Canon Launches EOS R1 and R5 Mark II: A Leap Forward in Autofocus Technology
Professionals and advanced amateurs are the target market for the EOS R1 and R5 Mark II, which also include superior noise reduction and in-camera upscaling along with a new sports-specific tracking focus technology.
Canon just unveiled the EOS R1 and EOS R5 Mark II, two much awaited cameras. Since Canon had revealed the R1's development earlier this year, it was expected. It was also a fair expectation that the 4-year-old R5 would receive a follow-up model; therefore, the question with the Mark II was not whether, but when.
The two new cameras have a lot of technology in common, such as internal Raw video capture, superior in-camera upscaling and noise reduction, and a next-generation focusing system that can identify movements and activities seen in some team sports.
The EOS R1 and R5 Mark II are similar in terms of features. Though they differ greatly externally, the two cameras have many technical features in common, such as eye-controlled autofocus, a dual processing system with a newly developed Digic Accelerator processor in addition to the already potent Digic X chip, and stacked BSI CMOS sensor architecture with both mechanical and electronic sync for flashes.
The EOS R1 Has a Gripped Body Type
Form and function of the R1 are derived from preceding 1D series SLRs, the most recent of which is the EOS 1D X Mark III. Similar to the 1D series, the R1 is a rather large camera with a built-in vertical grip, a large battery, and a build that can withstand the demands of sports photographers covering an NFL game in the rain or snow and photojournalists operating in crisis zones. We are informed by a Canon representative that you "can hammer a nail with the camera, practically."
An Ethernet port on the EOS R1 is onboard and supports transfers at 2.5 Gbps. Photographers shooting live events who need to plug in and send images in real time to an editor or wire service will find Ethernet helpful. One of the reasons Canon's engineers selected a 24MP sensor was the requirement for this kind of instantaneous download; a lower pixel count allows for smaller file sizes and a higher ISO 102400 ceiling. The R1 has two CFexpress (Type B) card slots for storage. A few distinct file types are supported: JPG, HEIF, Compressed Raw (C Raw), and full-quality 14-bit Raw.
Canon was able to use a larger viewfinder in the R1 than the R5 Mark II because of the larger body type. With a 0.9x magnification rating, an astounding 9.44 million dots of resolution, and a fluid refresh rate of 120 frames per second, it boasts one of the largest OLED EVFs of any camera—perfect for tracking moving targets. The 0.9x size is comparable to the best that rivals have offered. For example, EVFs with the same size and resolution are the high-pixel a7R V and Sony's similarly minded a1.
The highest video resolution, 6K60, uses the entire width and cuts down to 16:9 thanks to the stabilized 24MP sensor. That corresponds to up to 60 frames per second of an 18MP video frame, for context. Both raw format recording and HEVC compressed video with a variety of bit rates and encoding techniques, such as All-I, Intra, and LongGOP, are supported. Although the exact rolling shutter reading is unknown, we do know that the sensor scans fast enough to allow for a 1/320-second sync time with external flashes for photography, or roughly 3.1 milliseconds.
Event Photographers and Vloggers Will Love the EOS R5 Mark II
The R5 Mark II continues the legacy of the 5D SLR series, which was the first digital line of cameras from the firm to use a full-frame format image sensor. Although it has a sturdy build and weather sealing, the camera isn't as durable as the R1. It also lacks an Ethernet port and an internal grip, but you can add an external grip by connecting to a network. Professional photographers and skilled amateurs have historically utilized this camera. It has two card slots as well, but divides them between UHS-II SDXC and CFe (Type B).
Although it is a new processor, the 45MP sensor has the same number of pixels as the original R5. It has a maximum ISO 51200 sensitivity and, like the R1, uses a stabilized Stacked BSI CMOS architecture to provide rapid readout speeds for 1/250-second electronic sync, which is suggestive of a rolling shutter scan time of better than 4 ms.
The R5 II has a high pixel count, but it can still take pictures quickly—up to 30 frames per second when the electronic shutter is used for tracking. The R5 Mark II is rated for up to 230 14-bit Raw photographs in a burst when using a CFe (Type B) card and 95 shots with SDXC UHS-II, despite having 45MP of data for each of those frames. Another option is Compressed Raw (C-Raw), which reduces file sizes to make photos less editable but increases the buffer capacity to 580 frames on both types of cards. There are also lighter file formats available; for JPGs, you can utilize 10-bit HEIFs or reduce color sampling to 8-bit.
There's also an improved EVF for the R5 Mark II. It has the same 5.76 million dot OLED finder with a 0.76x magnification that Canon employs on the EOS R3. The Nikon Z 8 has an EVF that is somewhat larger to the eye at 0.80x, but the R5 II's is competitive with others in its class. It offers an optical viewfinder simulation mode that opens shadows and reduces contrast to provide you a better perspective of your scene, or it allows a real-time exposure preview.
The R5's smaller size is appealing to event photographers who often use two bodies in tandem. And while its new LP-E6N battery provides more power than older versions of the power pack, it's no match for the R1 in longevity. Even so, creators upgrading from an older Canon will appreciate that the LP-E6N uses the same form factor as earlier iterations, so you can grab an older power pack and run the camera in a pinch, albeit with some restrictions on function. The LP-E6N is a strict requirement if you want to record video at 8K quality, for example. And in a note of good news for pros with multiple cameras, the LP-E6N will work in older Canons too, though you'll need to wait for forthcoming firmware updates for compatibility. If you wish to capture video at 8K resolution, for example, you must have the LP-E6N. Positive news for professionals who use numerous cameras: the LP-E6N is also compatible with earlier Canon models, however compatibility will require future firmware updates.
The R5 II uses its high pixel count and fast scan rate to record video at up to 8K60 in either compressed or raw format. For producers who choose not to work with large 8K files, there is also 4K60 S-Raw available. The entire width of the image sensor is used in each of these modes. Full-width video can also be compressed, but both can be produced using the entire sensor's width. You have the choice to record in cropped mode and increase the frame rate if you choose compressed 4K. The R5 II can shoot at up to 240 frames per second at 2K/1080p quality and do 4K120 slow motion with or without sound.
Shared Technology Loads
While the R1 and R5 Mark II differ in several ways, they share a good deal of technology because they share the same processing engine. They share the same autofocus engine and interface, to start. It's a fresh take on Canon's venerable Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology.
The focus system expands upon existing features; cameras are now expected to have sophisticated subject identification, and the Canon lineup can currently identify and track objects such as humans, animals, birds, and cars. We are informed, though, that the R1 and R5 Mark II are even more adept at following moving objects. They can, for instance, monitor moving targets that are impeded during a sequence more effectively. When you're tracking a player on the field and someone briefly moves ahead of them, the R1 and R5 Mark II are faster to return to the initial target.
The bodies also bring Action Priority AF, a new focus setting designed especially for sports shooting. With the use of machine learning, this focus mode has been trained to identify the typical movements that players of volleyball, basketball, and soccer make. It is capable of identifying both players and the ball in these games.
The focus system leaps to a player creating a moment that would make a good shot in Action Priority. It can identify whether a player in soccer is shooting, passing, or bouncing the ball off their head; whether a basketball player is jumping for a rebound, making a shot, or passing; and if a professional volleyball player is calling out highlights with a spectacular spike or a more conventional toss action. Because it's less important to get the focus box on the subject for these kinds of moves and because the focus mechanism is less likely to jump to a player who might be closer to the camera but isn't in the action, this relieves some of the photographer's workload. In theory, it seems promising, and we're interested to see how well it performs in actual use. We did not hear back from Canon right away when we asked if Action Priority would be extended to include other sports, such as American football.
You'll still be able to take on other sports and subjects even without Action Priority. You can manually choose a focus point or leave the camera to focus on the area of interest on its own. Regarding the latter, you have two choices: the swing-out touch screen or a compact 8-way focus selector stick. Additionally, Eye Control AF is a distinctive function that was first offered with the EOS R3.
Using a series of infrared lights placed around the viewfinder, Eye Control follows the movements of the photographer's eye and shifts the focus point to the part of the image that you are looking at. In the R3, this feature turned out to be a little wobbly. While it performed incredibly well for some photographers, including myself, there were problems. My eyes were jumping all over the focus point with the R3. According to Canon, the R1 and R5 Mark II are twice as effective as the previous model, and the technology now functions better for users who wear glasses or have different-shaped eyes. I'm interested to see if this version of Eye Control results in increased reliability because its engineers went so far as to build a "artificial eyeball" to test and refine it.
Additionally, Canon is equipping the R1 and R5 Mark II with a pre-shot buffer. In this mode, when autofocus is engaged, the camera constantly buffers a half-second of activity and saves it along with subsequent frames when you begin to take a series of pictures. It's helpful for catching unexpected moments; sports photography requires less foresight into action, and wildlife photographers can utilize it to acquire pictures of birds in flight. You can now capture videos using Pre-shot and choose between a 3- or 5-second buffer.
The cameras come with new capabilities that should make your post-capture workflow more efficient. Blur detection is a helpful tool when going through hundreds of photos in a series that were taken at 30 or 40 frames per second because it allows you to automatically assign a star rating to the sharpest image in the sequence during playback.
The cameras also have image upscaling, which is conceptually related to Adobe's latest Super Resolution technology. In contrast to multi-shot sampling seen in cameras such as the Sony a7R V, it increases the file size to 96MP for the R1 and 179MP for the R5 Mark II. It also functions from a single exposure and doesn't require desktop software. Even with a super telephoto lens, it can be challenging to get near enough to a small animal to catch it in clear detail, so I'm interested to see how well upscaling does for wildlife photos.
Lastly, a neural network noise reduction mode exclusive to Raw capture has been added by Canon. This feature purports to perform better detail and color fidelity preservation than the default noise reduction engine by processing a JPG or HEIF in-camera. Once more, we've seen this feature in desktop programs like Adobe Lightroom, but cameras are usually limited to lossy, rudimentary noise reduction built-in. When compared to the identical image processed in real-time at the moment of capture, I was able to discern more detail in the model's hair and less splotchy color in their skin tones thanks to the neural network noise reduction that Canon demonstrated for us.
Price and Availability
The EOS R5 Mark II will be the first to hit retail locations, with a target release date of late August and a price of $4,299 body-only. The RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM is $5,399 in a kit. The camera comes with three grip options: the BG-R20 ($560) has an extra battery capacity and comes with vertical exposure settings; the BG-R20EP ($750) has the same features plus an Ethernet port. The CF-R20EP ($600) is a specialized cooling fan designed for long-form video recording. It comes with Ethernet connectivity but lacks vertical controls.
It is anticipated that the EOS R1 will launch in November. It costs $6,299 for the body alone; there are no kit alternatives.