With tons of cameras going through my hands every month, it’s nice to sometimes return to the ones that I purchased and would use regularly otherwise. One of those cameras was the Canon EOS R — and even today, the sensor’s output is some of the most beautiful that I’ve seen. With a similar performance to the old Canon 5D Mk IV, the image quality almost feels nostalgic at this point. And paired with Canon’s L lenses, it’s a very solid camera to use for tons of situations. But I sadly think that it’s never getting a refresh at this point.
The Canon EOS R was in a fascinating spot. When it launched, it had oddly high-end features and a mix of things that weren’t so high-end. Compared to Canon’s current offerings, it would sit around where the Canon R6 Mk II is and above the Canon EOS R8. Surely, it would be below the Canon EOS R5. When we reviewed the EOS R, though, we loved it.
The Canon EOS R6 II is the closest thing that they have to something like Sony’s a7 III or Nikon Z6 II — but it’s better than both of them.
All of this makes me wonder if the beloved Canon EOS R will ever see a true refresh. And I would hope that it doesn’t get disrespected by Canon at this point. By that, I mean that I hope it doesn’t become what Olympus did to the EM5 series. The original EM5 was a wonder to behold, with retro ergonomics, great build quality, and more. But it eventually turned into a camera that was worth laughing at.
So if Canon were to update the Canon EOS R, how could they do it without cannibalizing their own lineup. Here are a few ideas:
- Keep the weather resistance
- Keep the sensor shield
- Move the D-pad up or improve the way that the touch interface lets you change the focusing point. The Nikon Zf does this incredibly well
- Add in all the scene detection since even Canon’s most affordable cameras have it.
- Keep the megapixels modest. They don’t need to be in the 20 range, but the 30s, like how the current EOS R is, works very well.
- Improve the high ISO output
- Give us even better HDR abilities, like with the multiple exposure mode
- Keep the LCD screen up top
- Get rid of the magic touch bar
- Add in wireless charging
- Make connecting to the app easier
- Keep the camera body small
- Don’t try to cram too many video features into it and make this one for photographers instead
Ultimately, my dream would be to have it be a retro-style camera body that’s even a bit heavier. Something like the Canon Canon F1 would be really cool unless it’s more like the Canon AE-1. Adding in a silver option too, would mean that more people purchase them.
Of course, at this point, I’m dreaming. But Gen Z is buying up retro-style cameras like crazy. And more importantly, I think that Canon has an opportunity here to sell more cameras than they already do. The EOS R hasn’t received a refresh at all, and this could be a possibility that works well for them.
Surely, we can’t be the only ones who think this way or that wouldn’t want something small too, like a competitor to the Sony a7c series of cameras.