The Canon EOS R1 is coming, here are a few things to expect

GoldWing

Canon EOS 1DXMKII
Oct 19, 2013
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I would like to get your assessment after six months or so of using the Nikons. They sound like excellent cameras and it will be interesting to know if they perform as expected.

I’m still adjusting to the R3, but so far I have no regrets about the performance. The eye control is not magic but I’m finding it quite useful for sports if you keep your expectations reasonable and understand that it needs to work in conjunction with the rest of the focusing system.

I know the R3 resolution was a nonstarter for you, but it isn’t a problem for me.
For us, it's really being forward-thinking and knowing that our competition is also ordering Z9's. All things being equal if one agency is submitting higher resolution images with clearly better IQ, they get and keep more business.

Some might dismiss our seven figure purchasing budget as being insignificant to the overall market but it's very important to us.

We put aside six figures to start with the Z9's. If the R1 exceeds the IQ of the Z9 then we have lots of budget as we transition away from the 1DXMKii's and III's.

The R3 could very well suit some. Competition between agencies is so fierce now we had to adopt the Z9, if you've seen the images compared the R3 and 1DXMKIII there is a marked difference.

Good luck with your R3, it's a comprehensive platform that should give you years of good service and great support from CPS.
 
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AlanF

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I don't feel it makes sense to make a strategic decision based on one camera body. I'd personally go Nikon on grounds of the system as a whole, or a gut feeling of the direction the vendor was going to take the system. Canon was lagging with mirrorless and IBIS and DR for quite a while and in that era I could understand saying, OK, Canon just doesn't care to be the leader, so for that reason we're going Nikon. But the R system has been out now several years, we finally have IBIS, we have excellent DR in the latest bodies. Can WAS content to be behind for quite a few years but IS NOW acting like it wants to stay at least abreast of the competition if not lead. I could understand going Nikon 1, 2, 3, or 4 years ago. But I don't really understand it now. But whatever, it's your money.

Curious though, you say the AF is great. What is it doing that say the R5 is incapable of?
The preliminary reviews from reliable FM members is that the Z9 AF is similar to the R5 but not quite as good at recognising birds eye AF. That is, of course, high praise but it means their flagship doesn't outperform Canon's lower range. I'm not a pro and I don't need my camera to be built like a tank - the weight of the Z9 at 600g more than the R5 means I would never ever consider it even it were significantly better. Canon's shaving weight of the 1DX series on going to the R1 makes it just within my weight limits.
 
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GoldWing

Canon EOS 1DXMKII
Oct 19, 2013
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I don't feel it makes sense to make a strategic decision based on one camera body. I'd personally go Nikon on grounds of the system as a whole, or a gut feeling of the direction the vendor was going to take the system. Canon was lagging with mirrorless and IBIS and DR for quite a while and in that era I could understand saying, OK, Canon just doesn't care to be the leader, so for that reason we're going Nikon. But the R system has been out now several years, we finally have IBIS, we have excellent DR in the latest bodies. Can WAS content to be behind for quite a few years but IS NOW acting like it wants to stay at least abreast of the competition if not lead. I could understand going Nikon 1, 2, 3, or 4 years ago. But I don't really understand it now. But whatever, it's your money.

Curious though, you say the AF is great. What is it doing that say the R5 is incapable of?
It's tracking during the demo's was truly exceptional as was exposure, noise, color rendition and the resolution was "far" superior. The general IQ advantage was so apparent even a non-pixel peeper could see the enhanced resolution over the R3 and 1DXMKIII. Getting into the weeds in post and crops everyone in the room was impressed. After we did some pixel peeping on human hair and skin and there is no doubt with our senior editors, chief photographers and my management group that we would put 6 figures to a few (2) test kits. Nikon agreed to replicate our Canon kits as close as possible. If they prove as effective after we tweak workflow, then we'll start replacing more 1DXMKIII and 1DXMKII kits with a 7 figure budget in 2022 to first 1/4 2023.

If the R1 comes out in 2023, we'll take a look. When I first started we had a mixed shop Nikon, Canon and Hasselblad in our studios.

We no longer have Hasselblad but use Fuji 100 and 100s for in studio.

With an 8 figure budget for second half of 22" into 2nd half of 23"

We can move to the platform that serves us best in the U.S. LATAM ASIA, EU AND the MENA.

Everyone was really impressed with the Z9
 
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unfocused

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The preliminary reviews from reliable FM members is that the Z9 AF is similar to the R5 but not quite as good at recognising birds eye AF. That is, of course, high praise but it means their flagship doesn't outperform Canon's lower range. I'm not a pro and I don't need my camera to be built like a tank - the weight of the Z9 at 600g more than the R5 means I would never ever consider it even it were significantly better. Canon's shaving weight of the 1DX series on going to the R1 makes it just within my weight limits.
The problem with the R5 for sports is the buffer. It's simply too small and doesn't clear fast enough for fast sports action. I love it for birds and it is quite sufficient for birds in flight, but for fast moving sports action, waiting for the buffer to clear means missing critical shots. I assume that's one of the main reasons Canon went with 24mp for the R3. But, if you really need 45mp and a sports-oriented body, I can totally understand why @GoldWing might prefer the Nikon (If it has an adequate buffer that clears fast enough).
 
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AlanF

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The problem with the R5 for sports is the buffer. It's simply too small and doesn't clear fast enough for fast sports action. I love it for birds and it is quite sufficient for birds in flight, but for fast moving sports action, waiting for the buffer to clear means missing critical shots. I assume that's one of the main reasons Canon went with 24mp for the R3. But, if you really need 45mp and a sports-oriented body, I can totally understand why @GoldWing might prefer the Nikon (If it has an adequate buffer that clears fast enough).
A genuine question for you, why go for the Nikon Z9 over the Sony A1? My knowledge of sports photography is limited, to say the the least.
 
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unfocused

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A genuine question for you, why go for the Nikon Z9 over the Sony A1? My knowledge of sports photography is limited, to say the the least.
Are you asking me or @GoldWing? I'm a Canon person and I am perfectly happy with the resolution of the R3. I would never consider Sony. I was simply explaining why, if you need a sports oriented body and 45MP, which Goldwing says he does, then Nikon is a logical choice. You'd have to ask him why they didn't consider Sony.
 
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GoldWing

Canon EOS 1DXMKII
Oct 19, 2013
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Are you asking me or @GoldWing? I'm a Canon person and I am perfectly happy with the resolution of the R3. I would never consider Sony. I was simply explaining why, if you need a sports oriented body and 45MP, which Goldwing says he does, then Nikon is a logical choice. You'd have to ask him why they didn't consider Sony.
We tried to adopt SONY a few times and got a bad taste for support and continuity of product lines. The rugged bodies we need were never part of what SONY put out compared to Canon. CPS also played a good role. We're just not interested but thank you.
 
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What I will say is that Z9 with the new Nikkor Z 400 f2.8 with built in TC looks to be a very compelling kit for many!

On a broader note, I don’t understand brand allegiance in a professional environment. Get whatever has the features you need to do the job you have. No reason why one company should provide that for ever, or one company provide all you need for every situation.

The problem I have with some commenters is they repeatedly put a company down because they don’t make what they personally want. Who cares? Move on to the company that does, be happy and get your job done…
 
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stevelee

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What I will say is that Z9 with the new Nikkor Z 400 f2.8 with built in TC looks to be a very compelling kit for many!

On a broader note, I don’t understand brand allegiance in a professional environment. Get whatever has the features you need to do the job you have. No reason why one company should provide that for ever, or one company provide all you need for every situation.

The problem I have with some commenters is they repeatedly put a company down because they don’t make what they personally want. Who cares? Move on to the company that does, be happy and get your job done…
For a lot of professional situations, I would expect that the professional services available would be a main reason to stick with Canon even if another brand has some gear a little better suited to the task.
 
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Michael Clark

Now we see through a glass, darkly...
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Hysterical to even say this when to this day Canon continues to sell the $6500 1DX Mark III brand new to countless people including major organizations.

I've had my 1dx mark II for almost six years now and yet I'll still be selling it for a significant amount once my R3 arrives. But sure. Keep trolling.

I'm not sure there have been "countless people" buying any types of ILCs since around 2012...
 
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Michael Clark

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Hahahaha… name me 3 major organizations that have bought 1Dx III bodies after the announcement of the R3.

So easy to call me a troll bro, if you read my posts you know I am using 1dx series myself.

Then you ought to know it is the 1D X series, not the 1Dx series... Dx is a Nikon thing.
 
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Michael Clark

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I bet this was a design decision to get the cost down. Most high speed shooters are doing sports, and have deadlines within MINUTES of the end of an event. Jeff Cable, the guy of R3 test fame at the olympics, had to have all his photos sorted, processed and transferred within 15minutes of an event. No time for RAW processing anyway.

Brian

The higher profile the event, the shorter the deadlines. Not even Jeff Cable shoots the Olympics 50 weeks per year. Just because some of his assignments are that tight doesn't mean all of them are.

I know more than a few sports/action photogs that are shooting raw for at least some of their assignments. Ten years ago none of them were, because the camera buffers couldn't keep up. Even with short turnarounds, if one has an existing "recipe" for a particular facility's lights that offers more color correction or other processing that can't be applied in camera to JPEGs, they can shoot raw and then batch apply the same "recipe" to every keeper fairly quickly before pushing the images to the wires. This works very well in facilities with less than ideal lighting. NFL, NBA, NHL, major colleges, etc. arenas almost all have pretty good lights that are full spectrum and flicker free. But medium sized colleges and most high schools do not. Those are the facilities where raw is most valuable, and those events are the ones that tend to have more forgiving deadlines.
 
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Michael Clark

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The R1 will not differ from any other camera when a professional makes a business decision.

Nor will an Enthusiast differ in what changes their motivations.

The difference with a camera like the R1 is the potential for a greater number of photographers across multiple genres to see it as an optimal tool.

This is why the Z9 is receiving such accolades.

"If" the R1 does indeed double the resolution of the 1DXMKIII it could become one of the best selling cameras in history.

What will be required is what Canon has proven they can do already.

We are getting into blurred lines as photographers have typecast and pigieon

If Canon waits until 2024.... Nikon will take away a sizable chunk of business. The Z9 was just the first shot across Canon's bow. Nikon will have even higher resolution camera than the Z9 by then to beat Canon's R1 to the market. Canon played "hold back" and it has caught up with them. They release the 1DXMKIII, then R5 with no incremental increase in resolution from the 1DXMKII to the 1DXMKIII..... Then a 20 something MP R3??? Canon deserves to have some of their market share lost to Nikon for what they did!

Kodak sold over 10,000,000 Brownies between 1900 and 1905 in the first five years it was on the market. The Hawkeye Brownies sold from 1950-61 weren't far behind. The RF mount 1-Series digital camera will never come close to outselling the Brownie as the best selling camera in history.
 
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Michael Clark

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If that instamatic is the best professional camera you've ever owned.... You've done a great job with it... Hang in there for another 50 years!!! :) :) Best to you!!!

You didn't say the "best professional camera" of all time.

You said "The best selling camera" of all time.

Please make up your mind.
 
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Michael Clark

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Then Canon would like you to buy the RF 100-500L and the RF 2x TC. And if that’s not bright enough, they’ll happily sell you an RF 600/4L to use with your 2x TC.

Incidentally, I had the 7D and 100-400L, and the 1D X and 600/4L, and the latter combination delivered far better results.

Mostly because the original 7D couldn't AF the broad side of a barn more than 2-3 frames out of a 10 shot burst.
 
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