At this point, the Canon EOS R1 has to be one of the most heavily rumored and talked about cameras ever. Canon still continues to draw out the long and agonizing wait for what will eventually be its flagship professional camera to take on all challengers.
In fact, the rumors swirling around this camera have been going on for so long that many of the original rumors are now mostly wrong. Thankfully the good folks at Canon Rumors have come through with a very comprehensive list of the latest (and hopefully) most accurate details surrounding the Canon EOS R1.
Design
It looks like the Canon EOS R1 might be larger than the Canon EOS R3 (Canon's current flagship), although might have a more ergonomic and lighter design. How much larger and lighter though is not yet clear. This increased size might be to accommodate a larger than usual OLED screen on the rear of the camera, which sources claim will be the largest ever seen on a camera, with a size of 4-in being floated.
The top screen might also see an "improvement" by offering a color screen, why Canon would include this or what it might be for is a complete mystery, but it is a very intriguing rumor. This might just end up being like Nikon's top screen and backlighting, where the color temperature can be adjusted for more pleasant viewing in different lighting situations.
The electronic viewfinder (EVF) on the Canon EOS R1 is also apparently in for a big bump from what has been seen before. Rumored to be the "highest resolution" viewfinder at the time of launch, while also offering astounding refresh rates and blackout-free shooting. If Canon's eye-tracking autofocus from the EOS R3 will be present is still an unknown.
There is also speculation that the camera could have a rear screen as large as four inches. "Nothing currently out there has a screen as big as the EOS R1 will have," claimed the source quoted by Canon Rumors.
Finally, the camera is likely to include two CFExpress slots, and no SD card slots, which makes absolute sense as this will be a camera designed for only the most demanding of professionals, and the limits of SD cards have long been surpassed. Which type of CFExpress slots though is still a question mark, with rumors currently pointing to one Type C and one Type B slot.
Features
For the camera sensor, rumors have it placed at around 45MP, which is around the size of the sensor in the current Canon EOS R5. Traditionally EOS 1D cameras have always had lower megapixels than what is technically possible at the time, as lower resolutions allow for increased shooting speeds, as well as faster file transfer speeds for uploading images at press or sporting events, which are key concerns for the target audience for this camera.
If we will see a global shutter in the Canon EOS R1 is still very unclear. Canon has made big strides with its global shutter technology in industrial applications, but so far, no company has demonstrated a global shutter being possible in a consumer camera. Although there always has to be a first time, and the extended delay to announce the EOS R1 has been repeatedly blamed on Canon's insistence on debuting its global shutter technology in the camera.
Finally, the EOS R1 will apparently have an "all-new autofocus system", with all signs pointing to the R1 benefiting from Canon's new Quad Pixel Autofocus (QPAF), which is a step up from the already very impressive Dual Pixel Autofocus (DPAF) found in most of its current roster of cameras.
Availability
Canon Rumor's sources suggest that the wait for the Canon EOS R1 won't be over anytime soon, with a long process of a development announcement, getting the camera out with pros for testing and feedback, then a full announcement with all the details sometime maybe next year before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games where Canon will be making a big splash with the R1.
You can bet that Sony, Nikon and maybe even Fujifilm will try and spoil the fun with announcements of their own hoping to trump features of the EOS R1. It is known that Sony is working on a new version of the Sony a1, and it can only be assumed that we will see a Nikon Z9 II or Fujifilm X-H3S at some point as well.
Hopefully with rumors coming in thick and fast we won't need to wait much longer to find out even more!
Find out more about the best Canon camera in our guide. You can also read more about the best camera for sports photography and the best cameras for wildlife photography.
