If you've been keeping an eye on the camera rumors, you'll know that Canon has a pretty packed 2024 in store. And right now it has no fewer than four cameras registered for release this year.
However, if you read those registrations, you'll only find obscure product codes that give virtually no clue as to what these cameras actually are… unless you know what you're looking for.
Thankfully, with a little common sense and a bit of sleuthing, I think can pretty safely identify these cameras – otherwise known only as ID0174, ID0179, DS126928 and DS126922 (thanks to Weibo detective E8M_MMM for spotting the latest registration).
Video cameras (ID0174 & ID0179)
While the product codes largely look like gobbledegook to anyone who doesn't possess Canon's cipher, there are telltale signs present. Take the first two, for example, where the prefix "ID" has previously been used for cinema cameras – suggesting that these will likely be cine or video devices.
This gives us a few possibilities. Two of the longest-standing Canon rumors are the EOS C50 and EOS C90, a pair of RF-mount cinema cameras to complement the Canon EOS C70. However, if these were going to launch this year, last week's NAB Show would have been the place to debut them. Instead, I think we're looking at a slightly different segment – two slightly different segments, actually.
I suspect that the first of these cameras is the Canon EOS R5C Mark II. This might seem surprising, given that the original Canon EOS R5C was only launched two years ago, but we know from the launch of the R6 Mark II that Canon isn't afraid to fast-track a second-generation product. And given that the R5C has seen some enormous discounts over the past year, it certainly feels like the company is clearing inventory.
As for the second camera, my gut tells me that this is a new iteration of the Canon PowerShot V10. I think it's a toss-up between two rumored versions: a flagship PowerShot V1 (featuring an APS-C sensor, rather than the 1-inch of the original) and an entry-level V100.
EOS R cameras (DS126928 & DS126922)
Why am I so gung-ho that one of the two video cameras will be the R5C Mark II? Because I'm pretty dang sure that one of the two R-system bodies will be the base R5 Mark II. Amazingly, it's been four years since the blockbuster Canon EOS R5 was released, and the water cooler has been surrounded by whispers that a successor is on its way this year – possibly as soon as next month.
That just leaves the final camera, which anybody with a calendar and a knowledge of camera release cycles can guess: the flagship Canon EOS R1. While typically this would already have been in our hands by now, I suspect that Canon had to do a few dramatic zigs and zags following the announcements of the Nikon Z9 and Sony A9 III.
This flagship camera will, after all, have to be the peak of Canon's camera capabilities until 2028 – so rushing a below-par product out of the door would do little good if it's already going to be out of date by 2024 standards.
Whether I'm way off the mark or bang on the money, whatever Canon is working on, May has been circled in the calendar as a big month for announcements – so we won't have to wait long for at least one big unveiling…
You might be interested in the best Canon cameras, along with the best Canon lenses for DSLRs and the best Canon RF lenses for mirrorless models.
