Following a development announcement in May, Canon has now released full details of its first R-series professional camera and new category flagship model, the EOS R1.
Front view of the new EOS R1 camera with no lens fitted.
The first flagship model for the mirrorless EOS R System to come with an RF mount, the EOS R1 has been designed for professional photographers and introduces new, cutting-edge technology to provide top-class performance with the strong durability and high reliability sought in a flagship model. Ideal for sports, news reporting and video production, the new camera introduces a new 24-megapixel (effective) full frame back illuminated stacked CMOS sensor, which is coupled with a new image processing system that adds a newly developed DIGIC Accelerator chip to the existing DIGIC X processor. Up to 96 megapixels in-camera with Deep Learning and image upscaling can be achieved, along with noise reduction. Enhanced flash sync speeds of up to 1/400 second plus improved white balance and image exposure evaluation means more consistency and versatility for a variety of genres.
The combination of the new DIGIC Accelerator chip and the DIGIC X processor Provide performance boosts that support new, cutting-edge camera functions. (Source: Canon.)
Cross-type AF is included for the first time on an EOS R series body with extra horizontal line detection capabilities for photographing sports. The new system excels in challenging conditions such as when shooting through a tennis net, picking out smaller subjects and locking on to vertical detail in situations where horizontal detail is missing from the subject under the AF area. This latest technology is a first for Canon mirrorless cameras and requires a completely new Dual Pixel CMOS AF sensor arrangement to support autofocus tracking sensitivity along the vertical and horizontal axis of the sensor and deliver fast and accurate results. It gives photographers the ability to capture an image that could have previously been missed.
The EOS R1’s sensor supports native ISO sensitivities up to ISO 102,400, plus video recording at up to 6.7K at 60p resolution or 4K at 120fps, along with Full HD at 240fps. Using the silent electronic shutter, the camera can recorded ‘unlimited’ continuous bursts at 40 fps with AF/AE tracking between each frame and 20 frames of pre-continuous shooting, meaning that users can follow a scene without sacrificing image quality. Up to 120 fps full-featured continuous shooting is also supported at 4K resolution ranging up to 240 fps when recording in Full HD mode. These settings are especially useful for photographers who shoot fast-moving sports and action-rich performances, such as concerts. Pre-shooting capture enables users to record up to 20 stills frames or 3 or 5 seconds of video before the shutter button has been fully depressed.
Designed to withstand the toughest conditions, the EOS R1 features a newly designed weather-sealed body with renewed outer texture and integrated vertical grip. A high-resolution EVF with 9.4 million dots, an anti-fog design and a wide viewfinder eyepiece make it a comfortable camera for shooting sports over long durations. Newly added is the two-stage AF-ON button which allows the quick activation of two programmable functions within one button allowing photographers to rapidly respond to changing action in front of them.
The sample images below were taken with the OS R1 and supplied by Canon to illustrate some of the camera’s capabilities.
200m focal length, ISO 16,000, 1/2500 second at f/2.8.
400m focal length, ISO 400, 1/2500 second at f/2.8.
20m focal length, ISO 6400, 1/2500 second at f/2.8.
200m focal length, ISO 6400, 1/2000 second at f/2.8.
111m focal length, ISO 100, 1/2000 second at f/2.8.