After years of build-up and wild speculation, the EOS R1 delivers one heck of a camera – but not the one expected
(Image credit: Canon)
The Canon EOS R1 is perhaps one of the most overhyped cameras I have yet to cover as a journalist. I have been writing up rumors about the imminent release of the R1 for at least the past couple of years to no avail. Yet, at last, it is finally here! (Well, almost – it's actually available in November.)
The EOS R1 is almost everything you could realistically need or want as a sports photographer. It is an incredible bit of technology that I am sure will be in the kit bag of every Canon-favoring professional who can get their hands on one.
It has a super-fast back-illuminated stacked sensor, the future of autofocus with Canon’s Incredible Eye Control AF, and 8.5 stops of image stabilization. It has deep learning algorithms that can identify sports, recognize and focus on specific faces, upscale resolution, and scrub out unwanted noise. It is the pinnacle of Canon's sports camera technology. So why am I not more excited by it?
The Canon EOS R1 (Image credit: Canon)
Supposedly hit by delay after delay, the belief was that Canon was putting back the launch to debut some new mind-blowing technology. After all, this is meant to be Canon's flagship mirrorless. There were convincing rumors of a global shutter sensor, given even more credence by Sony’s A9 III debuting its own, and there were rumors of high megapixel counts, long 8K recording times, and next-generation Quad-Pixel autofocus. Yet, all these turned out to be fiction.
In the end, we still have a remarkable camera, but one that feels more like a logical evolution of the Canon EOS R3 rather than a brand-new world-beating flagship that was promised. The Nikon Z8, Sony A1, and aforementioned Sony A9 III were all being released prior to the R1 but offer arguably more all-around flagship status. Is perhaps the Canon EOS R5 Mark II the flagship instead?
Speculating about new cameras shows how passionate people are about new technology, but speculation that doesn't materialize is pretty anticlimactic. I think this is especially true with the Canon EOS R1, as the gestation period for the camera has been so long that it allowed more time for expectations to run riot.
I still can’t wait to get my hands on the EOS R1 and I already see it going down as one of, if not, the best cameras for sports photography. But watching the announcement I can't help thinking, this isn't quite the flagship I expected.
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Gareth is a photographer based in London, working as a freelance photographer and videographer for the past several years, having the privilege to shoot for some household names. With work focusing on fashion, portrait and lifestyle content creation, he has developed a range of skills covering everything from editorial shoots to social media videos. Outside of work, he has a personal passion for travel and nature photography, with a devotion to sustainability and environmental causes.
