Exciting news for Canon users and professional photographers today, Wednesday, May 15th, 2024, as Canon has officially announced the development of its new flagship full-frame mirrorless camera, the brand new Canon EOS R1.

It’s been a long time coming as we’re now over 5 years into the Canon EOS R system. While the EOS R5 and then the EOS R3 were pioneering at their time of release and are still feature-rich advanced full-frame cameras, EOS 1D X and EOS R3 shooters have been waiting for an EOS R1 for a long time now. Whilst Canon haven’t confirmed any official release date, we really hope to see this camera in 2024 and perhaps we’ll even see it unveiled in time for the Olympic Games in Paris.

The EOS R5 and EOS R3 were amazing releases at the time, and they’re still incredibly good cameras, but Nikon and Sony have really raised the bar with recent releases, including the Nikon Z9 and Sony A9 III, so we’re expecting BIG things from the Canon EOS R1.

 

What we know:

  • The new flagship camera will have a newly developed image processor DIGIC Accelerator alongside DIGIC X and a new sensor – a combination that will allow data processing at high speed for advanced AF tracking and enhanced image quality.
  • The EOS R1 will persistently track subjects in sport scenarios, even when they’re momentarily hidden from view – for example, when subjects intersect in team sports.
  • The newly developed Action Priority function will automatically detect the main subject performing a specific action (such as shooting a ball) and instantly move the AF frame, allowing photographers to capture key moments.
  • The combination of the new image-processing system and deep-learning technologies will contribute to improved image quality.

 

 

What we want to see:

As for the Canon EOS R1 features… well… we don’t have many right now. But here are some of the key features we’d hope to see:

  • 20-30MP stacked Dual-Pixel AF sensor – we don’t expect this to be a global shutter like on the Sony A9 III.
  • Very high frame rate continuous shooting, i.e. 120fps RAW with no noticeable buffering
  • Pre-burst shooting, as in Nikon Z8/Z9 and OM System OM-1
  • Electronic shutter only - like the Nikon Z9, we don't imagine the R1 will feature a mechanical shutter and will therefore have minimal rolling shutter
  • 16-bit RAW files
  • 4K/60 minimum, 4K/120, 12-bit video - we don't think we'll see 8K video in this model... but you never know. We want to see 4K/120 for super slow-mo shots though.
  • Dual CF Express card slots
  • Price… Get saving because we expect this to launch at £5000-£6000. Remember we offer Part-Exchange and Finance options to help take some of the sting away though!

 

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The Evolution of the Canon EOS R system.

While we wait for the brand-new EOS R1 to be available to pre-order, let’s check out the evolution of the Canon EOS R Mirrorless system to date.

The EOS R system was officially unveiled by Canon in September 2018. After some reluctance to really take mirrorless seriously compared to competitors like Sony, Canon went straight into full-frame mirrorless with the EOS R. It was smaller and lighter, but it still maintained the DSLR styling that Canon is known for and maintains throughout the latest R system cameras.

At the heart of the EOS R system is the RF mount, a new lens mount designed to accommodate the demands of modern imaging technology. With a larger diameter and shorter flange distance than Canon's EF mount, the RF mount opened up new possibilities for optical design, allowing new lens designs with even better image quality than before with more features built into the lenses.

 

5 years of Canon RF lens development

 

Alongside the launch of the EOS R camera body, Canon introduced a range of RF lenses, showcasing their commitment to expanding the system. Over 5 years on, there are almost 40 RF and RF-S lenses covering super wide-angle to super-telephoto primes and zooms. Canon hasn’t been afraid to innovate either, creating their Dual Fish-Eye lens for virtual reality content creation, 600mm and 800mm F11 prime lenses and in 2023, we even saw the release of an affordable and lightweight 200-800mm super-telephoto zoom lens.

In May 2024 Sigma and Tamron also both announced that they were producing RF-S mount lenses to launch the same year. Not only does this offer an even wider selection of lenses for APS-C sensor Canon EOS R system cameras, but we hope it will also mean we see 3rd party RF lenses soon as well.

Since its introduction, the EOS R system has continued to evolve, with Canon releasing new camera bodies and lenses to meet the diverse needs of photographers and videographers. From the high-resolution EOS R5 to their lightest full-frame camera to date, the EOS R8, the lineup has expanded to cater to professionals, enthusiasts, and beginners alike. Canon revolutionised video and brought filmmaking to the masses with DSLRs like the Canon EOS 5D Mark III, and we continued to see this commitment with releases such as the Canon Cinema EOS R5C and Cinema EOS C70, which features the RF lens mount.

In addition to hardware innovations, Canon has also invested in software and firmware updates to enhance the user experience and improve the performance of EOS R cameras. Features like Eye Detection AF, Animal Detection AF, and enhanced video capabilities have been introduced through firmware updates and new product releases, ensuring that users can always stay at the cutting edge of imaging technology.

We’re incredibly excited to see what the EOS R1 will bring to the R system and what cutting-edge features it will introduce. Remember, if you want to hear about the EOS R1 launch first, sign up for our newsletter.