The next full-frame RF mount camera will be a replacement for the Canon EOS R

Bob Howland

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R Mk2 = 30-32 MP BSI sensor, Digic X processor, single SD card slot, no IBIS, R5-R6 autofocus, R6 controls.

R6 Mk2 = Upgrade to R3 (24MP) sensor, AF system, and higher performance EVF.
Except that the R Mk2 will be externally identical to the R7 meaning it has dual card slot. It will be called an R8 and the sensor will not be BSI.
 
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Nov 3, 2012
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Have you used the R6? It is head and shoulders better than the R in nearly every way. MP be damned, it is one fine camera.
I have both.
The R has
- more MP (obviously and the files are more detailed and allow more cropping)
- a top screen (which is a major difference, improving handling, and does't glare when using for astro)
- has a higher res flip screen.
So for landscape, I use the R (single card is fine) and for events and portraits I use my R6 (resolution is sufficient, the quieter shutter is helpful, and the dual cards are critical).
 
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I am curious how canon will place a FF camera below the R6 - same sensor but slower/less features probably won't sell that much and any sensor with more MP could canibalize the R6 sales since that is the main complaint for many.
My guess would be a higher resolution sensor (30ish MP) but no IBIS and maybe a bit slower then the R6.
Megapixels aren't the only way of differentiating a camera. Based on price alone, Canon clearly already views the R as being below the R6 in its hierarchy, despite the former having more resolution. Sturdier shutter with additional life, EVF performance, better sealing, more robust internal memory, buffer size, etc. also play into the equation. I will be interested to see if they decide to add IBIS in some form to a camera at this price point (assuming that this new camera occupies the same pricing space that the R does.)

As for worrying about cannibalizing sales within their own line, I am sure that Canon is savvy enough to understand that if they don't do it, someone else will. A decision to get a Canon Rwhatever instead of an R6 is more desirable than the decision to get a Nikon Z6 or 7 instead of an R6. Even small holes in the product line are holes that sales will leak out of.
 
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unfocused

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Some thoughts.

Who says the R replacement has to be below the R6 in price? Yes, it probably will be, but imagine Canon putting a 32mp sensor into an R6-style body, pricing it at $2,800 and calling it good. Development costs would be next to nothing and they could keep both bodies in the lineup for the next five years or so.

If Canon wants to hit a price point below the R6, they could do so with: Single slot SD, No IBIS, No mechanical shutter. A slightly higher resolution sensor (24-32 mp) would offer buyers a choice between more features in the R6 and higher resolution in the R?.
 
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Do not forget that the R was introduced at a much higher price than the R6 now costs, Euro 3000 for the R, Euro 2450 for the R6, that's 20% !
I don’t know where you live and what prices you have, but in Germany the EOS R was introduced with a recommended retail price of 2.520 €. I got mine in march 2019 for 2.000 € thanks to a sale and cashback. Considering how long the R kept the price above 2.000 €, I consider it quite a steal :)
 
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entoman

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But then it would be a replacement for the RP, not for the R.
Despite the headline, I don't see it as a "replacement" for either camera, more as a new category. The R was a big disappointment to many people - no IBIS, a gimmicky swipe-bar that no-one liked, a repurposed sensor from the 5DMkiv, and mediocre ergonomics (compared to other Canons). So I think Canon will try to wipe the slate clean and base the design on the far nicer R6.

If CR's source is correct in stating that the camera will "sit below" the R6, it's unlikely to have a better or higher MP sensor than the R6. IMO, it's more likely to keep the R6 sensor but dispense with features such as IBIS, in order to keep the price below the R6.

For the subjects you mention (landscapes, flowers, insects) the R6 is perfectly fine, and has a sensor which performs at least as well, if not better, than the one in the original R. We can all only guess at the specs of the so-called "R replacement", but if you want more MP and "extra reach" for insects and flowers, the R7 will most likely prove to be a wiser choice.
 
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Del Paso

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I don’t know where you live and what prices you have, but in Germany the EOS R was introduced with a recommended retail price of 2.520 €. I got mine in march 2019 for 2.000 € thanks to a sale and cashback. Considering how long the R kept the price above 2.000 €, I consider it quite a steal :)
You: right!
I: wrong! :cry:
Did I have one glass of gewurztraminer (Alsace, of course) too many?
 
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With the R7/R5 popularity I suspect R6 sales are down as many people turn their nose up at the 20mp even though it is a fantastic camera. Canon have a very impressive 24mp sensor in the R3 that is likely not getting a huge number of sales. It is likely they will repurpose this sensor in an upcoming camera and it makes sense to go into an R6II. They could easily release an R6II with updated AF, R3 sensor, EVF and maybe better video features. I suspect this would be a lot more popular than the current R6 and they could increase the price slightly.

I do wonder if the R8, R9 will be FF cameras with the R7 being APSC but the R8 could easily be a camera with a refreshed Eos R sensor in an R6 or R7 style body with far better AF/ FPS at a lower price point.
 
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True, given R6 was baby 1Dx and if the line continued to be small sports/wildlife oriented bodies with R being equivalent to A7 ie general purpose FF mirrorless.

For R replacement only thing canon should do is add dual SD slot and new CPU. As things stand EOS R is a good mirrorless camera at its current price and far better than overpriced R7.

R better than the R7? Really? Maybe for landscapes and portraits only.

What features are better in the R? The 5 fps with tracking or the 1.7x cropped 4K video?
Or the single card slot or lack of image stabilizer?

The only thing the R is better at is the full frame sensor and viewfinder resolution.

Overpriced R7? Show me a better camera under $1500 with similar features.
 
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If it's going to be an R replacement, the primary driver will be a price of around $2K. I would set expectations by gauging what $2K will get you today. Looking at the $2.5K R6, I'd ask myself what I'd give up to save $500. The second card slot? IBIS? Weather sealing? Third dial ergos? More than one of those?

It may end up making the R6 look like an even better value (which might be one of the goals). At least for those not pixelated.
 
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I think it will sit below the R6, somewhere in the $1400-1600 range and will be called the R8 (who really cares except gear-heads?). The same 30 MP sensor in today's R (still an excellent sensor for those taking photos not just reading specs). It will be lacking the subject detection and FPS of the R3 , R7 and R10, and shoot maybe 8 fps mechanical, 16 fps electronic. Either single card slot & IBIS, or double card slot and no IBIS. Same size as R7, no top screen, same EVF as R7.
 
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I would like an R3 without any video features for $3000. They can also leave away the SD card slot and I also do not need any eye or animal detection and no electronic shutter.
Surely the discussion of mirrorless cameras with no video has been debunked already.
The EVF is a video screen so there is already a video stream to be captured.
Electronic shutter is used for EVF and there is no mechanical cost for this in any case.
The incremental SW cost to write this to a card is small and given that that code has already been written for R3/5/6/7 etc on Digic X processor then it is a no-brainer to include it with whatever features (or not) to offer. The market will demand it anyway.

If you are saying that you want a R3 but DLSR then the 1DXiii is available for you but even that has better AF via live view.
 
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