The Canon EOS R10 is the cheapest way into its RF system – and is also now the best camera around for beginners.
I’ve been fortunate enough to spend a week with the Canon EOS R10, which is now the cheapest route into its RF mirrorless camera system. And while it isn’t perfect, the R10 has convinced me that it should now be top of the list for beginner photographers.
That’s a pretty big deal, because it’s something we haven’t been able to say about a Canon camera for a long time. Its Rebel DSLRs (known as its triple-digit EOS cameras outside the US) were once the default choice for learners. But in the mirrorless age, Canon has floundered and let Sony, Fujifilm and Nikon steal its budget camera lunch.
Well, it’s finally rediscovered its form with the Canon EOS R10. This $979 / £899 / AU$1,499 camera isn’t what we’d traditionally call an entry-level model. It costs 50% more than a Canon Rebel SL3 / EOS 250D and comes with some pretty advanced controls and features.
But in the smartphone age, I think the definition of a ‘beginner camera’ has shifted. There are now few advantages to buying a standalone camera and using it as a point-and-shoot, as smartphone processing has bridged the image quality gap.
What the best beginner cameras need today is intelligent autofocus, creative control, powerful burst shooting, solid video skills and a range of lenses that gives photographers room to grow. And the Canon EOS R10 ticks those boxes better than most cameras I’ve tested at this price point in the last few years.
The most useful camera feature for beginners is an intelligent autofocus system – and this is a real standout on the Canon EOS R10.
Autofocus is more important on cameras than it is on phones, because the latter’s small sensors and wide lenses mean that most of your scene is usually in focus by default. This is why phones have ‘portrait modes’ to digitally recreate a shallow depth-of-field. But when you’re shooting a fast-moving subject with a bright lens on an APS-C camera, you need a helping hand from autofocus.
The EOS R10’s AF system is both impressive and, importantly, intuitive. Its Dual Pixel CMOS AF II setup comes from the professional Canon EOS R3. And while it doesn’t match that camera’s performance, its fundamentals are the same.
The EOS R10 can track a wide range of subjects, including people, animals (dogs, cats, birds) and vehicles, and will follow them around the frame. It’s a really useful tool, particularly if you’re just starting out and focusing on other things like composition.
I tested it on a wide range of animals, including cats, deer and a speeding cockapoodle. And while the hit-rate certainly wasn’t 100%, the EOS R10 did a find job of finding eyes and locking onto them, even from 5-10 meters away. Unlike earlier autofocus systems, this tracking is also available across most of the EOS R10’s AF modes, and will automatically switch to a face or body if it can’t find any eyes.
When you’re shooting action or sports, autofocus is only one part of the equation – you also ideally need speedy burst shooting and a decent buffer. And fortunately, the Canon EOS R10 impresses here, too.
