Canon EOS R1 Flagship Mirrorless Camera Development Confirmed

Camera News

by Jeff LochMay 15^th, 2024

Canon has just announced that their first flagship mirrorless camera, the EOS R1, is in the development stage and should be launched later this year. Here is everything we know about this camera so far!

Since the announcement of the EOS R100 APS-C mirrorless camera a year ago, Canon has not launched any new cameras. The company’s latest full-frame camera, the EOS R8, was released in February 2023. It seems like Canon put more energy towards lenses, including the launch of the impressive RF24-105mm f/2.8 L IS USM Z.

However, Canon shooters should be happy to hear that the rumors about the first Canon flagship camera are valid and that the EOS R1 will come out this year.

Canon EOS R1 development announced

While we don’t have all of the information about Canon’s upcoming EOS R1 flagship mirrorless camera, the company started teasing it. According to Canon, the EOS R1 will “dramatically improve the performance of both still images and video, in comparison to the EOS R3, and meet the high requirements of professionals on the frontlines of a wide range of fields including sports, news reporting, and video production.”

The EOS R3 was officially announced in September 2021, and it is a powerful creative tool: 6K60P internal RAW video recording, 4K120P, Canon Log 3, state-of-the-art Dual Pixel CMOS AF II and Eye Control AF focusing system, etc. We tested the camera in our Lab Test and were impressed by the results.

If the EOS R1 “dramatically improves the performance” compared to the EOS R3, it should be an impressive mirrorless camera. The EOS R1 will boast a “newly developed image processor DIGIC Accelerator in addition to the pre-existing processor DIGIC X.”

Canon also mentions that the EOS R1 will sport a new CMOS image sensor. Combining a new sensor with this new image processing system makes it easy to speculate about resolutions/framerates/codecs that this flagship camera will offer. However, we have yet to get any information about these. Regarding image quality, Canon only mentions that the EOS R1 “implements the image noise reduction function, which has been previously developed and improved as part of the software for PCs, as a camera function to improve image quality further and contribute to user creativity.”

Canon EOS R1 autofocus technology

While Canon doesn’t mention anything about the EOS R1 shooting capabilities, here is what they say about the autofocus technology and development:

“By combining the new image processing system and deep learning technology to an advanced degree, Canon has achieved high-speed and high-accuracy subject recognition. For example, subject tracking accuracy has been improved so that in team sporting events where multiple subjects intersect, the target subject can continually be tracked even if another player passes directly in front of them. In addition, the AF “Action Priority” function recognizes subject movement by rapidly analyzing the subject’s status. In moments during a sports game when it is difficult to predict what will happen next, this function automatically determines the player performing a certain action, such as shooting a ball, as the main subject and instantly shifts the AF frame, thereby helping to capture decisive moments of gameplay.”

With the Paris 2024 Olympics right around the corner, there is little doubt that selected photographers and filmmakers will use the EOS R1, a camera built for sports photography, to shoot the event. Keep your eyes open; you might see an EOS R1 hidden behind some gaffer tape during the Olympics.

What do you think about the announcement of the development of the EOS R1? Are you looking forward to this flagship mirrorless camera? What feature, framerate, or resolution would you like to see? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments down below!