Canon R7 VS R6 Comparison

I’m looking at two great Canon mirrorless cameras the Canon R7 vs R6 I’m comparing the similarities and differences between the two and the advantages and disadvantages of each one.

If you already ow the EOS R6 and you want to get a second camera to be able to shoot great quality 4K footage that will match up easily then you need to look at the R7.

If you are thinking about picking up a Canon APS-C camera and maybe you can’t decide between R7 or R6 this is a review about specs and a comparison between them.

So, because the EOS R7 is already released sure you think should you get the EOS R6 or the R7. However, if you ask me the R7 has a lot of the same features as the R6 but in a crop sensor body just like the Red Komodo which is a crop sensor RF body.

If it doesn’t matter to you about full frame or APS-C which camera is better between the EOS R6 and the EOS R7 when it comes to the video specs they are extremely similar.

Canon R7 is really small and light about half an inch smaller than the Canon R6 and only 612 grams with the battery and the card.

Compared to like a Sony A6000 or Fujifilm X-T3 is similar in size, but the ergonomics on the EOS R7 is really significantly better and it’s just way more comfortable in the hand.

So, both cameras have very similar specs with a few major differences both have great photography features.

What Are Similarities Between R7 and R6?

let’s start with the similarities both cameras shoot great quality 4K UHD video up to 60 fps with the ability to also shoot 24 FPS and 30 fps and both have 120 fps slow motion in HD.

Both feature a time-lapse video mode, they both shoot in 10-bit 4:2:2 and have C-log 3 which is great for color grading and matching the image.

they also both feature amazing dual pixel autofocus including eye autofocus for both people and animals, both use the ipb compression which makes for smaller file sizes, both cameras feature Ibis or in-body image stabilization, and they have the same 3-inch articulating flip-out screen.

So, both cameras share the RF mount, both use RF lenses, both have a microphone input as well as a headphone jack for monitoring, the audio, both have dual UHS-II card slots, and use the same LP E6 NH batteries.

What Are Differences Between R7 and R6?

When it comes to the differences between the two and two they have different sensors and looking at the camera bodies the Canon R6 is slightly larger and heavier than the R7.

the big difference between these two cameras is that the Canon R6 is a full frame format camera and the R7 is an APS-C format.

the EOS R6 shoots at 12 fps mechanical and 20 fps electronic whereas R7 shoot 15fps mechanical and 30fps electronic shutter, no recording limit on R7 versus 30 minutes limit on R6.

the sensor size of the R7 is smaller than the R6, the R6 overheats at 60 fps whereas there is no overheating issue at 60 fps with R7.

Body Differences

There are a few differences on the back of the R7 the command dial has been moved from the middle up near the top and circling the autofocus joystick, the R7 also features a new on and off switch that goes from off to on which is in photo mode and then with one more click you’re in video mode.

there’s also an ISO button on the R7 instead of the dial that is on the R6 on the front of the camera, the R7 has a manual and autofocus switch for any lenses that don’t have the switch on them.

When it comes to ergonomics both cameras feel quite good in the hands the button layout may get a little bit spicy, the Canon R6 has the back aperture dial, it also has a back wheel and a front wheel similar to that in the Canon R3 back wheel.

So, you have access to ISO aperture and shutter speed very easily on the camera body, you don’t have to map something to your controlling of your lens whereas on the R7 which is the back spinning wheel if it was a directional pad and you could go left and right up and down on it.

Menu

When it comes to many differences the Q menu can be edited on the APS-C camera unlike with a full frame model the menu system is the same and can be controlled entirely via the touchscreen both cameras include my menu section to shortcut your favorite settings.

Screen

In terms of the Screen and LCD monitor on the rear, they are both touch-sensitive have a multi-angle mechanism, and share the same resolution they are responsive bright, and sharp.

Sensor Differences

The EOS R7 features a full-frame sensor or 35 millimeter format which is larger than the APC sensor the crop factor is 1.6 times the resolution is also different whereas the R6 comes with 20.1 megapixels whereas the R7 has 32.5 megapixels which is a massively big difference.

the APC crop factor combined with the high resolution of the R7 sensor can be very useful but also there are other advantages with the full frame sensor one of them is dynamic range and in comparison, the R6 shows less noise when brightening underexposed areas on the raw file.

Autofocus

When it comes to autofocus both cameras feature an advanced autofocus system the Canon dual pixel CMOS AF2 and include subject recognition such as humans animals and vehicles both cameras can focus on their body head or eyes or the helmet in the case of motorcycles and open cupcakes racing cars.

the animals or vehicle setting doesn’t exclude humans for example if a person and a dog are in the same frame the dog will get priority when choosing animal detection however if the dog goes away and only the human is left you can still focus on the face and eyes of that person automatically even with the animal setting enabled.

Low Light Performance

In terms of low light performance, the R6 has an advantage of one stop and a half both cameras can also walk down to F-22 with phase detection autofocus and continue shooting which is useful with small aperture lenses and teleconverters.

Focus Bracketing

Both cameras have Focus bracketing but the R7 can do focus stacking in the camera whereas on the R6 you’ll have to stack to images in post focus stacking whereas on the R7 works well.

Tracking

On my side, the R6 struggle to recognize the subject at the beginning when it’s far from the camera so I had to touch the subject on the LCD screen for the R6 to give her priority whereas on the EOS R7 you can simply select a small autofocus area and keep it on the person at the center of the subject is detected.

the camera will still track the subject on the entire frame but if it doesn’t detect the subject for whatever reason or just momentarily it will focus where your autofocus point is and all this really means you have more control with the R7 depending on your needs.

When it comes to animal detection both cameras perform really well there are fast and extremely reliable even though they are tiny in the frame focus is very accurate whether you walk at a distance or you have the chance to get close to your subject the camera will switch to the head or eye as soon as possible.

So, both cameras are very capable and the keeper rate is high the R7 can manage to nail focus on the eye on multiple occasions one thing that can lower the performance is the lens used with the 100 to 500 millimeter speed and accuracy is Flawless.

Image Quality

the larger sensor and the lower megapixel count help the R6 to deliver images with less noise as you increase the ISO level the difference starts to really show from 3200 the R7 performs well up to 6400 but it is obvious you can push the R6 to higher extremes.

Image Stabilization

Both cameras come with 5 axis image stabilization and that can be also combined with Optical stabilization however the R7 gives a better keeper rate with faster exposure the R7 does a bit better in stabilizing the footage when working you get a bit less jerks than the R6 on both cameras you can also enable digital stabilization.

Viewfinder

In terms of viewfinder, the R6 has a larger viewfinder with more resolution and magnification the eye point is slightly longer, especially for someone who wears glasses all the time whereas the R7 has a decent viewfinder but it certainly feels outdated, the frame rate is fast which is good when panning quickly to follow fast subjects.

Video Specs

When it comes to video differences both have slightly different 4K video modes the Canon R6 records in 4k oversampled from 5.1K using the full sensor in all modes whereas the R7 can shoot in 4K fine which oversamples from 7K in 24 frames per second and 30 frames per second.

If you want to shoot in 4K 60 it goes into regular 4K mode which is pixel bin meaning it’s slightly lower quality, the difference unless zooming in Crazy far on the video in pixel PP overall the 4K quality coming out of both of these cameras is fantastic.

the EOS R6 and the EOS R7 are very close they both shoot 4K 10 bit up to 4K 60 in C-log 3. So, if you ask which camera performs better maybe if you have a lot of full frame glass then the R6 will be the better choice.

When it comes to the stills mode the EOS R7 is a 32 megapixel sensor versus the EOS R6 is a 20 megapixel sensor. So, if you doing youtube vlogs the EOS R6 will be better for you because you get a wider field of view and a little bit better in low light.

But the R7 may not be as good in low light because of much higher megapixel stills and if you need a little bit of a crop in on your lenses and high megapixel photos well the R7 will be for your needs.

Buffer

And another area where the Canon R7 lags behind the R6 is the buffer so the buffer is very meager on the Canon R7 instantly run out of the buffer and you are missing action shots whereas there is no problem with the Canon R6 and the Canon R6 buffer allows shooting basically unlimitedly.

Shutter

In terms of shutter differences both cameras have a mechanical shutter an electronic first curtain shutter speaking of the mechanical shutter the R7 is louder than the R6, but the R6 can work up to 12 fps with the mechanical shutter or 20 fps when using the electronic shutter whereas the EOS R7 is even faster 15 fps mechanical and 30 fps electronic which is lightning quick especially if you are looking a camera for wildlife photography.

The EOS R6 maximum shutter speed is better as well the R6 has a mechanical shutter at 1/8000 of a second if you switch to the electronic shutter that’s the same 1/8000 whereas with the R7 that jumps by one stop to 1/16000 of a second is lightning fast with the R7.

Dynamic Range

Because both cameras have 10-bit c-log 3 you can get really great dynamic range out of both so if it matters to you which camera is better when it comes to shooting in the 4K 24p modes in the EOS R6 you get a down-scaled from 5.5K image so it is always going to be really nice.

When it comes to the EOS R7 there are a few different modes it has a fine mode that has downscaled from 7K 24p and 30p video.

Ports

In terms of ports differences, both cameras share the same connections microphone input remote input headphone output a micro HDMI input, and a 10 gigabit per second USB-C port.

Battery

When it comes to battery performance the EOS R6 and EOS R7 both share the same battery the LP- E6 NH it’s the same battery, battery life of the R6 is rated as being able to shoot 380 shots if you’re using the electronic viewfinder and 510 shots using the LCD whereas the EOS R7 is rated as being able to do 500 shots on the electronic viewfinder and 770 shots using the LCD so you do get that extra battery life with the R7 over the R6.

When it comes to battery life you can capture around 1500 to 2000 rough images of birds in flight at 20 frames per second with EOS R7 whereas with the R6 you can capture 79 of battery power left.

So, the R7 wins with more photos on the SD card in the same conditions only consumed one extra percentage of battery life really good performance.

Storage

Weight and Size

So, one of the big advantages of mirrorless cameras is that they are smaller and lightweight the EOS R7 is a little bit smaller than the EOS R6 and it’s a little bit lighter.

the R6 comes in at 680 grams whereas the R7 comes in at 612 grams that is a bit of a difference if you’re carrying that camera on your camera strap 68 grams can make a difference at the end of the day.

Canon R7 vs R6 Price

So, one point why you would look at the R7 over the R6 is the price point the R6 is priced at $2,500 on BH Photo whereas the R7 is going to be priced at $1,500 on BH Photo which is quite a substantial difference in price.

And if you’re not thinking about making youtube vlogs then you can pick up the EOS R7 inherently since the R6 is a full-frame sensor you are going to get a little bit better lowlight performance on the R6 versus the R7.

Why Should You Buy Canon R7?

Canon R7 has the same processor found in the Canon R3, no overheating, no recording limit of the 4K 60 without crop, the R7 is a lot more reliable when it comes to 60 fps.

the EOS R7 has the fine mode which is downscaled from 7K only in 24 to 30p, R7 features a bigger and powerful battery.

the R7 has Canon’s new multi-function shoe that will take accessories like XLR microphone inputs and give them a digital input into the computer and input to the device.

One of the big advantages that the R7 has is no record limit you can basically shoot until the battery or SD card Runs Out whereas the R6 has a 30-minute time limit the R7 is the first Canon camera that is not from a cinema line to have this feature.

Why Should you Buy Canon R6?

So, each of the two sensors has its advantages and disadvantages one of the benefits of the R6 is the overall look the larger sensor on the R6 allows more light in and allows you to achieve that cinematic look easier with the shallow depth of field and blurry background it also helps to Aid in the low light performance.

Where R7 Wins Over R6?

When it comes to the advantages of the R7 over the R6 first is the price which R6 is priced a thousand dollars more than the R7 it’s also larger and bulkier overall being slightly larger but the big thing is the lenses with full frame lenses generally being much larger and heavier.

the advantages of the R7 is its smaller APS-C size and ecosystem is smaller the lenses don’t need to cover as big of a sensor so they are generally smaller and lighter.

the R7 has a 1.6 times crop compared to the R6 meaning that the same lens on the R7 will crop in 1.6 times compared to the full frame R6.

So there is one more point where R7 wins over R6 and that is the Distortion when moving quickly with the camera or when your subject moves very fast you can see how this affects your image and Distortion is more contained on the R6.

Where R6 Wins Over R7?

So, if you’re vlogging the R7 is going to seem like it’s much closer to you than the R6 will and it might be harder to see anything more than your head in the frame whereas on the R6 you’d be able to see more of your body in the frame.

the EOS R6 is much better in low light than the EOS R7 but the EOS R6 has a headphone jack, it has a microphone jack and you can use the atomos ninja v.

Which Camera Has Better Autofocus Tracking R7 or R6?

So, the face and eye detection have a very similar performance between both cameras the R6 gives the same keeper rate it only struggled when the subject moved away from the camera delivering four autofocus shots in a row the R7 gives a slightly higher keeper rate it had less problems when the subject walked away from the camera.

the R6 is on another level after the camera received various firmware updates that improve the AF stability but the moments where it struggles are rare whereas the R7 had a more difficult time not only because of the lower hit rate but also because its performance lacked consistency the R7 can lock on the target really fast but can also lose it as fast when there is a busy background focusing on the field behind.

Which Camera Should You Buy EOS R7 or EOS R6?

So, overall you can’t go wrong with either of these cameras but looking from a perspective the Canon R6 is for anyone who needs that full frame look you basically get a smaller R6 for a thousand dollars less whereas the R7 specs are virtually the same in a smaller package.

the autofocus on these cameras is unbelievable and the image quality is fantastic, you get no record limit feature which is totally an advantage over the R6, and depending on what you’re shooting that 1.6 times crop factor could be to your advantage if you already own a bunch of APS-C format lenses then the R7 would make more sense.

What Are Advantages of the Canon R7 Over R6?

When it comes to advantages the Canon R7 has internal focus stacking which the Canon R6 also has but the big advantage to the Canon R7 is that you’re able to get a composite finished JPEG image from all of those raws.

the Canon R6 will focus stack and just give you those raws and you’ll have to do the rest of the work on your own in the post whereas the Canon R7 will actually make that composite jpeg for you right then and there and you have a finished image.

in terms of how much cropping you can get away a really big advantage to the Canon R7 when you’re shooting macro photography.

the other thing about an APS-C sensor is it has naturally deeper depths of field which again is a huge advantage when shooting macro because when you are shooting very close to the subject being forced to very shallow depths of field.

So, having that naturally deeper depth of field coming from the APS-C sensor is an advantage over the full frame Canon R6.

Conclusion

So my conclusion for both is I can say the focusing system in these cameras is spectacular there are a lot of features on both. The EOS R7 makes a lot of sense with the price and features that offer for the price range or you’re just going for the EOS R5, EOS R6, or maybe Canon R5C.