We’ve seen a dazzling array of Canon-related photo gear over the past year, putting it through our stringent lab-testing regime, taking it out on the town and trekking into the countryside, revelling in photo opportunities aplenty. With manufacturers needing to deliver something special to make a splash in a highly-competitive marketplace, the new Canon EOS cameras, Canon-fit lenses and accessories we’ve tested over the past year have been of a high standard. But a few have really stood out, impressing us with spectacular performance, often at bargain prices. Over the next 10 pages we reveal the Best on Test winning cameras, lenses and kit, which includes the products we’d invest in ourselves – worthy Canon Gear Of The Year award winners one and all…
WINNER MIRRORLESS CAMERA
Canon EOS R10
£899/$879
Issue tested: 194
What we love
Tiny but mighty, the EOS R10 is truly a camera that punches above its weight. We love that this APS-C format mirrorless camera is compact and lightweight enough to take anywhere and everywhere, yet features an RF mount that gives compatibility with the whole range of Canon’s epic new-generation lenses. And despite featuring a very respectable 24.2MP image sensor, it’s super-fast with a 15fps continuous drive rate, rising to 23fps in electronic shutter mode. And that’s backed up by similarly sporty, pro-grade autofocus and subject detection.
What’s missing?
Unlike other recent EOS R-system cameras, the R10 lacks in-body image stabilization.
Why upgrade?
The R10 delivers premium performance and great image quality from a very compact design.
WINNER MIRRORLESS ZOOM
Canon RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM
£319/$299
Issue tested: 194
What we love
Bigger might be better but sometimes smaller is best. There’s no point investing in a camera body like the EOS R10 for the sake of compactness, if you have to use big clunky lenses. We love that this standard zoom is barely bigger than a pancake lens when retracted for stowage, and weighs in at just 124g. It gives a generous zoom range of 28.8-67.2mm in full-frame terms, making it very versatile. You won’t need to lug a tripod around either, thanks to 4-stop optical image stabilization, rising to 6.5-stops when combined with in-body stabilization as featured in the EOS R7.
What’s missing?
When size matters, or rather the lack of it, a fast aperture is always a casualty of design.
Why upgrade?
For walkabout photography, it’s the ideal light lens for APS-C format EOS R-system mirrorless cameras.
Canon RF-S 18-150mm F3.5-6.3 IS STM
£519/$499
Issue tested: 194
What we love
We love this lens as a travel zoom. When we don’t want to pack and carry additional lenses, this one is mightily versatile with its 28.8-240mm effective zoom range, when mounted on an APS-C format EOS R7 or R10 body, covering everything from generous wide-angle
