What made you switch to Canon RF mirrorless?

lostnomore

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With all the different brands, systems, and formats out there, what made you specifically choose a Canon RF mirrorless camera? I hope this might be insightful to others searching out there and confused by all the choices.

As for my story, I had a Nikon D750 DSLR for 6-1/2 years and then decided to switch to mirrorless. I chose the Canon R6 because I was absolutely SHOCKED at the speed and accuracy of the AF, something that people weren't actually raving about regarding the Nikon Z6 II or Z7 II. Why not Sony? I CANNOT STAND their ergonomics and their bodies are just not comfortable for me to grip.

I also wanted to stick with full-frame despite the bigger size, weight, and cost versus APS-C or Micro Four-Thirds. Full-frame images have less noise at high ISO and there's so much more post-processing latitude.

So my main reasons for switching were 1) what I perceived to be the phasing out of DSLRs in short order and 2) the insane(!!!) AF of Canon RF mirrorless. Oddly enough, a third reason why I went with the R6 was the fully-articulating LCD.

The transition was a little rough at the start. It took me quite a while to wrap my brain around how to configure the various AF modes Canon-style, but once it all 'clicked' I realized actually how simple it is. Although it was far easier on my D750 to select what items to add to My Menu versus the R6 equivalent, I like that I can choose more items than on the D750. I love how there are so many buttons on the R6 that can be customized with all sorts of different options – and just the customizability of the camera in general. I like many of the littler things about the R6, like how custom shooting mode settings can be auto updated if one chooses.

The two things I didn't expect to be blown away by is the capabilities and responsiveness of the LCD touch-screen and the absolutely amazing MF peaking mode when using manual focus. No more trying to figure out the hyperfocal distance with landscapes - you see exactly what's going to be in focus and what isn't!

If there's only one thing I'm a little nervous about, it's the inability to back-up your camera settings. This is inexcusable at this price point and I was able to do this even on the much-older D750. If one ever has the camera reset for whatever reason, they can't simply import the settings from a backup SD card. They have to set everything up from scratch. I've created a couple of docs with all my setting choices if it should ever come to this, but what a time-consuming hassle!

The bottom line is that I liked how the D750 was like the "multi-tool" or "Swiss Army knife" of cameras - it did a whole lot of things really, REALLY well. I wanted the equivalent in mirrorless and I believe I found it in the R6, yet to a way better degree overall. I have very little regret about the switch, in other words.
 
45 mps.
 
I was already up to my neck in expensive Canon gear so I stayed put. The R5 was the what made me jump in to mirrorless, the initial offerings were not tempting. The jump from the 1DX2 to the R5 was the greatest leap forward in any single new camera purchase since I bought my first DSLR.
I'm not 100% happy, the auto focus struggles to find the target in a confused background..eg bird in a bush....even with single AF point.... where the 1DX nor any of my DSLR's had that problem, I also have had incidences where I have been frustrated by having to switch the camera off when it overheats. I don't have a back up at the moment which is a drawback, overall though as I previously said best upgrade in years. I have just installed the latest firmware so it will be interesting to see if there is any noticeable improvement.
If I was starting out again would I choose Canon? Who knows. I did once swop from Nikon then a few years later regretted it slightly when Nikon were leading the way it appeared. Nowadays I don't have that much gear due to being burgled last summer so if I was to change now would be a good time but I don't have the inclination right now.Happy where I'm at.
 
I had no intention of getting a RF mirrorless Canon. I had been thinking of getting a new or new to me all purpose lens for my Rebel DSLR. After searching without much luck I happened to stop at a local camera store (that I normally would never go in to) while shopping with my wife at a mall here in Calgary. The guys working that day said “we just got one of these crop sensor camera and lens packages in, maybe have a look at it”. Lens was exactly what I was looking for, all my existing gear would work (with adaptor) and I would be replacing a 14 year old camera with one of Canons newest. After a lot of debating the pros/cons, meeting up with the Better Half and discussing it with her over lunch she said “ Let’s just go back and get it”. I do Love both her and the R7.
 
Much like you I was a Nikon shooter, shooting wildlife almost exclusively. A pair of D500's were my primaries with a D750 as my main for everything else. I bought a Z6ii in May 2021 planning to transition to it from the D750 and was impressed though the AF tracking lagged somewhat. Over Memorial Day I visited a Canon pro shooter who had been trying to get me to switch for 5 years. He handed me an R5 with 100-500mm and I was dumbfounded. He allowed me to shoot with it for a weekend and I immediately started the Nikon sell-off. I missed the reach of the DX D500 w 500mm, but the number of keepers I'd get and the accuracy of the AF was amazing.

I have no regrets, but seeing things like the 800mm Z PF released have given me pause. But I'd rather have the 100-500mm RF than the 100-400mm Z any day of the week, and with the R7 I get the reach - I just wish it had come in at $500 higher with a buffer and processor that can manage the AF system. That would have been an amazing wildlife camera. Maybe the R7ii?
 
I agree with Ken (advanced focus and superb EVF) though I had no legacy EF lenses at the time - I'm a former Nikon shooter. Being able to see the histogram, along with the effects of my chosen exposure all in the EVF, was a real game changer for me and made the decision to change so much easier. Additionally weight was a concern as DSLRs plus glass have gotten pretty hefty and hauling that combo around started to become tiresome
 
I'd been a Canon user for years and like Dave, I had/have a lot of Canon lenses. I also really like the Canon menu system, and I've used a lot of different systems. The fact that the AF was amazing and the EVF was so nice was just icing on the cake and had me move over early on, I was glad to lose some of the weight of my SLR's.
 
Canon user since film. I had been using aps-c's (10d, 20d, 40d, 70d) when I switched to FF 6d MKII.

I thought the 6d MKII would be great a step up from APS-C. I was mistaken. The R and RP were out but not getting rave reviews for action/sports photography. When the R5 and R6 were announced, the reviews coming back were good,

I was so disappointed in the 6d MKII that I considered switching back to APS-c - the 90d. The main reason I went mirrorless is that the EVF had improved so much. All the eye tracking AF and other things were not that important. I ordered the ef-rf adapter and all has been good. But I did start replacing the ef with rf glass.

Now if Canon could add pro-capture.........
 

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