We knew it was coming after last week's official announcement, but it didn't take long for the Canon EOS R1 to appear in the field ahead of its full reveal and on-sale date, which is yet to be confirmed.
The flagship mirrorless camera for professional sports and wildlife photography was seen in action in the build-up to the 2024 Monaco GP, and the images shared on Canon Rumors are courtesy of professional photographer Federico Basile (see below).
The close-ups are partially obscured by the photographer, but reveal the previously unseen top, bottom, and sides of the camera. Still, it shows us a little more than Canon's official announcement about the long-awaited professional camera, which revealed so little.
We now have a more complete picture of the EOS R1's body, and eager Canon fans are sharing their observations, including some design touches to help photographers quickly switch between portrait and landscape.
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As some have noted, the EOS R1 follows the EOS 1 series flagship by including a bar at the bottom to attach the camera strap. Doing so makes a lot of practical sense for photographers who regularly switch between vertical and horizontal shots, and it also helps large equipment stay close to the body when moving.
There are also locking mechanisms on the hot shoe and memory card door, while the top LCD conveniently displays battery life accurately as a percentage rather than bars.
There are still many mysteries
As we'd expect from a flagship model, there are plenty of external controls, including dedicated buttons for white balance and drive mode. The textured body and overall shape look and feel quite similar to the Canon EOS R3, although the EOS R1 is potentially a little larger.
What remains a mystery is what happens inside the chamber. We don't yet know what sensor the EOS R1 has, although previous Canon EOS R1 rumors point to a 30MP full-frame stacked sensor, a fully electronic shutter, and a fast maximum flash sync speed of 1/1250 second.
It is only a matter of time before those details of what will surely become one of the best professional cameras available are fully known.
The EOS R1 needs to up the game from the already excellent EOS R3 and compete with the innovative Sony A9 III, and that's no easy task, so it's probably not in our hands yet. Canon fans can only hope it's worth the wait.
