Canon has been developing mirrorless cameras for years, but it has yet to produce a true successor to the EOS-1D X Mark III in the MILC line. The EOS R3 was already a machine that most people rated above the last model in the EOS-1D X series, but the real leader is the new EOS R1.
Surprisingly, Canon hasn’t made a big fuss about the device, as it doesn’t come alone, but with the EOS R5 Mark II. The top-of-the-line device uses a brand-new layered BSI-CMOS sensor, which is 24.2 megapixels and offers faster readout than ever before, which is important because there’s no need to worry about distortion due to the rolling shutter. Needless to say, the full-frame sensor is at work here, and will perform well even in low light conditions.
The focusing system is also completely new, now offering 100 percent coverage of the sensor surface, using Cross Type AF points. This means it can track subjects moving horizontally and vertically with maximum accuracy. It will perform especially well in worse conditions than before.
Also important is the eye-tracking autofocus technology introduced in the EOS R3, so that the device can focus on the main subject during photography in an instant. The developers have worked a lot on autofocus. For humans, the focus will be on the figure in the full frame, and as people approach, it will switch to faces and then eyes. There is a special focus mode for animals, the system recognizes cars and even airplanes separately, Canon is trying to be ready for everything.
The Canon EOS R1 boasts an impressive speed with its electronic shutter. If the burst function is used, the camera will be able to record at 40 frames per second, and the system can also save JPEG and RAW files continuously. It’s not clear how big the buffer size is, but it’s likely to last a long time. Also important is that focus tracking works in addition to lightning-fast shooting, and the photographer will see the live image without interruption, so there’s no need to worry about losing sight of the subject.
The new Digic X system chip will be used in conjunction with the Digic Accelerator in the Canon EOS R1. The coprocessor will already provide adequate support for many intelligent functions. Thanks to this, the subject recognition device working with deep learning will be better, but it will also help in tracking the subject during autofocus. In priority mode, the camera is now able to dynamically adjust the focus point in line with the expected action. During sports photography, this can be a great help for photographers in many cases, because during football, for example, during a pass, you can immediately focus on the player to whom the ball will reach.
By taking advantage of the powerful hardware, Canon can apply complex noise-reducing algorithms to the shots already in the frame, which will make it easier for photographers in post-production, and the EOS R1 can deliver consistently good image quality even at higher ISO levels. In addition, it will also be able to expand the range of detail in the frame, so that the finished shots can offer more, and up to 96 megapixels can be achieved in this way.
For videographers, one of the big innovations in Canon’s top model is that it now supports the use of S-Log profiles. We’re talking about 12-bit RAW video recording, and the device also supports external recording via HDMI output. With DCI-4K resolution, up to 120fps is available, giving more freedom for creative video production. There’s now support for 6K resolution, still at 60fps, in RAW format. (If you need speed, it’s also possible to record video at 240fps in Full HD.)
The new design can buffer footage before the shutter button is pressed, so users won’t miss the most important moments in tense situations. Video recording can be done with up to 5 seconds of pre-recording, and for burst shooting, photography can start half a second earlier at 20fps. When shooting videos, the in-frame stabilization will also be of great importance, according to the specifications, it is capable of achieving an efficiency of 8.5 FE, and the best results will be achieved with stabilization lenses.
You can shoot video and stills at the same time, although this is not the frame's strong point according to Canon. This option can be used to record Full HD video, and 17 MPixel images can be captured at up to 10 frames per second in parallel with uninterrupted motion capture. Another interesting feature of the new product is that it can be used with flash sync up to 1/400 instead of the usual 1/200.
The electronic viewfinder is based on a 0.64-inch OLED display with 9.44 million pixels (2048 x 1536) and 0.9x magnification. The large LCD is 3.2 inches diagonal and has a resolution of 2.1 million pixels. The EOS R1 will display 100% of the image in Live View. Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E are already supported in this case, and the camera is easy to operate from a mobile phone and offers many nice extras via smartphone connection. Unfortunately, the top-end device does not handle SD cards, which is a bit surprising, but Canon prefers the dual CFexpress slot.
Canon has put a very sturdy frame on the table, which is also weatherproofed. The EOS R1 actually weighs 920g “dry”, but that doesn’t make much sense, it actually weighs 1115g ready to use. The battery and memory card together bring it to over 1kg. It has a built-in vertical grip, so it’s no surprise that it’s quite heavy, but given that it’s a top-of-the-line machine, that probably won’t come as a surprise to anyone.
The Canon EOS R1 will be available in stores sometime this fall. Official Hungarian pricing is not yet known, but we already know that in the US you will have to leave a net $6,300 at the cash register for it. As you might expect, buyers will have to dig deep into their pockets, and this is just a frame without optics.
