UPDATE: Sodium warning – the Canon EOS R1 is set to ship in Q4 2022, and has been described as "a jack of all trades… master of everything."
Canon is in no immediate rush to release the Canon EOS R1 – the manufacturer's unconfirmed but inevitable 1-series mirrorless flagship camera – having only just launched the Canon EOS R3. However, with both the Sony A1 and the new Nikon Z9 out-speccing it in numerous areas, the industry is now expectantly waiting to see what the R1 will do.
• Read more: Best professional cameras
According to the latest report from Canon Rumors, we'll have to wait until late next year for the Canon EOS R1 launch – in part, because Canon is waiting for feedback on the R3 to finalize the specifications. "I have been told we should expect the Canon EOS R1 to begin shipping in Q4 of 2022," wrote the outlet. An announcement may come as early as Q3.
"Feedback from the Canon EOS R3 will help finalize the specifications of the EOS R1. Canon has really started to build higher-end products with tons of feedback from users over the last few years, and this will continue for the EOS R1 development."
Will it meet the 45.7MP or 50.1MP standards set by the Z9 and A1 – or even hit the 85MP heights rumored earlier this year?
"I have seen a presentation slide talking about a camera above the EOS R3, I will assume it’s the EOS R1, but it wasn’t named," continues the report. "The presentation mentions that the camera will have a higher resolution than the Canon EOS R5’s 45mp. The actual pixel count was not mentioned."
Get the Digital Camera World Newsletter
The best camera deals, reviews, product advice, and unmissable photography news, direct to your inbox!
As with all new camera rumors, take this with a huge pinch of salt… but never close your mind, because where there's smoke there's often fire as well!
ORIGINAL STORY (08 Mar 2021): Would you like to hear something unreal? The Canon EOS R1 will boast an 85MP global shutter sensor, capable of continuous 20fps bursts at the full 85MP resolution and a crazy 40fps when cropped to 21MP… that is, if you believe the latest reports.
In addition, the Canon EOS R1 will apparently possess Quad Pixel AF, an in-body image stabilization (IBIS) system capable of up to 9 stops, along with 15.5 stops of dynamic range with a maximum ISO sensitivity of 1.6 million.
• Read more: Best Canon cameras
Obviously, these specifications are so wild that you might be checking your calendar to see if it's actually April 1st. However, while we recommend taking them with a pinch of salt so large that it's probably dangerous for your sodium levels, it's important to remember one thing: everyone doubted the specs of the Canon EOS R5 when they first leaked, too.
There's a possibility that this a leaker having fun with Canon Rumors, which reported these specs. There's also a possibility that – as sometimes happens – specs from different unreleased cameras are conflated, which is possibly the case here as many of these individual details are quite familiar.
We've already heard, for example, that the Canon EOS R1 will have a global shutter with Quad Pixel AF. And the 85MP hasn't come out of thin air; the long-rumored high-resolution Canon EOS RS has always been said to have a sensor up to 90MP (possibly with 300MP via pixel shift).
Even those crazy 85MP / 20fps and 21MP / 40fps burst speeds aren't impossible, as Canon News explains:
"Let's for starters assume this is running Dual Digic X. Believe it or not 85MP at 20 fps is indeed possible. That would be around 1.7Giga-pixels per second, which is under the theoretical maximum of 1.8GigaPixels per second with 2 Digic X processors. So this could in theory happen especially if Canon drops the bit rate down to 12 bits. The 40 fps would be lens limited unless it's AE fixed – because apertures would start flying apart if AF/AE happened in between each exposure."
Other details, though, definitely strain credulity – namely the kind of dynamic range that's being claimed, and the wild touchscreen specifications. Still, if nothing else, these are fun food for thought on an idle day!
Canon EOS R1 specs (grain of salt required!)
• Approx. 85MP global shutter CMOS imaging sensor
• Approx. 85MP at 20fps, 21MP at 40fps unlimited continued shooting
• Full Sensor Large Quad Pixel Auto-focus technology
• 15.5 EV+ wide dynamic range
• ISO 160-1638400
• 5-axis IBIS up to 9 stop
• 3.5” 9.33MP 1280nit 10-bit WCG RGB-OLED touch screen with 120Hz AE-AF
• 9.44MP 120Hz SuperSpeed AE-AF electronic viewfinder
• Price $8,500 in USA
Read more:
Hands on: Canon EOS R3 review
Canon EOS R5 review
Canon EOS-1D X Mark III review
Best Canon Black Friday deals
Best Black Friday camera deals
Best Cyber Monday camera deals
