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    The Canon EOS R1 may not come until 2024

    By 151 Comments2 Mins Read Canon EOS Rumors
    eosr1mockup 728x409 - The Canon EOS R1 may not come until 2024

    We only ever get bits and pieces about the development of the Canon EOS R1, which will be the flagship camera of the RF system. Most of what we're hearing now may have some truth in it, but there are also going to be a lot of unknowns and likely hearsay.

    There is a recent report circulating the web that allegedly comes from a Canon Explorer of Light. The unnamed (of course) Explorer of Light claims that Canon's goal is for the Canon EOS R1 is for it to be equipped with an 85mp+ sensor, 24fps mechanical RAW burst and a big bump in sensor dynamic range. All of this sounds terrific, but we don't think these sorts of things would be known right now outside of the labs and meeting rooms at Canon.

    A good source also reached out last week and told us that the Canon EOS R1 may not see the light of day until the 2024 Summer games in Paris, France. If that's the case, we expect Canon to start talking about the camera some months before the games begin.

    The “halo” or “flagship” product for a line is rarely a big money maker, just based on economies of scale, and we think that Canon is probably more interested in getting new high-volume products to market. The lower end of the full-frame EOS R system will need to be addressed in the next 6-12 months and there are also gaping holes in the RF lens lineup to be addressed.

    We also wouldn't be shocked to see a Canon EOS R5 S announced well before the EOS R1.

    While us gear nerds love to talk about the best of the best and all that it can do, that really isn't a good representation of the industry as a whole.

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    151 comments

    1. I think the R1 would be delayed because Canon is developing a new higher resolution (+45 MP) stacked BSI sensor because they need it to compete with Nikon and Sony cameras, and they're not going to reuse existing sensors for it.
    5. The next Olympics sounds like a reasonable timeframe, and Canon have scheduled grand releases of flagship bodies around those sort of events in the past. On past experience, a range of prototypes tend to be field-tested well in advance (like 12 months or more) of official announcements, and there seems to be no rumours of anything like that at the moment. So 2023 is increasingly unlikely.
    6. Releasing the R1 before a big game makes sense to me since that's what they have done in the past.

      For an entry level Full Frame they could use the original 20MP R6 sensor in an R10 or RP body that will have slower FPS, mechanical only continuous shooting, 4k 30FPS, 1080p 120FPS, 30min recording limit, no IBIS, include the EVF.
    7. If Canon wants to introduce a global shutter into the R1, it seems likely that there is a need for further development and testing to be done before they can come out in the R1. As for now, delay in the R1 is good news for me so I have longer time for increasing my saving for it....
    9. Will their flagship sports camera really be a high megapixel one? That seems like a step back for be, as the pixels will become much smaller. As those files have to be transferred within minutes anyway, they will use a low megapixel version anyway.
    10. Will their flagship sports camera really be a high megapixel one? That seems like a step back for be, as the pixels will become much smaller. As those files have to be transferred within minutes anyway, they will use a low megapixel version anyway.
      I'm assuming the high-speed journalists shoot JPEG anyway, so the actual sensor resolution just needs to clear a minimum (e.g. 12MP). The other people buying the R1, let's call them dentists, lawyers and wildlifers, likely want more megapixels.

      Canon does need the R1 to have something that will get people so say "Yes, I'll spend €2500 more and not get the R3." That can be lots of megapixels, global shutter, both or something else. I doubt double CFe or slightly more metal in the body will get enough people to prefer an R1 over an R3, seeing how the R3 has turned out.
    11. I can only see a 85+ MB sensor if they go internal recording, similar to the recent Hasselblad. Take 30 fps x 85 MB = 2.55 GB/sec which is above the spec of the Type B CFExpress cards and well above the observed performance.

      So, either they are waiting on a Type C CFE card or it is internal recording.
    12. Will their flagship sports camera really be a high megapixel one? That seems like a step back for be, as the pixels will become much smaller. As those files have to be transferred within minutes anyway, they will use a low megapixel version anyway.
      I believe Canon changed their policy a bit. The flagship sports camera is the R3 and the R1 is going to be a do-it-all-and-beyond camera. Therefore, they'll need at least 50MP to compete with Nikon and Sony and considering it comes out in 2024 (a Sony A1 mk ii won't be far away by then) they to bump the resolution a bit.
      i dont´believe the rumored specs... 80MP sounds like a an awful lot, even the high-res Sony still works with 61 MP. I'd guess, the R1 will have fewer MP than the high Res Canon (R5s? or R2?) so I'll wait till that camera hits the market for a guess.
    13. I believe Canon changed their policy a bit. The flagship sports camera is the R3 [...]
      Every time someone brings that up in an interview, the Canon employee gets very upset and will say the R3 is not the flagship. I don't think the rest of the world agrees with that, though :)
    15. Will their flagship sports camera really be a high megapixel one? That seems like a step back for be, as the pixels will become much smaller. As those files have to be transferred within minutes anyway, they will use a low megapixel version anyway.
      I assume that with a high-res sensor they could easily employ a binning mechanism to shoot images at 1/4th or 1/9th of the full resolution.
      My PhaseOne IQ180 back has a similar mechanism (it can deliver 80 or 20mp images) and that thing is old :)
      Many current flagship phones employ similar mechanisms in their main camera sensors (my Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has a 108mp main camera but normally shoots 12mp images (1/9th)
    16. Hm...wild speculation incoming....

      1. If the specs are correct, you'll be able to buy an R3 and an R5 and have money left over compared to the price of an R1.
      2. As pointed out above, you'd probably have to use an m.2 drive instead of memory cards to match the data rates.
      3. Is it possible that we could see an R5s be a 'mini' R1 - same 85mp sensor with much lower FPS and a feature set closer to the R5? If so, no R5S until after 2024. Might fit the 1DXIII/R6 and R3/R6II relationships.
      4. I had hoped to have an R1 or 1 series body some day. But seems like it will be out of reach, as I bet they will push the price point on this one to $10k. I could half imagine saving up $6500 for a 1 series, and have been working on it for over 4 years so far. But 10k isn't going to happen. Maybe by the time the R1 hits, the R3 will drop in price, or there will be a stacked sensor R5II that will be more attainable.

      Brian
    17. The R1 not being release until 2024 makes complete sense to me. The Canon 1Dx Mk 3 was released on January 6, 2020 so I would anticipate a Q1 release of the R1 so photographers could have it in hand for the summer 2024 Olympics. WCS I spend more time using my R3.

      In terms of specifications I really have no idea, but am guessing greater resolution than the R5 with the ability to pixel bin to capture lower resolution RAW files, cross-type AF, dual CFE type B slots, and metering linked to spot. Honestly, guess specs until Canon gives us a development announcement in late 2023 or early 2024?

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