Canon R7 Vs R10 Comparison: Which Canon APS-C Camera Is Right For You?

These days, a crop sensor doesn’t mean it’s any less of a camera. In fact, the best APS-C cameras out there are not just lighter and smaller than most full-frame bodies, they also allow you to easily fill your frame from a further distance.

I’m Samantha and today we’re looking at Canon’s first APS-C mirrorless cameras with the RF mount. The R7 and R10 look pretty identical at a glance but there are more differences than meets the eye. The R7 is an advanced model designed for wildlife and sports photography, while the R10 is a great entry-level model for most shooting conditions. Can’t decide which one suits your needs better? Here’s a comparison.

When placed side by side, it’s immediately obvious that the R10 is slightly more compact and smaller in size compared to the R7. Being the more advanced model of the two, R7’s got a heftier build quality, while R10 feels more light and plasticky. The R7 feels like something you’ll use in professional photography while the R10 seems suited to the average consumer.

You’ll find that the weight of both cameras reflects their targeted audience. At 612g, the R7 has a heavier body that balances well with larger and longer telelens that are designed for shooting wildlife and sports. Meanwhile, the R10 at just 429g makes it great for street and travel photography.

That said, both cameras come with some level of weatherproofing, with the R7 boasting sports weather sealing—which probably means it can withstand being used in the field under light rain conditions.

When it comes to the controls, both cameras have some similarities, such as a joystick and dual control dials. While the top-front dials are located at similar spots, the rear dial on the R10 is on the top plate above the thumb rest while on the R7, it’s on the back near the top of the camera and around the joystick.

R7 also gives you the option to leave the shutter curtains closed when powering the camera off, so as to protect the sensor when changing lenses. Meanwhile, the R10 has a built-in pop-up flash and the R7 doesn’t.

You’ll also find that both cameras have a new and dedicated AF/MF switch on their front plates, next to the grips.

Both cameras come with 2.95-inch touch screens that can be easily adjusted to various angles. However, the R7 has a higher resolution than the R10’s, at 1.62M and 1.04M dots respectively. Moving the screens to my desired angles was quite the breeze for both cameras.

Aside from its weight, the most significant difference between the two cameras is that the R10 comes with a 24-megapixel sensor while the more advanced R7 has a 32.5-megapixel chip. That said, both cameras have an ISO range of 100-32000, with an extended 51200 mode. Overall, the sensor difference didn’t affect my shooting experience much. However, the R7 will make a better option for post-shoot crops or if you’re hoping to blow your images up to large prints.

The advanced autofocus system in both cameras has been inherited from the flagship Canon R3, including the brand’s Dual Pixel AF II technology and a deep learning algorithm that’s able to track subjects like humans, animals and vehicles. For people and animals, eyes, heads, and bodies can be detected. When it comes to cars and motorcycles, one can even prioritise the driver’s helmet.

In these two models, the AF Tracking mode can be initiated from any selected AF zone, rather than having to scroll to a dedicated setting. Plus, there are three customisable AF zones for photographers who prefer their ideal modes ready to go.

Thanks to its higher pixel count, R7 also has a higher number of focus points compared to R10. But when Tracking is enabled, both cameras work with 651 points.

To put things in perspective, both R7 and R10 are APS-C cameras, which means their low-light performance is still less impressive than that of a full-frame model.

With the mechanical shutter, the R7 can work up to 1 over 8000 seconds, while the R10 can go up to 1/4000s. Both cameras are also able to shoot in continuous modes of up to 15fps with the mechanical shutter, making them great for action photography. However, the R7 takes it a step further by reaching 30fps with the electronic shutter. The pre-shooting mode, available on both cameras, is a rather useful mode that allows one to capture images for half a second before the shutter button is pressed all the way down. This allowed me to capture moments I may have missed.

For R10, there’s lens-based and digital image stabilisation in movie mode, while R7 offers in-body image stabilisation up to eight stops and Digital IS in movie mode.

What’s interesting is that the R7 uses the sensor shift technology for various things. For instance, it can level the horizon automatically when the Auto-Level feature is engaged and it can even minimise vertical motion in the panoramic mode.

When shooting fast-moving subjects, I found that R7’s reaction time was faster than that of R10, with the latter having more motion blur.

Although both cameras are designed for stills rather than videos, they offer basic video functions including 4K capture at 60 frames per second, 120fps at Full HD and even optional in-camera 10-bit 4:2:2 colour capture. One noticeable part is how the R7 is able to shoot at 4k/60p without image cropping. Meanwhile, the R10 has a 64% crop at 4k/60p.

If you’re into vlogging, you might want to take note that the R7 has a microphone input and a 3.5mm headphone output. Although the R10 lacks the headphone option, both come with the new multi-function accessory shoe compatible with digital audio on select microphones.

If a long battery life matters to you, then R7 is a better choice, with twice the battery life as the R10.

R7 uses the same battery as the full-frame Canon cameras and R10 uses the same battery as the small eos m series.

How long the battery lasts for each camera also depends largely on whether you’re shooting with the viewfinder or rear screen, whether you use the power saving mode, or whether you choose to boost the refresh rate in smoothness priority mode.

The R7 has twin card slots that sit behind their own door on the side of the camera, making it a breeze to access them. The R10 has its single UHS-II SD card squeezed next to its battery, which means it takes a little time to get used to inserting and removing it.

A major difference between the two cameras is their batteries: the EOS R7 has a much larger 15.3Wh LP-E6NH battery, which delivers close to double the battery life of the 7.5Wh LP-E17 unit in the R10.

You’ve seen what the R10 and R7 can do, so which one’s right for you? If you’re looking for an entry-level camera that’s fairly small and light, the R10 is an affordable option being priced at $1.3k for the body alone. Great for content creators, frequent travellers, and daily use, the R10 has just enough features to ensure you’ll be able to take good photos in most shooting conditions.

But if you’re willing to splash out about $700 more, the R7 might be a better choice. Approachable enough for newbies but with solid specs that will satisfy seasoned photographers, the R7 is a high-quality camera that takes photography beyond the smartphone. The body is sturdy but not too heavy and the burst shooting modes make it great for fast-moving subjects like cars and animals. If you’re looking to delve into wildlife or sports photography for the very first time, this camera is worth a try.

Compared to the R10, the R7 offers important upgrades in most areas. Even though the IBIS adds a bit of bulk to the body, it makes shooting handheld a lot easier without compact non-IS lenses. Plus, it shoots 4K videos at 60 fps without crop and its battery life is almost twice as long as the R10.