It’s official. The EOS R1 will be Canon’s “most premium model”

Canon has officially confirmed that the Canon EOS R1 is in development – and that it “will be our most premium model.”

As you may remember, the first rumors about the new model’s development were out in November 2021. Today Canon has confirmed, for the first time, that the model is actually in process!

The statement was made by Go Tokura, general manager of Canon’s Imaging Division, during an interview with Photo Trend.

“If you look at our portfolio, obviously our highest-end case is the EOS R3. I think we can say that it is our flagship product. (…)

So, of course, the EOS R3 could already claim the flagship title, but there’s a reason we named it ‘3’… And you can expect there to be a ‘1’, which is currently being worked on and will be our most premium model. So that’s the kind of interpretation you can do (laughs). I had never mentioned it so clearly before, so that’s probably how you can interpret it!”

Just a quick reminder of what we should expect. Will it be suited for dental photography?

• We’re pretty sure that EOS R1 will be similar to Sony A1 or Nikon Z9. What does it mean? We’ll expect a high resolution sensor, high processing power and impressive speed, allowing us to work in a dynamic environment. On the other hand, the cameras are more and more advanced, so we’d like to see a totally new feature in EOS R1. This can be the best chance to set the new development direction and make dental photography and photography in general more intuitive.
• The camera is said to not have any one specialty but will rather excel at all specialties, much like what Canon’s 5D series of DSLRs aimed to do by being accessible enough for amateurs yet powerful enough for professionals.
• The camera will undoubtedly boast more features than the 5D line to work for professionals in ways 5D cameras were never designed to.
• Other features and specs being mentioned include 45+ or even 85+ megapixels, 40 fps burst mode, 9 megapixels electronic viewfinder and 10 bit touch screen. Our source mentions a 100 megapixels sensor, global shutter and putting emphasis on the 8K quality. And then there’s also the new, patented in 2019 Quad Pixel AF system that has been mentioned for a while now.
• And a price somewhere north of the R3’s $5,999.

Will the EOS R1 meet the dental photographers’ expectations? That’s for sure! Moreover, its features can be ever too much. It looks like the new Canon will be suited for dental photography lovers with a large budget. They’ll have to keep in mind the camera’s heavy weight, though.

When can we expect the Canon’s top model? All signs point to an early 2024 announcement, with a launch in time for the 2024 Olympic Games. More details should emerge into the light pretty soon and we’ll keep you posted!