What do people want to see in the Canon EOS R1? PetaPixel gives their thoughts

[EOS 4 Life]

With it being delayed as long as it has

It has not been delayed at all.
4 years after the 1DX III was to be expected.
That being said, the Z 8 now puts Canon in a bind.
If Canon had responded to the a1 and Z 9 then they could have lowered the price of that camera when the R1 does come out.
Even if the R1 is better than the a1 and Z 9 put together Canon would still have nothing to directly compete against the Z 8.
Sony can just simply drop the price of the a1 when the a1 II comes out.

 

[neuroanatomist]

Canon would still have nothing to directly compete against the Z 8.
Sony can just simply drop the price of the a1 when the a1 II comes out.

Not sure why people think there’s direct competition at this level. The small fraction of people with a high-end system who actually switch would be the tail wagging the dog.

 

[FaolainWolf]

I want it to make waffles and include a variable rate automatic syrup dispenser.

These discussions inevitably get silly. Petapixel asks for massive technological advances (for Canon) then, when discussing price, flashes up a Z8 with "$4,000" above it. What are they thinking? Canon is supposed to make massive technical advances, then price it to compete directly with its own R5???? $1800 less than an R3? No. I'm sorry. Let's stop being silly. As much as I would love to see a 45MP stacked sensor, R3 body, dual CF Express machine for $4,000 . . . I think $7,500 is more realistic. And I would be happier if they avoided all stills shooting compromises that could be caused by concessions to video. For video, make another camera. Make the R1 the ULTIMATE stills camera!

 

[robotfist]

The only thing I want out of any new Canon sensor is more dynamic range and better color rendition at higher ISOs.

 

[cayenne]

How about building in about 1TB of memory on the thing....like some other cameras are doing?

 

[Mike9129]

The R5 is pretty much there for me as it is, but I wouldnt say no to some more improvements.

The autofocus is an area that could be improved, especially in how \"sticky\" it is to subjects that dont have an eye. There are settings in camera that help with this of course, but I think it could still see improvement., Multi subject tracking could also be improved, tho they would need some serious work on the interface to allow you to switch between those subjects quickly vs what is currently available.

Batterylife would be a big area I would like to see improved, over the R5 anyway (R3 is likely better in this regard). If they could make it approach the battery life you used to get out of DSLR\'s id be very happy. I mostly mean how long the battery will last when idle as well btw, I know it can technically capture just as many shots, but if im out and about it just eats through batteries.

 

[Photoman53]

I would like to see the smart controller that was implemented in the Canon R3. Very useful. Better than the multi-controller on the previous R5 . The eye AF on the R3 only works part of the time.

Better battery life would also be useful.

 

[neuroanatomist]

I would like to see the smart controller that was implemented in the Canon R3. Very useful. Better than the multi-controller on the previous R5 .

The Smart Controller is the best AF point selection method I've ever used, especially in combination with back-button AF assigned to a press of the Smart Controller. It is on the 1D X III and R3, and I'd be astounded if it is missing from the R1.

 

[Copland]

For me:

- 45 MP
- 2x CFe
- more water resisted!
- max. 7999 €

The rest could be gladly the same as the R3.

 

[Scottboarding]

Aside from what you hear on rumor sites and from YouTube influencers who have no actual knowledge, what makes you think it was delayed? It is right on schedule, as a series one camera, to be released in an Olympic year a few months before the games.
So Canon needs not have "something incredible". And, since camera tech is really reaching a point of leveling off, it seems unlikely that we will see anything "incredible" in any new release going forward, just as their has been nothing "incredible" in the mark II's of any mirrorless brand.

By delayed I more meant that both Sony and Nikon have had their mirrorless flagships out for a while now while Canon is still yet to release theirs. Sony will likely release the A1ii around the same time that the R1 comes out. Delayed probably wasn’t the best word, describing it as late compared to the competition is more of what I meant. I think Canon will want to make something that’ll make people say “that was worth the wait”.

 

[neuroanatomist]

By delayed I more meant that both Sony and Nikon have had their mirrorless flagships out for a while now while Canon is still yet to release theirs. Sony will likely release the A1ii around the same time that the R1 comes out. Delayed probably wasn’t the best word, describing it as late compared to the competition is more of what I meant. I think Canon will want to make something that’ll make people say “that was worth the wait”.

Like other comments, 'late compared to the competition' assumes that a large fraction of users are actively deciding between Sony, Canon and Nikon flagship cameras. I wonder how much movement there really is at the top end of the lineup. Most people either with a flagship body or who are seriously considering buying one (and have the means to do so) will also have multiple high-end lenses in a particular brand. Switching is not trivial by any means. Sure, there are some high profile people who switch...but are they the ones paying for it?

The main target audience for an R1 is not people shooting with Sony or Nikon, it's people shooting with a 1D X II/III, 5DIV, R5 or R3.

 

[koenkooi]

Like other comments, 'late compared to the competition' assumes that a large fraction of users are actively deciding between Sony, Canon and Nikon flagship cameras. I wonder how much movement there really is at the top end of the lineup. Most people either with a flagship body or who are seriously considering buying one (and have the means to do so) will also have multiple high-end lenses in a particular brand. Switching is not trivial by any means.[...]

Scott from the Wild Alaska youtube channel sold his R5 and is using the EF500L with an adapter on a Z9. That decreases the cost of switching a lot. If you want to switch lenses as well, that's going to be costly.

 

[Dragon]

I was about to mention Quad Pixel AF. Plus easy focusing on close subjects vs background (for birding).

QPAF could lead to 1x/4x resolution (e.g. 30/120 MP or 45/180 MP) rather than 1x/2x as suggested. 1x/4x is much easier to manage since it only requires binning, whereas 1x/2x requires interpolation. Canon DPAF sensors already have twice as many pixels as advertised, so maybe not as much of a stretch as it might seem and a slower readout/processing time on the high MP mode wouldn't offend most users. As limited as the use cases are, the high res mode on R5 shows that the extra detail captured can be used. In a still image situation, the result can be stunning.

 

[cayenne]

<snip>I think $7,500 is more realistic. And I would be happier if they avoided all stills shooting compromises that could be caused by concessions to video. For video, make another camera. Make the R1 the ULTIMATE stills camera!

I'm curious....

Can you list the still shooting compromises they have to make when having video on the camera too?

I honestly can't think of any....

cayenne

 

[neuroanatomist]

I'm curious....

Can you list the still shooting compromises they have to make when having video on the camera too?

I honestly can't think of any....

That was my thinking all along. Then a comment from @unfocused impelled my to look up that the horizontal pixel count of the R5 is exactly that needed for 8K DCI video. The implication is that the R5 is 45 MP, as opposed to something higher like 50 MP, because of video.

 

[David - Sydney]

That was my thinking all along. Then a comment from @unfocused impelled my to look up that the horizontal pixel count of the R5 is exactly that needed for 8K DCI video. The implication is that the R5 is 45 MP, as opposed to something higher like 50 MP, because of video.

I concur... Canon made a statement for first 8k video in a hybrid body with the R5 driven by the DCI standard... similar to the 5Dii video and letting their engineers out the chain vs magic lantern/5Diii etc.

For 8K video, the devil is in the details with the A1. No raw (even with crop) ie only via codecs with 200/400Mbs to V60/V90 UHS-ii cards. They use the full 50mp sensor width and oversample to 8K but only 4:2:0 rather than 4:2:2. The A1 records 8K UHD only vs the R5 DCI or UHD standards. The recording time limits on the A1 are based on higher internal temperatures which Canon added via firmware option a long afterwards initial launch.
=> this hasn't stopped Sony advertising 8K/30 for the A1 but it isn't as well rounded as the R5. The market hasn't turned against them for its limitations.

From DPR... acknowledging the sensor resolution decision by Canon for 4K
"The a1 has an oversampled 4K mode of its own, coming from an APS-C crop of the image; however, it comes from 5.8K capture, and so can't quite match the perfectly oversampled 8K-to-4K capture of the Canon. Both models have a 4K/120p mode, and the Sony takes an edge with greater detail though it does require a 1.13x crop while the Canon requires none."

I believe that the R5/R6 surprised Sony/Nikon etc (and their fanbois) as Canon was late to the party for mirrorless and hadn't brought out a sensor with a step (vs incremental) technological change.
Canon = R5 will have 8K => Market = timelapse
Canon = R5 will have 8K video => Market = maybe 15 second due to overheating
Canon = R5 will have full 8K video => Market = maybe but no IBIS/AF
Canon = R5 will have full 8K video with IBIS/AF => Market = not possible with overheating etc otherwise Sony etc would have already done it.
=> Hence the overheating storm in a teacup. The simple firmware change to actually measure the temperature vs timers made a big difference.

 

[DhlcadR6]

My Wishlist for R1:

1. AF has -7.5EV~+20EV for stills across the models, -6EV~+20 for video. (Base by f2.0 lens at ISO 100)
2. R1 is 60MP stacked BSI CMOS, with mechanical shutter or Global shutter.
3. New variable LCD, inspired from a7r5 or a99ii.
4. 30fps at 60MP, 60fps in APS-C
5. Open Gate, Clog2, and non-nerfed clog3
6. All 8K, 6K, 4K and FHD is oversampled.
7. Introduce AI post-processing for jpeg straight out, to beat iPhone SOOC photos.
8. Dual CF-B and a extra SD card slot
9. IBIS, Lens IS and digital IS can be use in different combination.
10. Retains R3's button layout.
11. Ability to shoot HEIF+jpeg, and RAW/cRAW+HEIF+JPEG
12. As usual, LAN port, normal HDMI port, dual/triple type C ports

Not directly relate to R1, but I wish along with R1 introduction, there's a new RF 20-60mm f4L USM(non-IS) that price below RF24-105L to be the reasonable priced standard zoom to shut the 3rd party moaners/Canon haters' mouth.

 

[Aussie shooter]

I am looking for a feature that makes it spontaneously appear in my hands without having to sell my organs to acquire it.

 

[Bahrd]

...
n. More augmented reality-like features in an EVF (latin names of the species caught in the frame, names of the Sierra Nevada peaks seen from a location in Death Valley, bios of the peeped celebs, and... a number of pictures already available on the Internet that look exactly like the one we are just going to take. .
n+1. PIP displaying enlarged in-focus objects.
...

 

[EOS 4 Life]

Scott from the Wild Alaska youtube channel sold his R5 and is using the EF500L with an adapter on a Z9. That decreases the cost of switching a lot. If you want to switch lenses as well, that's going to be costly.

I hope the autofocus is faster than Scott can get to the point.
I can't sit through his long-winded videos.