Canon will launch its flagship EOS R1 camera this year

Canon has revealed that its first flagship EOS R System camera, the Canon EOS R1, will arrive later this year. 

According to Canon, the EOS R1 will be marketed toward professionals looking for top-class performance, strong durability and cutting-edge technology. This includes those working in sports, news reporting, and video production. 

The camera will also offer improved performance when shooting both stills and video compared to the brand’s current top-of-the-line camera, the Canon EOS R3. 

Many of the EOS R1’s improvements will come down to a fresh image processing system compromised of Canon’s newly developed image processor Digic Accelerator combined with the existing Digic X and a new CMOS sensor. 

This combo will enable the flagship to process large volumes of data at high speeds and deliver new advancements in autofocus, including improved subject recognition, and subject tracking. Canon uses the example of a team sporting event where the camera will lock onto its target and retain focus on that person even when other players pass in front of them. 

The camera will also feature an Action Priority mode which analyses the scene to determine which player is performing an action – such as shooting the ball – automatically shifting the focus to that person. 

You can also expect to see improvements in image quality thanks to the image noise reduction function which will now be available in-camera. 

This isn’t the first we’d heard of the Canon EOS R1. The mirrorless camera has been slated as Canon’s replacement for its flagship DLSR, the EOS-1D X Mark III, since 2021. The camera was also basically confirmed by Canon exec Go Tokura in an interview with Photo Trend last year. 

However, this is the first official announcement we’ve received from Canon regarding the EOS R1. Even better, it gives us a time frame to look forward to as the company aims for a 2024 launch.