Some camera hardware is aimed at professionals. There’s an easy way to spot which gear it is — count the zeros at the end of the price. The new Canon EOS R1 and EOS R5 Mark II are very stunningly obviously aimed at pros. Regular folks don’t need cameras that cost in the upper five-to-six-figure range.
Not unless they’ve got a crippling social media obsession, at any rate. If you’d like to stick one of the Canon EOS R1 units on a tripod to capture your daily social snaps, you’d best be prepared to drop R140,000 here at home for the privilege. The EOS R5 Mk II is cheaper but only slightly at R90,000. And that’s just for the body, in both cases. Lenses… are extra.
Why the EOS R1?
Still, if snapping snaps is how you make your living, the EOS R1 is a sensible choice. It’s directly marketed toward photographers who work sporting events — and presumably, those looking to capture other high-speed objects — and features improvements in autofocus technology that will let it “[excel] in challenging conditions such as when shooting through a tennis net, picking out smaller subjects and locking on to vertical detail in situations where horizontal detail is missing from the subject under the AF area.”
That feature is called Cross Type AF and it lands alongside a new Dual Pixel CMOS AF sensor arrangement. According to Canon, the latter means that “individual Gb pupil divisions of pixels are rotated by 90 degrees to offer auto focus tracking sensitivity along the vertical and horizontal axis of the sensor”. If you are seriously considering the EOS R1, you probably know what this means.
The EOS R1’s 24.2MP full-frame sensor is powered by Canon’s new Digic Accelerator processor as well as the well-known Digic X image processor. It’ll capture up to 40 frames per second of continuous shooting (with autofocus tracking) and up to 20fps of pre-continuous shooting. Other features include 6K RAW video at 60p, WiFi 6E support, and 2.5Gbps Ethernet support in the camera itself. But, again, you’ll pay R140k for the body on its own.
And the EOS R5 Mk II?
If you’re in the market to spend a little less than R100,000 on a new Canon camera, the EOS R5 Mk II is just what you need. Its 45MP full-frame sensor uses the same Digic Accelerator and Image Processor chips as its pricier stablemate but it drops its continuous shooting rate to 30fps and pre-continuous to a ‘mere’ 15fps. It’s aimed at folks who aren’t looking to capture the instant a bug splatters on Max Verstappen’s helmet at full speed but who nonetheless want accurate photographs for their portfolio.
Video is slightly better represented here, with 8K RAW available at 60p. Stepping down to 4K nets 120p. This is a more lightweight and agile unit, making it more suitable for toting around your neck and dipping in and out of crowds of people. The R1, by comparison, demands more expertise and consideration when in use. You might think you’re ready for that one but unless you’ve got a Pulitzer (or a nomination), you probably don’t need it. Spend R90k and get some more practice in instead, yeah?