Canon has been playing catch-up when it comes to mirrorless over the last couple of years, but other manufacturers should brace themselves: things might be about to change.
When rumors of the EOS R5 surfaced last week, many understandably assumed that someone was expertly trolling the camera industry. A 45-megapixel sensor shooting 20 frames per second electronic and 8K raw video seemed preposterous, but Canon Rumors was quick to double down, albeit acknowledging that the 8K raw video (since dialed back to just 8K) would probably not be straight forward. The rest of the specifications have remained consistent, however: 12 frames per second mechanical, dual card slots, 4K at 120 fps, and 5 stops of in-body stabilization. The announcement is expected to come next week with the launch thought to be scheduled for July of this year (see Canon Rumors for more).
If that rumor weren’t sufficient to get industry geeks excited, a second camera emerged merely a day later: an R6 is in the pipeline with very similar features. This would feature a 20-megapixel sensor but keep the IBIS, 12 fps mechanical and 20 fps of the R5. Video will be 4K 60p and this new body would be due to hit shelves in June, with an announcement expected in May.
A few weeks ago it was reported that a third full frame mirrorless camera might also appear that is positioned even lower in price and specifications than the current EOS RP, and a 75-megapixel mirrorless body has been slated for well over a year. And if that wasn’t enough, chatter about an APS-C version of an RF-mount camera is circulating, fueled further by the possible naming conventions that Canon seems to be employing: the R5 would take over from the 5D Mark IV, and the R6 will replace the 6D Mark II — it stands to reason that an R7 may finally be the successor to the 7D Mark II. A flagship APS-C ILC that shoots professional-quality glass without an adapter is currently a gaping hole in Canon’s line-up and one that’s been yawning wider and wider for some time given that an upgrade to the 7D Mark II should arguably have arrived in 2019 at the very latest.
The Canon 7D Mark II. Those waiting for the Mark III may be waiting a long time.
While an APS-C announcement might yet be a while off, 2020 could prove to be a pivotal year not just for Canon, but for the industry as a whole. Canon and Nikon have been slow to the mirrorless game and Canon has a reputation for moving at a glacial pace. It is a hugely conservative brand that, despite its efforts to inject a little bit of spice by dubbing its entry-level models the Rebel, is not one to take risks.
Historically, Sony offers a stark contrast. Without the hundreds of thousands of sports and press agency photographers who pull gear off the shelf and just expect it to work, Sony has had a license to be more experimental. Arguably, it has rolled out technology that’s not fully developed, creating waves by launching gear that’s been at times problematic. Early adopters have been relatively forgiving over issues such as battery life and overheating. Sony was able to take this risk because it only had customers to win and very few customers to lose.
Canon has not had this luxury. It is a manufacturer that has a reputation for holding off on technology until it is fully developed, though this has shifted slightly since the launch of the EOS R, with incremental upgrades to eye autofocus offered via firmware updates. The legendary Cripple Hammer (hat tip to Camera Conspiracies) has been deployed furiously, however, as the ability to shoot video in 24p has been randomly flip-flopped across camera models, and autofocus is typically a luxury reserved for those who don’t want to shoot video in 4K.
The gamechanger? The Sony a7 III.
Sony’s sharp elbows and aggressive pricing have transformed the market, but it’s long been assumed that Canon would retaliate — eventually. If the rumors prove true, and if the Cripple Hammer has been put on a leash, this retaliation might be about to arrive, and the resulting excitement would have you believe that Canon might end up releasing the long-delayed a7S III on Sony’s behalf.
The Single-Slotted Toe Dipper
The single-slotted toe tipper. The amuse-bouche. The Lorem Ipsum. The EOS R.
In time, the EOS R may prove to be the Lorem Ipsum of mirrorless cameras, offering little more than a single-slotted toe dip. It is an amuse-bouche, though perhaps one that didn’t taste all that great and only made us wonder whether the chef was running late and had asked the pot washer to crack on without him. “Canon has a history of not always being first in the market with new technology,” said Go Tokura, Canon’s Image Communication Business Operations Chief Executive a little less than a year ago. “But we are very good at catching up, going beyond and becoming the leader.”
On top of these rumors comes a handful of interesting comments that coincided with the release of Canon’s financial results for the year ending 2019. Executives acknowledge the dramatic market contraction but openly state that they “see stable demand for professional and advanced-amateur models,” and these are reassuring noises for stockholders.
What’s more noticeable is the acknowledgement that it needs to rectify its market position. “Our line up is still insufficient,” the report notes. “In order to recover from our late entry into the mirrorless camera market, we have plans to launch a model that incorporates a newly developed image sensor and image-processing engine that offer even more advanced features.” Basically, to all those that think that Canon dropped the ball, don’t worry: that’s about to change. When translated from the staid, buttoned-down formalities of Japanese business-speak, this roughly translates as: "Hold on to your hats, folks. Shit's about to get real."
Many assumed that Canon would unleash something significant once it had done the R&D, but not many would have predicted 45-megapixels at 20 frames per second, dual card slots and IBIS. (Let’s leave the 8K raw video alone for the moment.) Once that’s digested, three questions emerge: firstly, what battery is going to support this level of throughput, especially with autofocus tracking? Secondly, will Canon have finally resolved issues regarding crop and autofocus limitations when shooting video? And thirdly, how much is this beast going to cost?
Hearing the news, some Canon shooters despaired, realizing that this might end up being an exceptionally expensive camera that shoots at a resolution that relatively few require. As if anticipating this alarm, the rumor mills responded in kind: don’t worry, a 20-megapixel version is not far behind.
If a Canon R6 emerges in line with the rumors, can you really regard it as a successor to the 6D Mark II?
Is Canon playing the long game? If the R5 rumors are true, how will it be priced? Is Nikon going to shock and awe with something even more impressive? Will the Sony a7 IV then blow the R5 out of the water? Your thoughts in the comments, please.
The first time I became aware of companies intentionally crippling equipment for marketing purposes was when I was a kid in the 1970s. I had this cheap 4-function hand calculator with a blank space where a button could go. One day I was feeling brave and took the thing apart. There were contacts under the blank button space, just no physical key in that spot. So I made little button out of a rivet and a piece of plastic, just to see what it would do. Turns out it was a Memory button, and now my calculator had a working memory function.
Cripple hammer, indeed.
Wishful Canon thinking.
Has much has i would like to believe these specs and very probably going to accurate in a sense.
What i mean by that is based on canon other camera like the EOS R and 5D MARK IV is that canon will do thing to cripple there cameras like 4k with a 1.7 crop and with some cameras m50 no duel pixel autofocus. Another example is the canon EOS R and it 8 fps seems good on paper Until you realize that only does 8fps in single servo mode AF. When you turn the AF mode to AI servo the mode you would be using for fast frame rate it goes down to 5fps and even 3 fps way slower than 8fps. So it can technically it can do 8fps so they can put that on the spec sheet but practically it only does 5 fps. So i think from past camera that it will be similar the specs with look good on paper but in the real world they will be not accurate like 8k but with crop and no autofocus. I believe that canon will have these specs like 20fps and 8k but there will be something that will cripple these features.
I am ready. Have cleared my bag. Just have the R for DSLR and a Power Shot, plus my phone. Bring it on. I have cancer and am 72. Not a lot of time left.
I hope for everybody (competition is great for us consumers) that Canon will go all out to deliver a great camera. Nevertheless, Canon have a history of crippling just about everything in their cameras. They are the crippling emperors of the world. I don't doubt their ability to deliver great stuff but so far they have only flipped the finger at their loyal users and never once really tried to deliver a really outstanding camera.
For the past 5-6 years every new camera just kept up with the competition, never being better or more advanced than the competition. So far, there have been lots of rumours but never anything you can hold into your hands that was actually ahead of the others. Kudos for their marketing department. They have done a great job.
I don't want to be cynical but let's just see and wait. I hope I am wrong but for the past 6 years, Canon have been a rather complacent, lazy and arrogant company.
I'm just going to stick with my Nikon d800 until it breaks in 10 years. I never understood why people have to buy new gear every year.
I agree with you; I kept my last camera for 11 years, but this is the reason why the camera industry is starting to struggle. You have a fantastic camera. What more do you need, really?
Yea its weird...every minor upgrade to something and everyone jumps on it - New tech won't help you take better pictures.
Gosh...I never knew that the Canon Eos R should be thought of as an Amuse- Bouche. The camera is capable of capturing superb images that translate into exceptional prints. The new RF glass is great-albeit costly-and performs perfectly on the camera's new mount. Perhaps video shooters would want more features, but one might opine that for the bulk of serious amateurs and pros the camera is perfect. Who really needs 45 MP? One isn't taking photos in the large intestine where the dynamic range is not calculable.
BTW...at the current rate of iPhone sales and new editing software, one wonders how big the potential market remains for ANY mirror-less camera.
Nevertheless, thanks for the review and your interesting opinions.
Stay well.
Pretty much any modern camera is capable of capturing superb images. Canon have released some amazing lenses, however also at amazing prices.
OMG, the guy in the image at top does NOT know how to punch. He's going to break his fingers, and probably his wrist, too.