This year Canon has already listened to the cry of our wallets and released the temptingly priced EOS R7 and EOS R10. And now, according to the latest rumors, it plans to do the same for its full-frame mirrorless cameras with the successor to the original EOS R.
Reliable Rumors about the canon (opens in a new tab) says the new full-frame camera, which will have a larger sensor than the EOS R7 and EOS R10, “will be a kind of replacement for the original Canon EOS R, but it won’t be called the Canon EOS R Mark II.” This is potentially music to the ears of those who cannot afford the current Canon full-frame models.
When the Canon EOS R was launched in 2018, it was a versatile device for all types of photography – and according to Canon rumors its successor will “sit below the Canon EOS R6,” meaning it should have a much lower price point than this $ 2,499 Model / £ 2,499 / $ 4,499.
It is not known exactly how much lower, but a price below $ 2,000 is certainly possible. The Canon EOS R is currently available for $ 1,799 / £ 1,699 / AU $ 2,199, and Canon doesn’t appear to be preparing a budget successor to the Canon EOS RP yet. Unfortunately, Canon Rumors says that “rising costs in the supply chain may have delayed or nullified the alleged $ 899 full-frame R-series camera,” meaning the EOS R sequel would have an important role to fill.
It would be a pity if this ultra-affordable full-frame camera did not see the light of day. But the successor to the EOS R with a tempting price point is exactly what Canon (and avid photographers) need today. We’re big fans of the Canon EOS R5, EOS R6 and EOS R3, but they all have a bonus that gets pretty prohibitive when you invest in some of the the best Canon lenses.
Original EOS R and EOS RP models are now the “entry level” of Canon’s full-frame mirrorless camera line-up. But with the EOS R approaching to celebrating its fourth birthday (which is around 60 in its photographic years) and the EOS RP not far behind, it’s definitely time for a new all-round hobbyist that hobbyists on a budget can justify.
Fortunately, it looks like we shouldn’t wait long, at least for one of them. Canon Rumors says it has “been informed that the new camera could be announced in late 2022 or early 2023, with a shipment date for Q1 2023.” And it probably won’t be the only affordable Canon camera we’ll see this year.
Bridging the affordability gap
We’ve already seen rumors that Canon’s next RF-mount camera, the APS-C vlogging model, will arrive before November. But there’s no question that the full frame is especially attractive to photographers and videographers, and not least because it’s the same size as a 35mm film frame.
Full-frame cameras have gone through all the investments when it comes to lenses in the last few years. And yet, at that time, the bodies themselves were mostly expensive, professional-oriented.
There are a few exceptions. In 2020, we saw the premieres of the Nikon Z5, Panasonic Lumix S5, and Sony A7C, all of which are impressive full-frame entry-level cameras in a variety of ways. But budget full-frame options have been lacking since then, and Canon continues to promote the original EOS R and EOS RP as cheaper deals, despite the latter offering a lousy 4fps burst mode.
But it looks like Canon is finally ready to bring some much-needed life into this important space in the world of cameras. The question is exactly how affordable its successor EOS R can be and how can it achieve it.
There are no rumors about camera specifications at the moment. But given its all-round billing, we expect its sensor to offer a resolution of 30MP or higher (to distinguish it from the EOS R6) and be paired with a Digic X processor. This could unlock some better burst shooting speeds (perhaps 15 frames per second, instead of 8 frames per second in the EOS R) and autofocus performance, thanks to Dual Pixel CMOS AF II and subject recognition (for humans, animals and vehicles).
What the EOS R would likely be missing to keep the price low is a second card slot and in-body image stabilization (IBIS). Add in some enhanced video specifications (such as 10-bit color sampling) and you will get a very attractive all-round camera for those who want the benefits of full frame (such as dynamic range and high ISO image quality) over the speed and size advantages of APS models -C such as EOS R7.
Is this what we will see from Canon? It’s all speculation at the moment, but rumors and general camera trends point in that direction. All we need now is for Canon’s rivals to respond with their own updated full-frame rivals.