Today Canon announced the US$4300 R5 II and officially launched the US$6300 R1. These are two of top three cameras in the RF lineup—the R3 is the other—so Just as Nikon did earlier with their Z8/Z9 combo, Canon is making a strong new statement about the top of their camera lineup.
The star of the early morning (in the US) press release salvo is clearly the R5 II, so let’s start with that.
What's New in the R5 II?
The big news here is all internal, as Canon has focused on making technology changes at the heart of the camera. Pixel count and basic body bits don’t change.
The biggest internal change is the move to a stacked BSI CMOS image sensor, which provides up to 30 fps, though with rolling shutter. Initial reports put the R5 II’s rolling shutter impact about halfway between the Nikon Z6 II and the Nikon Z8/Z9. I’m hearing something close to 1/160 (the Z8/Z9 is slightly greater than 1/250, and the Z6 III is about 1/70). Curiously, this new fast imaging chain doesn’t save bit depth data, like the original R5 did.
Eye Control in the viewfinder for directing focus has now made it’s way down to the R5 II (it’s in the R1 and R3). Like the R1, the R5 II gets the DIGIC Accelerator chip to help handle real time focus decisions, including those new Action Priority focus modes (for soccer, basketball, and volleyball), as well as being able to recognize people you’ve pre-registered with the camera (up to 10 sets of 10 people). Pre-capture also makes its way to the R5 II.
Many of the gains for the new camera come on the video side, including better heat management, including a new 4K SRaw video mode that’s full frame oversampled.
How's the R1 differ from the R3?
Again, the news is mostly about internal technology changes, though the R1 body is bigger than the R3. Here, everyone is mostly looking at how the R1 exceeds or improves the R3, though. That happens primarily in the focus system: the first quad-pixel mirrorless arrangement gives the R1 better focus discrimination on the vertical axis. A new Action Priority focus mode appears in the R1 (and also the R5 II) (I wish I had a dime for every time I’ve typed the word mode in my long career of documenting cameras). To achieve some of the advances, there’s a second DIGIC Accelerator chip in the camera.
While the image sensor is still just 24mp, the viewfinder jumps to 9.44m dots, with a 0.9x magnification. The mechanical shutter goes to 12 fps, the electronic to 40 fps. The image sensor is stacked, so rolling shutter is highly improved, but it’s unclear exactly by how much as I write this.
Video gets some boosts, with 6K/60p being the maximum capability. Dual CFexpress Type B cards help keep the card keeping up with the high data rates.
One thing that is already a discussion factor among pros is whether the Canon professional would be better off with the R1 or R3. I haven’t had a chance to use the former, so can’t really say. But Canon’s press release announce of the R1 didn’t really shine where it comes to making that decision. Of course, most of us don’t have to make that decision until fall 2024, as the R1 is being announced pre-Olympics, but won’t be available to the general public until much later.
Overall…
Only the R5 II was available to most media outlets prior to the launch, which is why you’re seeing so much more information about it today. Technically, it’s the more important camera, and Canon has badly needed to achieve parity with the Nikon Z8 ever since that camera appeared. For the most part, it seems that they’ve done that, and has managed to get a teeny bit past the Nikon frog in their jump. One way that Canon did better this time is in the accessory bits, where Nikon still doesn’t have additional hotshoe communication, or grips with Ethernet support built in.
But the timing and manner in which Canon made these launches seems meek. Basically, the announcements were made outside of business hours in Japan (7pm), the United States (3 to 6am), with only Europe getting mid-day announcements (and right at lunch time in, say, Paris). Those are not what I’d call “strong launch times,” where you can completely get people’s attention. Of course, given that neither camera will be available to the public prior to sometime in August (or later in the case of the R1), maybe Canon’s saving their ammunication for after the Olympics.
Still, it seems odd to me to announce major products this way.
Meanwhile...
Canon executives said the following in a recent press interview overseas: "there are...lenses with specifications that have never been seen before and that no one can imagine yet. We would like to develop those." My question about that is whether or not Canon has enough insight with photographers any more to develop lenses that haven't existed before, and that once the public discovers what Canon creates, will want them. I suspect instead that Canon is looking for "halo" products, ones that they can point to and say "see, we're leading."
The mantra among customers these days is "smaller and lighter." That comes from a number of areas, including an aging core base, airline and venue restrictions, and even the whole notion of not looking like a geek with a tech shop on their back and hanging from straps.
The Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L was one of those "haven't existed before" lenses. It's also over three pounds in weight and more expensive than most Canon cameras. I've seen a few pros pick this one up and then begin complaining about things (95mm filters, size/weight hanging off the front of lighter body, etc.). The thing about making something completely new is that, for it to really be meaningful in the market, it has to delight users. I'm skeptical about this.
I mentioned that I wasn't sure that I'm not sure that Canon has enough insight to what the photographers are actually doing and asking for. This month CanonUSA made a large set of layoffs and buyouts, including apparently, Rudy Winston, someone I've had the pleasure of interacting with and learning from. After Chuck Westfall died, Rudy was sort of a go to for both pros and media to get useful information here in the US.
Petapixel has published a response from Canon about the layoffs (and again, many if not most were people accepting a Canon buyout offer, not actually being terminated by the company): "Canon's recent reorganization was made to streamline operations and promote efficiency, in order to help achieve the necessary levels of performance that are required to meet our targets and remain competitive in a fast changing industry." This is corporate speak for "by eliminating employees we save money; we'll just make everyone left work harder."
I've written the following for almost all my career: when companies cut back on key knowledgable personnel that were effective in creating things or working directly with customers, they lower the quality they provide their customers. Lower the quality, and over time you'll lower your sales. Lower your sales, and you'll be downsizing again in the future. It's a death spiral if you think this is the plan to execute ad infinitum.
Canon's new cameras look good. However, they're at the top of the lineup where you actually need more people to help train and support those buying the cameras, not less. One of the things about Rudy was that, when I came to him with a narrow knowledge of a few Canon offerings, he was able to put that in context of the full lineup for me and show me things I either hadn't understood or had completely missed. I wonder who's going to do that for me tomorrow?
