Aside from an iPhone, my first real camera was this Canon EOS M. I bought it off my cousin in 2014. I would sporadically use it during periods over the past half decade. The more you use a camera, the better you're going to get. In hindsight, I really wish I could go back and compress those sporadic periods of usage to have gotten better faster. The past year alone I've gotten exponentially better mostly by taking self-portraits. I've felt the need to upgrade since last year because I've felt like I've outgrown the limitations of the EOS M. This isn't goodbye though. I love it. It's my first camera and I have so many memories with it, and most of all it still works fine.


I have to say that it's not the gear that makes the shot. It's the beautiful moments and how they're captured. Gear can help though, and it's time to spread my wings. I present the Canon EOS RP:

My grail camera would've been the R5 or R6, but even though I do this on the side, I still consider myself a hobbyist. So I couldn't justify(or afford) either of those. So why not the R? Because the Black Friday deal($1K for the body + kit lens) gave the RP better value for me, and I'm mainly a stills shooter. The difference in stills between the two wasn't too big of a difference. As for video, the most I would do can be done on the RP. If I ever decide to get serious into video, then I would upgrade to the R5/R6. I would also hope that means I'm a successful content creator with sponsors that pay for the camera *cough, cough.*


A few things on the RP and how they help me:

  • Mirrorless - Size matters. Mirrorless cameras are built in a way that allow the camera to be much smaller than DSLR counterparts. The EOS M is Canon's first mirrorless camera. Up until 2018, Canon only made APS-C mirrorless cameras. In order to get Full-Frame, you would need to move to a DSLR. The EOS RP is a mirrorless, full-frame camera and is much smaller than a DSLR.
  • Full-Frame - The EOS M was an APS-C(Crop) sensor, and this basically means the area that the camera sees is much smaller than that of a Full-Frame. Having the Full-Frame allows more within the boarders of a shot, allows more light to take pictures in darker situations, and a better depth of field.
  • Ergonomics and UX - Sticking with Canon allowed me to adapt to the EOS RP system quickly. Also, its design is more closely related to the EOS M than the R is. Granted, there's a lot more bells and whistles to the RP, but that was a given with whatever camera I was going to end up with since the M was such a basic set up. Other major ergonomics and design attributes include the swivel touchscreen, the viewfinder, environmental sealing, and the grip.


That isn't everything, but it's a good rundown. Aside from those, the RF lenses are exciting. The 24-105 kit lens is a really good kit lens, my only gripe is the aperture varies from 4-7.1 but I'll be happy to shoot with it. It feels like it goes directly with the RP. My wife also bought me the Samyang AF 85mm 1.4, my favorite portrait focal length, for Christmas. I didn't skip a beat with the transition from the M to the RP thanks to her. I think my next lens will be the RF 35, and that'll round out my portrait primes(I have the EF nifty 50). As for outside of that? Maybe an L series lens in the next couple of years. Holy Trinity? Hmmm...


The camera has paid for itself already with the shoots I've had booked in December alone. I think it's a good sign as to where I am, and what I'm doing. I hope this continues to nourish my content creation renaissance.