Canon Believes the R3 and R1 Appeal to Different Photographers
Canon’s EOS R1 has received criticism for its spec-for-spec comparison to the flagship cameras from both Sony and Nikon, but in an interview with Phototrend, the company says that its goal with the R1 was to make the best and most balanced flagship it could.
Phototrend, a French publication, released its interview with Manabu Kato and Tomokazu Yoshida, Unit Executive and General Manager of the ICB (Image Communication Business) division at Canon today and asked the duo a litany of questions regarding the EOS R1 including who it was made for, how long it was in development, and why certain choices were made about its specifications. The quotes below have been machine-translated from French and double-checked by a human for accuracy.
The R1 is Canon’s ‘True’ Flagship
“When we launched the EOS R3, we already had in mind the idea of creating a flagship camera, a true flagship,” Kato says (emphasis from Phototrend).
When asked why the company chose not to use a global shutter in the R1 as Sony did for its a9 III, Kato says that while Canon does indeed have global shutter technology and uses it in industrial applications, the company decided it wasn’t a fit for this camera.
“Our mission remains to provide the ultimate tool to our professional customers. No matter what environment they are in, we want to make sure that the product we will offer them is free of defects,” he says.
Canon’s executives show masterful skill in the structure of their answers. They say they wanted to make a mirrorless camera that surpasses the EOS-1DX, which is the “flagship of the EOS lineup,” and starting from this perspective, they began thinking about what the flagship of the mirrorless lineup could be as soon as they started the transition to mirrorless. It was this line of thinking and the pursuit of that goal that led to how the R1 was made.
However, while they say Canon’s goal is to make such a camera, the executives don’t actually say if they succeeded.
As is typical of Japanese executives, the answers leave a lot up to interpretation and they stop short of making definitive statements; the interviewer didn’t press them. That said, Phototrend does ask if the goals they stated are why the resolution of the R1 remains unchanged from the R3, and there they do give a straightforward response.
“The EOS R1 is the result of thinking about how to balance the advantages of a very sharp sensor. We also wanted to offer a body with very high ISO sensitivity, and we managed to achieve a value of ISO 102,400,” he says.
“We also wanted the shutter speed to be as high as possible. And, as you know, the camera can capture 40 frames per second. But if you go for high resolution, the available frame rate is usually quite low. Considering all of this, we felt that 24MP was the right balance between all of these pros and cons.”
Canon Believes The R3 and R1 Have Different End Users
Earlier this year, PetaPixel reported that Canon intended to carry on the R3 line despite its similarities to the R1, and Canon’s executives seem to double-down on that approach. Kato argues that the EOS R1 and the EOS R3 aren’t necessarily made for the same type of photographer.
“Obviously, the EOS R1 is the flagship product, and we wanted to surpass the capabilities and possibilities of the EOS R3. Therefore, in some areas, the EOS R1 is better than the EOS R3,” he says.
“However, we still think that the EOS R3 is the most balanced in terms of performance. It really depends on what you use your camera for. So for some customers, the EOS R3 is still the best option.”
Kato did not elaborate on what specifically about the R3 makes it more balanced than the R1 in any use case nor how what it could be used for would be superior, or even differ, from what the R1 can capture.
Canon’s own marketing for the R1 and R3 does not draw a very distinctive line between the types of work both excel at.
“[The EOS R1 is] designed for durable, fast-action photography and continuing the legacy of the EOS-1 Series… ensuring you capture the perfect action shot even in fast-paced scenes,” Canon says of its flagship.
“The EOS R3 combines some of the best of both the EOS R5 and EOS-1D X Mark III cameras to provide a robust, high-performance camera… ideal for dynamic action photos such as athletes, animals, cars and motorcycles in motion,” it writes of the R3.
It could be argued that the lower price of the R3 is a factor in that discussion and it’s very likely that would come into play for an end user, but Kato never mentiones price — only “performance.”
Speaking of price, Kato defended the cost of the R1 versus the competition.
“If you’ve had a chance to try the EOS R1, I hope you’ll agree that this camera offers a lot to photographers. Since it packs so many features, its cost has naturally increased. Of course, we’d like to make it more affordable if possible,” he says. “However, we also believe that there is much more to this case than just the price difference between this model and others.”
The full interview — which includes discussion about the transition from DSLR to mirrorless, Canon’s partnership with Apple, and the company’s approach to hybrid lenses, among other topics — can be read on Phototrend.
Image credits: Canon
