Please forgive what is likely a stupid question....
But rather than a dedicated crop sensor camera, could Canon not have a "crop mode" setting for say, the R5 and have it do the same thing a dedicated crop sensor camera does?
Seems that would be the route to go....give you everything you'd want in one body?
C
Except lower cost and higher pixel density. (And the needed second body for low light sports shooters, many of whom usually carry both a "long" and "wide" body with lenses mounted on both for fast swapping when the action moves closer.)
7D Mark II - $1,799 in 2014 with pixel density equal to 50MP $3,699 5Ds, much higher than 24MP $3,499 5D Mark III.
7D Mark II - $1,799 in 2014 with 10 fps (faster than 6 fps $3,499 5D Mark III and 5 fps $3,699 5Ds, almost as fast as $6,499 12 fps 1D X)
The obvious target for pixel density in 2020-21 would be the APS-C version of the R5s sensor, rumored to be in the 80MP range. That would give an APS-C sensor with 31MP. The obvious fps target would be 12/20 (R5, R6) or even 14/30 (M6 Mark II).
It could be basically an M6 Mark II/90D resolution sensor in an R5 type body, though I see Canon likely going to a polycarbonate body if this happens. The 5D Mark III/IV and 7D Mark II bodies were nearly identical in size, shape, and button layout.
It would also probably have an M6 Mark II type shutter, rather than a scaled down version of the R5 shutter rated at 500,000 cycles. For context, the 2014 7D Mark II has a 200,000 shutter rating. This was between the 150,000 rating for the 2012 5D Mark III/2016 Mark IV and the 400,000 rating for the 2012 1D X and 2016 1D X Mark II. Both the R5 and 1D X Mark III have a 500,000 shutter durability rating, the R6 has a 300,000 shutter rating. The 30D-80D had 100,000 shutter life ratings, the 90D ups that to 120,000. None of the EOS M series have published shutter durability ratings.