UPDATE: The Canon EOS R5S will apparently possess "total resolution 'north of 300MP'" using pixel-shift technology, according to the latest reports.
It had previously been reported that the Canon EOS R5S (its informal name, given that it is based on the Canon EOS R5, though it has also been referred to as the Canon EOS RS) possesses a 90MP image sensor and is already a "finished product" being field tested.
The latest story, however, claims that the camera will use the in-body image stabilization (IBIS) system to quadruple that resolution to between 300-306MP – much the same as the new firmware update that enables the Fujifilm GFX 100 to shoot 400MP images. This is apparently due to a “slightly different version” of the IBIS employed in the R5 and Canon EOS R6.
The breaking news by Canon Rumors also notes that the new camera will feature a near-identical design as the current R5, and likewise will feature a similar price point. However, video features are "NOT a focus", suggesting that for the same price you can choose between a 90 / 300MP camera or an 8K camera.
According to the website, an announcement is scheduled for Q1 2021 – though obviously all announcement dates remain a bit of a crapshoot due to the ongoing global health crisis.
ORIGINAL STORY (08 Sep): The Canon EOS RS – the manufacturer's long rumored, highly anticipated and high resolution member of the growing R system family – is making headlines again. According to reports, the "finished product" is now being field tested – and it possesses a sensor in the 90MP region.
Rumors about the Canon EOS RS have circulated ever since the launch of the original Canon EOS R. It had been understood that there were a number of DSLR-equivalent R system cameras in development, including a high-speed model with bursts similar to the flagship 1D X series (which may materialized in the Canon EOS R5 and Canon EOS R6), and a hi-res model to replace the Canon EOS 5DS/R.
This is where the unofficial name "EOS RS" came from, using the same nomenclature to denote a new mirrorless model with an extreme megapixel count. Earlier rumors had placed this count between 75 and 100MP, but the latest report places the pixels at 90MP.
That's according to the latest report from Canon Rumors, which also notes that the new hi-res camera will boast a new hi-res electronic viewfinder – one that's both physically larger and that packs more pixels.
"I have been told that again, a small group of photographers have the high-megapixel body in their hands as it’s going through the first phase of testing as a finished product," reports the site.
"This source claims that the new sensor is 'around 90mp', which would be quite the bump in resolution over the EOS R5, and would put the cameras into two completely different segments. Beyond the increased megapixels, I was also told that the EVF will be larger and higher resolution than the EOS R5."
The higher resolution and larger EVF would be nods towards the EOS RS' likely applications for landscape, still life, product and other studio work, where immense levels of detail and an appropriate means of viewing it are paramount.
As the kind of camera that's primarily intended as a tripod shooter, it raises a couple of intriguing questions about in-body image stabilization. Namely whether or not the RS will have or need it, and whether the emergence of a dedicated 90MP camera means that the addition of a pixel-shift mode to the R5 and R6 (a technology that quadruples image resolution, as seen on cameras like the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III and Sony A7R IV) will never come to pass.
Obviously we're still in the speculation stage right now but, if the camera is indeed in the hands of photographers, it won't be long before more leaks trickle through.
Read more:
Canon EOS R5 review
Canon EOS R6 review
Canon EOS R5 vs R6: what's the difference and which is right for you?
