It is no secret that Canon has been pushing its development efforts hard towards its mirrorless system. The company has already pointed out that it will not develop any more EF lenses for its DSLR cameras, unless there is significant demand from its customers. With all the development efforts shifted to the mirrorless RF mount, it was a matter of time until the company announced a high-end mirrorless offering. Today, Canon announced the development of its flagship mirrorless camera, the EOS R5. This camera is going to be absolutely insane in terms of features, with in-body image stabilization (IBIS), continuous shooting speed of 12 FPS (20 FPS electronic shutter), dual card slots, and ability to shoot 8K video.
In addition to these amazing features, the EOS R5 will also be the first Canon camera that will support automatic file transfers to the new Image.canon cloud platform, which will launch in April of 2020 (the service will be free for Canon shooters).
While Canon has not said much about the camera, below are the main specifications that have been revealed:
- New Canon CMOS Sensor (at least 33.2 MP to be able to shoot 8K)
- In-Body Image Stabilization
- 8K Video Shooting Capability
- 12 FPS Continuous Shooting Speed with Mechanical Shutter
- 20 FPS Continuous Shooting Speed with Electronic Shutter
- Dual CFexpress Card Slots
- Tilting Touchscreen LCD
- Large Joystick
- No Touch Bar
Canon designed the camera very differently when compared to the EOS R. Below is an image from the back of the camera, which clearly lacks the Touch Bar and reveals a large joystick, along with a tilting LCD screen:
If you would like to take a look at the camera in more detail, check out the below video from Canon Japan, which shows the camera rotating 360 degrees:
It looks like Canon is not only making this camera amazing feature-wise but also putting great efforts towards making it ergonomically-friendly and very nice-looking in terms of the overall aesthetics.
In addition to this, Canon has also announced the development of 9 new RF lenses, which includes two RF extenders / teleconverters (1.4x and 2.0x), as well as the new Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens.
These are all very exciting news for Canon. While the company got plenty of negative feedback on its first mirrorless EOS R camera (see our detailed Canon EOS R Review), the new EOS R5 looks absolutely incredible. Coupled with Canon’s high-end RF lenses, it will be a formidable choice for enthusiast and professional photographers who want to be able to shoot with such a versatile system.
Official Press Release
Below is the official press release from Canon:
The Next Generation: Canon Announces The Development Of The Company’s Most Advanced Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera Ever – The EOS R5
The Company will Also Develop Seven RF Lenses and Two RF Lens Extenders in 2020
MELVILLE, NY, February 12, 2020 – Canon U.S.A. Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced that its parent company, Canon Inc., is developing the highly anticipated Canon EOS R5 full-frame mirrorless camera. The camera will feature a newly designed CMOS sensor and new image processor, along with new state-of-the-art optical technologies the company has been able to cultivate through its long history of groundbreaking camera and digital imaging solutions development. In addition, Canon plans to release seven RF lenses and two RF lens extenders that are currently in development. These new photography tools will help to continue to strengthen the EOS R system and cement the RF mount as an industry leader.
“Today’s announcement comes as a direct result of the tireless effort of Canon engineers who have been tasked with developing the next generation of Canon EOS R camera and RF lenses to help elevate the popular system that was announced in 2018,” said Kazuto Ogawa, president and chief operating officer, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “In developing the new camera, Canon listened to extensive user-feedback from a variety of photographers. The outcome is a camera and lenses that will delight a variety of shooters and further helps to demonstrate Canon’s commitment to full-frame mirrorless cameras and lenses.”
The EOS R System was initially developed to provide engineers with the ability to design lenses that were thought to be impossible to create previously. The wide lens mount diameter, shorter back focus, and high-speed system for transmitting data between camera and lens have resulted in an imaging system that delivers higher image quality and greater ease-of-use than ever before.
The new full-frame mirrorless camera currently under development will fully leverage the advantages of the EOS R System, helping to produce a camera that features high-speed continuous shooting and 8K video recording. Furthermore, the camera will provide photographers with more efficient workflows thanks to improved transmission functionality, operability and reliability. These enhancements, along with many others, will help to further elevate and solidify the EOS Series concept of “Speed, Comfort and High-Image-Quality.”
Canon’s EOS R5, the first of the next generation of full-frame mirrorless cameras planned for EOS R System, will include a newly developed CMOS sensor. The new sensor will enable enhanced features such as high-speed continuous shooting up to approximately 20 frames-per-second (FPS) when using the silent shutter and up to approximately 12 FPS when using the mechanical shutter – A feature professional sports and wildlife photographers will find to be extremely impactful on their ability to capture fast-moving subjects. From a video perspective, the camera’s 8K video capture capability will prepare videographers for the future of movie-making- capturing 8K footage today allows for even higher-quality 4K productions in addition to the ability to extract high-resolution still images from the video footage. The EOS R5 will be the first Canon camera equipped with IBIS (In Body Image Stabilization) and when used in conjunction with the extremely effective in-lens stabilization (IS), will allow photographers to handhold the camera in light levels not previously imagined. Additionally, the camera will also feature dual-card slots and will support the automatic transfer of image files from the device to the new image.canon cloud platform.
Alongside the EOS R5, Canon is also developing seven RF lenses and two RF lens extenders scheduled for release during 2020, including the RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM, Extender RF 1.4x and Extender RF 2x.
Additional Information
Reference exhibits for the EOS R5 and RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM, Extender RF 1.4x and Extender RF 2x will be on display in the Canon booth at the CP+ Camera and Photo Imaging Show 2020, to be held from February 27 to March 1 at the Pacifico Yokohama convention hall in Yokohama, Japan.
A preview of the EOS R5 will be on display at the 2020 WPPI Show (February 25-27) in Las Vegas.
Here is a “reality check” on the R5 from Matt Granger:
mattgranger.com/gear-…e-the-hype
Finally Canon is recognizing the obvious: DSLR are like zombies, living dead.
At the same time Canon is saying to customers: don’t go to Sony. Yes, but it’s obvious that Canon cameras will be a lot expensive than Sony cameras. So, you will have more quality, but you will pay for it.
8k is a lot of bandwidth to shift for any extended period of time, and yes it does encroach on Canon’s cine line. I don’t expect 8k video to for any decent length of time.
Dual CF Express is really interesting, especially as Canon (and Nikon) tried to sell us all that one SD was enough. I wonder what the ‘Influencers’ who said the EOS R was The Best Wedding Photography Camera now?!
I also think Canon may well neuter some features or make users pay more…such as 8k video
Will Canon’s new EOS R5 be compatible with the current EF long lenses such as the 500 mm f4 and the 600 mm F4 ?
Not natively – it is an RF mirrorless mount, so you will need an adapter…
I expect the video specs will be crippled in some way or another…on paper they are superior to Canon’s pro cine cameras which cost much more.
I agree. It’s going to be fascinating to see just how badly Canon neuters this camera because unfortunately that’s what Canon does – neuter their cameras.
As a photographer, if I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a 100 times: if I want to shoot video, then I would purchase a dedicated high-end camcorder. Thanks for the announcement Nasim. Otherwise a nice camera!
Max, video is a big part of the camera industry now, and I doubt it will change. We will only continue to see more video capabilities in mirrorless cameras in the future…there is no stopping that. I expect Nikon to put heavy focus on video with its upcoming Nikon Z8, just to be able to compete with the Canon EOS R5.
Max you are a huge minority. Camera manufacturers do make inquiries and research.
Also, what is problem with having it all?
Kinda like saying “I want a phone that only makes phonecalls, if I want to surf the internet, plan my day, listen to music and take pictures I will buy and carry 19 more devices in my huge backpack”
Go ahead and do that.
Red, thanks for your reply. I am a pure photographer– no more, no less. Videography is useless to a pure photographer.
Then don’t use video functions. It is as simple as that Max :)
Red, you totally missed the point, didn’t you? :)
I must agree with Max….I have No use for video on my DSLR…and sad to think I would have to spend the extra dollars because Canon placed a high premium on this 8K capability. Its a Still Camera, as such, all the its capabilities (and ultimate quality) and eventual pricing should be a result for this type of use. Period.
As a professional, I am a Canon system user and still use a 5D Mark II and III bodies. This mirrorless theme in Camera’s is still not convincing – perhaps someone here can explain the allure of mirrorless, and I do mean an actual visual benefit over my 5D Mark II and III.
Thank you.
Lance A. Lewin
visualizingart.com
Forgot to say that even extracting stills from 8K will in fact give you a great image with 7680 × 4320 size which in fact makes continuous shooting speed effectively at least 30fps.
Red, unless Canon allows 8K RAW and higher FPS than 30, extracting images will not be all that great, especially for moving subjects.
Looks really nice and I am glad they dropped that “Touch bar” thing. Whoever decided that was good idea on a camera is NOT a photographer, more of a tech geek teen. However I am shuttering to think about what will it cost.
8K only will give Canon excuse to hike up the cost of the camera. It is a great feature though. I am well aware of the fact that 8K is nothing that will become some sort of a standard in at least 10 years or more but to be able to film in 8K and then crop into the film will open up amazing opportunities for moviemakers.
One example is for interviews for instance. Imagine using only one camera and being able to crop tight on to your subject for some shots while still being able to use wide shot for the rest and still having enough resolution for 4K.
Red, if Canon keeps this camera under $4K, it will be a game-changer. With no other consumer-grade camera even remotely close in video shooting capabilities, Canon will once again lead the video side of things. And yes, 8K does open up opportunities for tighter cropping and downsampling of video footage to make it look sharper. However, it will also come with a huge post-processing penalty and storage cost…
If you buy 4K$ camera then you should be able to afford more space on your computer. Storage is dirt cheap today.
When it comes to post processing, same aplies there too. With Ryzen and Intels CPUs fighting for your buck ;)