News

Canon Announces New EOS R System

Key Points

  • New Canon RF lenses – Canon’s fastest and sharpest ever, and offering features never before seen
  • New RF lens mount for enhanced communication and new lens design
  • New EF-EOSR Mount Adapters for compatibility with 70+ EF/EF-S lenses
  • New Canon EOS R full frame mirrorless camera

Press Release - Sydney, Australia, 5 September 2018

Canon Australia has today redefined the frontiers of photography and filmmaking with the launch of the pioneering EOS R System. More than thirty years on from the era-defining EOS launch, the bold new EOS R System will once again enable image makers to rethink the way they see and capture the world. Featuring the all-new RF lens mount, the EOS R System has been engineered from the ground up to achieve the perfect blend of optical, mechanical and electronic design – creating a system that is, in every sense, revolutionary.

“Since its launch in 1987, the Canon EOS system has been the benchmark of imaging performance – from entry-level to professionals at the highest level,” says Jason McLean, Director ­– Consumer Imaging, Canon Australia. “We’ve continually pushed the boundaries of technology, design and innovation and today we build on that legacy with a revolutionary new system that enables photographers and videographers to look at the world through new eyes.”

A system designed with lenses at its core
Conceived to enable the ultimate in lens design and performance, the new EOS R System launches with four lenses offering combinations of quality, speed and functionality that were previously impossible: the RF 28-70mm f/2L USMRF 50mm f/1.2L USMRF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM; and RF 35mm f/1.8 MACRO IS STM.

The groundbreaking new lenses are made possible by the RF mount, which enables a flange back distance of 20mm and a wide 54mm diameter. Moreover, the mount’s 12-pin connection enables enhanced communication and power transmission between the lens and camera body, further expanding lens design options to deliver higher image quality and enhanced usability.

Redefining the meaning of intuitive control and operating comfort, all RF lenses will feature a customisable Control Ring to adjust aperture, shutter speed, ISO or exposure compensation, removing the need to break concentration by looking away from the subject. In addition, three newly-developed lens adapters (available separately) allow the EOS R System to inherit all existing system advantages, including full compatibility with existing EF (excluding EF Cinema) and EF-S lenses and accessories1.

Cutting-edge optics
Setting new standards of quality and speed, the RF 50mm f/1.2L USM is an extremely fast 50mm f/1.2 L-series prime lens offering extraordinary levels of detail, supreme sharpness, stunning shallow depth of field and remarkable low-light performance. The RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM is an L-series zoom lens and the first full frame Canon lens to feature Nano USM – ideal for filmmakers when smooth focusing is a must for natural-looking focus transitions, giving superb control and smooth tracking of the subject as it moves away or towards the camera. Slim and easy to handle, the RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM also features a fixed f/4 aperture, while the fast, silent autofocus and 5-stops of image stabilisation make it perfect for movie making. Also announced is the RF 28-70mm f/2L USM, Canon’s first large-aperture full frame compatible standard zoom, offering f/2 brightness throughout the zoom range. This fast lens features a lens barrel with a shock-absorbing mechanism that achieves excellent impact resistance for toughness and durability. Lastly, the RF 35mm f/1.8 MACRO IS STM is a super-fast 35mm f/1.8 macro lens ideal for street, travel and close-up photography, offering a naturally wide-angle perspective, close-up focusing and Hybrid IS.

70+ lenses at your fingertips
Three new EF-EFR lens mount adapters allow more than 70 EF and EF-S lenses1 to be used with the innovative EOS R System, adding new functionality to existing optics, while maintaining the excellent levels of performance and functionality previously seen with EOS DSLRs. The control ring mount adapter incorporates the control ring found on RF lenses to enable users to maintain their setup whether using RF or EF and EF-S mount lenses. The drop-in filter mount adapter offers the ability to use a range of drop-in filters (drop-in circular polarising filter or drop-in variable ND filter). Ideal for filmmakers and for use with lenses that are difficult to add filters to, the drop-in variable ND filter density filter controls exposure, while the circular polariser reduces reflections and enhances colour saturation. Additionally, a standard mount adapter simply enables lens attachment.

EOS R mirrorless camera – adding to the full frame family 
Adding to the EOS full frame line-up, Canon has today unveiled the first camera body to carry the EOS R name and RF lens mount. The EOS R is very much a sum of its parts, offering a unique combination that redefines photo and video performance with superb image quality, state-of-the art connectivity, unprecedented ergonomics and responsive handling. Canon’s first camera with the ability to focus in light conditions as low as EV-62, the EOS R continues to please with astounding autofocus speed (Canon’s fastest: 0.05 seconds) and totally silent shooting for use in any setting.

The EOS R brings together high-performance RF lenses, a 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor with approximately 30.3 million effective pixels and the latest DIGIC 8 image processor, with almost every control on the EOS body customisable. As a first for Canon’s EOS camera series, the EOS R features a customisable multi-function bar, which can be personalised using a slide or touch motion for preferred settings such as ISO.

Familiar, yet refined, the hallmark EOS ergonomics of comfortable hand grip and intuitive layout reassure professional and amateur users alike. Coupled with the weather-sealed robust magnesium alloy body, the setup and handling allow users to shoot for long periods with uninterrupted focus in the field. Designed for those on the move, always-on Bluetooth allows a smartphone to be paired with the EOS R and GPS data recorded in images. For additional creative capture, remote shooting via the Canon Camera Connect app offers freedom for flexible shooting.

Digital Lens Optimizer, which corrects factors such as lens aberrations, draws on the power of RF lenses to send correction data to the camera body, minimising impact on continuous shooting speed. In addition to Canon’s fastest autofocus, EOS R can capture moving subjects fast and accurately, with up to 8fps continuous shooting (fixed AF) and 5fps with AF tracking.

The EOS R has Touch and Drag AF, which enables intuitive selection of the impressive 5,655 available AF point positions. As Canon’s first camera to enable low-light autofocusing down to EV-6, the EOS R is optimised for low-light shooting thanks to the advanced Electronic Viewfinder (EVF), with 3.69 million dots, provides 100 percent coverage of the scene, making it possible to see subjects in accurate colour even in near-dark.

EOS R is a highly accomplished filmmaking tool delivering stunning 4K video footage featuring full audio control, a vari-angle screen and manual focus peaking. Additionally, filmmakers can output in 10-bit over HDMI with Canon Log to capture footage in neutral contrast, with up to 12-stops of dynamic range at ISO 400. This allows post-production grading to extract every subtle nuance of colour and detail in shadows and highlights.

EOS R accessories
In addition to the EF-EFR mount adapters, accessories for EOS R include a powerful and versatile battery grip. The battery grip, BG-E22, allows two high capacity lithium-ion LP-E6N batteries to be used and offers external battery charging via the PD-E1 USB Power Adapter, providing extended shooting and enhanced handling for the photographer, when used in the vertical position. For creative lighting options, the BG-E22 also features a PC terminal to allow a traditional wired studio flash to be used with EOS R.

Expanding the EOS system
Further expanding the existing EOS System, Canon today also launches the EF 400mm f/2.8L IS III USM and EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM, two revolutionary, lightweight professional super telephoto lenses for the EF System. Additionally, Canon announces a new premium portrait lens for the EOS M mirrorless system the – EF-M 32mm f/1.4 STM.

Also announced today, Speedlite EL-100 is a compact, lightweight and high-power flash gun with bounce and tilt functions and an auto mode that enables communication with compatible cameras to take the complication out of flash photography.

Digital Photo Professional Express (DPP Express)
Enabling you to make the most of your images, and expanding the RAW development workflow for photographers, Canon today also launches the Digital Photo Professional Express (DPP Express), for iPad®3. Intuitive and easy-to-use, DPP Express is a high-performance RAW image processing, viewing and editing software for use with both EOS and EOS R cameras. Images can be imported via Camera Connect and can be edited directly through the iPad® app, from white balance adjustment and fine-tuning of tone curve characteristics to dynamic-range adjustment.

DPP Express RAW image software can display still images using PQ (Perceptual Quantization)4, an HDR format targeting movie production and distribution. The software makes possible the editing and display5 of high-quality images with a wide dynamic range.

Input to output offering
Today Canon strengthens its input to output offering, with a new print software solution. Using the new print software Professional Print & Layout, high-quality images edited using Digital Photo Professional can be printed while maintaining important qualities such as tonality, sharpness and accurate colour reproduction. Included within the software is the new DPRAW print function, which has the ability to process depth map information from DPRAW files, allowing reproduction of sharp details and textures as the photographer intended. This gives a sense of three dimensionality to prints.

Also included is the new HDR print function, which allows highlight areas of an image to be reproduced strongly in print. What’s more, using the Exhibition Lighting Optimisation function, prints can be output to achieve an expanded dynamic range when combined with bright lighting conditions for galleries and exhibitions.

Availability: 

  • EOS R camera - 9 October 2018
  • Control ring mount adapter - 9 October 2018
  • RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM - 9 October 2018
  • RF 50mm f/1.2L USM - End October 2018
  •  RF 28-70mm f/2L USM - December 2018
  • RF 35mm f/1.8 MACRO IS STM - December 2018
  • Standard mount adapter - 9 October 2018
  • Drop-in filter mount adapter - 2019
  • BG-E22 - End October 2018
  • PD-E1 USB Power Adapter - TBC
  • EF 400mm f/2.8L IS III USM - December 2018
  • EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM - 2019
  • EF-M 32mm f/1.4 STM - October 2018
  • Digital Photo Professional Express - Available for Download from December 2018
  • Professional Print & Layout - TBC

Pricing to be set at dealer discretion.

* Based on weekly patent counts issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office

1 Does not include EF-M lenses or EF Cinema lenses in the EF lens series. EOS R lenses do not require a lens adapter
2 Does not apply under the following conditions: shooting moving images; in conjunction with a lens that has a larger f number than f/1.2 (e.g. RF28-70mm f/2L USM); when using a peripheral AF point; when using servo AF
3 iPad Pro all model/iPad(5th) /mini4/Air2 (iPad with installed RAM capacity 2 GB or more. The first generation of iPad mini2/mini3/Air is installable but not supported. Cannot install earlier above iPad and iPhone / iPod touch – not available on Android
4 PQ (Perceptual Quantization) is a new gamma curve based on the characteristics of human vision. Based on the international HDR standards ITU-R BT.2100 and SMPTE ST 2084.
5 The display of HDR images requires an Ultra-HD-certified monitor and compatible OS (Windows 10 64bit). Images will be displayed through SDR conversion on SDR monitors or incompatible operating systems.