Canon confirms EOS R1 is coming

Canon has officially confirmed the rumours - the company's new flagship model is coming, and is aiming to be released later this year.

According to Canon, the EOS R1 will employ a newly developed image processor known as the 'DIGIC Accelerator' in addition to the pre-existing processor DIGIC X. The two processors allow for a large volume of data to be processed at high speeds and will deliver advancements in af and other functions.

Canon gives an example of how subject tracking accuracy has been improved in the new camera so that in team sporting events where multiple subjects intersect, the target subject can continually be tracked even if another player passes directly in front of them.

In addition, the AF “Action Priority” function is capable of recognising subject movement by rapidly analysing the subject’s status.

In moments during a sports game when it is difficult to predict what will happen next, this function automatically determines the player performing a certain action, such as shooting a ball, as the main subject and instantly shifts the AF frame, thereby helping to capture decisive moments of gameplay.

As well as improvements to autofocus, Canon says the R1 will leverage an image noise reduction function, which has been previously developed and improved as part of the company's software for PCs, as a camera function to further improve image quality.

Other than that, there's not much else to go on. Canon says it is working on field tests for this camera, likely ahead of a launch before the Paris Olympics later this year.

If you'd like to stay updated on the Canon R1, you can sign up to updates on Canon's website.