Photo: Henry Söderlund / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · source
Canon · Mid-range
A 32.5-megapixel APS-C mirrorless body with a 15 frames-per-second mechanical shutter, in-body stabilisation and dual card slots, built for action and wildlife photography.
Expert pick · DPReview, Jun 2023
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We have not tested it ourselves: strengths and weaknesses below come from the tests cited.
A passing train gives you seconds, not minutes, so frame rate and tracking matter more than almost anything else. The R7 pairs a 15 fps mechanical shutter, and up to 30 fps with the electronic shutter, with a sensor large enough to crop into. The APS-C format also multiplies a telephoto lens by 1.6, which helps when you stand behind a platform fence or at a public crossing and the locomotive is still far away. Canon lists people, animals and vehicles as subjects its autofocus can recognise, but the vehicle setting is described for racing cars and motorbikes, not trains, so do not expect train-specific detection.
DPReview tested tracking on an approaching subject. With a single AF point at 15 fps the hit rate was close to perfect, and about 90 percent on a bicycle ridden toward the camera, slightly below a Sony a6600 shooting at its slower 11 fps. The buffer ran past 400 consecutive large JPEGs, and earlier testing gave about 100 compressed raw files at 15 fps mechanical. Canon quotes 224 JPEG or 51 RAW at 15 fps mechanical, and 126 JPEG or 42 RAW at 30 fps electronic, which is plenty to cover a whole train passing. Digital Camera World notes the buffer is not the biggest, so keep bursts short on very long consists. If you also film, remember that DPReview measured visible skew in oversampled 4K video during movement or panning, and that video autofocus drifts in low light. The body weighs 612 g with card and battery. Canon says it is designed to be dustproof and moisture-proof but does not guarantee complete exclusion of water or dust.
Expert pick · DPReview: DPReview scored it 87 percent and called it one of the most well-rounded and capable APS-C mirrorless cameras of its year, praising its stills autofocus and 15 fps mechanical bursts while criticising the small lens line-up and the rolling shutter in 4K video. Read the review
Strengths
Weaknesses
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Sensor | 32.5 MP APS-C CMOS |
| Weight | Approx. 530 g body only, 612 g with card and battery |
| Autofocus | Dual Pixel CMOS AF II; tracks people, animals and vehicles (racing cars, motorbikes) |
| Card slots | 2 x SD, UHS-II |
| Lens mount | RF (RF and RF-S lenses) |
| Viewfinder | 0.39-inch OLED, 2.36 million dots, up to 120 fps refresh |
| Stabilisation | Sensor-shift, up to 8 stops depending on the lens |
| Continuous shooting | Up to 15 fps mechanical, up to 30 fps electronic |
It suits photographers who put stills first, already own or plan to buy RF lenses, and shoot from a safe public position at the lineside. It also suits anyone who wants stabilisation and a second card slot in an APS-C body. Look elsewhere if you mainly film video, since DPReview found video tracking weaker than stills tracking, or if you want the lightest possible kit.
The Canon EOS R10 is lighter at 429 g with card and battery and shares the 15 fps mechanical rate, but it has no in-body stabilisation and a single card slot. The Canon EOS R5 Mark II goes full frame at 45 megapixels and lists trains among its detectable subjects, at higher weight and a premium price tier.
Photo: Dinkun Chen / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Canon · Mid-range
A compact 24.2-megapixel APS-C mirrorless camera with a 15 fps mechanical shutter and Canon subject-tracking autofocus, supplied here with the RF-S 18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM zoom.
Expert pick · DPReview, Apr 2023
Photo: D. Benjamin Miller / Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0 · source
Canon · Premium
A 45-megapixel full-frame mirrorless camera with 30 fps electronic bursts, in-body stabilisation and a subject-detection list that explicitly includes trains.
Expert pick · DPReview, Sep 2024
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. How we pick our gear
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