CanonNews / Thursday, April 28, 2022

More Rumors about the R7 and RF-S

CanonRumors has posted a couple of intriguing rumors about the R7 and related RF-S lenses.

While for the past 2 years (seems like 2 decades) of APS-C on the RF mount, the rumors have all been emphatic that RF-S lenses were not to come with the camera body but apparently, a source has stated that two APS-C lenses will come with the R7 camera body.

It should be noted that the 18-45mm that was on the roadmap for the longest of times, is not an APS-C lens, would not be an APS-C lens, and quite possibly Canon has something else up its sleeve. The roadmap image supplied to CanonRumors (shown below), has the lens listed as an RF lens, and there is no identification that the lens would be a crop. It's also listed in the same section as Canon's full-frame RF lenses, while EF lenses have been split into crop and full-frame right below it.

To be honest, it really wouldn't take much for Canon to simply release 5 or so APS-C mirrorless lenses for the RF mount by simply re-using the EF-M designs in a new mount. I'd love a wholesale move of EF-M to RF-S. I'd also want to see an RF-S 14-45mm F2.8 and an RF-S 45-150mm F2.8, but since I've never seen either design or anything close to it, we'll assume it's not going to happen. But one can dream, am I right? It should be noted that we've never heard of any serious rumors of Canon making more than one APS-C camera body, and I honestly don't think they are going to. But I do think if they release any APS-C lenses to go with the R7 it's a very serious indication that they indeed consider APS-C at least here for a while as a serious platform and that more than one camera body is coming.

The other rumor was a brief specification list for the R7. I personally think this depends on, again, Canon taking the path of least resistance. The R7 could simply be a remake of the M6 Mark II which was, by no stretch, a bad camera body. Having had one since it was released, I can honestly say even coming from the 7D Mark II, it's the most powerful crop camera that Canon has ever developed outside of the 1D series. Augment what was in the M6 Mark II with DIGIC X and basically, you have an R7 that will leave nothing on the table.

The specifications leaked by CanonRumors are solid, but kind of fit in with this thinking - except for the sensor. Will Canon create a "one-off" sensor for the R7? if it's a $2300 to $2500 crop sensor camera aimed at upper-tier prosumers that want reach? I'm not so sure. I also can't envision this mix of ergonomics between the R6 and the R5. Do they mean we get the PASM Dial back on the left and everything else from the R5? It would be the only thing that leaped out at me as far as a hybrid of the two cameras in terms of ergonomics. I personally think it will be an R5 look-a-like, similar to what they did with the 7D and 5D.