The meter will over and underexpose in contrasty situations. In a sequence that the light and composition are relatively consistent, the shutter speed changed 4 stops from 1/100 to 1/1000th. This is a 4 shot sequence across 12 seconds. I opened the CR3 files with Preview on a Mac, then exported as jpeg, then resized to 12×8 without any other edits. The settings were: Evaluative metering, AWB, ISO 200, Av Aperture preferred, F/8.
The meter in the R is unpredictable. I theorized it might be the Evaluative Meter so I changed to Center Weighted (Partial) during this shoot and got the results below. This sequence shows how the meter overexposed 2 stops for no apparent reason. The shutter speed went from 1/60 – 1/8 a 3 stop change though the exposure comp only changed 1 stop from -.33 ev to +.67 ev. Partial metering, AWB, ISO 125, Av Aperture preferred, F/8
Then back down to 1/80. This is just odd behavior. I don’t really trust the meter.
Another problem I encountered was instead of prioritizing what is closest to the lens, it exposes for the background. That makes no sense.
The images are fixable, but get a little grainy when pulling up the underexposed shadows. I just don’t like the look of the images compared to an EF DSLR or M camera.
I concluded that I had a lemon or this was somehow user error. Out of the more than a dozen Canon bodies I’ve owned since 2010 and the thousands of images I’ve taken, this was the first time I’ve had exposure problems like this. I have had another user, JC email me he had the same problem. I told him I solved the problem by selling the camera.
Durability
Durability ratings or weather sealing of a camera body is not something I have paid attention to in the past, though after an experience with my R I will. My R slid off my camera bag onto a boat deck, a drop of about 7 inches. After the drop I got an ERR70 and the camera was inoperable. I sent it in to Canon who fixed it for free but I had to do without my camera for the rest of that tour and another 2 weeks.
Canon M Cameras 