Well, it’s been a minute or two since we last heard about Canon finally creating a follow-up to their popular Canon EOS 7D Mark II, the APS-C sports and wildlife shooter announced in 2014 and reportedly discontinued in 2019. There were reports at the end of 2020 that an “EOS R7” was spotted out in the wild, with many expecting an imminent announcement. It never came.
APS-C RF mount rumours started to hot back up again last September, though, but since then it’s basically been radio silence – except for a vague mention of an APS-C RF mount camera coming this year. Now, though, Canon Rumors is reporting that the Canon EOS R7 (they say they’ve confirmed that this is what it’ll be called) is going to be announced later during 2022, with Q4 being the most likely timeframe.
There are no specifications as of yet on anything. Even the sensor size. But given the hype over a hypothetical EOS R7 over the last couple of years and Canon’s current mirrorless lineup having pretty solid full-frame representation with the EOS R3, EOS R5 and EOS R6 (and an EOS R1 probably coming at some point), it seems logical that if Canon is going to expand the RF mount to cover APS-C and kill off EOS M then the EOS R7 would be the way to do it.
And Canon Rumors says they have confirmed that the camera is indeed going to be named the EOS R7, so if it’s not a 7D Mark II replacement, I think a lot of people are going to be disappointed. The only question now is, given the nature of what Canon’s 7D DSLR line offered, which features might it inherit from the EOS R3? I’m thinking mostly of Eye Control AF. Will Canon really go all out with this one for those who prefer the “extra reach” of APS-C in a fast-paced environment?
Only time will tell, but this is probably the Canon mirrorless camera I’ve been most excited to hear an announcement for (and I’m saying that as a Nikon shooter for the past two decades). And if it offers at least a 25-megapixel sensor, 4K 120fps video and at least a dozen frames per second, I might finally be tempted to make the switch. I mean, given Nikon’s history with their pro-level APS-C bodies (D400 anybody?) it might be a while before we see a decent mirrorless D500 replacement.
We’ll keep you posted as we hear more.
[via Canon Rumors]
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