Under Development: Canon R5 8K Mirrorless Camera (plus upcoming RF Lenses and More)

Canon made a very important announcement today which included several new products including a new high-end mirrorless camera named the EOS R5 with unprecedented specifications (only very few of them known at the moment) including 8K video shooting. The company also announced several RF lenses and a mobile wireless printer.

Canon today made one of the most important development announcements in recent years and one which is very likely going to change the camera industry in the next few years. The announcement itself is very preliminary, revealing very few details of the upcoming R5 camera, but even at this early stage (the camera should be available sometime in the second half of the year most likely) it is clear that this camera is going to be a game-changer – not just for Canon but a camera to beat for other manufacturers.

The Canon EOS R5

So what did Canon reveal about the EOS R5? Here is what we know at this point:

  • The R5 will have a new FF CMOS sensor (around 40MP or above to support the ultra-high video resolution)
  • In-camera image stabilization (which the current R cameras RP cameras lack).
  • 12fps continuous shooting with a mechanical shutter and up to 20fps with an electronic shutter.
  • 8K video capture (we can guess that this will be up to 30p but Canon did not mention any specifics at this point).
  • Dual card slots (we are not sure what type of cards – possibly Cfast 2.0 cards like the C500 MKII).
  • Fully articulated monitor, AF joystick and top screen.

We don’t have full specs, availability or pricing at this point – so we will continue to keep you posted on that.

Matt Granger seems to have some reservations regarding all the hype surrounding the R5

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Now let’s talk about some of the other Canon announcements made today:

  • Canon EOS Rebel T8i (the EOS 850D in Europe) – this new 24MP APS-C DSLR camera from Canon is going to be a new enthusiast entry-level camera with Digic 8 processor, 7 fps continuous shooting and 4K video at 24p/30p, new 45-point all cross-type AF system that will cost $750 (body only).

The Canon EOS Rebel T8i 

  • Canon RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM lens – this stabilized compact entry-level all-around zoom lens is designed to be a companion for the smaller EOS RP especially with its low $400 price tag and under 400 grams of weight.

The Canon RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM

  • 9 new RF lenses in 2020 – that will also include the upcoming RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM super-zoom-telephoto lens as well a two RF extenders (1.4x and 2x). No further details are available about those at the moment.
  • Selphy Square QX10 – this tiny pocketable wireless photo printer prints 68x68mm (2.7″ square) images with 278dpi resolution. You can print an image in under 1 min and it is printed on a type of sticker-type paper that according to Canon should last 100 years when stored properly in an Album. The printer sells for $150 with each 20 image cartridge costing $15.

The Selphy Square QX10 official video

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  • image.canon –  a new cloud platform for Canon – This one isn’t hardware but it is no less important (at least in theory – Canon had some – bad – experience with cloud platforms in the past). Canon is opening a service, where photographers can have their images automatically forwarded to the cloud. According to Canon “connecting your Wi-Fi compatible Canon camera to the image.canon service will allow you to seamlessly upload all your images and movies in their original format and quality and access them from the dedicated app or a web browser – and automatically forward them to your computer, mobile devices, and third-party services”. The images/videos will stay there for 30 days and you can download them during this time to your computer or you can choose to store them in the cloud (Canon will offer a  10GB long term storage). It isn’t clear how well this service will work – how fast and what other possible limitations it will have but it should be a step in the right direction – something that most other manufacturers have not done so far when it comes to camera-web integration.

If you don’t want to miss any new photography product be sure to check out our product photography section on our photo gear channel.

Iddo Genuth
Iddo Genuth is the founder and chief editor of LensVid.com. He has been a technology reporter working for international publications since the late 1990's and covering photography since 2009. Iddo is also a co-founder of a production company specializing in commercial food and product visual content.

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