100MP Canon EOS R5S is coming next year (report)

Don't shoot the messenger! Canon is set to unleash a 100MP Canon EOS R5S next year, breaking the megapixel record for a full-frame mirrorless camera, according to the latest rumors.

Furthermore, the Canon EOS R5S won't simply be a regular Canon EOS R5 with a higher-resolution sensor inside – rather, it's going to be a redesigned body with landscape and studio photography in mind.

• Read more: Canon EOS R5 review

Of course, rumors about a high resolution EOS R have been doing the rounds ever since the original Canon EOS R was launched – and it is perfectly consistent with the nature of Canon's existing DSLR product line.

The EOS R5S would, for all intents and purposes, be the mirrorless equivalent of the Canon EOS 5DS / R, currently the manufacturer's highest resolution consumer camera – though the R5S would pack significantly more megapixels onto its sensor.

The question has always been just how many pixels that would actually be. Previously we've heard everything from 70 to 80 to 90MP – indeed, late last year it was said that Canon was field testing a 90MP version capable of 300MP images via pixel shift technology.

This latest report from Canon Rumors, however, suggests that Canon is going all out to hit the same 100MP threshold as the all-powerful Fujifilm GFX 100 and Fujifilm GFX 100S. Not to mention giving it a head-and-shoulders advantage over Sony's rival hi-res body, the 61MP Sony A7R IV.

"A solid source has told me that Canon hasn’t yet internally decided on which image sensor will come in the new high-megapixel RF mount camera," writes Canon Rumors. "This camera will replace the equally loved and hated EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R.

"Apparently, the goal now is to be north of 100mp, to provide even more separation between the EOS R5’s 45mp and the new high-megapixel sensor. The same source also mentions that it’s not simply going to be an EOS R5 body with a higher resolution sensor, but a camera geared towards landscape and studio photographers. What that means ergonomically, I’m not sure."

While 100 megapixels on a 35mm image sensor is a colossal technological challenge, as the old slogan goes, if anyone can, Canon can!

James has 22 years experience as a journalist, serving as editor of Digital Camera World for 6 of them. He started working in the photography industry in 2014, product testing and shooting ad campaigns for Olympus, as well as clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal. An Olympus / OM System, Canon and Hasselblad shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and he loves instant cameras, too.

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