More information on the upcoming Canon EOS R1 and EOS R3 mirrorless cameras

The head of Product and Consumer Expertise at Canon Russia was recently interviewed by PhotoWebExpo. To no one's surprise, he indicated the upcoming EOS R3 is not the top-of-the-line mirrorless camera, the future EOS R1 will have that title.

My readers know I am not a fan of the current crop of mirrorless cameras, notwithstanding the great improvement made in the EOS R5 and EOS R6 models. My biggest complaints are the latency in the EVF versus a top-of-the-line DSLR camera like the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III. The mediocre battery life even when a battery grip is added and the marginal benefit of the RF over the EF mount lenses.

The real question for me is does Canon intend the make the upcoming EOS R3 or the EOS R1 the sports and wildlife photographer's dream camera. I am not a videographer so all the 8K talk does not interest me. My current EOS-1D X Mark III camera is capable of taking 5.5K videos already. 

My requirements for a full frame, mirrorless wildlife camera is rather simple. A mid resolution state of the art sensor with a burst rate of around 30 fps. Eye Control AF2 and Servo AF activation with a No latency EVF in an all weather, sealed EOS 1 like body and battery.

Canon EOS R3 indicated specifications :

• All new Canon 35mm full-frame body construction
• A Stacked CMOS Sensor that delivers substantially faster read-out speeds and produces much lower “rolling shutter” distortion
• Eye Control AF, with the ability to set your focus point in the viewfinder by looking where you want to focus
• A powerful DIGIC X image processor for high-speed image processing
• High-speed continuous shooting, up to 30 fps with AF/AE tracking when using the electronic shutter
• A newly developed electronic shutter that reduces warping and noise in low-light environments, when capturing a moving subject
• Enhanced AF performance and tracking, with better eye, face, head, and body detection
• Dual Pixel CMOS AF
• An integrated vertical grip, for a better transition from horizontal to vertical shooting
• Weather-resistant and durable, built for the most challenging weather conditions
• Compatible with Canon’s new Mobile File Transfer app, which supports high-speed workflows with iOS devices
• Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Sensor
• Eye Control AF, Dual Pixel CMOS AF
• Subject Tracking with Deep Learning
• Integrated Vertical Grip with LP-E19 battery
• Weather-Sealed Construction equivalent to EOS-1D X Mark III
• Back illuminated buttons just like the EOS-1D X Mark III
• Dual card slots - CF Express and SD

As you can see, the upcoming EOS R3 camera can be a Sony Alpha 1 beater. The price of the EOS R3 will be less than the list price of $6,499 for the EOS-1D X Mark III. My guess is it might be $5,799 to $5,999. I should know by the end of 2021 whether there will be a full frame mirrorless camera in my equipment bag starting next year.

Summary of soon to be released Canon EOS R3 features :

• First full-frame back-illuminated stacked CMOS imaging sensor designed by Canon, featuring high-speed read-out and low distortion
• Electronic shutter with up to 30 fps with AF tracking and continuous AE
• Eye and body detection AF for improved AF performance during portrait and sports photography, featuring Deep Learning
• Additional recognizable subjects for AF tracking
• Eye Control AF — select the initial area for AF tracking by looking at the to-be-focused-on subject during still image capture (only) for fast AF point positioning.
• With Servo AF activated, the camera will focus on and track moving subjects at that location in the frame.
• When Face Detect + Tracking is active, the camera will continue to follow moving subjects around the entire active AF area.
• Eye Control AF may not function with all individuals, and with certain glasses or contact lenses
• Dust resistance and drip/moisture resistance equivalent to EOS-1D X series cameras
• Integrated vertical grip
• Compatible with Mobile File Trasmitter
• AF at EV -7 (extremely dark)
• 8-stops coordinated control IS with IBIS and optical IS (in-lens)
• Up to 30 fps continuous shooting in RAW format (again, with AF tracking and continuous AE)
• New tracking subject for deep learning technology: motorsports (car/bike)
• Speedlite shooting with electronic shutter supported
• High performance video, including Canon Log3, oversampling 4k, RAW movie internal recording, AF tracking for people, animals, and motorsports
• Professional reliability and network capabilities, including wired LAN and 5GHz
• Magnesium alloy body
• New accessories capable of data communication and power delivery
• Appearance and operability from the 1-series and R5
• Multi Controller and Smart Controller (first appeared in Canon EOS-1D X Mark III)
• Vari-angle monitor
• 3-dial operation

More rumors about the upcoming Canon EOS R1 top-of-the-line mirrorless camera

Canon is expected to announce their top-of-the-line, full frame mirrorless camera - EOS R1 and the APS-C EOS R7 cameras in the second half of 2021, perhaps just before the July Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. There may be a development announcement in Q2 of this year.

There are wild rumors all over the internet as to the possible specifications of the EOS R1, especially now that Sony has announced their Alpha a1 top-of-the-line camera. 

Canon EOS R1 Specs : (Rumored)

• 85 MP global shutter CMOS imaging sensor
• 85 MP at 20 fps, 21 MP at 40 fps, unlimited continued shooting
• Full Sensor Large Quad Pixel Auto Focus
• 15.5 EV+ Dynamic Range
• ISO 160 - 1638400
• 5-axis IBIS up to 9 stops
• 3.5 inch 9.33 MP 1280nit 10-bit WCG RGB-OLED touch screen with 120Hz AE-AF
• 9.44 MP 120Hz SuperSpeed AE-AF electronic viewfinder
• Price $6,500 USD

These are obviously a fanciful wish list of many photographers but I venture to guess some specs are not too far from reality.  The current top-of-the-line Canon EOS-1D X Mark III has a brand new DIGIC X processor. It is almost certain the EOS R1 will have dual processors, perhaps DIGIC X but the 85 MP and 40 fps sounds silly for primarily a sports and wildlife photography camera. My guess is 40 to 50 MP and a 25 to 30 fps with the viewfinder is doable and very desirable.

Full sensor quad pixel AF is something Canon can produce and I hope this will be included in the new camera. 15 EV dynamic range sounds unlikely but around 8 to 10 EV and the 5-axis IBIS with up to 9 stops are realistic.

The 3.5 inch 9+M dot OLED electronic viewfinder with indistinguishable lag time from a DSLR camera will be most welcomed by me because this is one of my biggest complaint with the current crop of mirrorless cameras.  

The most expensive pure digital camera (not including the EOS-1D C) Canon has introduced so far was the EOS-1Ds Mark III in 2007, priced at $8,000. I hope the upcoming EOS R1 will be about the same price or less. 

Unless something drastic relating to the Covid pandemic happens in Japan in the next few months, the Summer Olympics will be a definitely GO. This means Nikon and Canon will announce (perhaps development announcement) their top-of-the-line mirrorless cameras this summer. Delivery will be pushed back to second half of the year at the earliest, depending on whether Canon can work through their supply chain delays due to the pandemic. I do not have any worthwhile rumored specs for the Canon EOS R7 camera yet. Stay tuned to this blog for the latest development and news. 

Canon EOS R7 APS-C mirrorless camera coming in second half of 2021

* * * Check out my Canon EOS R3 camera review * * *

My readers know me as The Wildlife Ho-tographer. I have been using Canon gear for over 30 years. You can follow my travels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, see my equipment bag and works on MichaelDanielHo.com

Throughout the decades, I have owned and/or used all the EOS camera lines. I bought my first EOS 1 back in 1989 as my main camera and have upgraded to every model since. Now the EOS-1D X Mark III is my primary body and the EOS-1D X Mark II and EOS-1D Mark IV are my backup cameras and occasionally I use the EOS-7D Mark II for far away wildlife shots.

As you know I am not enamored with mirrorless cameras. When the EOS R was first introduced, I was invited to a VIP preview but found the camera wanting. The latest EOS R5 and R6 are great improvement over the original EOS R but they are not there yet and not wildlife centric cameras.

My biggest dislike of mirrorless camera is their small ergonomic size,  limited battery life and 'slow' EVF as compared to the real time sensation of SLR cameras. The EOS R5's BG-R10 grip solves the battery life problem but I do not like the look of addon grips.

The EOS R1 will have a comfortable grip sculptured into the camera body and holds a robust single battery. With the expected first-in-class EVF performance, hopefully with practically no latency and IBIS mated to a mid 20+MP state-of-the-art sensor, this new camera will most probably make a buyer out of me. 

The second mirrorless body that may interest me will be the EOS R7, a APS-C mirrorless camera. It should have the same 1.6X crop factor that all Canon APS-C cameras have. This new body will be very similar to the EOS R6 but designed for wildlife photographers who like to have the extra reach for certain circumstances. I expect the EOS R7 to come with the following features :

• Dimension and weight similar to EOS R6
• Mid 20 to 30+MP dual pixel CMOS sensor
• Dual SD memory card slots
• May use the same battery grip BG-R10 as the EOS R6
• Uses the same LP-E6NH battery as the EOS R6.
• IBIS and AF similar or perhaps identical to EOS R6
• Video capabilities similar or perhaps slightly below the EOS R6
• List price slightly below EOS R6 

I will not be buying any RF lenses. The marginal advantages of some RF lenses over their EF counterpart is not compelling enough for me. My complement of EF lenses have served me well and I do not need another series of lenses to clutter my equipment bags.

Stay tune as I get the latest leaks and information concerning the upcoming EOS R1 and EOS R7. Both cameras' prototypes are out in the wild now for field testing. If the Japanese government is serious about hosting the Summer Olympics on July 23, 2021, and Canon is not adversely impacted by further Covid pandemic delays, it is likely to have a development announcement in the first half of 2021 and possible limited delivery for both cameras in time for the Olympics. Otherwise, the announcement and delivery of both cameras will fall into the second half or late 2021.

Canon EOS R1 and EOS R7 mirrorless cameras coming in 2021

My readers know me as The Wildlife Ho-tographer. I have been using Canon gear for over 30 years. I have returned from a wildlife photo tour of the Pantanal in Brazil over the weekend. You can follow my travels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, see my equipment bag and works on MichaelDanielHo.com

Throughout the decades, I have owned and/or used all the EOS camera lines. I bought my first EOS 1 back in 1989 as my main camera and have upgraded to every model since. Now the EOS-1D X Mark III is my primary body and the EOS-1D X Mark II and EOS-1D Mark IV are my backup cameras and occasionally I use the EOS-7D Mark II for far away wildlife shots.

As you know I am not enamored with mirrorless cameras. When the EOS R was first introduced, I was invited to a VIP preview but found the camera wanting. The latest EOS R5 and R6 are great improvement over the original EOS R but they are not there yet and not wildlife centric cameras.

My biggest dislike of mirrorless camera is their small ergonomic size,  limited battery life and 'slow' EVF as compared to the real time sensation of SLR cameras. The EOS R5's BG-R10 grip solves the battery life problem but I do not like the look of addon grips.

The EOS R1 will have a comfortable grip sculptured into the camera body and holds a robust single battery. With the expected first-in-class EVF performance, hopefully with practically no latency and IBIS mated to a mid 20+MP state-of-the-art sensor, this new camera will most probably make a buyer out of me. 

The second mirrorless body that may interest me will be the EOS R7, a APS-C mirrorless camera. It should have the same 1.6X crop factor that all Canon APS-C cameras have. This body will be designed for wildlife photographers who like to have the extra reach for certain circumstances. I expect the EOS R7 to come with an addon grip and use the same LP-E6NH battery as the EOS R5 and EOS R6.

However, I will not be buying any RF lenses. My complement of EF lenses have served me well and I do not need another series of lenses to clutter my equipment bags.

Stay tune as I get the latest leaks and information concerning the upcoming EOS R1 and EOS R7. If the Japanese government is serious about hosting the Summer Olympics on July 23, 2021, Canon is likely to have a development announcement in early 2021 and possible limited delivery for both cameras in time for the Olympics.