Shutterbugs, this one’s for you. Japanese imaging giant Canon has announced two upcoming cameras to be added to its EOS roster: the all-new flagship EOS R1, arriving in November this year, alongside a second edition to the EOS R5, which ships in August.
The former breaks new ground for the brand as its first-ever flagship EOS R model. The top-of-the-line full-frame mirrorless camera will be targeted squarely at “professionals and craftsmen”, empowering them with “class-leading control and performance” by way of an updated suite of sensors and features – many of which are powered by deep learning.
Chief among the features of the new EOS R1 is a Canon-first in the cutting-edge Dual Pixel Intelligent AF (autofocus) system, which uses a mix of deep learning algorithms in the camera’s uprated image processing engine to improve subject detection and achieve autofocus even in tricky, fast-paced scenarios.
Sport photographers, for example, will appreciate the versatility of the Action Priority AF mode when it intelligently detects pivotal moments during a game of football or volleyball – say, passing or scoring – by analysing players’ movements, positions and the location of the ball, before zooming in on the action and focusing on what’s important.
But everyone knows that every sporting team, no matter how strong across the board, is underpinned by star players. The EOS R1 enables users to focus not just on what’s most important, but who’s most important with the Register People Priority feature, where up to 10 individuals can be kept in focus even when they’re side-facing.
Other deep learning-enabled features include the camera’s ability to take an image captured by a 24-megapixel sensor, quadruple its number of pixels using In-Camera Upscaling tech and bump its fidelity to the equivalent of a whopping 96 megapixels.
The speedier image processing system also allows professionals to churn out dozens of high-quality photographs in a shorter timeframe, ensuring that their ability to meet tight deadlines won’t be limited by slow equipment. And we do mean dozens, as EOS R1 can shoot high-speed bursts at up to 40 fps with the electronic shutter.
The Dual Pixel Intelligent AF system, Register People Priority function, Accelerated Capture image processor system and In-Camera Upscaling feature, among others, can also be found on the EOS R5 Mark II, the upgraded version of the preexisting R5.
If you are a content creator, you may seriously want to consider this model. Its new upgrades and functions include a new 45-megapixel back-illuminated (BSI) stacked CMOS sensor, improved Eye Control AF, and Cinema EOS features such as the new 4K DCI 60p SRAW recording option. Another notable feature is the Dual Shooting function. You won’t have to juggle between still images and video as users can simultaneously take 16:9, approximately 33.2-megapixel JPEG still images while recording full HD 30p videos.
The EOS R5 Mark II (RRP $5999, body only) will be available at Canon authorised dealers from end-August 2024, while the EOS R1 (RRP $9599) will be available later in November. For more information, visit sg.canon.
