I was able to seamlessly use all my EF lenses. 

However, I didn’t buy the R to use as a color camera.  With Infrared, mirrorless is such the way to go.  A converted mirrorless IR camera has no issues with focus; you can use whatever lenses you want and the autofocus is sharp.  Plus, when shooting with an IR converted mirrorless camera you get to compose and see in Infrared.  The viewfinder lets you see exactly what your sensor is capturing.  So, my next step was to get my EOS R into the hands of one of our professional technicians for conversion.  Since this is a new camera; mine is the first EOS R to be converted to Infrared.  

After conversion, the camera got the regular hand strap and nondescript leather shoulder strap I always use.   

Here it is.  This is my EOS R.

 

Now, How does it work??

. . .  Great, . . actually better than that.

I truly think this camera is going to help me create better IR images.  Why?  Mainly because of the focus capabilities.  With a DSLR you can use the lens your camera is calibrated to, and then switch to Live View with other lenses.  In certain shooting conditions, using Live View can be problematic at best.  With the EOS R and the converter ring, I can shoot with any of my lenses. 

In part one of this review, I inadvertently passed on incorrect information from a Canon Technician regarding manual focus lenses.   To make things clear, manual focus lenses function perfectly on the EOS R.   

Here’s my first test image from my newly converted EOS R, made with the Lensbaby Velvet 85.   The Lensbaby Velvet performed just like it does with my other camera bodies.  

It was processed with my Moody Image action.  You can find that info here 

Here’s a landscape image

The crispness of the image is impressive.

I’ve been accustomed to shooting with a converted Canon 5DMKIV, but everything I shot with the R seemed to be higher quality.

The process of shooting Infrared with the EOS R was as easy as shooting color and results are exactly what I hoped for with a mirrorless camera.

So what do I not like about the EOS R?

Well, like all mirrorless cameras, the EOS R does chow through a battery way faster than the 5DMKIV.  The EVF uses quite a bit of power, so I will always have extra batteries in my bag, but I’ve been carrying extra batteries for years.  Second, I feel like the burst rate could be faster. The Burst rate on the 5DMKIV is about 7 frames a second, while the best the EOS R boasts is 5 frames per second.  Since I shoot everything bracketed, burst rate is important.   

Overall, I give the camera a big “A” because it makes for a fantastic Infrared camera.   It’s an easy transition from DSLR to mirrorless, and with the converter ring, you don’t lose all those lenses you love.  

Now, what conversion did I pick for the EOS R???? 

I picked my perfect conversion, which I will explain in the next Blog I write.