The Canon EOS R7 is a truly remarkable APS-C camera. Not only does one get the autofocus of the EOS R3, but also a pretty great ISO output. So much so that we think it’s far “more versatile” than Fujifilm XH2. While the camera has been a great, cost-effective offering, there is a new report from Digital Camera World that states that the company has “boosted” this ISO range further with new firmware. However, we aren’t too sure how accurate the report is.
Editor’s Note: We plan on testing this feature out for ourselves at a later time. You can keep tuning into our review to see what we think.
How Will Canon EOS R7 Achieve This?
The report details that this report was announced at the China International Public Security Products Expo, where Canon also unveiled its 250MP prototype camera. The article highlights the Canon EOS R7‘s expansion from ISO 32,000 (51,200 expanded) to ISO 204,800. It also includes a quote that adds that this will help capture more details in low-light situations.
DCW did not mention exactly how this would be achieved. However, they jumped to talk about the R5, which was updated in 2022. The camera could capture 400MP images, which was due to the pixel shift technology. For the unversed, the technology shifts the sensors, allowing them to capture more light between shots and then stack them together to give a higher-resolution image. So, when the camera resizes the image after stacking, you will get an image per the normal resolution, which will likely have a lower noise range.
Canon Rumors further adds that they haven’t been able to confirm the news, and neither have we, as Canon has not yet released an official announcement. We also looked it up on Reddit just to look for sources, and we didn’t find any. However, we found a thread where users did not see the point of such a higher ISO.
Why Canon Needs More Technology Like This
Today, pixel shift is used in Olympus, Nikon, Fujifilm, and even Sony cameras. For Canon, it was only the EOS R5. So, to give an APS-C camera so much power, that’s also during the time when they have full frame giants like EOS R5 Mk II and EOS R1 mere days away from shipping; it does seem, unlike Canon. Furthermore, to have such a crucial announcement made during a security expo is even more unheard of.
Now, if this was being added to EOS R7 II, then it would be a different ball game altogether. The R7 did pretty well last year, and it seems the company won’t release another successor until 2026. So, we have to sit back and twiddle our thumbs.
On a concluding note, EOS R7’s firmware 1.2.0, launched in December 2022, made the autofocus faster for birds. With 1.3.0, the company did not introduce any important features, as seen in R8 and R6 II, such as setting and wiring the scene detection to a button instantly. In the last update, firmware 1.31 improved the touchscreen sensitivity.
To recap what we said, Canon’s cameras are costly and do not provide much support for this price point. The L-lineup of lenses is also costly. So, despite the R7 being a capable camera, it may be looked over by photographers. Furthermore, if the company is unable to bring autofocus capabilities of R6 II in newer updates, it seems unlikely the ISO of R7 will see any improvements anytime soon.