After a short teaser campaign last month, Nikon announced not one, but two new Z system full-frame mirrorless cameras. But there were already rumors in the wind that Canon would soon be joining the party, and today that online chatter has turned to fact as Canon announces the EOS R system. The first camera to sport the new system name is a 30 MP full-frame mirrorless camera, which also debuts a new lens mount system.
"There has never been a time in history in which visual expression has been so prolific," said Canon's Kazuto Ogawa. "Imaging, both still and video, are the communication mediums of today's society. Much in the same way we learned to type in the past, today's youth are skilled in shooting, editing, and visual storytelling in ways that only the masters of each craft were decades ago. Knowing this, we needed to step back and design a system that delivers all the creative expression and functionality today's youth crave, now and in the years to come."
The first fruit of Canon's labors is the Canon EOS R full-frame mirrorless camera, which pairs a 30.3 megapixel CMOS (36 x 24 mm) sensor and Digic 8 image processor for 8 frames per second continuous shooting, standard ISO100 - 40,000 that can be expanded up to 102,400 and Dual Pixel CMOS Auto Focus that offers an impressive 5,655 selectable AF points. When paired with an RF 24-105 mm F4 L IS USM lens, the camera boasts 0.05 second autofocus capabilities, which Canon says makes it the fastest in the world.
Photographers can access custom AF, ISO and white balance settings by tapping or sliding a Multi-Function Bar next to the 3.69-million dot electronic (OLED) viewfinder. And there's silent shutter in single shot mode for stealth photography, with Canon promising an upcoming firmware upgrade that will add continuous silent shutter shooting too. The camera is capable of recording 4K video at 30 fps, and can output 10-bit 4:2:2 footage to an external recorder.
Around back you'll find a 3.15-inch, 2.1-million dot vari-angle touchscreen LCD panel and you can check settings up top with the dot matrix LCD panel. The EOS R has just the one UHS-II SD card slot, there's Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for remote control and wireless content sharing and a USB 3.1 charging port.
The Canon EOS R full-frame mirrorless camera will go on sale next month for a body only price of US$2,299, with a body and RF 24-105 mm F4 L IS USM lens kit available for $3,399.
The EOS R system also brings a new RF mount, which has the same 54 mm diameter as the EF mount but with shorter back focus distance, allowing the glass out front to sit closer to the image sensor. R system lenses have larger rear lens elements and high-speed 12-pin comms system for higher performance and faster communication between lens and camera compared to existing Canon mounts. That said, the RF mount does support all current EF, EF-S, TS-E and MP-E lenses through adapters.
Four RF mount lenses will launch with the EOS R system – the RF 50 mm F1.2 L USM ($2,299 from October), the RF 28-70 mm F2 L USM ($2,999 from December), the RF 35 mm F1.8 Macro IS STM ($499.99 from December) and the kit lens that comes with the EOS R mirrorless camera, the RF 24-105 mm F4 L IS USM ($1,099 from December).
Three mount adapters will also be released. The Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R ($99.99) and Control Ring Mount Adapter EF-EOS R ($199.99) will go on sale in October, with the Drop-in Filter Mount Adapter EF-EOS R following in February 2019 ($399.99).
The EOS R system is introduced in the video below.
Product page: Canon EOS R
