Alongside the R5 Mark II launch, Canon has launched its mirrorless flagship, the R1. Read on for some thoughts and to find out why I pre-ordered the R5 Mark II and not the R1.
Table of Contents
Who Is The Canon R1 Aimed At?
Canon is positioning the R1 as a professional camera for sports photographers and photojournalists. This makes sense given the feature set, but it leaves me wondering why this camera was not simply called the R3 Mark II, thus leaving room in the lineup for a higher-megapixel pro body with the R1 name. Why did Canon choose to make another camera with a 24MP sensor designed for sports and journalism when this was already the target market for the R3? It’s confusing, to say the least.
Will we ever get a higher-megapixel 1-Series camera that many people hoped for? While the R1 is a nice, albeit incremental, update to the R3 for the sports and journalism market, the 24MP sensor leaves studio, landscape, and wildlife photographers out in the cold. Yes, they can choose the R5 Mark II. Still, many would have preferred the pro-shaped body of the R1, not to mention the higher-resolution EVF or added operational benefits such as the ability to continue shooting at a lowered frame rate once the buffer is full. Something that the R1 is capable of, but the R5 Mark II is not. The R5 Mark II is great (I pre-ordered one), but it’s not a flagship.
How Does It Compare?
Compared to the competition, Canon’s R1 shoots twice as fast as the Nikon Z9 or Z8 but has half the resolution. It bests the Sony a1’s shooting speed by 10fps (40 vs. 30) but offers less than half the resolution of that 4-year-old camera-24MP vs. 50MP.
Compared to the Sony a9 III, the Canon R1 shoots at one-third the speed of Sony’s global shutter camera while offering the same 24MP resolution. The a9 III also allows up to 1 second of RAW pre-capture shooting, adjustable in 0.1-second increments, compared to the R1’s fixed 0.5-second pre-capture mode. Why is it so much slower than Sony’s 24MP sports camera, which will be over a year old when the R1 ships?
It’s hard to find a comparison that makes the R1 look good unless you compare it with the older R3. Even then, you must have an awkward conversation about price. Refurbished R3s regularly show up on Canon’s online store for approx. $3400, while the new R1 is commanding $6299 at launch. That’s a massive difference for what feels like a reasonably incremental upgrade.
Thoughts
I don’t doubt for one second that the R1 is a fantastic camera, but you’d be right to think I’m a little unimpressed with it as a flagship offering. As almost every other media outlet that tested the camera at Canon’s pre-launch event has pointed out, perhaps Canon’s most anticipated camera of all time feels more like an R3 Mark II than an R1. Had Canon chosen to launch this as the R3 Mark II, the online narrative would have been completely different. Everyone would say this was a nice incremental update while waiting patiently for the higher-resolution R1 many want.
The whole thing leaves me wondering how a company as big as Canon can be so tone-deaf to the market’s desires. In the R3, they already had an excellent camera for sports photographers and journalists, so why not move on to serve the higher-megapixel market currently dominated by Nikon and Sony? Unless their sensor and processing tech isn’t up to the task? I’ve never seriously considered that a possibility until now. Still, when people like Jordan Drake of Petapixel posit in their R1 podcast video that Canon might be years behind Sony in sensor development, it makes you wonder.
Of course, Canon will say that they consulted with the world’s best photographers on this camera, but from what I have seen, they gave the camera to sports photographers. Lo and behold, they loved it! Well, of course they did! It’s a little better than the R3 they were already using.
Aside from the camera’s features, the launch felt weird and messy. Journalists were given very little time to use cameras with buggy pre-production firmware. Canon USA also messed up the R5 Mark II and R1 pages on its website on the day of its biggest-ever camera launch, placing specs from one camera on the other while other parts of the pages failed to load correctly.
The result was a variety of online outlets posting incorrect specifications, either because they copied it off Canon’s site or didn’t understand the camera well enough in the short time they had to test it. Add to that the bizarre launch time of 3 am PST, which is neither prime time in Europe nor North America, and the fact that the poorly received R1 is overshadowing the fantastic-looking R5 Mark II. The whole thing feels poorly planned and rushed to meet the Paris Olympic deadline.
Pre-Order Links
- Canon R1 – B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama / WEX (UK) / Camera Canada
Also Launched: Canon R5 Mark II
- Canon R5 Mark II – B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama / WEX (UK) / Camera Canada
- Canon R5 Mark II + RF 24-105mm f/4 Kit – B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama / WEX (UK)
- Canon BG-R20 Battery Grip – B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama / WEX (UK)
- Canon BG-R20EP Battery Grip – B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama / WEX (UK)
- Canon CF-R20EP Cooling Fan Battery Grip – B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama / WEX (UK)
- Canon LP-E6P Battery – B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama / WEX (UK)
Key Features and Specifications
- 24.2MP stacked full-frame CMOS sensor
- 9.44M dot 0.9x EVF
- 100% AF coverage with cross-type sensors
- 40fps blackout-free shooting
- Pre-capture for photo and video (1/2 sec. for photos, 3 or 5 sec for video)
- Eye-controlled AF with improved eye detection
- Activity AF mode trained on specific sports
- Blur/out-of-focus image detection
- In-camera AI noise reduction
- In-camera AI upscaling
- 6K/60p internal Raw video
- DCI-4K video up to 120fps
- Canon S-Log2 gamma
Press Release
MELVILLE, N.Y., July 17, 2024 — Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today launched two new professional full-frame mirrorless cameras, the EOS R1 and EOS R5 Mark II. The EOS R1 camera is designed for both professional still photographers and video creators in a wide range of fields including sports, news reporting and high-end video production. The EOS R5 Mark II camera features improved video focused features for the advanced creators and real-time multi recognition tracking system for those who focus on still photography.
Canon EOS R1 Camera is “Ahead of the Game”
Canon’s EOS 1-series legacy continues with the unveiling of the flagship EOS R1 camera. This high-performance, reliable, and weather-resistance camera is designed for professionals in the photojournalism, sports and wildlife fields. Key features of the EOS R1 camera include:
- Back-illuminated stacked 24.2 megapixel full-frame sensor and new processing system for extremely fast reading
- Increased read-out speed, reducing “rolling shutter” distortions
- Still-image shooting speeds up to 40fps
- “Cross-type AF” imaging sensor for more positive focus on subjects with linear detail
- Strong video capabilities, up to 4K (also 6K RAW video options)
Canon EOS R5 Mark II Camera helps users “Master the Moment”
For the professional who demands high-quality still and video output, the EOS R5 Mark II camera is ready to deliver. Designed with performance and image quality at its core, the EOS R5 Mark II camera offers the fundamental elements in one package for sports/wildlife photographers, journalists/producers, video producers and visual creators. Key features of the EOS R5 Mark II camera include:
- Back-illuminated stacked 45 megapixel full-frame sensor and new processing system for extremely fast reading
- When compared to previous EOS R camera models, more advanced and powerful AF system including Eye Control AF and new subject tracking technologies
- Cinema EOS video features such as:
- Custom Picture color profile including Canon Log 2
- False Color Wave Form Monitor
- 4CH Audio with 24bit LPCM
- Pre-recording up to 5 seconds
Accessories for the EOS R5 Mark II camera were designed thoughtfully with the end-user in mind. There is a new, more powerful battery. The LP-E6P battery, when compared to previous battery versions, features higher continuous power and two-times the amperage. Optional battery grips were also thoughtfully designed, and there are three options:
- BG-R20– For vertical operability
- BG-R20EP with Ethernet – Port enables high-speed wired communication
- CF-R20EP with Cooling Fan and Ethernet – Cooling fan helps maximize movie performance
Both cameras feature the new DIGIC Accelerator, which is an addition to the DIGIC X processor. The DIGIC Accelerator assists with deep learning processing which helps to quickly analyze large volumes of data and supports the next-gen AF system, Dual Pixel Intelligent AF. Dual Pixel Intelligent AF is based on Accelerated Capture and deep learning, allowing end-users to experience tracking advancements, such as body, joint and head area estimation and focus on people other than the main subject.
Price and Availability
The Canon EOS R1 camera is expected to be available in the Fall of 2024, for an estimated retail price of $6,299.00*. The Canon EOS R5 Mark II camera is expected to be available in August 2024, for an estimated retail price of $4,299.00* for the camera body only. The EOS R5 Mark II camera kit, which will include the RF24-105mm F4 L IS USM lens, will have an estimated retail price of $5,399.00*. The estimated retail prices for the optional battery grips are:
- BG-R20– $560.00*
- BG-R20EP – $750.00*
- CF-R20EP – $600.00*
For more information, please visit www.usa.canon.com.
About Canon U.S.A. Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions to the United States and to Latin America and the Caribbean markets. With approximately $29.4 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. as of 2023 has ranked in the top-five overall in U.S. patents granted for 38 consecutive years†. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. To learn more about Canon, visit us at www.usa.canon.com and connect with us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/canonusa.
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† Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.
* Specifications, availability and prices are subject to change without notice. Actual prices are set by individual dealers and may vary.
I agree, it seems a bit odd that it is so close to the R3, especially after the long gestation.
Since the launch of the R3 I have been planning to buy the R1, assuming it would compete with Sony or Nikon’s flagships. It’s just sad.