No sooner has Canon announced its new flagship camera, the Canon EOS R1, than rumors emerge of a Canon EOS R1X – which is purported to be "the true flagship".
Where the R1 is a 24.2MP body, it is being reported that the R1X will likely be "a high resolution monster" with the words "80MP pro body" being used.
As anyone who has followed the years-long EOS R1 saga will know, it has been the subject of more camera rumors than any product in history. And it seems that, even though the R1 has finally been revealed, the rumors just won't stop.
"For those expecting a high resolution R1, or something just generally more advanced, all I can say is… Wait a bit longer," writes EOSHD.
"I have it on good authority the EOS R1 is not the last word. Be it the R1X or R1S, the true flagship is likely going to be a high resolution monster."
Of course, Canon already has a high resolution monster: the Canon EOS R5 Mark II, which was announced alongside the R1, and has a 45MP sensor capable of 180MP upscaling.
However, this doesn't appear to be sufficient for EOSHD.
"Currently Canon only has the R5 Mark II to fit in that gap – it is relatively fast, relatively high end, relatively high resolution but it is not a 80MP pro body, and as an 8K cinema camera it has a lot of [sic] more able competition to contend with."
It appears that the site is still clinging to the many wild rumors that floated around during the aforementioned years-long saga – one of which was, indeed, that the camera (or another high-end EOS R) would have an 80MP sensor.
Personally, I think that's all this is: a hangover of that rumor. A flagship sports camera having 80MP just makes no sense – there's a reason that Canon and Sony have always settled on the 24MP sweet spot.
I don't even see why you'd need one, given that the R1 can turn any image into a 96MP file anyway. And if you really want more native resolution, there's the R5 Mark II.
Still, I've reached out to Canon for comment. But the company has consistently, repeatedly made clear where and why the resolution on the 1-series stands. If you're waiting for an 80MP Canon sports camera… I think you'll be waiting a while.
Check out my Canon EOS R1 review for my full thoughts, and see how it stacks up against the best cameras for sports photography and the best professional cameras.
