Canon’s roadmap for 2019, included an EOS R camera that no one is expecting? [CR2]

Apr 1, 2016
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why would it piss you off? If you're happy with the R then great! Myself, I'd get two R bodies if it would be able to act as a mirrorless 5D4 pro camera. For me that means 2 cardslots, and a much better and improved user interface of the camera. It's very obvious the R has a lot going for it, but also that it is a first gen full frame mirrorless and not at all perfect.

Ditch the multi touch bar, make the button placement better (that af on button burried in the grip is a grave mistake) and give us a joystick to quickly select a certain set of af points. The touch AF can stay of course, but there is a reason many people are requesting to bring this back.

I am quite happy though that they didn't come out with a higher end R as a first attempt; it means user feedback can be used to make the first 'real' pro R a better camera.
 
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jtf

Mar 22, 2019
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:rolleyes:
The title said "a camera no one expect", I think no one really expect a left handed camera body. I don't remember any company ever doing something like that.

Sorry that my comment came across the way it apparently did. I wasn't criticizing your suggestion of a left handed camera as being a "head scratcher" I meant it more as even though I'm left handed, I've been using a camera with my right hand for so long I'm not sure I could adjust to a lefty camera even if it is my dominant hand.
 
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Head scratcher in the meaning "why on earth did they do that":
  • A camera with no displays at all, only to be used remotely via Bluetooth or WiFi.
  • A drone camera.
  • A camera with a rotating body, for selfie shooters, specifically.
  • A camera with a separate back-facing selfie camera.
Head scratcher in the meaning "wow, how on earth could they do that?":
  • Just factor current top specs by two.
  • A range finder type camera with optical/hybrid viewfinder (with probably a limited zoom range for optical view).
 
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TAF

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Feb 26, 2012
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I'd love to have the viewfinder all the way to the left like a rangefinder, dammit! There is no prism, so no reason it can't be on the side so my nose has somewhere to be! If they want 'traditional' styling, the R should be rangefinder styling not SLR... they look that way because the prism/mirror box require it not because it's better in some other way.

Something like this might happen. Last summer (or the one before?) I was wandering around Mystic Seaport, and I saw a photographer with a Canon that 'doesn't exist'. It looked very much like a 1950's rangefinder body (the top hump went most of the way across - I don't think it was offset, but it was a quick glance), and the camera had a 70-200 F4 on it and looked appropriately sized.

That was what I expected the R to look like when was introduced. I was surprised it didn't. Maybe that will be the next model (hopefully?).

I was with the family so I couldn't turn around and talk to him...
 
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After 10 years, I'm about to buy a new camera (old 550D died last year), and thus I have been researching cameras... on... youTube. (where else) :p Anyway... this brings me to know for certain what the new camera is.
~ Canon RV
V for VLOG! Specs = blah, blah, megapixels, dials, battery (who cares), because in our self-obsessed world where Gen-Ys are about to be 'discovered' and become youTube 'stars', the specs that matter and will SELL SELL SELL (plus save Canon) are simply these:-
  • 4k
  • 4K super duper mega slow motion
  • flip out screen on a long arm with built in 'selfie' lights
  • 3 card slots (heaven forbid 2 cards fail, and your Vlog footage is lost for eternity!)
  • Huge battery (+ 2 batteries in the optional grip), so your important views on life/the world are never cut off
  • did I mention, 4K already?
 
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To be honest, instead of giving a DAMN about video features, just give us a decent continuous shooting speed. 8 fps with live view and af/ae. Remove the useless cropped 4K completely. Then we wouldn't complain because it is clearly a PHOTOGRAPHY camera with optional 1080p video. Instead they include HALF ARSED pixel binned cropped 4K and continuous shoointg at 3ps. 3FPS!?!?!? what a joke. so annoying honestly. really growing to hate Canon. played with a Z6 the other day and being able to see how fast it shoots just made me feel bad. All the while providing all the other features too. I don't even care about those features (FF 4K, IBIS), but my EOS R which was hanging around my neck doesn't OFFER EITHER, and then ALSO ONLY DOES 3FPS.

sigh, sad thing is I am probably going to give up and sell my canon gear this Saturday. this headscratcher is the final straw, because I am quite sure it is a "head-scratcher" in a negative sense. and Canon gives no choice because there's no doubt this EOS R will devalue so quickly because of the allround crappy feature set. 3fps... Until you actually try it you don't realise how damn slow that is. Not even a photography camera.... If only it were. I don't want 4K video. I just want a GOOD PHOTOGRAPHY CAMERA. but Canon prefer to give you crippled photo AND video, instead of focusing on perfecting one of the two aspects.

No R-sized Z6/7 equivalent in sight (small, portable but still great IQ). Next is this "head-scratcher". And after will probably be a pro R, which I assume will be BIG and therefore not an option for someone looking for a portable kit. So my hands are tied, need to move system to get what I need. Not sure why I am forced into this position. Why does Canon do this?
 
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rbielefeld

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Apr 22, 2015
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No, that's true. I played with different Sony A7 models some years ago because I was quite excited about Sony's innovative drive. But I didn't like the ergonomics and the EVFs then - which have massively improved now. I also prefer to shoot stills, not video, otherwise I would have definitely changed to Sony. I am fully aware that the time of digital mirror slappers is nearly over now, and I will not miss them if ML technology is mature enough (including fast electronic shutters). Especially for birding (not my only interest) I simply need a camera with which I can track, with a 500+ mm tele lens, a fast flying bird and get decent in-focus results. Birds are much more a challenge for the AF system than sports, because contrasts and contours are often softer. Until now, a good DSLRs does this job quite well, so I didn't want to change the gear which I know will serve me.

In fact, for me, digital photography is mature when good light-field cameras are available,providing the ability to re-focus and change the depth of field by post-processing, no need for any AF system anymore. But that's still a dream...

My first camera was a Kodak Retina IIIc, already vintage then, got it refurbished some years ago. Later I changed to a Nikon FM-2. Both fully manual cameras trained my skills the hard way ;)
I have been testing the Sony a9 versus my 1DxII. I am using the Sony a9 with my Canon glass (600mm f/4 IS II and 100-400mm IS II, with and without 1.4x teleconverters). I am using the Sigma MC-11 adapter. You might want to try it out. The a9 AF system is quite amazing and once it locks on to a bird it does not want to let go. I get more series of all tack-sharp images with the Sony than with the 1DxII as the 1DxII tends to give me sharp and a bit soft images intermixed as the AI Sero AF micro-adjusts during a long burst series. Moreover, the a9 EVF has no blackout what so ever. It is actually easier to follow a bird in flight while shooting with the a9 then with the 1DxII and its fast flipping mirror. There are of course limitations when using adapted glass, but for me it has been an interesting, and to this point, successful test. I do not at all like the Sony's ergonomics as compared to the 1DxII, but it is something I can deal with. Everyone is different in what they need and like, and you may not like the performance, but if what you need is simply a camera which you can track, with a 500+mm lens, a fast flying bird and get decent in-focus results, this combo will do it. Attached file all taken with the Sony a9 and adapted Canon 600mm f/4 IS II + 1.4x TC hand held.184990184991184993
 
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Apr 25, 2011
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Now why do you say that?

The ME20F-SH isn't too far from achieving those goals, and it is 4 years old already.
Was there any change in the physics of light in the last 4 years?

Perhaps it is impossible at 30mp, but why not a low res R with extreme low light capability?

It would be an unusual product, to be sure.
Sure, just don't expect to get 4k video from a two-megapixel sensor.
 
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Ozarker

Love, joy, and peace to all of good will.
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Jan 28, 2015
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I have been testing the Sony a9 versus my 1DxII. I am using the Sony a9 with my Canon glass (600mm f/4 IS II and 100-400mm IS II, with and without 1.4x teleconverters). I am using the Sigma MC-11 adapter. You might want to try it out. The a9 AF system is quite amazing and once it locks on to a bird it does not want to let go. I get more series of all tack-sharp images with the Sony than with the 1DxII as the 1DxII tends to give me sharp and a bit soft images intermixed as the AI Sero AF micro-adjusts during a long burst series. Moreover, the a9 EVF has no blackout what so ever. It is actually easier to follow a bird in flight while shooting with the a9 then with the 1DxII and its fast flipping mirror. There are of course limitations when using adapted glass, but for me it has been an interesting, and to this point, successful test. I do not at all like the Sony's ergonomics as compared to the 1DxII, but it is something I can deal with. Everyone is different in what they need and like, and you may not like the performance, but if what you need is simply a camera which you can track, with a 500+mm lens, a fast flying bird and get decent in-focus results, this combo will do it. Attached file all taken with the Sony a9 and adapted Canon 600mm f/4 IS II + 1.4x TC hand held.View attachment 184990View attachment 184991View attachment 184993
Gorgeous photos!
 
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digigal

Traveling the world one step at a time.
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Aug 26, 2014
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I have been testing the Sony a9 versus my 1DxII. I am using the Sony a9 with my Canon glass (600mm f/4 IS II and 100-400mm IS II, with and without 1.4x teleconverters). I am using the Sigma MC-11 adapter. You might want to try it out. The a9 AF system is quite amazing and once it locks on to a bird it does not want to let go. I get more series of all tack-sharp images with the Sony than with the 1DxII as the 1DxII tends to give me sharp and a bit soft images intermixed as the AI Sero AF micro-adjusts during a long burst series. Moreover, the a9 EVF has no blackout what so ever. It is actually easier to follow a bird in flight while shooting with the a9 then with the 1DxII and its fast flipping mirror. There are of course limitations when using adapted glass, but for me it has been an interesting, and to this point, successful test. I do not at all like the Sony's ergonomics as compared to the 1DxII, but it is something I can deal with. Everyone is different in what they need and like, and you may not like the performance, but if what you need is simply a camera which you can track, with a 500+mm lens, a fast flying bird and get decent in-focus results, this combo will do it. Attached file all taken with the Sony a9 and adapted Canon 600mm f/4 IS II + 1.4x TC hand held

That is exactly the same thing many of the wildlife shooters in my camera club have found and a significant number of our Canon group has switched to Sony over the past couple of years. I know of multiple professional wildlife photographers that now include Sony in their kit with Canon and, in fact, it seems most now are rarely shooting with Canon as their sole camera.
Beautiful Snail Kites and I love the dancing Grebes.
 
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