The camera industry may have left the middle child at home.

It’s been four years since Canon and Nikon formally stepped foot in the mirrorless market with the release of their respective pro-level mirrorless cameras, and their APS-C segment still hasn’t gotten as much attention as its full frame brothers.

Aside from the Nikon Z50 releasing in 2019, the two latecomers have nothing much to show for in the crop sensor department.

Well, at least with the red team, that changes this year with Canon announcing the release of the EOS R7 and R10 — Canon’s most important attempt yet at expanding the EOS R system.

So let’s take a close look at both cameras as well as the new line of RF-S series of lenses that are hitting the shelves very soon.

The Canon EOS R7 and R10 at a Glance

Before we dive deep into what separates the R7 and R10 from each other, let’s take a quick look at the two new APS-C shooters from a birds-eye view.

Canon EOS R10 – The R10 is positioned somewhere between the entry-level Rebel T8i (850D) and the “prosumer” 90D. Canon says it’s an “all-rounder” of a camera and packs more features than the full frame EOS RP.

Canon EOS R7 – Canon positions the R7 as their high-end APS-C camera offering. The single-digit naming scheme implies it’ll be Canon’s top-tier crop sensor shooter and a spiritual successor to the legendary 7D.

Body & Design Layout – Both the R7 and R10’s design is reminiscent of the old entry-level “Rebel” series, or 3-digit series (outside NA), and it’s a little disappointing. There are no top LCD screens on both cameras which is an expected “pro” level feature one would expect with the R7’s price tag at least.

The R7 is ever so slightly bigger than the more affordable R10. The mode dial on both cameras is located on the left-hand side like most of Canon’s entry-level offerings. You’ll be pleased to see a joystick on both cameras, but the R7 sports a control wheel around the stick. Aside from that, there’s not much to talk about differences in design or button layout that immediately stands out.

Articulating Screen – The R7 and the R10 both have a 3-inch, articulating touchscreen.

Focusing System – Both cameras inherit the R3’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF II and it does sound incredibly promising.

Max. Mechanical Burst Rate – Interestingly, Canon both gave the R7 and the R10 a maximum mechanical burst rate of 15 FPS, making them extremely capable sports and wildlife cameras.

Canon EOS R7 vs EOS R10

There’s a $500 price difference between the R7 ($1,499 body only) and the R10 ($979 body only). So what exactly is the difference between the R7 and the R10, and more importantly, can these APS-C cameras justify their asking price?

Sensor – The R10 has a more tamed 24MP sensor, while the R7 has more resolving power at 32MP.

IBIS – Part of that $500 premium went into slapping IBIS in the R7 — it features a built-in sensor-shift stabilization which can be a game-changer for people who work with legacy lenses eg. Canon FD, or looking to adapt non-stabilized lenses.

Weather Sealing – Yet another area where the R7 excels. Canon still managed to cram weather sealing on the R7 despite its compact size. The R10 on the other hand doesn’t have weather resistance mentioned anywhere in the press release.

Max Video Resolution – The R7 can shoot up to 4K/60p uncropped, while the R10 can only shoot uncropped 4K til 24 fps. Shooting 4K/60p on the R10 gets you an even cropped image.

Canon C-Log – The R7 can shoot C-Log and the R10 can’t. I know Canon needs to justify the price difference between the two cameras, but this one feels the most artificial “gimping” of the R10.

Buffer Capacity – While both cameras have the same 15 FPS burst rate, the R7 has the bigger buffer at 42 frames versus the R10’s 29 frames when shooting lossless RAW.

EVF – The R7 has a slightly bigger viewfinder magnification at 1.15x while the R10 has a 0.95x EVF. However, both have the same 2.36 million-dot OLED panel with a max refresh rate of 120 Hz.

Ports – While both can be powered via USB-C, the R7 still has the better port selection with a dedicated 3.5mm headphone jack – a must-have for serious video shooters.

Card Slots – Canon thinks dual card slots are still a “pro-only” feature so you’ll have to step up to the R7 to get two card slots.

Pop-up Flash – The R10 retains the cute pop-up flash from the entry-level DSLRs of yore. The R7 does not have this feature.

Max Mechanical Shutter Speed – You can go up to 1/8000 with the R7’s mechanical shutter and 1/16000 with the electronic shutter. The R10 can only go up to 1/4000 on both mechanical and electronic shutters.

Battery Capacity – No surprises here. The R7 gets better shots per charge at 770 vs the R10’s 430

Check out DPReview TV’s first impressions of both cameras if you want to see Canon’s newest cropped sensor camera offerings in action.

What is the RF-S Mount?

The Canon RF-S mount is exactly the same as the RF mount for Canon full frame cameras, meaning you can mount RF lenses into an RF-S mount camera without the need for an adapter.

It’s in the lenses where you would find a meaningful difference.

Lenses with the RF-S designation will produce a significantly smaller image circle that will only cover an APS-C sensor, like the ones housed in the R7 and the R10.

In theory, RF-S lenses will be slimmer and smaller than RF lenses meant for full frame bodies, thanks to the difference in the smaller image circle it needs to produce.

Reports even say RF-S lenses can be used on full-frame cameras, though you’re going to be shooting with a 1.6x crop factor as expected. EOS R-series owners should expect a firmware update soon that’ll make this all possible.

Can you mount EF or RF Lenses to the RF-S Mount?

Yes. You can use RF lenses with the RF-S mount but with a 1.6x crop factor. With an EF-EOS R adapter, you can use older EF and EF-S glass with RF-S bodies.

When using EF lenses (meant for full frame EF bodies) on APS-C bodies like the R7, you should also expect a 1.6x crop factor.

Is it Worth Adapting Older EF Lenses to RF-S, or is it better to Go Native?

It’s always better to go native, but not for compatibility and AF performance reasons.

If you have a backpack full of EF lenses and are planning to adapt your older glass, you’ll be just fine.

There will be no loss in image quality, no slowdowns in AF speed or a decrease in accuracy. In fact, many users report that their EF lenses are working better than ever when used with modern EOS R bodies, thanks to the more advanced and more reliable AF system on these newer cameras.

The RF-S should be getting a dedicated catalogue of smaller and lighter lenses to take advantage of the smaller format, so you’ll be looking at portability and weight savings as the main draw for sticking to native lenses if anything.

Check out Jared Polin’s video on adapting EF lenses to an EOS R5/6 body to see how awesome the older lenses keep up spectacularly well with the newer bodies.

Canon RF-S Lenses Roadmap and Upcoming Release Dates

Canon has not given even as little as a hint as to what’s on the horizon for the RF-S system. The only two lenses in the RF-S range are:

• RF-S 18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM – This hits the spot for what’s going to be the standard kit lens for the RF-S line. While it’s slower on the longer end and doesn’t even extend to 55mm like the old EF-S-era lenses, it does have a retraction mechanism for that extra bit of portability.
• RF-S 18-150mm F3.5-6.3 IS STM – The RF-S 18-150mm is reminiscent of the old 18-135mm kits from the EF-S days. This time around, Canon gives the “superzoom” kit extra reach while still keeping it in a very compact package.

Now on the rumor mill, things get a little interesting. Keen observers have already spotted the “suspicious” similarities between the two confirmed RF-S lenses and the equivalent lenses belonging to the older EF-M lenses which share the same range and build.

Again, these are just rumors, but we may be seeing Canon go green with a bit of recycling in the optics department by slapping on RF-S mounts to the most EF-M lenses.

Here’s the full list of rumored RF-S lenses:

• RF-S 11-55mm f/4-4.5 IS STM
• RF-S 16-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
• RF-S 22mm f/2 STM
• RF-S 32mm f/1.4 STM
• RF-S 55-250mm f/4.5-7.1 IS STM

Wrapping Up

Any development in the APS-C segment, especially from a top player like Canon, will not only drive the competition further. And as you know, healthy competition in the market is always good for the consumer.

However, I’m a little disappointed with Canon’s first iterations of APS-C cameras in the EOS R family. Mostly just the lack of the top LCD screen — I would love to have seen it at least on the R7.

Canon has also been tight-lipped with the RF-S catalog but I’m still keen to see what Canon has in store for their APS-C lineup in the coming months.