Four years have passed since the Canon EOS R was introduced. It’s long enough to put yourself through the standard years of American college. That can feel like an eternity in the camera world, but Canon has always been more about sustainability and longer product lives. To that point, their regular discounts on the camera make us think that the Canon EOS R Mk II will be unveiled soon. And if it’s coming, then this is what we want to see from it.
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Keep it Small. We Don’t Need a Huge Camera
Every time I pick up my Canon EOS R, I’m enamored with its size. These days, many cameras are way too big, and they don’t need to be. Undoubtedly, the Canon EOS R is the most perfectly sized SLR-style mirrorless camera. But Canon could’ve done so much more with it. We’re very optimistic that Canon can keep the same body size and incorporate all the improvements we’d like. Traditionally, Canon has treated smaller cameras like scraps thrown to peasants. And we hope that’s not the case here.
Give the Canon EOS R Mk II a Joystick
Let’s start this off right. The Canon EOS R Mk II should have a proper joystick on the back. The previous magic touch bar was a novel idea, but it made no sense in the long run. Give the Canon EOS R Mk II the joystick that photographers genuinely want. We don’t need to move our thumb down to a D-pad to choose the focusing points.
Think of it this way: if Sony can do it with their lower-end cameras, why can’t Canon?
Bring Back the Classic Back Wheel
The Canon EOS R Mk II should bring back the classic Canon wheel that traditionally controlled the aperture settings. This will make it more like the Canon EOS R5 and Canon EOS R6. What’s more, it will appeal a lot more to passionate photographers and Canon fans. This will also make the overall control more canonical to the rest of Canon’s cameras. With the Canon EOS R, you have to resort to the third control being around the lens. But with the Canon EOS R Mk II, you will hopefully get ISO, shutter speed, and aperture on separate dials on the camera.
Weather Resistance: Don’t Skimp on it
So far, Canon’s EOS R series of cameras have had incredible weather resistance. And we’d hope that the Canon EOS R Mk II is introduced with the same staying power. We’ve tested that camera many times in the rain and with various lenses. We’ve even used it in the snow. It’s significantly more stalwart than a lot of Sony cameras. And everyone wants a camera that endures these days.
Give it the AI Focus Options.
The Canon EOS R3 has many AI focusing options, and the Canon EOS R Mk II should have most of them, if not all of them. This is a camera I’d totally envision photographers capturing birds and all their travels with. The current Canon EOS R does a fantastic job with portraiture and shooting events. But it could do a whole lot more.
Where Canon could improve extensively has to do more with understanding humans. The cameras do great at face and eye detection. But what about body detection? There are lots of times when focusing on a body is a lot more desirable than focusing on a face. Runners going across a frame sometimes make more sense to have their bodies in focus. At events, we don’t always need to focus on someone’s face as much as we do on the fact that they’re just there existing as human beings. Improving the body-detection would make things a whole lot more functional.
Image Stabilization
The Canon EOS R Mk II doesn’t need the image stabilization that the Canon EOS R5 and Canon EOS R6 do. But Canon can keep the unit small while also providing a bit more stability. To be a member of our reviews team, you have to demonstrate handholding a camera down for at least 1 second. Further, you have to have no blur from the camera shake. Most people can’t do that. Maybe make it easier for folks to handhold and incorporate a new sensor too.
What do you want to see in the Canon EOS R Mk II? Do you think any of this will actually happen?
