Canon EOS R1 Interchangeable Lens Mirrorless Camera

I've had the R1 for a year and exclusively shoot high school & college sports, photography not video. Also I have the 24/70, 70/200, and 100/500 RF L lenses. I used a 1DX Mark III the prior four years, with analogous EF L lenses. Overall, I am just not impressed with the R1. For me the effective upgrade for the R1 is compatibility with the latest RF lenses, followed by increased frame rate. Good: - The latest RF L lenses are a step up from the EF L lenses. When shooting the R1 using the EF lenses and an adapter, there is a clear difference between EF & RF. Not surprising, given the RF lens specs. - The increase frame rate is great for catching the exact moment of greatest impact. Even with the 1DX III 16fps there were times I wished I had a shot in between frames. With the R1 30fps I do get those shots. - New customization options. Though I don’t use most, there are a few that come in handy on occasion. Bad: - Firmware still isn’t baked one year after release. Too many times the focus point doesn’t appear in the eyepiece until after releasing the shutter. Camera freezes and needs a power cycle. Just enough little glitches that shooting isn’t trustworthy as with the 1DX III. - Comparing the R1 and 1DX III, there isn’t a consistent, noticeable improvement using the R1. I shot both using EF lenses, attempting to isolate body performance from lens performance. Overall, R1 images have slightly better exposure and sharpness, but the images also tend to be flatter with harsher edges and lesser dynamic range. - Eye control AF does not work with sufficient consistency. The R1 loses track any time I look in the lower left quadrant of the viewfinder. Everywhere else there tends to be lag or float that takes focus aware from my target. For basketball in particular, the R1 eye control AF is worse than useless. - The shift in controls paradigm for the R1 is too great. I started shooting Canon SLRs over thirty years ago. Each time I upgraded to a newer body, the transition has been fairly seamless due to the consistency of controls placement & function. Later the same with both controls and menus on DSLRs. With the R1 controls changeup I’ve lost a lot of muscle memory, which leads to delays or mistakes when switching settings quickly during sporting events. - Batteries do not last as long as with 1DX III. Not a big deal for shooting a single sporting event. But when shooting a basketball quad, the need to carry the extra batteries is a nuisance. Ugly: - Back focus issues persist. While adjusting settings can somewhat minimize the problem, the R1 loves to switch focus to patterns & high contrast in the background. Nets, chain link fencing, reader boards: so many lost shots due to the camera failing to track a selected subject and instead switching to some static pattern in the background. The R1 is better than the 1DX III in this respect, but given the technology & price point I expect that the problem would be virtually eliminated. I'm not going to sell my R1 due to its mediocrity compared to expectations. I need a body to use with the RF lenses which I really like, and the R1 is on par with the 1DX Mark III results that I'm used to.

I shoot high school sports and have previously used EOS 1DX Mark II and III bodies, as well as the EOS R3. I agree that the R1 is not a huge deviation from the 1DX or R3 bodies, but pro shooters don't want (at least I don't want) drastically different models when we upgrade. This camera provides the same feel and features of the other pro models (rugged build, reliability, pro features) and greatly improves features like focus, low light abilities, and quality. I don't want 45 megapixels for sports shooting. I need to take a log of photos and upload/process them fast. I shoot mostly in the jpg format and Canon is long known to have the best jpg processing and color rendition. The R1 continues that and is the perfect upgrade for my 1DX and R3 bodies.

I upgraded from a 1Dx Mark III to this, and I'm very happy. The focusing system is noteably more capable, and my EF lenses work better than ever. The EF 85/1.2 Mk2 in particular nails the focus every time - which was always a problem with this lens. The electronic shutter is so good there is little need to use the mechanical one. I knew it was a 24MP camera, so knocking it for that would be silly.

Exceeded expectations in every way. Laser focus for tens of thousands of images per day. Unsure of why others are upset over more claimed pixels. The R1 is the best investment I have ever made after 50 years on the job. Paid for itself on day one. Thank you Canon.

This camera is amazing. The image quality and focusing is second to none.

Anyone who complains about the 24MP is an idiot and doesn't shoot sports professionally. They also need to learn to frame the image using the view finder and not rely on cropping. 24 MP is more than enough. The R1 is the Canon equivalent of the Sony A9 III. The R5 II is the equivalent of the Sony A1 II - just $2000 cheaper. I own an R1 and R3. I also own an R5 II and a R5. The R1 solves most of the issues I have with the R3, like having dual CFX B card slots. Adding better AF, pre-capture, a bigger, brighter EVF, 40 FPS and to me it was worth the loss selling an R3. The same with the R5 II vs. the R. The question is, if I were to trade up again, would it be for a second R1 or a second R5 II? It would be for a second R1 :)

I hoped this camera would be higher than the R5 which I own which has 45 mp images. I prayed that this Amazing camera would at least be 65 mp. Nope! It’s just a 24 mp…. Why ? Why? Why? Fuljifilm has 104 mp cameras and Sony had 65 mp cameras and Canon does not.

Great Camera.. Much better than expected... Excellent Sports . People/portrait, and LARGE wildlife camera.. The R5 Mark II is a better at capturing small/tiny wildlife and then cropping..

Very low resolution in this camera.........................................

I wanted to pre-order this, but I could not. This is just a slight hardware bump over the R3, sure the autofocus will be great but without a higher resolution picture, it will produce the same images that the R3 makes. Save your money and wait for a version that has more megapixels.