Canon EOS R1 HANDS-ON first-looks review PRO flagship

My Canon EOS R1 review so far! Hands on with the pro flagship!

Equipment used for producing my videos

00:00 - Canon EOS R1 introduction
01:29 - Canon EOS R1 why not global shutter?
03:26 - Canon EOS R1 design and controls
07:04 - Canon EOS R1 viewfinder and eye control
08:40 - Canon EOS R1 screen
09:07 - Canon EOS R1 battery
09:25 - Canon EOS R1 card slots
09:38 - Canon EOS R1 ports and wifi
10:08 - Canon EOS R1 GPS
10:27 - Canon EOS R1 sensor
10:50 - Canon EOS R1 rolling shutter
11:18 - Canon EOS R1 AI upscaling
13:22 - Canon EOS R1 neural network NR
14:32 - Canon EOS R1 autofocus
15:37 - Canon EOS R1 action priority
16:20 - Canon EOS R1 register people
17:49 - Canon EOS R1 burst and pre-capture
18:47 - Canon EOS R1 overheating
19:03 - Canon EOS R1 banding
19:26 - Canon EOS R1 video features
20:30 - Canon EOS R1 video rolling shutter
20:59 - Canon EOS R1 verdict so far

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[cameralabs]

My Canon EOS R1 review so far! Hands on with the pro flagship!

Equipment used for producing my videos

00:00 - Canon EOS R1 introduction
01:29 - Canon EOS R1 why not global shutter?
03:26 - Canon EOS R1 design and controls
07:04 - Canon EOS R1 viewfinder and eye control
08:40 - Canon EOS R1 screen
09:07 - Canon EOS R1 battery
09:25 - Canon EOS R1 card slots
09:38 - Canon EOS R1 ports and wifi
10:08 - Canon EOS R1 GPS
10:27 - Canon EOS R1 sensor
10:50 - Canon EOS R1 rolling shutter
11:18 - Canon EOS R1 AI upscaling
13:22 - Canon EOS R1 neural network NR
14:32 - Canon EOS R1 autofocus
15:37 - Canon EOS R1 action priority
16:20 - Canon EOS R1 register people
17:49 - Canon EOS R1 burst and pre-capture
18:47 - Canon EOS R1 overheating
19:03 - Canon EOS R1 banding
19:26 - Canon EOS R1 video features
20:30 - Canon EOS R1 video rolling shutter
20:59 - Canon EOS R1 verdict so far


As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

[philipkoenig]

Gordon, your reviews and first looks are comprehensive and simply the best. You are like an old friend. Thank you.

[patrickmeyer]

Honestly I think the fact that it's a sports camera that's not trying to be a high res studio camera is absolutely fine. Most of the canon pro sports people I know are either still on a 20mp D1X or they've moved to the R3, a faster, chunkier upgrade is perfect for them. When you're sending photos back to your editors over wifi you really don't need a 45mp image.

[nigelwest]

I will be sticking with my R3, if the R1 had 45mp and the rest of the spec from the R3 I would have upgraded.

[BW_Maher]

Thanks for the great preview Gordon. I think I've moved on from Canon's "Big Boy" cameras but I'm sure this will be a reliable tool for those that are best suited. Canon pro bodies seem to always go through the same cycle. R3 is a prime example

1. Haters hate and they are broadly dismissed as too low megapixel or not technologically advanced enough
2. In use they outperform expectations and spec sheets and word of mouth eventually reaches the masses that they are, in fact, excellent cameras
3. The next release arrives and everybody talks about how the new camera will never be as good as the one that they all dismissed when it was released.
4. Cycle

I expect that the R1 is going to prove to be a much better camera than it might appear at first look. Nobody understands that market better than Canon.

[AI-PhotographyGeek]

00:04 Canon R1: Pro flagship mirrorless camera
02:05 Canon EOS R1 features stacked sensor with new low pass filter for maximum detail
04:07 Built-in grip enhances confidence and robustness
06:06 Canon EOS R1 offers improved features over R3
08:08 Canon EOS R1 offers improved AF accuracy and advanced autofocus features.
10:09 Canon EOS R1 features a faster back-illuminated stacked sensor and upgraded Wi-Fi support
12:12 Canon EOS R1 offers in-camera upscaling and neural network noise reduction for enhanced image processing.
14:11 Canon EOS R1 features impressive autofocus upgrades
16:21 Canon EOS R1 offers advanced autofocus system for sports photography
18:08 Canon EOS R1 offers useful upgrades for burst mode and video capabilities.
19:59 Canon EOS R1 offers impressive video recording capabilities
21:48 Consider if the Canon EOS R1 will meet your desired results

[jacobnathanielzpayag]

I want to see how well photgraphers respond to this one on the Olympics itself. On paper, the R1 feels more like an R3 mk II with lots of improvements but not enough to say that it's a must have upgrade for the upcoming games. Suffice to say, if I am an R3 owner, I wouldn't be upgrading to this, instead, I may consider getting the R5 II.

I feel like Canon is doing some sort of forced segmentation strategy or maybe bad decisions during the design phase. From an engineering perspective, I feel like if Canon concentrated their resources into making a 45mp, BSI, stacked, cross-type sensor, then made the R5 II and R1 bodies out of that but made more sensible ommitions like the R5 having a slightly reduced buffer, the R1 having a higher mech. and electronic burst and such, then maybe the R1 would have been more deserving of the 1 series name.

[-grey]

There's a lot of interesting design choices here in terms of UX considerations and ergonomics. I'd love to have a go with it to see if it's any more efficient and addresses enough pain points, or if it's just over designed.

[Simalacrum]

I get that the 1 Series has always been a low megapixel, super fast camera hyperfocused on professional sports photographers - but it really feels like that niche was already filled by the R3 with the mirrorless line.

What exactly is the point of the R1 vs. the R3? Is this essentially a straight upgrade/replacement of thr R3?

[JaseEvoX]

This just feels/looks like a camera that should have released 3 years ago, decent camera but nothing that really stands out

[peterlyonsphoto]

Gordon, your careful, technical review in my opinion is the best of all these early-release videos. No camera is perfect but we’re choosing between such amazing gear… I think you may have bumped me over the edge on this one.

[JoaquimGonsalves]

Excited to see the R7ii when it's time comes, now that Canon seems to have finished guinea pig testing experimental control layouts and also hopefully it will come with a stacked sensor.

[HamerReviews]

Good video, really enjoyed that overview, great analysis too! I’m a Nikon shooter so I’m not looking to jump ship, but it’s great to see continued innovation from Canon. Though as you say, it feels much more like a R3 II than R1 - feels a bit like the Z6 to Z6 II if you know what I mean

[LuigiL]

Welp...the R3 wasn't enough to get me to upgrade from my 1DXMK3 and this R3 MK2 isn't enough either...I'M GOOD! 😊

[garymeredith]

As always Gordon you did a fantastic job here reviewing the Canon R1 I love watching your preview of each camera that you review you do better than anybody else .

I have a question on the R1 why didn't they put birds in this Camera , yet birds need to have their own category like what Sony & Nikon have done they have birds in their cameras why didn't Canon .

[dunnymonster]

Gordon's videos are always my first go to 😀

[videosuperhighway]

Lumix 5ii can do pixel shift and do 96mp RAW No “AI” needed and opengate. Glad I chose Lumix for mirrorless but stuck with Canon 1dxmIII for DSLR for sports/racing etc.. best of both worlds. Sticking with 1 system is old thinking, now having the right tool for the right job. For me its Lumix s5iiX and 1dxIII

The issue with Canon is they have to segment product lines ie Cinema ENG/EFP line for video and photo bodies. Where as Panasonic no longer has a Varicam cinema line so no segmentation needed. This is why the s5iiX offers so many more features such as opengate, anamorphic support, LUTs, etc..

[teethtrainsandcameras]

Hi, great preview. One unanswered question across the web, what is that small clear window for just below the playback buttons? Fingerprint detector? Optical receiver? Thanks

[_SYDNA_]

My sense is that pre-production cameras can be misleading with respect to ISO, but did your test copy seem to have cleaner, better high ISO images? The 12, 800 you showed looked better than what I think I would get with my R3. How do you think this faster sensor compared in that regard?

[PNWDOM]

Hoping the price of R3's drop even further