Is Sony going to beat Canon to the ‘Pro’ mirrorless camera punch?

Mar 20, 2015
428
372
An 8K camera has to be 40+ megapixels, and customers of 1DX and D6 are *asking* Canon or Nikon to keep it at 20 megapixels.

That's news to me.

In fact I've disregarded the 1DX3 because it didn't deliver a resolution increase over the 2. And for landscapes the old creaky 1Ds3 comes out, still the highest resolution 1D ever ( and the most expensive adjusted for inflation).

The 1D series was never just a sports camera, it was the top-tier-workmanship workhorse that got the job done regardless of weather and abuse. The deal was that canon offered the best, most durable technology they had in exchange for a lot of money.

Canon diluted the proposition with the 1DX, because their technology couldn't deliver high resolution *and* speed. Finally a decade later they might be able to remedy that.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Upvote 0
Well, the A9 is their pro body. "pro" doesn't really require an integrated vertical grip though it has become the norm ever since Canon switched over to this kind of design (Nikon did it before them with the F5 but the EOS 1-series didn't have this and neither did Minolta's 9-series). While the integrated battery/vertical grip does make a lot of sense, considering it a necessity for a "pro body" comes across as seriously ignorant.

Basically, what this Sony camera is, is the Sony A9 mk3. They aren't going to beat canon to having a pro mirrorless body. They already have.
 
Upvote 0
The a9 is an ergonomic mess and battery performance is awful. It's not a 'Pro' camera.

This also has nothing to do with whether a camera is aimed at a specific group of professionals or not. Of course, we all want ergonomically perfect cameras, which Sony have not been close to doing since zombifying A-mount, with limitless battery life, which isn't even an option on mirrorless. A camera for professionals is one that is designed to be used professionally rather than being babied by a careful hobbyist.
 
Upvote 0
Apr 1, 2016
348
321
According to Canon the R5/R6 are both professional and consumer cameras whereas the 1DX is only a professional camera.

Well, I do suppose it makes sense for them to segment their bodies, although in reality and practice we all know there's some overlap. Steve Winter used cheap entry level DSLR's for his snow leopard camera trap images that were used in a big NatGeo publication, and there's plenty of wealthy dentists shooting their daughter's soccer games with a 1DX III.

But in general it's logical, and I suppose an R1-ish type of camera will get in the hands of pro sports, wildlife and photo journalists first.

As far as the need of an integrated grip: it does make sense to make use of a big powerful battery, and when using heavy tele lenses a small body won't cut it. The only reason I got a grip with the R5 is for the 500 (or a new potential big white in RF form)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0
Aug 7, 2018
598
549
I will always chose the low resolution option, but I don't understand why Canon does not offer a high resolution option with a large and heavy body. I still hope that one day we see a camera with two sensors.

Battery grips sometimes look very ugly. The battery grips of the R5 and R6 do not even align properly. That's why I wait for an R1.
 
Upvote 0

marathonman

CR Pro
Aug 29, 2016
155
738
The larger body is a must for pro sports photographers as it holds a larger battery, has vertical/horizontal buttons, better weather sealing, balances better with a large lens on a monopod and is more comfortable to hold to the face for long periods.
It's almost 2021. It's time for someone to reengineer the human body so that it works better with the R1 or whatever this camera will be innovatively called. I mean the fact that we still have to mash our noses against the back of the camera, leaving greasy residue all over the new OLED screen is ridiculous and so last century. If EOSHD make a ruling on behalf of mankind that the nose performs an essential function and should be a retained feature, then I'm sure "proper engineers" with a degree in heat management from the University of YouTube could easily relocate it to an alternative and more appropriate part of the human body.

Also, now that we have millenia of data and experience that indicates the human eye is reliable and rarely fails, it's seems appropriate that we drop one of the dual optical slots found on the faces cases of most human beings. Squinting or closing one eye and gurning while mashing 67fps for 9 straight minutes (advances in CFexpress and the buffer technology will make this possible) will no longer have to be a thing with this simple human body design change. No longer will you have to apologize to your nude model and explain that you actually have a hernia or a trapped dick disc and this angle exacerbates it.

With some proper biological reengineering of the neck, the human body could also pivot 90 degrees while still keeping the head vertical to allow the Canon engineers to eliminate the need for vertical / horizontal buttons.

Finally, as a result of the increase in the planets core temperature due exclusively to the R5 overheating YouTube tests from Vloggers, weather sealing will simply cease to be necessary in future models.

Really, as Shawn says, you need to update your thinking to this Century and stop thinking in old analog ways.
 
Upvote 0
I will always chose the low resolution option, but I don't understand why Canon does not offer a high resolution option with a large and heavy body. I still hope that one day we see a camera with two sensors.

Battery grips sometimes look very ugly. The battery grips of the R5 and R6 do not even align properly. That's why I wait for an R1.
I agree the battery grip for the R5 is ugly and doesn't align very well with the body. I'm still getting one for my r5 though, the camera feels naked without it, and I like to shoot in portrait quite a bit..
 
Upvote 0
The size of the 1dx has always been a deterrent to me. If Canon could scale down the R1 compared to the 1dx by the same factor as the R5 compared to the 5D, while maintaining 8K video capabilities and removing the thermal limitations, that would be enough to make me take the leap into the "pro" market

As for Sony, they have a lot to prove to me before I'd consider buying back into their ecosystem. To me, the R5 was a huge step up over the A7R IV.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0

DrToast

CR Pro
Mar 10, 2016
69
157
That's news to me.

In fact I've disregarded the 1DX3 because it didn't deliver a resolution increase over the 2. And for landscapes the old creaky 1Ds3 comes out, still the highest resolution 1D ever ( and the most expensive adjusted for inflation).

The 1D series was never just a sports camera, it was the top-tier-workmanship workhorse that got the job done regardless of weather and abuse. The deal was that canon offered the best, most durable technology they had in exchange for a lot of money.

Canon diluted the proposition with the 1DX, because their technology couldn't deliver high resolution *and* speed. Finally a decade later they might be able to remedy that.

Let me see if I get this. You have a 1DX II and a 1Ds 3. When you're shooting landscapes, you go with the 1Ds 3 because it has 1 more megapixel than the 1Dx II, even though the 1Dx II is superior in every other regard, including dynamic range. Is that what you're saying?
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: 2 users
Upvote 0
I believe Sony has the technology to pull this off but will they do it is another question. If Sony does this hope they get better LCD screen, touch capabilities on par with Canon and more ergonomic body
I think it's funny that the wonderful screens that are on the R5 are made by Sony while Sony MILCs seem to be lagging in that feature set.
 
Upvote 0

TAF

CR Pro
Feb 26, 2012
491
158
It's almost 2021. It's time for someone to reengineer the human body so that it works better with the R1 or whatever this camera will be innovatively called. I mean the fact that we still have to mash our noses against the back of the camera, leaving greasy residue all over the new OLED screen is ridiculous and so last century.

-cut-

Really, as Shawn says, you need to update your thinking to this Century and stop thinking in old analog ways.

No, the past is prologue. You need to look back to Rolleiflex. Put the OLED on the top so you can look down on it, without touching it with your nose!

Then you don't need the viewfinder at all, saving money (increasing profits).

Let the SL66 (or the Hasselblad) show the way. If you insist on adding a viewfinder so you can hold it at eye level, there was the SL3003 which had both the top down view and the rear view.
 
Upvote 0
Never ceases to amaze how sheep flock to the “Pro” name. A camera may have features and be designated for a type of photography but any camera can be a pro device. You know its a joke when Apple starts using the term for a phone.
I am keeping my eyes on the 1R but it has to up the MP as right now It will be a less mp version of an R5 with a built in battery grip....
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0

stevelee

FT-QL
CR Pro
Jul 6, 2017
2,383
1,064
Davidson, NC
Never ceases to amaze how sheep flock to the “Pro” name. A camera may have features and be designated for a type of photography but any camera can be a pro device. You know its a joke when Apple starts using the term for a phone.
I am keeping my eyes on the 1R but it has to up the MP as right now It will be a less mp version of an R5 with a built in battery grip....
The Pro name for a phone makes sense. A lot of people make money by talking on the phone.

I made some money when I was shooting a T3i. I don't think I have made a penny with my 6D2. Obviously the T3i was a pro camera, and the 6D2 is not.
 
Upvote 0
Jul 30, 2010
1,060
130
No, the past is prologue. You need to look back to Rolleiflex. Put the OLED on the top so you can look down on it, without touching it with your nose!

Then you don't need the viewfinder at all, saving money (increasing profits).

Let the SL66 (or the Hasselblad) show the way. If you insist on adding a viewfinder so you can hold it at eye level, there was the SL3003 which had both the top down view and the rear view.
Good idea, I am sure that a lot of people will complain about the egonomics. For people that com[plain, give them the Exakta pair with waist level viewer with magnifier. They can slao change it to eye level view finder just like the DSLR.
 
Upvote 0

SteveC

R5
CR Pro
Sep 3, 2019
2,678
2,592
Never ceases to amaze how sheep flock to the “Pro” name. A camera may have features and be designated for a type of photography but any camera can be a pro device. You know its a joke when Apple starts using the term for a phone.
I am keeping my eyes on the 1R but it has to up the MP as right now It will be a less mp version of an R5 with a built in battery grip....


In the shooting world, the word people abuse precisely like this is "tactical." Even tactical socks!

(edit to clarify: Shooting, as in sending lead out at high velocity, not as in shooting pictures.)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0
That rumor is total BS guys. Sony has teased the Fx6.. and it will not be better than the $11k Fx9.

Sonys cine line best advantage is its Auto ND filter. Its truly amazing. Cpu processing power is not there for h265 8k yet at affordable prices.

This is total BS..

The pro line is at 6k sensor to 4k down sized. The 50k venice is Not even 8k.

When Sony drops the A7iv or A7rv it won't be til early 2021.. and if they do include 8k it will be a long gop only im sure.

What Sonys Pro Cine line truly needs is an internal raw codec. That's what's needed to differentiate that bt alpha line.

Sony put its Pro x avc Intra h264 class 300 codec in A7siii. Canon did not put their pro codec in R5.
H264 can be edited in any video.

Now venice has a class480. Though basically indistinguishable visually from class300 that fx9 has and fx6 will get.

Sony should have branded a7siii as the Fx3 !!

It would have helped distinguish their lines.

Fx6 will have auto ND and gyroscope data.

You can't have both ibis and auto ND in same unit. Tech is Not there yet.

But this 8k rumor is nonsense. Sony is not going to drop a 8k camera that is better than their Fx9 that is a year old.
 
Upvote 0