Canon’s EOS R10 Camera Is a Digital Rebel for the 21st Century

Not sure about the difference between DSLRs and mirrorless cameras? It doesn't matter. Canon has you covered with the new R10. 

Every time a new technology floods the camera world, things get more expensive for a while. Autofocus, digital, and now mirrorless, direct-view cameras. And every time, Canon steps in after a few years with a surprisingly capable and affordable ($979 body-only) model that goes on to be a hit. The latest of these is the R10, a 24-megapixel mirrorless camera that does everything you want it to. 

"The Canon R10 is important to Canon's future because, like the EOS Rebel series, it allows the company to offer a high-quality product at a less expensive, entry-level price," indie filmmaker Braidon Thorn told Lifewire via email. "Canon's R10 is great news for hobbyist photographers, content creators, and student filmmakers who want to try mirrorless cameras without breaking the bank."

Mirror Mirror

The difference between a DSLR and a mirrorless camera is small—there’s no mirror—but it makes a massive difference to everything. The SLR format uses a mirror inside the body to reflect the image from the lens up into the viewfinder. At the point of exposure, the mirror flips up out of the way of the sensor.

This design has several disadvantages. It makes for bigger bodies and also requires bigger lenses (thanks to the extra distance from lens to sensor). The viewfinder blacks out at precisely the instant the image is captured. The whole mirror-flipping thing is noisy, causes vibrations, and slows down capture. And you have to snap a picture and check it on the screen to verify the correct exposure. 

A mirrorless camera has none of these problems because it takes a live feed directly from the sensor and shows it on a high-resolution viewfinder screen. You can see exactly what the photo will look like before you capture it. And without the mirror box, cameras can be a lot smaller and lighter. However, you’re always looking at a screen, whereas an SLR shows you the view directly through the lens.

Rebel Rebel

In the late 1980s, autofocus SLR cameras were still an expensive option. Then came Canon's EOS 1000 (known as the Rebel in the US), which was the first affordable AF SLR, and it used Canon's then-superior ultra sonic autofocus lenses. Later, the EOS 300, aka EOS Rebel 2000, did the same thing, packing an absurd amount of technology into a small, affordable body. 

Canon did the same thing for digital SLRs with the EOS 300D, or Digital Rebel, and now it's back with the EOS R10, which should put an excellent mirrorless camera into the hands of anyone who wants one.

"This is a very important camera for Canon's continued push into the mirrorless space and with lower-cost lenses to match. They are sure to have a winner with it," film producer Daniel Hess told Lifewire via email. "Even in a world of smartphone cameras, there will always be a place for that more cinematic look that a camera with interchangeable lenses will be able to get. Also, for vloggers and TikTok creators, it is looking to become a favorite."

Specs-wise, the camera does exactly what you’d expect. It shoots at high ISOs just fine. It has a smaller APS-C-sized sensor, rather than the full-frame sensors that mimic the size of 35mm film and are used in higher-end bodies. And 24 megapixels is enough for anything short of specialist high-end pro requirements, like fashion or product photography. 

Initial reports say the R10 is, in fact, excellent. It has a few compromises thanks to its price, but none of these are likely to make a difference to most buyers. It comes down to the number of shots you can reel off per second, extreme low-light performance, and less-capable autofocus tracking, but again, only in extreme conditions. 

For most people, you just have to pick up the camera and point it. It knows what to focus on and how to expose it, and that’s really all you need. And, of course, this kind of interchangeable-lens camera can be switched into manual mode or customized to work exactly how you need.

It is, in short, an almost perfect camera for most people, with just enough knobs and dials to not feel like you’re using a computer.