Are the R1 and R5 Mark II AI cameras? "It may be too much to call them that," says Canon exec, "but AI makes them even more capable"
(Image credit: James Artaius)
While the new Canon EOS R1 and EOS R5 Mark II are packed with groundbreaking AI features, Canon tells me that "it may be too much to call them AI cameras".
The headline specs for both bodies heavily lean towards AI functionality. In particular, the Neural network Image Processing system enables both cameras to perform 400% upscaling and 2-stop ISO noise reduction in-camera – two features that I think are going to change cameras forever.
Then there's the key AI-informed autofocus systems, namely the Action Priority algorithms that enable the camera to recognize and predict the movement of both the human body and the ball itself during sporting contests.
On top of that, the R1 also flirts with AI image culling in the form of its Blur / Out-of-focus image detection system to help you identify and easily delete missed shots.
So I asked a senior Canon executive whether it was fair to call the R1 and R5 Mark II 'AI cameras', given that they are focused far more on AI-driven features than on chasing traditional specs such as megapixel counts and frame rates.
Manabu Kato, of Canon's Imaging Business Operations, unveils the EOS R1 and R5 Mark II at the gala announcement event in Munich (Image credit: James Artaius)
"We consider that AI is used to brush up the end result achieved by the camera itself," replied Manabu Kato, group executive of Canon's Imaging Business Operations. "We are trying to achieve results from the camera itself that are as high a level as possible, and AI is helping to make it a little bit better."
"So as you might know from using the cameras, the autofocus is already working pretty well. But AI is actually helping us do more with the autofocus – making the camera understand the action, for example, is one of the things that AI enabled us to do with the autofocus that is already good.
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"So it may be a little too much to call them AI cameras! But the AI is helping make them even more capable."
With artificial intelligence increasingly causing fear among the public, and among creatives, Kato-san was also keen to clarify the nature of the AI that's being used by Canon in these cameras.
"I want to emphasize, we are just using deep learning and not necessarily generative AI," he explained. "We're using AI to enhance what we already have."
And what Canon already has, in the R1 and R5 Mark II, are two of the best Canon cameras ever made.
The editor of Digital Camera World, James has 21 years experience as a journalist and started working in the photographic industry in 2014 (as an assistant to Damian McGillicuddy, who succeeded David Bailey as Principal Photographer for Olympus). In this time he shot for clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal, in addition to shooting campaigns and product testing for Olympus, and providing training for professionals. This has led him to being a go-to expert for camera and lens reviews, photo and lighting tutorials, as well as industry news, rumors and analysis for publications like Digital Camera Magazine, PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine, N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine, Digital Photographer and Professional Imagemaker, as well as hosting workshops and talks at The Photography Show. He also serves as a judge for the Red Bull Illume Photo Contest. An Olympus and Canon shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and a fondness for vintage lenses and instant cameras.
