Canon EOS R1 review: the sports camera king is back to reclaim its throne

The Canon EOS R1's combination of unprecedented AI features and killer autofocus makes it the most formidable sports camera on the market

Photographer James Artaius holding the Canon EOS R1 in front of a basketball game
(Image: © James Artaius)

Early Verdict

Unless something goes wrong in our lab testing, the Canon EOS R1 is the best sports camera I've ever used. Not only does it hit the sports sweet spot of 24MP, it enables you to upscale images to 96MP in-camera with no loss of quality. The new autofocus algorithms, predictive tracking and priority face detection conspire to produce the most robust AF system I've ever used, and video is a dream with features such as 6K 60p RAW and C-Log2. Pros know that coming first is about more than just speed, you also need smarts – and the EOS R1 has both by the bucketload.

Pros

  • +

    96MP in-camera upscaling

  • +

    40fps burst shooting

  • +

    Predictive AF tracking

  • +

    6K 60p with Canon-Log 2

Cons

  • -

    Only upscales JPEG/HEIF

  • -

    Slight banding issue?

  • -

    Blurry image detect, doesn't

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The Canon EOS R1 is the camera I've been waiting for since the entire R system was launched back in 2018. What is a camera system without a flagship camera? A standard-bearer to showcase the system and provide all the trickle-down goodness for the next half-decade.

Well, I've reviewed every top-tier sports camera from every manufacturer – literally the A to Z of flagship cameras. And after countless hours, three-and-a-half thousand photographs and endless seconds-turned-minutes of 240p video, I think I can safely say that the Canon EOS R1 is the best flagship sports camera on the market. 

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Sensor24.2MP back-side illuminated full frame stacked CMOS sensorRow 0 - Cell 2
Lens mountCanon RFRow 1 - Cell 2
AutofocusDual Pixel Intelligent AF cross-type, 4368 AF points stills / 3354 AF points moviesRow 2 - Cell 2
Image stabilization8.5 stops center, 7.5 stops cornersRow 3 - Cell 2
ISO range100 to 102,400 (exp 50 to 409,600)Row 4 - Cell 2
Video6K 60p, 4K 120p, 2K 240p, FullHD 240pRow 5 - Cell 2
Viewfinder0.64-inch OLED, 9.44 million dots, 120 / 60fps, 0.9x / 0.8x / 0.7x magnification, Eye Control AFRow 6 - Cell 2
LCD3.2-inch TFT, 2.1 million dotsRow 7 - Cell 2
Memory2x CFexpress Type B (up to 2TB)Row 8 - Cell 2
Max burst40fps electronic (500 JPEG or 230 RAW), 12 fps mechanical (1,000+ JPEG or 1,000+ RAW)Row 9 - Cell 2
ConnectivityWi-Fi (6G / 5G / 2.4G), Bluetooth, USB-C, HDMI, ethernet, microphone, headphone, N3 remote terminal, PC Sync output, GPS, Multi-function ShoeRow 10 - Cell 2
Size157.6 x 149.5 x 87.3mmRow 11 - Cell 2
Weight920g body only / 1115g with card and batteryRow 12 - Cell 2
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ResolutionAuto power-off temp: NormalAuto power-off temp: High
6K 60p RAW + proxy120 mins+120 mins+
4K 120p Long GOP15 mins15 mins
4K 60p Fine Long GOP (6K oversampled)109 mins109 mins
4K 60p Normal Long GOP120 mins+120 mins+
4K 30p Normal Long GOPNo restrictionNo restriction
FullHD 240p46 mins46 mins

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James Artaius
Editor

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.