Canon R1 - At 80MP - Would You Buy It?

[GoldWing]

I'd like to ask a question, to a very specific group of photographers, I hope this does not offend anyone.

To answer this question, you must be a professional Sports Photographer who has shot sports with a D6 or 1DX or 1DXII or III AND to supplement your income at times you shoot within other genres. But at least 75% of your income should come from sports

QUESTION:

If the Canon R1 allowed you to shoot in a range of 6MP to 80MP based on your creative needs would you consider the latitude in resolution, positive?
YES or NO

If the Canon R1 allowed you to shoot in a range of 6MP to 80MP would you use it for Sports and other Genres?
YES or NO

If the Canon R1 allowed you to shoot in a range of 6MP to 80MP would two CFExpress card slots complement your workflow?
YES or NO

If the Canon R1 allowed you to shoot in a range of 6MP to 80MP at 16fps RAW and 20fps JPEG would the enhanced resolution still benefit your business/studio/you
YES or NO

If the Canon R1 allowed you to shoot in a range of 6MP to 80MP would you be able to market your sports photography to a wider audience for larger format work like in-store displays, bus wraps, car wraps, billboards, outdoor banners, digital out of home displays, venue walls?
YES or NO

Do you currently earn above $500.00 per photograph used at sporting events to include Olympic, Professional, Extreme and College Level Sports?
YES or NO

Based on your total Sports Revenue what group would you consider yourself in as an individual or the sports agency you work for?
A. Less Than $50,000 USD B. Between $50,000 and $200,000 USD C. Between $200,000 and $500,000 C. Between $500,000 and $1,000,000
D. Between $1M and 2M USD E. $2M to $5M F. Above $5M to include gross revenue from all your photographers on staff.

 

[Jethro]

And should those answering your select survey also provide the name of the agency they work for, to add to their bona fides in answering the Qs?

 

[GoldWing]

And should those answering your select survey also provide the name of the agency they work for, to add to their bona fides in answering the Qs?

Absolutely not. it's no one's business and the personal and professional ramifications of honestly voicing your opinion will bite you in the butt!

 

[takesome1]

I hope your not offended when I answer Yes to all the questions and choose F as the answer to the last questions.
It is the internet, it is expected that people will tell stories no matter how unbelievable.

 

[GoldWing]

I hope your not offended when I answer Yes to all the questions and choose F as the answer to the last questions.
It is the internet, it is expected that people will tell stories no matter how unbelievable.

Not unbelievable we far exceed that number just in one location, and that does not include our broadcast group where one sports lens alone can cost $250K. The revenue to support these spends are in 8 figure revenue ranges. However, the smaller agencies have some of the best photographers in the business too. Some with over 25 years as an average, these photographers are in essence "the agency" and with only 10 or 12 employees, their revenue is limited but their names are on the door and larger clients like the service and attention of smaller shops with these respected names.

To put things in perspective, as part of larger media "agencies" with 8.8 billion in contract value under management and $419 million in commissions, $5M is a drop in the bucket. Our organization as part of a conglomerate would seem "unbelievable" to those who have never worked for us. As a global company in the US / LATAM / EU / ASIA / MENA most photographers in sports, fashion/beauty, industrial, travel & leisure and so on don't even realize this side of the business.

 

[neuroanatomist]

What happened, you asked all those top-notch, worlds-best photographers you support and buy gear for (none of whom made it to the Tokyo Olympics because their invitations got lost or they couldn’t get plane tickets or whatever), you didn’t like the answers you got, so you decided to ask random people on a rumors forum? Sheesh.

 

[GoldWing]

What happened, you asked all those top-notch, worlds-best photographers you support and buy gear for (none of whom made it to the Tokyo cs because their invitations got lost or they couldn’t get plane tickets or whatever), you didn’t like the answers you got, so you decided to ask random people on a rumors forum? Sheesh.

Almost everyone I know comes to CR on occasion. And as for those of us who didn't want to get paid below contract or get treated like dogs. We opted not to accept contracts at a loss. The past Olympics was a disaster and none of the revenue needed to support equipment, staff or resources made business sense.

Do you work for free? How do you pay your employees?

 

[unfocused]

Not sure I qualify, but I will play. I couldn't find an actual survey by the way. Perhaps I missed it. Feel free to ignore if I'm not your target audience.

If the Canon R1 allowed you to shoot in a range of 6MP to 80MP based on your creative needs would you consider the latitude in resolution, positive?

MAYBE. It would depend on what compromises would be required. Six MP would be too low, 80MP would be overkill. I'm not wild about changing resolutions, as that can lock you into specific uses -- for example, if you shoot at 10MP for web use, you may end up with too low of a resolution for publications later. I'd rather just stick to a single resolution. Ideal for me would be in the 30MP range, but I can live with anything from 20-45 MP.

If the Canon R1 allowed you to shoot in a range of 6MP to 80MP would you use it for Sports and other Genres?

It would depend on other features and cost. I will know more after both the R3 and R1 are released so that an informed comparison can be made.

If the Canon R1 allowed you to shoot in a range of 6MP to 80MP would two CFExpress card slots complement your workflow?

My preference would be two CF Express Cards regardless of sensor resolution.

If the Canon R1 allowed you to shoot in a range of 6MP to 80MP at 16fps RAW and 20fps JPEG would the enhanced resolution still benefit your business/studio/you

No. My workflow is such that I never use JPEG except as a backup. While 16fps Raw is more than sufficient for most sports, there may be some specific cases where I would want 20 fps (Baseball, Golf) and would want that in Raw as well.

If the Canon R1 allowed you to shoot in a range of 6MP to 80MP would you be able to market your sports photography to a wider audience for larger format work like in-store displays, bus wraps, car wraps, billboards, outdoor banners, digital out of home displays, venue walls?

No. I work on contract so the images are used exclusively by my client. They already use the 20mp 1Dx images on displays, bus wraps, billboards and outdoor banners. More resolution would make editing a little easier, but the resolution has never been an issue with these large displays.

Do you currently earn above $500.00 per photograph used at sporting events to include Olympic, Professional, Extreme and College Level Sports?

No, I work on contract not by photograph.

Based on your total Sports Revenue what group would you consider yourself in as an individual or the sports agency you work for?
A. Less Than $50,000 USD B. Between $50,000 and $200,000 USD C. Between $200,000 and $500,000 C. Between $500,000 and $1,000,000
D. Between $1M and 2M USD E. $2M to $5M F. Above $5M to include gross revenue from all your photographers on staff.

Less than $50,000 in earned income from sports photography. Supplemented by retirement income from other sources.

Editorial Comment: I don't think your survey will tell you much. A range of 6MP to 80MP is too wide. If you really want to find out what is preferred, it would be better to stick to a simple question, such as asking for a preferred resolution:

If given a choice of sensor resolution, which of the following comes closest to your ideal resolution:

20MP or less

Between 20-30 MP

Between 31-45MP

Between 46 to 80MP

More than 80 MP

 

[Czardoom]

Editorial Comment: I don't think your survey will tell you much. A range of 6MP to 80MP is too wide. If you really want to find out what is preferred, it would be better to stick to a simple question, such as asking for a preferred resolution:

This. A range of 6 MP to 80 MP makes the survey completely useless, in my opinion. And asking the question on a gear-oriented rumor site, where a large percentage of it's users come to complain and vent their frustrations, will give you a totally unscientific and non-representative answer - even if there are more than a handful of sports shooters that visit CR.

 

[neuroanatomist]

Do you work for free?

No.

How do you pay your employees?

From my SVB account via ADP payroll services.

 

[GoldWing]

Not sure I qualify, but I will play. I couldn't find an actual survey by the way. Perhaps I missed it. Feel free to ignore if I'm not your target audience.

If the Canon R1 allowed you to shoot in a range of 6MP to 80MP based on your creative needs would you consider the latitude in resolution, positive?

MAYBE. It would depend on what compromises would be required. Six MP would be too low, 80MP would be overkill. I'm not wild about changing resolutions, as that can lock you into specific uses -- for example, if you shoot at 10MP for web use, you may end up with too low of a resolution for publications later. I'd rather just stick to a single resolution. Ideal for me would be in the 30MP range, but I can live with anything from 20-45 MP.

There is no compromise. Just as you adjust your shutter speed you can adjust file size, based on your need.

If the Canon R1 allowed you to shoot in a range of 6MP to 80MP would you use it for Sports and other Genres?

It would depend on other features and cost. I will know more after both the R3 and R1 are released so that an informed comparison can be made.

I would say your budget for your equipment is based on revenue. We all live by this no matter the size of your firm.

If the Canon R1 allowed you to shoot in a range of 6MP to 80MP would two CFExpress card slots complement your workflow?

My preference would be two CF Express Cards regardless of sensor resolution.

Yes this so helps workflow in production and post.

If the Canon R1 allowed you to shoot in a range of 6MP to 80MP at 16fps RAW and 20fps JPEG would the enhanced resolution still benefit your business/studio/you

No. My workflow is such that I never use JPEG except as a backup. While 16fps Raw is more than sufficient for most sports, there may be some specific cases where I would want 20 fps (Baseball, Golf) and would want that in Raw as well.

Lucky we can opt to shoot in both or just one on a single or both cards or shoot tethered and change our modality all together.

If the Canon R1 allowed you to shoot in a range of 6MP to 80MP would you be able to market your sports photography to a wider audience for larger format work like in-store displays, bus wraps, car wraps, billboards, outdoor banners, digital out of home displays, venue walls?

No. I work on contract so the images are used exclusively by my client. They already use the 20mp 1Dx images on displays, bus wraps, billboards and outdoor banners. More resolution would make editing a little easier, but the resolution has never been an issue with these large displays.

We if you expand and get more clients you'll have the latitude to give them what they request

Do you currently earn above $500.00 per photograph used at sporting events to include Olympic, Professional, Extreme and College Level Sports?

No, I work on contract not by photograph.

Based on your total Sports Revenue what group would you consider yourself in as an individual or the sports agency you work for?
A. Less Than $50,000 USD B. Between $50,000 and $200,000 USD C. Between $200,000 and $500,000 C. Between $500,000 and $1,000,000
D. Between $1M and 2M USD E. $2M to $5M F. Above $5M to include gross revenue from all your photographers on staff.

Less than $50,000 in earned income from sports photography. Supplemented by retirement income from other sources.

Glad you're enjoying your retirement.

Editorial Comment: I don't think your survey will tell you much. A range of 6MP to 80MP is too wide. If you really want to find out what is preferred, it would be better to stick to a simple question, such as asking for a preferred resolution:

If given a choice of sensor resolution, which of the following comes closest to your ideal resolution:

20MP or less

Between 20-30 MP

Between 31-45MP

Between 46 to 80MP

More than 80 MP

Having the latitude vs. not having it is such a pleasure!!!!

 

[neuroanatomist]

No. I work on contract so the images are used exclusively by my client. They already use the 20mp 1Dx images on displays, bus wraps, billboards and outdoor banners. More resolution would make editing a little easier, but the resolution has never been an issue with these large displays.

We if you expand and get more clients you'll have the latitude to give them what they request

Evidently the only acceptable answers to your survey are those you have predetermined.

So basically a waste of everyone’s time, yours included.

 

[LogicExtremist]

Not a sports photographer, not offended, but curious about the way the question is being asked.

It appears that you're really just asking professional sports photographers in the industry for their opinion on what are the optimum specifications for a sports photography camera that also offers a bit more versatility if they need it?

Have I read that right, and would that be a clearer way of asking the question?

 

[GoldWing]

Not a sports photographer, not offended, but curious about the way the question is being asked.

It appears that you're really just asking professional sports photographers in the industry for their opinion on what are the optimum specifications for a sports photography camera that also offers a bit more versatility if they need it?

Have I read that right, and would that be a clearer way of asking the question?

know., Goes a bit beyond that. Old fashioned thinking kept us in a box. Our agency has a bigger CAPEX and OPEX than most. We're looking to optimize our ROI. To say that 20MP is best for sports is not effective for us in 2021. Nikon is leading with 45MP now with the Z9. 80MP is a reality and allows our agency to multipurpose our investment.

 

[LogicExtremist]

know., Goes a bit beyond that. Old fashioned thinking kept us in a box. Our agency has a bigger CAPEX and OPEX than most. We're looking to optimize our ROI. To say that 20MP is best for sports is not effective for us in 2021. Nikon is leading with 45MP now with the Z9. 80MP is a reality and allows our agency to multipurpose our investment.

Thanks, that gives the necessary context to your question, and makes it clearer what you're looking for. Hopefully others in your industry can share what strategic decisions their organisations have made to future-proof their investment in equipment and maximise ROI in a time when the industry is reaching some major turning points in camera technology. Good luck!

 

[neuroanatomist]

80MP is a reality and allows our agency to multipurpose our investment.

So you’re shooting MFDB cameras or the BlackMagic 12K S35? Because those are the only cameras for which 80 MP is a reality.

Or perhaps you live in a different reality.

 

[JohnC]

Just seems to me that an agency with such a large budget supported by an enormous revenue from sports photography, and need by a much higher than average number of photogs on staff…would already have the answers to these questions just as a matter of walking out of the office late afternoon.

I know what my employees want to spend capex on whether I ask for it or not. It’s hard to imagine a staff of 50 or more pro photographers not having emails flying constantly discussing new and/or upcoming gear….especially after having all that downtime due to the low paying Olympic Games.

 

[GoldWing]

Just seems to me that an agency with such a large budget supported by an enormous revenue from sports photography, and need by a much higher than average number of photogs on staff…would already have the answers to these questions just as a matter of walking out of the office late afternoon.

When you get the specs on the R1, please let us all know.

I know what my employees want to spend capex on whether I ask for it or not. It’s hard to imagine a staff of 50 or more pro photographers not having emails flying constantly discussing new and/or upcoming gear….especially after having all that downtime due to the low paying Olympic Games.

 

[neuroanatomist]

When you get the specs on the R1, please let us all know.

That whooshing sound you heard was @JohnC's point sailing right over your head.

 

[YuengLinger]

Almost everyone I know comes to CR on occasion.

Sounds like somebody needs to get to know more people. No knock against CR! But how about some diversity of interests?