![eosr1mockup02 1536x518 - Canon EOS R1 prototypes are in the wild [CR3]](https://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/eosr1mockup02-1536x518.jpg "Canon EOS R1 prototypes are in the wild [CR3]")
The long rumored Canon EOS R1 is finally getting closer to be reality. It's not a question of if the EOS R1 comes, as Canon themselves have stated numerous times that the EOS R3 is “not our flagship”. It's just a question of when.
We have been told by two sources to expect “some kind” of announcement in Q1 of 2024. If you recall, Canon first gave a development announcement for the EOS R3 and put it in the hands of professional photographers for the Tokyo Olympics before an official announcement.
We now know that prototypes of the EOS R1 are in the hands of the usual professional photographers as Canon readies the launch of the flagship.
Specifications are hard to come by this far out, which shouldn't come as a surprise. However, we have been told that Canon has “impressively” improved iris tracking AF point selection. The implementation on the EOS R3 is a love it or hate it feature depending on the person using the camera.
We have also been told that Quad Pixel AF is not ready and will not be featured in the Canon EOS R1 image sensor. Though we should expect the usual improvements in overall autofocus performance.
Resolution for the EOS R1 is unknown, but we have been told multiple times to expect at least double the resolution of the EOS R3's 24mp.
With the increase in the amount of chatter, we're likely in the final stretch of the wait.
To me this is the only real news and somehow surprising/disappointing.
I'll probably place a pre-order to get in the queue while I decide based on what is actually announced.
Lastly, I really hope the rumor that the R1 has dual CF Express type C slots is wrong. CF Express type C cards are huge and I am unaware of any that are commercially available. Hopefully they utilize CF Express Type B 4.0 cards.
They state that this is likely for the R1 and R5 mark 2.
The ordinary film maker has a video in which they explain why the R1 will not have CF Express type C (Link).
I'm sure your abilty to navigate and profile your eye control is directly proportion to your applied intelligence. Unfortunatly, not all photographers are so blessed. Canon has to dumb down the science to a point were any idiot can use it with out effort or consideration. We are living in the days where AI is assisting stupid people to competatively compete with smart people.
For me it's a feature I'm not so bothered about. It's the stacked sensor, handling, ruggedness, top tier EVF (copare it to an R7 or R8 and it's like night and day) and superior battery voltage that attract me to the R3. I used my big EF 400mm f2.8 II L with my R8 the other day. It operated fine but the lens sucked the battery dry in no time at all. My EF 100-400IIL fared almost as badly with the R8's battery.
I think with no QPAF maybe they have a hard time getting to $10k. But something tells me that's where they want to be.
Brian
Yeah I'm a little surprised as well...I'm not sure "more than doubling" the R3's resolution is needed, you're stepping on the R5 territory then. Unless the goal is to get people (like me) to upgrade from the R5....I will say that if the resolution is at/over 50 MP then this could be used for bird photography, without an extender even...
So what's left?
- Increased resolution versus the R3 would certainly be nice for me (it's reason I don't shoot the R3), but Canon had long tradition of disappointing on resolution increases with the 1 series.
- Better algorithm to compensate for single-axis DPAF by using multiple pixels intelligently (effective QPAF?)
- Bigger frame rate... which has rapidly diminishing rate of returns now that it's up to the rate of video capture
- Better iris AF, which is nice, but not a solve-everything solution, as sometimes you want your iris in a different place than your focus point
- Dual CFexpress Type B
- Better video codec, in-camera recording of various higher-bitrate formats
- Much better internal heat dissipation design
- A couple left-field software enhancements, such as:
- In-camera multi-frame noise reduction
- In-camera multi-frame resolution boosting (that doesn't suck)
- AF that can track birds at great distances (<2 percent of frame) against busy backgrounds
- File cookery in software to give it that 1-series look
Of all of the things above, most are unlikely, and the ones that aren't don't really make for much of a critical mass of improvement over the R3/R5.
If the resolution is bigger than the R3, I'll probably get one. I loved the R3 but for that one factor. But I'm prepared to be disappointed on that (from long practice). The great benefit of the R1 release may be the big white lens or two released alongside it. Would be super nice to get a 500mm lens that wasn't the product of teleconverter alchemy (lookin at you RF 800) or just an RF version of an older design (RF 600).
1) Increased buffer depth at maximum frame rate. Frankly, I am fine with the 30 fps frame rate, but make the buffer 1000 frames at the maximum frame rate. In August I spent two weeks in Alaska photographing bears fishing for salmon at 30 fps and on more than one occasion I maxed out the buffer.
2) Spot metering linked to AF point.
I think it's more plausible, R6 mkii and R3 are low res non-stacked and stacked models, R5 mkii and R1 are high res non-stacked and stacked models.
Otherwise, what would differentiate the R5 mkii to the R1 other then it's speed capability from having a stacked sensor?
I still think if there is a 60+MP model, it would end up being a R5s variant as the high MP sensor would cripple a lot of the video features with a ton of rolling shutter and be more photo focused.
Either way until we have announcements, it's fun to speculate and guess based on rumors.