Canon EOS RP Performance

Good entry-level performance, with very generous buffer depths.

Powerup to first shot was sluggish compared to DSLRs, and a bit faster than most mirrorless cameras we've tested at about 1.1 seconds. Switching from Play to Record mode and taking a shot was faster, at about 0.6 second, but also slower than most DSLRs.

In terms of the Canon R's ability to determine that it's properly focused when shooting the same target multiple times (with no change of focus setting between iteration, to remove the impact of lens AF speed), its full autofocus shutter response was about average for a mirrorless camera. Using the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 kit lens, we measured 0.218 second for full AF lag using single point (center) AF-S with the default electronic first curtain shutter (EFCS) mode.

Shutter lag using manual focus was a bit faster at 0.174 second. When "prefocusing" the camera by half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure, the EOS RP's shutter lag was quite low, at only 55 milliseconds.

As you can see, switching to the all-electronic shutter (Silent mode) yielded slower lag times. Unlike the EOS R, the RP doesn't offer a fully mechanical shutter mode.

To minimize the effect of different lens' focusing speed, we test AF-active shutter lag with the lens already set to the correct focal distance.

Single-shot cycle times were quite fast on average at about 0.3 second for best quality JPEGs or RAW+JPEG files, but cycle times for RAW+JPEG varied a lot. (Note that we no longer test single-shot mode with just RAW files, as the results are usually somewhere in between JPEG and RAW+JPEG modes.)

Continuous High mode speed was typical for an entry-level mirrorless camera. We measured a consistent 5.0 frames-per-second for all file types, matching Canon's specifications. With Servo AF enabled (continuous autofocus), Canon claims the EOS RP's max burst speed is 4.0 fps with Shooting Speed Priority, however we didn't test that in the lab. In low-speed continuous mode (Tracking Priority), the burst rate was 2.6 fps.

Buffer depths were excellent with our fast Lexar Pro 2000x UHS-II card, at unlimited frames for best quality JPEG, RAW or C-RAW files. With RAW+JPEG the buffer depth was 130 frames and C-RAW+JPEG it was 210 frames, which is still excellent.

Buffer clearing times were pretty good for the class, ranging from just over a second when shooting JPEGs, RAW or C-RAW, to up to 13.3 seconds after a max-length burst of C-RAW+JPEG files. The camera lets you adjust settings while the buffer is clearing, but you can't view just-shot photos until after the buffer clears.

Bottom line, the Canon RP offers decent performance for its class, with fast startup, reasonably quick autofocus, low shutter lag, decent burst speeds and very generous buffer depths.

Battery Life
Poor CIPA-rated battery life.

The Canon RP uses a custom LP-E17 rechargeable lithium-ion battery for power, and ships with a dedicated battery charger though in-camera charging is also supported with the optional PD-E1 USB Power Adapter.

CIPA-rated battery life is poor even for a mirrorless camera, at 210 shots per charge with the EVF and 250 shots with the LCD monitor using default settings, however Power Saving mode can boost the EVF figure to 250 by reducing the refresh rate and Eco mode can boost the LCD monitor figure to 270 shots by dimming and turning off the LCD faster. Still, we strongly recommend you pick up a spare battery.

The table above shows the number of shots the Canon RP is capable of (on a fully-charged rechargeable battery), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions. While real-world battery life tends to be much better for mirrorless cameras, CIPA-rated battery life is still very useful for comparison purposes.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))