Canon EOS R10 with RF-S 18-45mm Short user review as compact camera 26 June 2025

 

Canon EOS R10 at ISO 12800 with Adobe Denoise AI

I posted a full user review of the R10 in December 2023. Youcan read it here.

In the days of single lens reflex SLR)  and digital single lens reflex cameras (DSLR) cameras, a fixed lens compact could be significantly smaller than most interchangeable lens models.

But now we have mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras (MILC) which are inherently smaller than their SLR predecessors. It is possible to make these cameras  so small that their handling, ergonomics and physical user interface are all compromised to the detriment of the user experience.

By way of example, in 2014 Panasonic released the Lumix GM5, a micro four thirds interchangeable lens model which was substantially smaller than the fixed lens Fuji X-100T of the same year. I owned a GM5 for a while but the controls were cramped and operation was always a fiddly affair which I never enjoyed.

Camera buyers discovered that their user experience was much more agreeable with moderately larger units which are still compact but have sufficient surface area to allow designers to include a decent handle and a set of ergonomically positioned controls to satisfy an enthusiast photographer.

In this size range a well designed MILC can play the compact camera role very well.

I have used and tested some small mirrorless interchangeable lens models as compact cameras. These have included the Canon EOS R10 and R50, Panasonic Lumix G100D, Nikon Z50 and Sony a6500, each with the basic kit lens which comes in the box.

Some lens test afficionados and user forum members are inclined to dismiss these basic little zooms as not worthy of an enthusiast photographer’s attention.

But having tested and used them extensively I find the Canon RF-S 18-45mm f4.5-6.7, Nikon DX 16-50mm f3.5-6.3  and Lumix G Vario 12-35mm f3.5-5.6 kit zooms to be very good at all focal lengths and capable of delivering excellent image quality.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the Sony E 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 PZ kit zoom which first appeared in 2012 and earned a reputation for poor quality control and variable sharpness. A minor update in 2024 uses the same optical formula.

Almost any camera or smartphone these days can make very good pictures so the one I settle on is that which provides me with the best user experience.

R10 in hand

And that, in June 2025 is the Canon EOS R10.  This is something of a Goldilocks model: not too large, not too small.

 My hands are about average size for an adult male. The R10 is the only model of those mentioned above on which I can  just get a full five finger grip on the handle. Those with smaller hands will easily fit their little finger on the lower part of the handle.

The R10 also has a well designed mode dial plus twin control dial layout and a thumb operated joystick. All the controls are well located and have good haptics.

When out and about making photos I can control aperture, shutter speed, ISO setting, exposure compensation  and AF area position with just the thumb and index finger of my right hand, while looking continuously through the viewfinder, without having to move the other fingers of my right hand or the left hand.

The camera with lens mounted, spare battery and memory cards, microfiber cloth and some lens wipe tissues all fit nicely in a Think Tank Mirrorless mover 10 bag.

Some photographers prefer the more traditional style of control layout using separate dials or rings for aperture, shutter speed, ISO setting and exposure compensation with a separate means of directing the position of the AF area.

This works well enough especially if we prefer a contemplative approach to the process of camera work.  But this system does require more actions each more complex (involving more fingers and both hands and taking the camera down from the eye). 

Each unto his or her own.

Add an accessory handle to one of the X-100 iterations and they are about the same size

The EOS R10 kit offers several advantages over currently popular fixed lens compacts intended mainly for still photos.

The Fujifilm X100-6 is often kitted out by owners with an accessory handle and thumb rest. The lens will not take a filter or lens hood directly so an adapter must be fitted. By the time  these accessories have been added there is not much difference between the R10 and X100-6 in dimensions. And the R10 kit has the advantage of  a zoom lens and better ergonomics.

The Ricoh GR 3/3X are interesting and extremely compact models with very good image quality.  But the screen is fixed and there is no option to fit an EVF. I found this camera unusable in sunlight.

On the specifications the Leica DL8 looks attractive with its zoom lens and compact dimensions. But I found the autofocus unreliable in some situations and the overall user experience less satisfying than the R10 or the Lumix G100D with the same sensor, EVF and screen.

The wider aperture of the fixed lenses in the compacts is not the advantage it once was. I can now use ISO 12800 on the R10 and produce a low noise output with Adobe Denoise AI in Photoshop.

The R10 kit is not pocketable but in my experience many pockets are hazardous places for a camera as they often contain all kinds of dirt, dust, lint and other stuff which cameras do not like.