Canon RP Comparison Review

The Canon EOS RP is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was revealed to the public in February 2019 and is equipped with a full frame sensor. It offers a resolution of 26 megapixel.

Is the Canon RP a good camera? The RP has a Camera Elo of 2748. This rating puts the RP among the top 40 percent of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (full frame cameras), the RP also ranks among the top 40 percent. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 3.5-star performance rating.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The physical dimensions of the Canon RP relative to a credit card are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Canon RP alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Canon RP	133 mm	85 mm	70 mm	485 g	250	n	Feb 2019	1,299
2.		Canon 850D	131 mm	103 mm	76 mm	515 g	800	n	Feb 2020	749
3.		Canon 250D	122 mm	93 mm	70 mm	449 g	1070	n	Apr 2019	599
4.		Canon 2000D	129 mm	101 mm	78 mm	475 g	500	n	Feb 2018	449
5.		Canon R	139 mm	98 mm	84 mm	660 g	370	Y	Sep 2018	2,299
6.		Canon 77D	131 mm	100 mm	76 mm	540 g	600	n	Feb 2017	899
7.		Canon 200D	122 mm	93 mm	70 mm	453 g	650	n	Jun 2017	549
8.		Canon M5	116 mm	89 mm	61 mm	427 g	295	n	Sep 2016	979
9.		Canon 750D	132 mm	101 mm	78 mm	555 g	440	n	Feb 2015	749
10.		Canon 760D	132 mm	101 mm	78 mm	565 g	440	n	Feb 2015	649
11.		Sony NEX-7	120 mm	67 mm	43 mm	400 g	430	n	Aug 2011	1,349
Notes: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Canon RP was launched in the US market at a price of $1,299. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tent to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Canon RP features a full frame sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Canon RP among the large-sensor cameras that aim for top notch image quality.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of alternative cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Canon RP	Full Frame	26.0	6240	4160	4K/30p	24.3	11.9	2977	85
2.		Canon 850D	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/24p	..	..	..	..
3.		Canon 250D	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/25p	..	..	..	..
4.		Canon 2000D	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/30p	22.6	11.9	1009	71
5.		Canon R	Full Frame	30.1	6720	4480	4K/30p	24.5	13.5	2742	89
6.		Canon 77D	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.6	13.3	971	78
7.		Canon 200D	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.6	13.4	1041	79
8.		Canon M5	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.4	12.4	1262	77
9.		Canon 750D	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/30p	22.7	12.0	919	71
10.		Canon 760D	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/30p	22.6	12.0	915	70
11.		Sony NEX-7	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60i	24.1	13.4	1016	81

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. The RP indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the RP can use is 4K/30p.

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the RP has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 2360k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.70x. The adjacent tables list some of the other core features of the Canon RP along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Mech Shutter Speed	Shutter Flaps (1/sec)	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Canon RP	2360	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	5.0	n	n
2.		Canon 850D	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	7.5	Y	n
3.		Canon 250D	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	5.0	Y	n
4.		Canon 2000D	optical	n	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0	Y	n
5.		Canon R	3690	Y	3.2 / 2100	swivel	Y	1/8000s	8.0	n	n
6.		Canon 77D	optical	Y	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	6.0	Y	n
7.		Canon 200D	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	5.0	Y	n
8.		Canon M5	2360	n	3.2 / 1620	tilting	Y	1/4000s	9.0	Y	n
9.		Canon 750D	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	5.0	Y	n
10.		Canon 760D	optical	Y	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	5.0	Y	n
11.		Sony NEX-7	2359	n	3.0 / 921	tilting	n	1/4000s	10.0	Y	n

The LCD screen on the Canon EOS RP is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD is hinged on the side and can be flipped out for odd-angle shots in both portrait and landscape orientation. Also, this fully articulated, swivel type of LCD attachment is often appreciated by videographers for its flexibility. Moreover, v-loggers like the design because the screen can be turned to be front-facing.

It is worthwhile pointing out that the RP has a touchscreen. Touch control can be particularly helpful, for example, when trying to adjust the focus point.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Canon EOS RP and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Canon RP	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
2.		Canon 850D	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	Y
3.		Canon 250D	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	Y
4.		Canon 2000D	Y	mono / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
5.		Canon R	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.1	Y	-	Y
6.		Canon 77D	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	Y
7.		Canon 200D	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	Y
8.		Canon M5	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	Y
9.		Canon 750D	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
10.		Canon 760D	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
11.		Sony NEX-7	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-

It is notable that the RP has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the RP handle or perform in practice. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is why expert reviews are important. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Canon RP	4/5	+	4/5	..	4.5/5	4/5	Feb 2019	1,299
2.		Canon 850D	4/5	+	3/5	80/100	4/5	3.5/5	Feb 2020	749
3.		Canon 250D	..	o	4.5/5	79/100	4/5	4/5	Apr 2019	599
4.		Canon 2000D	..	o	..	..	3.5/5	3.5/5	Feb 2018	449
5.		Canon R	4/5	o	4/5	79/100	4.5/5	4/5	Sep 2018	2,299
6.		Canon 77D	4.5/5	..	4/5	82/100	4.5/5	4/5	Feb 2017	899
7.		Canon 200D	4/5	+ +	4/5	78/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2017	549
8.		Canon M5	4/5	+	4/5	82/100	4/5	4/5	Sep 2016	979
9.		Canon 750D	5/5	..	..	75/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	749
10.		Canon 760D	5/5	+	..	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	649
11.		Sony NEX-7	5/5	+ +	..	81/100	4.5/5	5/5	Aug 2011	1,349
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The above review scores should be interpreted with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just make your choice using the following search menu. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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