I have discussed an RF mount camera with an APS-C sensor many times in the past. I haven't received any information that I would call definitive about such a camera, but more and more information from unknown sources has been coming in over the last little while.

I have been told by an anonymous source that there will be three APS-C equipped RF mount cameras coming in the future. If this is true, this should be the death knell for the EOS M system.

The first APS-C RF mount camera that is rumoured to be announced is the EOS R7.  I am told that the announcement for this camera could come as soon as Q4 this year, or Q1 in 2022.

The second APS-C RF mount camera will be the EOS R8, this camera will be designed for vloggers and other types of social media creators.

The third APS-C RF mount camera will be the EOS R9, and this will be the entry-level camera to the EOS R system.

If all of this turns out to be true, it would definitely be the end of the EOS M system.

The EOS M system has a few models that have sold quite well over the last few years, as such those customers need to be retained. Keeping the EOS M system alive alongside the EOS R system probably doesn't make a lot of economical sense.

If all three cameras sported the same image sensor, Canon could definitely keep engineering and manufacturing costs down.  Ergonomics would probably be the big difference between the rumoured EOS R7 and EOS R8.

What about EF-M lenses you ask? They may not natively work on the RF mount, but there are always solutions to these sorts of problems. We have seen patents in the past that show Canon moving the image sensor inside the camera body. I'm not saying that's going to happen, but that sort of engineering could keep your EF-M lenses usable on the RF mount.

For now, this is a [CR1] rating, so please treat this information accordingly.

More to come…

Some of our articles may include affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you.

Go to discussion...

Share.

203 comments

  1. Makes sense, Nikon also seems to be expanding it's APS-C range in their Z-mount system and they face similar problems regarding lens selection, but it will be filled up eventually.
  2. Like saying keeping the EOS Rebel with the other APSC DSLR cameras didnt make sense. Of course it did. Canon's bread and butter defied economic sense to the casual observer. Its the ergonomics and price point NOT the senser under the hood. The M50 and M6mk2 Didnt garner sales merely because of their sensor size. The flip screen, accurate touch screen AF as well as full touch screen camera function is primary the class leading elements that enticed purchasers along with the ability to pair favorite Sigma lenses.
  3. That definitely sounds like the death of EF-S, but EF-M I do wonder about. I guess if it is the end of EF-M, we'll see how small an RF mount body can get.
  4. As much as I like it to be true that Canon puts focus on APS-C RF cameras, and especially an "R7", the naming R7, R8, R9 for an APS-C trio are rather surprising to my ear if true. Are those are just made-up "placeholder names", or does the sources expect them to be called like that?
    Somehow I would expect Rn naming to be reserved rather high-end cameras. Lower end camera like RP could use the Ra naming scheme.

    But of course, how can I believe to understand Canon's naming-logic with the limited number of RF cameras released :)
  5. If they can make an RF mount body the size of some of the M camera’s, and RF-S(?) lenses that small as well, I could see it working longer term. But the appeal of the M, for us, is just how compact the system is. Totally unobtrusive, hardly noticeable when out hiking or whatever.

    If they make an RF-S 18-150 the size of the EF-M 18-150, a trade might merit exploration just to share glass. I’d be interested to see my RF-85 f/2 0.5 macro do some focus stacking on the M6 MK II’s 32 megapixel sensor.
  6. Continue reading...
    Sounds like RF versions of the 7D, 80D, and Rebel lines. Kind of makes sense that Canon would stick with something they know, and is somewhat familiar to entry level consumers. The M line was a bit all over the place. Loved my M5 though before it was stolen. I have six EF-M lenses just sitting around right now. I do hope they come out with that rumored OSMO looking thing with an EF-M mount. That would be really awesome.
  7. I think EOS M system will live another 10 or 15 years but ... only on the lower end of the camera scale. M50 is a well designed camera with a little less direct control (wheels) but very usable for what it is. After leaving full manual mode 5 years ago I am impressed how well all these automatisms work now including the face tracking AF!

    Those who are in the need for speed or more direct controls will be led to the RF system which is fine. I have my 50mm equivalent bought with the RP, the RF 35mm which is an excellent lens (size, weight, great IQ, good max reprod ratio, image stabilizer + bright aperture as a combination). Hopefully adapters for my EF(-S) lens collection will be available at reasonable prices.

    I just will miss the EF-M 32 for these RF bodies but ... now I have two M50 and two old EOS M bodies so I have a quadruple redundancy to use the EF-M 32!
  8. The EF-M has a good 11-22mm and 22mm pancake. The 55-200 zoom is good for the price as well. Other than that nothing too steller. I love the form factor of the original M.

    The 32mm 1.4 is one of the sharpest Canon lenses, not just EF-M
  9. In both the USA and Japan the M50 is Canon's best selling mirrorless camera, so that line isn't going anywhere any time soon. In the DSLR Era, people who bought Rebels couldn't use EF-S lenses on Canon FF cameras. Now, people who buy M cameras can't use EF-M lenses on Canon FF cameras. No biggie. :)
  10. In both the USA and Japan the M50 is Canon's best selling mirrorless camera, so that line isn't going anywhere any time soon. In the DSLR Era, people who bought Rebels couldn't use EF-S lenses on Canon FF cameras. Now, people who buy M cameras can't use EF-M lenses on Canon FF cameras. It's nothing different, and there is no lens compatibility crisis. :)

    But you could use EF lenses on crop sensor cameras without an adapter. Since Canon doesn’t make anything longer than 250 for APS-C, there is an appeal to sharing a mount.

Leave a comment

Please log in to your forum account to comment