Canon 2020: What's next?

CanonRumors divulged some further rumors, and I thought it was time to reflect on what can / should happen in 2020 from a Canon perspective. We started to write up a live document here but realized that if we added in February, it would become largely unreadable. Read our predictions and thoughts up to this point here.

I think it's pretty obvious given that it's an R5 that Canon considers the EOS-R5 the RF equivalent to the Canon 5D series on the EF mount.

Canon EOS R6

We know that there is an R6 coming, that's not really a rumor, and we can't explain to you why. We just know. We made promises to not divulge the source or even how we know.

What I don't know is what an R6 really is. It doesn't appear to be a blazingly fast sports camera because it shoots at the same speed as the R5. One most likely possibility is that it could be simply a cheaper camera with IBIS, and with the success of the A7 III and the possible upcoming A7 IV, it seems like a good camera to make. This is the most probable answer, as the camera seems to have more plastic than the R5, so it's very likely this is a cheaper camera with IBIS. But how is that going to sell against the R and RP? Or will the R and RP simply cease to exist after these releases from Canon? But I honestly feel until we know more about this camera, we can't really determine what its objectives are. This camera is also expected in the first half of 2020. What it doesn't appear to be, is Canon's answer to the A7S line - a completely video-centric camera.

The basic specifications that we are aware of are;

20mp full-frame CMOS sensor
IBIS
12fps mechanical and 20fps electronic.
4K @ 60p
New battery (Not sure if it’s the same as the EOS R5)
June 2020 launch (We think a May announcement)

Canon EOS R5s

This we used to call the EOS Rs - however after the release of the EOS R5, and the leak of the R6, it seems like Canon is mirroring the EF body lineup now. So the R5s seems to make more sense for the name. We expect this camera to share the EOS R5 ergonomics.

This as we explained in our article here, now has the capability to be quite the awesome camera with shooting speeds of over 10 fps if it sits at around 83MP in terms of sensor resolution. That's good enough to take on the big boys of the mirrorless market, such as the Sony A7R IV. What I'm not sure of, will Canon decide that the Fuji GFX 100 shouldn't hold the crown either?

Canon in the past had announced the development of a 120MP DLSR. That obviously got shelved with the RF mount, but that 120MP sensor and DSLR plans still exist somewhere. With this new sensor generation, and what appears to be a faster, and higher dynamic range sensor performance over the prior generation is it back on track? Consider that the 5Ds has a sensor that is at least 2 generations old now - this could show significant performance and dynamic range gains over the 5Ds. Canon advertised this 120MP DSLR camera and showed it off at multiple trade shows, it would be a good way of making a promise kept for Canon, especially for this, the next Canon Expo.

As far as performance, some theoretical numbers that we could see from this camera;

11 fps at 83mp
7.5 fps at 120mp

As we have long thought, Canon is not going to let anyone, including Sony hold the megapixel crown for very long. I expect this camera to come out in the latter half of 2020, probably in time for the Canon Expo 2020. I also fully expect it in my greedy hands as my first RF camera. With this sensor generation and DIGIC it seems that Canon has significantly increased its ability to process image data. Expect some good things from this camera.

Canon RF Lenses

Thanks to CanonRumors we expect to see a pancake, an ultra wide L prime, and also some DO super telephotos. I suspect that Canon right now feels that the super telephotos designed for the EF mount to be good enough and quite possibly, with the control ring adapter to be excellent. IBIS will not help these super telephotos so having IBIS+IS isn't as nearly important at these focal lengths as it is for shorter focal lengths.

Final thoughts

While all these cameras push the boundaries, I think in a way Canon is leaving something behind and I think they are missing what makes Fujifilm a popular choice. How many of you would like to see something like this;

Canon has a very rich history and camera DNA, and I think it would an awesome idea if Canon went off the boards, and did something like this for the RF mount. The AE-1 was a huge success for Canon. While the Nikon Df from all reports wasn't a huge seller for Nikon, it certainly did have its enthusiastic fans.