In a recent interview at CP+ 2023, the team from DPReview spoke with Canon about a wide range of topics. Two of them stick out in particular. First is that the Canon EOS R3’s Eye Control Autofocus system is coming to more cameras. It’s unlikely it’ll come to existing cameras, as I imagine it requires specific hardware to look at your eye, but it will be coming in the future.
The other is that Canon appears to be relaxing its position a little on third-party lenses. Previously, it appeared that Canon was just cutting all third parties off. Now, it seems that Canon is not only hinting that it will license its mount technology but specifically calls out Cosina as an authorised third-party manufacturer able to make RF mount lenses.
The news that Canon was cutting off third parties upset a lot of photographers. I’d been considering switching to Canon’s RF Mount mirrorless system myself after over two decades as a Nikon F mount shooter. But the lack of third-party native (that means not adapted) lenses and Canon’s apparent desire to shut them down put me off. And judging from the comments when we covered Canon’s action towards Viltrox, I’m not the only one.
DPReview asked Canon how they plan to appeal to users who want a wider selection of lenses, including third parties:
Q: We often hear from readers who say they like Canon mirrorless cameras but want a wider selection of lenses, including third party options. How will Canon appeal to these users?
Canon: Whenever a third party presents a request to us, we’ll consider it, based on our business strategy. In fact, we have been communicating with some outside companies, and you may already be aware that here at CP+, Cosina has announced that they will be creating RF lenses of their own.
So, it looks like Canon is willing to license the tech after all. Maybe this means there’s some hope that we’ll actually see some of that Sigma DG DN Art glass coming to RF mount at some point. They may, and it sounds like they have, take a similar position to Nikon – who is only licensing lenses that don’t compete with their own – but the fact that they’re letting any third parties make lenses at all is a good start.
When it comes to the Eye Control Autofocus found on the EOS R3, Canon says that it is coming to more cameras but that it will take some time. They also say that they want to improve the performance and usability too.
Q: Many users were excited to see the return of eye-controlled autofocus on the EOS R3. Has the new eye-controlled AF met Canon’s expectations, and can we expect to see it on more bodies in the future?
Canon: It’s our mission as a camera manufacturer to figure out ways to make any camera system easier and more comfortable to operate. So, in terms of the eye control system, or eye-controlled focus, we intend to deploy this to various other models as well. At the same time, we’d like to improve the performance and usability.
However, the eye control system is something that takes a long time to develop. It’s also a costly device to develop and manufacture, so we don’t wish for customers to have overexcited expectations for immediate deployment to other models.
I can’t see this coming to existing Canon bodies, so don’t get your hopes up. The fact that it’s a “costly device to develop and manufacture” tells us that this isn’t something they’ve just added into their cameras as standard, waiting for them to write the code later – although, I suppose, it’s possible. More than likely, this will only be coming to Canon’s future professional and higher-end prosumer bodies and not standard across the range.
I think it’s almost certainly going to be coming in the mythical EOS R1 when it finally gets announced. Will it be coming in an EOS R5 Mark II? An EOS R7 Mark II? Perhaps, over the next few years, but I guess time will tell.
[via DPReview]
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