Canon talks EOS R3, and confirms that it is not the flagship mirrorless

Jan 30, 2020
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I think Canon will struggle to create a distinction between the R3 and R1.
I can’t see the R1 being bigger in size (there would be no practical reason to be bigger - battery size would be likely to be the same). Weather sealing would be the same.
They’d be down to say focusing ability , it would be very poor of Canon to only implement a better focusing system on an R1. It would be at best a software enhancement.
They could distinguish based in MP. 45 v 100 MP. I think there would likely be a trade off here. The 45MP might be superior at high ISO.
They could distinguish based on FPS but that is a real diminishing return. There’s very limited uses where 30 FPS is more useful than 20 FPS
I think they will find it hard to make an R1 a compelling prospect with an R3 in existence. It’s existence and high price might improve the sales of the R3 once both exist.
(It sort of reminds me when Olympus brought out the M1X and I thought what was the point with the OMD EM 1 Mark III in existence - bigger battery and a few software tricks were the main improvements)
I continue to believe that the R3 will be for the sportshooter, and 100+ MP R1 for studio, with global shutter and perhaps pixel binning option to allow for occasional medium to high frame rate shooting.

The R3 will simply be too good for an R1 to outclass it for sports and wildlife, and therefore the R1 needs to serve a whole different purpose.
 
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entoman

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Some people take brand-worship too far. Others take sensor-worship too far.
Yes, sensor worship is just as bad - modern sensors are all extremely good and there isn't much to choose between e.g. a!, Z7ii, R5 and S1R in terms of sensor output. What really counts is the overall design, usability and durability of the camera - and access to the lenses desired.
 
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entoman

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Doesn't Sony make the full-frame sensors for Panasonic?
Yes I believe thay do. They also make the sensors for Nikon cameras. The implementation is different in each camera though, so colour output, noise and AF are handled differently by each brand. I wouldn't choose a camera purely on the basis of the sensor - best to look at the overall package - ergonomics, durability, AF performance, lens system and compatability with existing gear.
 
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entoman

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"Citation Needed"
Everyone that I know of would be a monopoly if they could including myself.
No citation available, but monopolies are bad news for everyone. They stifle competition, increase prices and lead to stagnation. Sensible companies welcome competition - it helps them to improve their own products, it drives down prices to make mass market sales possible, and it creates a much more exciting and inspiring atmosphere among the designers and engineers. What a boring world it would be if everyone owned the same camera.
 
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entoman

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Global shutter, QPAF.
Also, more importantly, the R1 will have higher build quality, better weather-sealing, and greater long-term durability. I think these will be seen as far more important than either global shutter or QPAF, by the target users.

The distinction I see, is that the R3 will be aimed at wedding and event photographers, and affluent amateur sports and wildlife photographers.

The R1 will be directed at professional sports photographers, war photographers etc, who need the ultimate in ruggedness.

Meanwhile I'll be happy with my R5...
 
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Jan 30, 2020
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Also, more importantly, the R1 will have higher build quality, better weather-sealing, and greater long-term durability. I think these will be seen as far more important than either global shutter or QPAF, by the target users.

The distinction I see, is that the R3 will be aimed at wedding and event photographers, and affluent amateur sports and wildlife photographers.

The R1 will be directed at professional sports photographers, war photographers etc, who need the ultimate in ruggedness.

Meanwhile I'll be happy with my R5...
Except that Canon said in the R3 press release that "The weather and dust- resistance will be equivalent to that of EOS-1D class cameras..."

So unless the R1 is bullet proof, durability won't be an advantage over the R3.
 
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entoman

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Except that Canon said in the R3 press release that "The weather and dust- resistance will be equivalent to that of EOS-1D class cameras..."

So unless the R1 is bullet proof, durability won't be an advantage over the R3.
In which case, I agree with Hector1970, that Canon will find it hard to create a distinction between R3 and R1.

Global shutter - possibly, but will it really be so much better than a fast-readout R3 when it comes to rolling shutter artefacts?
QPAF - sounds great again, but it looks like the R3 will have pretty near perfect AF anyway.
8K - not in the R3, but possibly in the R1.

The R1 will have to do something unique *and* seriously valuable, in order to justify its existence...
 
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Jan 30, 2020
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In which case, I agree with Hector1970, that Canon will find it hard to create a distinction between R3 and R1.

Global shutter - possibly, but will it really be so much better than a fast-readout R3 when it comes to rolling shutter artefacts?
QPAF - sounds great again, but it looks like the R3 will have pretty near perfect AF anyway.
8K - not in the R3, but possibly in the R1.

The R1 will have to do something unique *and* seriously valuable, in order to justify its existence...
I think it will be a very high MP camera, 100+ with global shutter
 
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entoman

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I think it will be a very high MP camera, 100+ with global shutter
Unlikely, as it's 99% certain that Canon already has a stills-orientated 90-100MP "R5s" in the pipeline.

It will probably have 8K, but I'd expect no higher than 50MP.

It's unlikely that there will be any radically new tech, as Canon nearly always tests new tech on lower end models before putting them in the flagship, so I'm not even sure whether it will have global shutter or QPAF. It will definitely need to have a new and more powerful battery, but I think the other main selling points will be ruggedness and a sensor with super-fast readout that eliminates rolling shutter.

Always fun to speculate and dream about which features will gradually filter down into more affordable models.
 
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