Canon's EOS R1 has received criticism for its spec-for-spec comparison to the flagship cameras from both Sony and Nikon, but in an interview with Phototrend, the company says that its goal with the R1 was to make the best and most balanced flagship it could.
During the R1 launch event in Arizona, Canon representatives told PetaPixel that the R3 line isn't going anywhere. But side-by-side with the new R1, there doesn't seem to be any reason for it anymore.
On Tuesday morning, a day before the R1 was announced, I was finalizing our coverage and looking over the materials Canon prepared. "The Canon EOS R1 is Ahead of the Game," a header in the press release promised. I scratched my head in confusion.
As many know, Canon announced two new cameras this week, the Canon EOS R1 and the R5 Mark II. Canon Vice President Tsuyoshi Tokura spoke to Nikkei about what a camera like the R1 means for Canon and opened up about competition within the industry.
In this industry, perception matters -- a lot. Side by side, spec for spec, the Canon R1 is obviously improved versus the R3 but not to the degree that feels like an entirely different camera line.
It's easy to think that the Canon EOS R1 is the main attraction of Canon's announcements this week. The company made a development announcement for it and it's been heavily teased. However, while relegated a bit to the shadows, the Canon EOS R5 Mark II is the more interesting and exciting of the two new Canon cameras.
In some of PetaPixel's images of the Canon EOS R1, you may have noticed that the logo wasn't visible. In some cases, that was due to electrical tape blocking it, which is common practice for pre-release hardware that may be seen in public. In other cases, it's because the "R1" logo actually fell off.
Today, Canon announced the EOS R1 and EOS R5 Mark II -- two highly anticipated cameras that say a lot about where the company stands on technology and, more importantly, how what it can provide photographers compares to its peers.
It has been a long time coming, but the EOS R1 is finally here. For years, the Canon R1 has been teased and hinted at before getting an official announcement two months ago. Now, finally, we at PetaPixel got our hands on an early test with the R1 body. That said, I cannot stress enough that it was a very early look.
After a long wait, a development announcement, and an extensive teaser campaign, Canon has fully unveiled its new flagship EOS R System mirrorless camera, the Canon EOS R1.
It's been a crazy week of news in the photography world with the biggest drop likely being Canon finally coming out and saying that the R1 is indeed a real camera and will be coming soon.