Rumored Canon EOS R1 EVF specifications [CR1]

[Czardoom]

The A1 only shows the 9 million dots during playback of photos. When shooting it goes down and goes down further with continuous AF and other things. Jared Polin had a video comparing the A1 and R3 and the A1’s EVF looked noticeably worse than the R3’s despite having more dots listed on the spec sheet. If Canon’s is 7 million dots at all times then it would be the best EVF when shooting photos.

In my opinion, the 9 million dots of the Sony EVF is a perfect example of Sony being more concerned about the spec sheet, than about the actual performance and user experience. When the Z9 came out, I saw a few reviews of the Z9 where the reviewer also commented on the fact that the Z9's EVF was being out-specced by the Sony A1. And despite having less dots, all the reviewers felt the Z9's EVF was brighter and better. All felt that the they did not notice that there were less dots, and that however many dots the Z9 had, that was enough to be just as detailed. One reviewer quite possibly had the answer...Sony uses cheaper glass in the EVF. That, in my mind, typifies Sony. Specs first, performance last.

 

[Skux]

Nonsense.. how did you do it before? In my experience your face is already up to the camera so this is a moot point. Has one never shot motorcycle photography before the R3 came on the scene? Not trying to nitpick but there will never be a perfect camera and I feel if one can’t hit the type of shots we’ve done for years with any of the tech we have today, then the issue isn’t the camera, it’s the shooter.

It's as if people don't know where their camera is pointing unless they can see through the viewfinder lol

Add this to the list of things people say they care about but don't actually matter, next to top LCD screens and which side of the camera the power switch is on.

 

[john1970]

EVFs are a solution in search of a problem. OVFs already had infinite resolution and no delay and no noise even in the dark.

For me I would never go back to a OVF after using an EVF. I agree it takes some time to adjust to, but for me the advantages of a EVF are much more significant that the disadvantages.

 

[peters]

It's as if people don't know where their camera is pointing unless they can see through the viewfinder lol

Add this to the list of things people say they care about but don't actually matter, next to top LCD screens and which side of the camera the power switch is on.

Do you ever shoot in the dark? It IS a significant advantage.

And offtopic: placing the Power switch on the right side, around the shutter is just better. Not that I cant use a camera with the switch on the left, but around the shutter is simply better. You can quickly power on the camera the camera with just one hand - which is quicker and better. There are exactly zero reasons against it. And one reason for it: you can power the camera with one hand, which is quicker.

 

[kten]

In the dark I can see with an OVF what I could also see with my own eyes and my eyes adapt to the dark quite well. The exposure preview actually is a downside of EVFs for me. It means that the image in the viewfinder constantly changes brightness when I pan around. I prefer to let my own eyes adjust the brightness of my view. I think the OVF simulation of cameras like the R3 is made for people like me.

I wish Canon would bring out a 1D X Mark IV with a stacked BSI sensor.

on most, perhaps even all, canon rf bodies you can turn exposure simulation off so it doesn't do that. I do so albeit for different reasons because often using multiple flash and expose for no ambient generally thus it is black with it on. For that reason I have set to off for stills but on in movie mode. No reason you couldn't do the same for ambient only scenes although it is handy seeing at capture time what normally you'd need to check histogram or pic after the shot etc to see such as clipping and so on but you could basically use it more like a dslr and turn off and use in camera metering and chimp after shots if you prefered that.

BSI I doubt would happen for larger sensors as it doesn't really do anything except drive the cost up. Game changer in tiny sensors like mobile phones but for 35mm it is basically just more expense for no gain.

 

[sandhar]

the 4000 nits seems incredibly bright, possibly blindingly bright. my phone is spec'd at about 1000 nits of peak brightness and it can be uncomfortably bright in an indoor environment with low ambient lighting. since the unit is luminous intensity over a given surface area, I wonder if it's 4000 nits over a smaller surface but by the time it reaches the VF glass, its a lot lower (which is better for my weak eyes anyways)

 

[jd7]

For me I would never go back to a OVF after using an EVF. I agree it takes some time to adjust to, but for me the advantages of a EVF are much more significant that the disadvantages.

Fair enough, I certainly understand that position. For my own part though, I would go back to an OVF in a heartbeat if I could do that and still get the AF advantages (and lens advantages?) mirrorless offers. Since that doesn't seem to be possible I will use an EVF, but I am not a fan. Maybe an EVF will come along one day which makes me like it as much or more than an OVF, but it hasn't happened yet. Not even close.

 

[jd7]

The A1 only shows the 9 million dots during playback of photos. When shooting it goes down and goes down further with continuous AF and other things. Jared Polin had a video comparing the A1 and R3 and the A1’s EVF looked noticeably worse than the R3’s despite having more dots listed on the spec sheet. If Canon’s is 7 million dots at all times then it would be the best EVF when shooting photos.

I do not have an A1 but I believe the A1 does show 9 million dots in some shooting situations, as well as in playback mode.

That said, you are correct that the A1's EFV does not show 9 million dots in all shooting situations.

Sony's website says the EVF drops to UXGA (about 5.7 million dots) when the 240 Hz refresh rate is switched on (see the section on "High-performance electronic viewfinder"):

Alpha 1 with superb resolution and speed

The Alpha 1 features innovative key devices and technology that come together to achieve unprecedented image quality and speed while allowing professional users to realize their creative vision with a smooth, stress-free workflow.

store.sony.com.au

I have also seen claims that the EVF drops below 9 million dots (to UXGA? to something else?) in some situations, with the resolution drop relating to factors such as EVF refresh rate (it has 60 HZ and 120 Hz modes as well as the 240 Hz mode), AF activity at least in some circumstances, and possibly lens and f-stop used. Last I knew there seemed to be debate about exactly how it all worked though.

 

[Ozarker]

The rumoured EVF of 7.x million dots is not that spectacular when you consider the Sony ILCE-1 / Alpha1 already has a 9 mega dots (9,437,184) EVF. One would think Canon would want to outspec the best offerings from their competition wherever possible for their new flagship body.

Likely nobody can see the difference. Specs that can't be seen in real world use would not be as important.

 

[Maximilian]

In the dark I can see with an OVF what I could also see with my own eyes …

Congrats to you for your owl eyes.
My personal experience with my R6m2 is, that in daylight it could be slightly faster - true.
And I am hunting dragonflies in flight!
But in the dark, my OVF and my eyes are inferior.
Where can I upgrade to owl eyes?

 

[Scottboarding]

In my opinion, the 9 million dots of the Sony EVF is a perfect example of Sony being more concerned about the spec sheet, than about the actual performance and user experience.

Agreed. They do the same thing with the burst rates. The A7IV shoots 10fps but that’s only JPEG or lossy compressed raw. If you want uncompressed/lossless raw (which I’m guessing a lot of people do) it drops down to 6fps. However, if you look at the spec sheet on B&H’s site, all it says is 10fps. Technically the truth, but not the entire truth. Exact same story with the 9 million dot EVF.

 

[Toamelicious]

Amazing.
Now tell me about the smootheness of the shutter button please.

I know sites like this make a living by clickbait, but these R1 posts are getting hilariously unnecessary. Don't have anything new today? Scrounge up some random tidbits of speculation on the ominous flagship.

 

[neuroanatomist]

on most, perhaps even all, canon rf bodies you can turn exposure simulation off so it doesn't do that. I do so albeit for different reasons because often using multiple flash and expose for no ambient generally thus it is black with it on.

I have my R3 set to exposure + DoF preview, and when I shoot with flash only the EVF automatically brightens the scene. That happens only with a flash ready to fire (including off-camera, e.g., with the ST-E10 in the shoe and a flash linked).

 

[SNJ Ops]

EVFs are a solution in search of a problem. OVFs already had infinite resolution and no delay and no noise even in the dark.

- OVFs have black out when shoot fast action in a burst.

- OVFs don’t have live view.

2 problems for which solutions where found.

 

[AlanF]

- OVFs have black out when shoot fast action in a burst.

- OVFs don’t have live view.

2 problems for which solutions where found.

Quite right. And it was also wrong on the technical points: OVFs don't have infinite resolution - they are limited by the resolution from diffraction of their optics; and noise - noise is generated by low number of photons getting through the optics, especially when the image is dim where the S/N in the dark is zero.

 

[DhlcadR6]

In my opinion, the 9 million dots of the Sony EVF is a perfect example of Sony being more concerned about the spec sheet, than about the actual performance and user experience. When the Z9 came out, I saw a few reviews of the Z9 where the reviewer also commented on the fact that the Z9's EVF was being out-specced by the Sony A1. And despite having less dots, all the reviewers felt the Z9's EVF was brighter and better. All felt that the they did not notice that there were less dots, and that however many dots the Z9 had, that was enough to be just as detailed. One reviewer quite possibly had the answer...Sony uses cheaper glass in the EVF. That, in my mind, typifies Sony. Specs first, performance last.

Sony always has been a spec nerd. Their cameras are likely designed by marketing's demand list. Real world experience is the least concern for them.

Back when a9ii boast the 20fps, it was only on e.shutter. Their mechanical shutter is slower than 1DX2 at the time.

Back to a1's EVF. As a current user, there's no way the resolution stays 9Mil unless you never press the shutter button. And when the resolution drops...it's worse than my R6&R50.

 

[GMCPhotographics]

I think the R3 EVF is good, but not terrific. Why? - because there's a delay from you put the VF to your eye until it lights up. And those fractions of a second of a pitch-black VF makes it harder to "drill into" the subject that you want to photograph. For me, it makes shooting motorcycle racing needlessly harder than it should be.

For me it's a resolution thing. I cann't see critical sharpness in an EVF in the same way I can with an OVF. Plus there's the flickering and stuttering in low light. A good EVF has some greaqt benefits over an OVF, less likelyhood of hurting your eye in direct sunlight, clearer impression of contrast and ghosting and rendering. However, the resolution needs to be higher, to the point where my eye cannot see a detail difference. I think a 7million dot EVF is a step in the right direction. Certainly an improvement over the R6/R7/R8 range of only 2 million. I suspect it will be a night and day experiance compared to those cameras.

 

[kaihp]

Maybe not an issue of the EVF but the energy saving settings. Have you tried to NOT switch of the VF?

I have not found any EVF power-saving options that affect the turn-on/off time in the manual. Brightness and colour tone, yes (pg. 946-947 in the Advanced User Guide, FW version 1.4.0). The screen and the EVF cannot be activated at the same time (pg 76), but setting 'Screen/viewfinder display' to 'Viewfinder' does this effectively (pg 943, "Wrench" icon menu 3, first item).

Thanks for asking, I will try this the next time, although having the rear screen fully deactivated it probably not ideal either. There's note on pg 944 suggesting to assign a button (two buttons?) to switch between the screen/viewfinder modes. If I could toggle with just one button that would be preferable.

Nonsense.. how did you do it before?

Have you actually used an R3? You sound like you haven't.

In my experience your face is already up to the camera so this is a moot point.

No, it's not a moot point. Yes, I have the camera near my face, but I look OVER the camera to detect the subject I want, and start panning to get it into the lens' field of view. But having your face near the camera isn't enough for the EVF to turn on. The R3's eye-detect feature need to detect that you are looking through the EVF for it to turn on.
The best work-around that I have found is that I look through the EVF with my right eye, and over the 'shoulder' of the camera body with my left eye. This allows me to detect and react to 'incoming subjects' with my left eye, while the EVF is activated all the time.

Has one never shot motorcycle photography before the R3 came on the scene?

Of course. I did it in exactly the same was as with the EVF, only the OVF doesn't have a turn-on delay.

Not trying to nitpick but there will never be a perfect camera and I feel if one can’t hit the type of shots we’ve done for years with any of the tech we have today, then the issue isn’t the camera, it’s the shooter.

In this case, the new technology is making things harder than with the 'old' technology, And that shouldn't be the case,

 

[illogict]

Well, that’s the ECX343E spec sheet.

 

[Nemorino]

There's note on pg 944 suggesting to assign a button (two buttons?) to switch between the screen/viewfinder modes. If I could toggle with just one button that would be preferable.

Yes, I have done it this way. It is one button (in my case the red record button) and I like to choose manually which display I use.